The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-12-06
New York SUM


past middle life except two, and they had
been allowed to join the mystic circle Of
! seven as a great favor. One Of these two
was very young, being just out OF college.
1t was his trial at Yale man Of 'SS, was
about 30 and had seen a good deal Of the
world. The sight hadn't Slapped his boy
| ish joyOusness, however, and after all he
was very young, too The seven always
/ lunched together, and on this particular
/ day they fingered even longer than usual
over their coffee and cigars. 1t was be-
| cause the next day was Thanksgiving,
and holiday is about as demoralizing to
| the oldest fellow on change as it is to
| the average schOOlboy.
Society isn't what it used to be- said
a handsome robust man Of 60 as ne
| twisted his white moustache. "a woman
is never admitted to be an old woman in
! New York society. Why, 80 years ago
I'D been married 10 years then, mind
you-a girl was a girl, and q woman
a matron, the line Of demarkation was as
rigidly drawn as that between the old
woman and the new woman to-day. Then
% or a was considered an advanced age
at which to become engaged, and the
woman who had reached the age of 80
]
! spoken of as an old maid, and through
sheer force of circumstances became very
| old maidish in her ways. A girl of 20
| considered a full grown woman. To-day
she is looked upon as a mere chit, and a
woman of 30 is not yet in her prime. The
fact that a woman is gray beforeshe is
| engaged is a fact not even commented
upon, it so frequently is the case. This is
decidedly a change for the better 1t
was the essence of cruelty to expect wo-
man Of 80 or 40 to be cheerfulIly laid
away on the shelf. Such a thing
wouldn't be tolerated for an instant in
these days. We are more reasonable,
more humane. Why a woman Of so is
| young to me now"
Cad" exclaimed the youth fresh from
college, "She isn't to me-"
Its altogether owing to ones view
point, old chap" said the other young
fellow, patronizingly. You possibly think
a girl Of 81 quite mature now. Just wait
till you get my age" The old fellows
smiled
and all this talk about woman's age
| leads to a very old but an always inter-
esting question" put in jolly man Of at
least so, who did not look his age by 10
years.
Lay it on the table," blurted out the
man next to him.
AT what age is a woman most fasci-
nating" he jerked out, with emphasis on
| the verb.
Sixteen" yelled one Twenty" an
| other" Thirty" shouted three. while
/ the sixth shouted "fOrty," and the sew
/ enth and Oldest man held his ground that
| 80 was the age for him.
/ Let the kid have his say first" shout
ed the Oldest man, beating ON the table
with his fist for silence.
That's a co." consented the half doz-
What age has most charms for you,
| kid?" asked one, addressing the young
| ster.
Thirty" he answered without hesita-
| ton. Give me a woman of at least 80
School girls don't interest me a minute
! Thomas Carlyle says something about
putting boys under barrels and keeping
them there until they are %. I guess the
old chap didn't know much about girls
or he would have included them, too,
Really, woman has no interest for me
whatever under that age. Mind and body
are undeyeloped and her character I'M
formed She thinks of nothing but her
self, her looks and her beaux; of dances,
dinners, afternoon teas and theatre par
ties. Great bore, those things to me.
Now, | met woman Of about 80 last
year at the junior promenade"
"That'll do" interrupted the confirmed
old bachelor Of the party, as he made
several dives at the feet of the others
with his own. ''You know we settled the
other day that we weren't going to hear
any more about your junior promenade
last year. Besides, boy, how do you
know when a woman is at a fascinating
age and when she isn't? Every young
fellow has to go through the stage of old
err women than himself. That's the reason
you do not care for women under 80 As
for me, give me girl from 16 to Is. She !
is spontaneous in her actions, and this /
precious quality prevents her from ever |
being wicked. She doesn't need repose |
Of manner that you other men find so
fascinating in older women. She has |
nothing to conceal. l know not what
philosopher has said, old women are
never lacking but he spoke the unvar-
nished truth. They are never lacking
in society, and one gets very tired of
anything that one has too much Of. It's
the style to consider a woman Of 30 I
young, I know, but she isn't, all the
same. Age can't be reckOned by years,
but by knowledge, and the woman of 80
to-day knows too much for me. She is
suppressing her emotions, and
this makes her unnatural and keeps her
from really enjoying anything. On the
other hand, the girl of 16 or IS, let's go
herself, and enjoys everything from l
glass of icecream soda to an assembly
ball, and doesn't care who knows it. She c
warns ones heart and makes one live I
over again the days Of ones youth. Even $
20 years ago girls of this age were look /
ed upon as women, and were allowed to
go into society. Now they are made
70 wear short dresses, wear their hair in ~
oraids and keep up stairs with a gov
arness while their mammals, and grand J
mothers, too, for that matter and their
)ld-maid aunts, who have proved hard 9,
took in the market, come down to enter IL
ain you. When I do talk to these peoPe
feel like a FOSSIL but when 1 can get ae