Evening star., 1895-06-08
ABOUT NEATNESS.
Which is the Cleaner Sex: - What
Ladies' Have to Say.

iidDll, 81 ciedn OF OTueTly dS Inell. or 20
! delicate in their ideas of small Matters
l combated the assertion, with indignant
protests, and assured the speaker that only
disappointed bachelor, whom some wo-
mans perfidy had soured, could make such
a statement
Nevertheless, I set about studying the
habits of the sexes in these respects, and
I began to question people who had wide
| opportunities of judging such matters, and
the result has not been wholly compliment
tary to my sisters.
| First, noticed the dress of men and wo-
| men in public conVeyances. 1t is rarely,
| indeed, one sees a man, with any claims to
respectable attire, who displays soiled col
| lar, cuffs shirt front. But l have OBJ
served soiled laceS about the neck of many
otherwise richly and fasnionaby at
| tired woman; AMI soiled white gloves are
wofully in evidence and ruin scores of
handsome toilets.
do not think ! have ever seen fringes or
| tatters about the ankles of a man.
1t seems to be understood law among
| the most ordinary types of respectable
| men that the first raveled seam or ripped
| lining shall be attended to by the tailor be-
| fore the garment is worn again. But wo-
| men who carry fortunes upon their backs
display torn f1ounces and ragged laces fire.
| quently on the street crossings or in alight-
| ing from vehicles
only few weeks ago I walked behind
a young lady in a prominent New York
avenue, and admired the perfect fit of her
brand-new promenade costume and the ex-
| quisite details, which exhibited excellent
| taste and judgment of the wearer or her
| modiste. Hat, gloves, gown and wrap and
veil We're in harmony. But suddenly there
| came muddy crossing; the lady lifted her
dress and showed a charming foot, ele-
| gantly booted, but, alas. above it a silk
| petticoat, with three rags hanging from it.
| The harmony was ruined by discord.
Just as l was about to emerge from a
| Turkish bath esta blishment one day a
| young woman who speaks three languages
| fuently and who belongs to a rich and in
| fluential family entered and tossed off an
| expensive cloak, displaying a faded silk
waist which was out at the elbows and
| badly soiled about the neck. Her skirt was
trim and modish, her cloak and bonnet
| inexcusably shabby. l could not help but
wonder if she had appeared in this gar
| men at the breakfast table
Perhaps in similar intimacy men may
| similar untidness among members of their
| own sex. but l doubt it.
On the other hand, where is the woman
! who could endure for ten minutes the filth
| OF smoking car in which refined men
| pass hours? The recollection of passing
| through one by accident to reach a parlor
| car is sufficient 10 unnerve the average
| woman.
Talking with lady who has a large
| country home where she entertans extern
| s;veiy, 1 asked her opinion on this subject.
| She gave it follows:
| Il will tell you our experience" she said.
! which / fear is Eot d solitary one 1t so
| happened that two young ladies and two
young gentlemen had been passing week
| under my roof and the morning of their
| departure nv housekeeper was i'll and l
| went in person to superintend the cleaning
| OF the rooms which they had occupied.
THE young ladies', mind you, had been
| reared in homes of culture and learning
and were to all appearance dainty and re-
| fined specimens of their sex, yet this was
the condition of the rooms which they had
! occupied for one week:
| The handsome dresser cloth was stained
| and spattered by toilet creams and washes.
| A box of face powder had been overturned
! on the velvet carpet. and the print of a
| small slipper toe had tracked il about the
| room. A large, unsiShtly roll of mixed
| blonde and brunette "combinss" protruded
| from paSteboard receptacle like a last
years bird nest. Three toilet bottles were
minus their shoppers. Four cambria hand
| kerchefs and one glove We're found under
| the bed, and in the sweepings of the room
| were discovered eighty-sever dress pins,
four hat pins and two lace pins containing
Jewels
when the room just vacated by the men
was Investigated the only souvenirs remain
! ing We're two half-burned cigars, small
heap of cigar ashes on the mantelpiece
| ard one quill tootnpick Oh the floor.
| :" Sure an I'd rather clean up after tin
! g:ntlemen than one lady any day remark
! ed my servant, and in view of the con-
| trast between the two rooms 1 could not
| rebuke her.
Another hostess whom 1 consulted on this
| subject said: Il do not know that 1 have
| found men guests neater than women. but
l have found them more delicate-m:nded in
| regard TO many matters. For instance, the
seemingly best-bred girls and the richest
are often exceedingly careless in small
| matters. They will borrow wrap from a
| hostess when they have misaid their own
| or it is inaccessible, and they will leave
| this garment on a veranda chair or in a
| boat with reckless disregard Of conse-
| quenceS. They will take ores best books
| from the library and leave them on garden
seats, to he ruined by rain or insects. They
! will use ones last postage stamp or hair
PIN, when supplies five miles distant.
| Men are rarely thoughtless or careless in
! these matters. If by chance they find il
necessary to borrow top coat or mackin-
| tosh they are extremely careful about re-
! turning it. Womea have way of taking
| favors for granted which is foreign 10 the
| average man."
Another lady said: Il think men bathc
| much more than Women do and are more
Particular about the details of their cloth
! ins and dress. l think it is more than
! balanced by many OF their unclean habits
| smoking, chewing drinking, and the like
In fact, think men are internally less
, clean and externally cleaner than women"
| 1T is queer thing about this new wo-
man man said bright man to me recently.
she is so awfully Independent, you know
| goes everywhere alone keeps all sorts of
! hours, fills all sorts of positions yet the
| moment she is in street car with a male
| acquaintance she takes it for granted that
| he Will pay her fare and she is far more
| ready to accept money favors from him
than his real bachelor friends, whom she
| apes. 1t strikes me very odd | like
TO DO these favors for lady, of course,
| but 1t is amusing, nevertheless. when in
| the next breath she tells you how indie
| pendent the new woman is of man.
| At the same time this young man seen
| ed to forget that there never would have
| peen the new woman" had the old man.
| not been nigEardly in money matters 1t
was because our grandmothers were oblig-
| ed to ask for cents and then frequently
! De SUBJECTED to the humiliation of a re-
! lusa!, that their granddaughters are MAX
| ing the OFTEN ungraceful scramble for mems
| places and mems wages, which SO startles
! the world today.
| Whatever indelicacy the woman of TODAY
shows in money matters is but the result
OF lnherltance-an inheritance caused nv
the injustice of men in a past age: mean
while she has sufficient taste and pride 10
correct TINS inheritaEce once she realizes it
Inc question which remains open now is.
Has the American man, despite his superior
claim to neatness and cleanliness the prize
and good taste to cure himself of his awfuI
| habit of expectoTatng in public places and
| 10