San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-08-13

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could in decency to be near the
young men, to maintain the rela.
tions of intimacy and cordially
which are theirs by rights of their
sex, their sweetness and loneliness,
and which should be pressed upon
them instead of being sought at
their hands.
Why, if this tendency increases,
the first thing we know the young
women will be compelled to make
proposals of marriage or remain
forever single. They have come
dangerously near it already. The
half-concealed seeking, the manage
ment, the tact, the ingenuity, the
leading, are now all in the hands
of the girls and their mothers.
Nothing remains but for them to
seize fitting moment, to kneel at
the young mans feet, declare I'M
dying love, aud propose matrimo-
ny. 1t makes my heart sick with.
in me to hear girls telephoning for
young men, begging for their
company at tennis, or in drive, or
out boating-mere devices and
pretext for getting at the young
man himself. 1t makes me sadder
still to hear the remarks which
young men make on receiving these
summons. "Oh, l suppose I will
have to go, but I'm dashed if like
it." says one Very sorry, Pm
sure but have an engagement at
the club" replies another over the
wire. smiling at his own smartness.
Pm charmed to accept" phones
third, then ringing off and ad-
ding, in a lord of creation sort of
way: "These girls are always up to
something. Why can't they let
fellow alone?"
These are the things which make
me sigh for the good old days in
which women waited confidently to
be conquered and did not have to
go telephoning from cottage to
cottage and from hotel to hotel in
order to secure an escort or COM
panion of the male sex. l do not
complain because girls ride wheels,
and drive traps, and play tennis
and golf, and go boating, and all
that sort of thing. I do complain
because they have been forced to
to take to these amusements in order
to protect themselves against abso-
lutte neglect. The girls are just as
sweet and lovely as they ever were.
They are meeting the new social
conditions with as much tact and
refinement and modesty as are
possible under the circumstances.
The pity is, as view it, that they
have to take the aggressive side at
all.
In such society as that which we
have it is not so much the new
woman that afflicts us as the new
mantle man who thinks more of
his sports, his clubs, his male COM
rades, than his sisters and other
mems sisters. l say it with pain
that the tendency of what is known
as our higher society is toward the
European system. Some of the
. principal phases of European soci-
ETY. are abhorrent. 1t will be a sad
day for America when they are
, adopted here-and already they are
much initiated, especially in the
t east. Are, our well-to-do young
: men in the first stages of the
5 European process ? Do they be-
: lieve their early manhood should
t be devoted to roaming and license,
| and that matrim ony should come
: only with WEAKNESS ? hope not
, Woman's moderate success al
t the Columbian exposition must
: have had a great moral effect. Th'
' men grudgingly gave us privileges,
= powers and funds. Our demon
| stration of what women could do
4 that she could have order, that she
Y could wisely disburse and properly
account for monies, that as juror
Y Of awards she had judgment equa
: to mans and impartiality superio
d to his-all these things must havr
e helped the sex in business, in tn
s professions, in all sorts of bread
y winning. Herein lies the tru
e value Of the advanced woman move
e ment. 1t gives woman wages NOR
e nearly equal to those of men doinl
). the same work. 1t brings her :