The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-04-26
ERRATIC FEMININE WAYS.
Bah Scores The Woman Burdened Win
"InYitatiOnS.''
AMERICANS At The CARS CORONATION
Tn. r.,Y Ser and Their Love for Aristoc-
r.cv-Jemerson as Compared with
Russian NobIes-Lend Your Books,
x~.e Your sriend-The Cause OF
Insomnia-As to Beds and
Robes de Mutt.

NEW lORh, Io.-h 9Su VIZ"
considered smart. you are, OF course' ar
nonncing TO your friends That May VIII
and YOU IA Russia witnessing the corona
zion of the Car. 1 have been toid OIL
,ho measure expected by women VINO
Will get nearer TO Russia than the qu"''
ter dedicated TO the RUSSIANS on tbe
East Side, in New YORK Guy an" ts'0
oueer part OF II is that these ladies "no
do not tell the entire truth are so Piao'u
about Il. 1t takes a woman 10 He W., W.
case She can get into her face a LOON
a. innocent as possible, and then 90
ahead in her efforts TO Guido Ananlds.
I can imagine that this great spectacle
of the coronation will be well worm see
ing. but / don't think II VIII ever CUM
pare. as a curiosity, with the slohui'y
with which tho spring-gowneo you"b
eoman tells OF her invitation 10 De pres
ent. and OF the impression that she haue
on various Russian mobiles whom she met
abroad last season. l cannot understand
why Russia is so fascinating 10 women.
Possibly. 1t is because. in the history or
the world. the most wicked women have
been Russians. Possibly 1t Is because
the average Russian man. while good 10
look upon, is, In reality, stupid. Anu
possibly, IL is because the line or caste
is drawn very decidedly in all the Rus
sias.
WOMEN ARE BORN ARIsTOCRATs.
A republic does not appeal 10 anything
feminine. The eternal feminine wants 10
sit upon a throne and command other peo-
pie or else she wants to be sufficiently
near the throne 10 influence 1t. with
woman, an sristocracy is a necessity and
although we may talk until We are blue
IN our faces about an aristocracy OF
brains. there never has been and never
Will be one. Brains bow TO good man
ners and blood. Sometimes, when L get
10 thinking very hard, / find myself pre-
dieting that five hundred years from now
the United States will be monarchy.
The day when men Of brains
and wealth, men like Thomas
jefferson and James Madison,
longed to make all men as near as
possible equal, have gone by; in these
days each city and each little town has
its aristocracy, usually an aristocracy Cf
wealth. But after two or three genera
tons Of wealth, there begins TO be
longing for an arstocracy of race, al d,
once the aristocracy of race and wealth,
with a certain leaven Of brain is in con-
troll. II will demand leader, and a king
will be the natural result. VINO will be
the king five hundred years from now?
=
one Of the tribe Of Vanderbilt, boatman?
VIII the king come from out Of the West,
and be descended from one of the rail-
road magnates. or from one of the ok
ers who dug in the earth and found gold
therein? The king will not be poliu-
clan, of that i feel sure; unless. indeed,
he should descend from one Of those
dignifed New England gentlemen who
made politics not a question or money
but who used their money TO purify poll
tics. / au not speaking of any politi-
clans of to-day. Even in New England,
j know of none who will answer that de-
scription. But think it out for yourself,
and decide under whose banner Will the
aristOcrats of twenty-five hundred rally.
AS TO CATHARINE OF RUSSIA.
But 10 return to Russia. The woman
OF to-day is a great admirer Of Cath
arine of Russia. She always speaks Of
her as possessing great brain and VIII
power. She has never seemed TO me.
however, the sort of person that / should
care to have an intimate acquaintance
with. She began her career by killing
her husband, and after that she took
fancies. so 10 say. 10 various gentlemen
TO whom she gave her very intense love,
and on whom she spent the wealth Of all
the Russias. One of these gentlemen, Po-
temkin. was 80 weary Of money that he
had his books bound In bank notes. l
may mention that l have never seen or
borrowed one Of these books, but read
this in the history of Russia written In
French. Speaking of borrowing bccEs,
aren't they cheap enough, and isn't cur
civilization old enough for that SOFT of
thing TO cease? You, or i love book.
We spend many happy or unhappy hours
over II. Here a passage is marked by a
pencil: there specially beautiful de-
ecriptiOn is emphasized by some rose
leaves between the pages, and there-well,
there where there was something that ap-
pealed specially 10 your heart or 10 mine
- tear drop fell, and a tear drop never
fades This book is part of ones self.
Some day Miss ROSalind Eighty appears,
and she. after the manner of her kind,
goes over your books. picks up this spe-
cial one and asks you 10 lena it TO her.
You are kind-hearted and don't know how
10 refuse. And this fool has in her pcs
session what Is really part OF your life.
And the chances are ten TO one that she
pencils certain passages as lovely" too
sweet for anything" and when the book
that you are fond Of comes home If il ever
does, II has become so inoc liated with
the insipidity Of the borrower that YOU
catch II up with a tongs and put 1t in
the fire.
Sometimes the borrower selects your ia
vorite passages. learns them by neort.
quotes them TO other people, tells how
they were marked in your b)OS. end
then starts ia TO adapt them to y0ir daily
life.
DO NOT LEND YOUR BOOKS.
Personally, 1 do not lend my books. !
used To. but the disappearance of Valu-
able French book, the mystery attending
a book illustrated by John Leecn, the
walking away in some mysterious manner
of an expensive dictionary OF quotations.
and the disappearance Of no end OF novels
has made me brutal. Now, 1 have the
courage Of my convictions, and announce
that / never lend a book. For myself l
should just as soon think OF asking pco-
pie 10 lend me their underwear is 10 lend
me OF their library OF course. there are
people in this world. az / know 10 my
sorrow. who do not draw the line at
borrowing lingerie. Apropos of books. II
you want one for your daughter Iut info
her hand the life Of Dolly Madison. which
has Just come out, and which VIII ex-
plain TO her In the most charming man
ner how woman can be fascinating and
more than merely fascinating TO both
men and women. and yet always be wo-
manly and loveable. I am great adj
inirer OF Dolly Madisons. In her day
what a great lady this little Philadelphia
Quakeress was, No queen ever surpass-
"a her I'm dignity or in charm. and no
queen ever realized better than she did
how 20 make people like her And she
managed this little hit OF diplomacy as