Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-11-10
UNFEELING WOMEN.
MANY WHO AXE so CALLED ARE
GROSSLY misunderstood.

Women Whom the Present Generation
Docs Not Appreciate because 1t Does
Not Understand Them-The other Type
Of Woman Who Is Always A6Abie.
A witty and sympathetic man once
said to me, II would rather marry a
woman who looked feelings and had
none than q woman who had feelings
and looked none" OF course the say
ing came moro from his wit than his
sympathy, but could not help feeling
that there were moments when could
agree with him, although have known
the value and the services of the woman
with no feelings to be underestimated
Ny daughters have friend-a wom-
an only little past girlhood-whose
company is more sought after and rel
ished than that of almost any one
know. She has admirers by the score and
acGuaintances everywhere, and no Won
der, for she is cultivated, always cheer
| ful and will listen to and rally the poor.
est talker. She is asked to everything
in the shape of feast, for she Is the
| amusement and relaxation Of whoever
may be about her. AT the same time.
| whenever her praises are sounded, tho
| eulosy winds up with the inevitable and
disheartening tag, After all, you know,
| she has no feelings
And this is perfectly true. Quick and
| comprehending rs is her smile and
| graceful as is her glance while one IS
hnr 10 oil
vlctlon that not a trace of real Interest
is involved. If she only had heart,
the girl would be an angel
l like the cid fashioned. word. And
when ! have been alone with her have
often wanted to say, My dear, do be
| an angel!' But she has no heart IL she
were to marry foreigner and go abroad
to live, she would leave US all without
| moments regret. So her friends are
| vexed with her want of feeling and
warn the world against her.
And this is what seems to me unjust.
Take this girl rs she is. Whether it
Is her nature or rot, she never refuses
the challenge 70 be agreeable, whatever
| her own plans and likings are, she never
| betrayS Impotence when they are
| crossed. Her companion may he plain,
| awkward and tiresome, but her eye and
her gay little joke are never dulled for
| that reason. In fine. she may be the in
carpation of the light which shines, but
| does not warm, yet while she keeps a
| whole circle in good humor by her wit,
| as she does, it is poor return to grid
| at her.
Again. and speaking now of widely
different type. can call to mind older
women, often only the survivors of a
more rigid era-exact, severe. stern, un-
bending and ruling their households
with rod of iron. How little this gen
| GRAFTON understands the m, How little
merit 1t allows to the implicit faith in
| duty, the untirinS devotion TO work, the
almost fanatic hatred of waste and self
Indulgence and the Spartan maxims Of
life III which they Were brought mp and
which they still observe. What has be-
| come of our eyes that we cannot see the
beauty of such lives? Why do We no
longer recognize their value? These are
not the women who have feelings, but
look none. They are without feelings at
all, according to the standards of our
ncw, diversified and exacting society.
hear young girls saying that their
grandmothers or aunts, or what you
please, don't understand them. and
really think that many older people
than these schoolgirls make just the
same absurd complaint l can appeal
with safety to every one. Who has not
| known one of these same stern women
almost bring the dead to life by her
powers of nursing, or confront single
handed and maintain her family on 4
| beCTars plttance, or save a falling
household by simple economy and hard
work: l shall he told that all these
things are admitted. but that is Just the
point-they are not. If they were. the
cry of mo feelings" would never be
raised, out of very shame.
/ know an old lady who has had the
misfortune to live u long life and to see
all her descendants grow up unable to
understand her. She is of the old,
unsparing sort, and they, artistic, orig
inal, clever, modern people, have no
place for her either in their theories or
their interests. With these her notions
can scarcely be expected to agree either,
yet the complaints come not from her,
but from them. They are not complaints
in words. They are complaints crystal
liked into entire disregard for the old
school, which does not, as it cannot,
neutrality-suspicious. with them.@sIt seems
to take III outsider, like myseafssto see
what tn sse-tiias withuyt this Erect,
white haired aicsstresA wfosis Appar
entity 80 separate from them al wives
and husbands both would have to teach
themselves the fortitude which she COM
municates merely by her presence.
Their households would be dragging on
without the strong axles, so to speak,
which she put i'll almost unnoticed for
each newly married couple and the
whole family, now held together in an
unusual vigor, would soon fall apart
and be dispersed.
l believe there must be many such
cases. l have the deepest respect for