The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-06
STEAL NEIGHBOURS TIME.
FAULT OF WOMEN WHO HAZE MOTH
ING TO no.

"you women are nearly all thieves. down.
,,oht thieves" said the crusty bachelor with
,hs biz soft heart. Nine out OF ten OF you
go every day OF your lives AID I defy you TO
deny IT,"
women steal1" reueated one Of his COM
D,nions. A dainty. white haired little creature.
n A surprised tone.
-oh. | suppose he's referring TO our habit OF
-onrtatinR mems hearts, suggested tho
.,ner n yinsume girl with I'm exaggerated
ns,hod OF speech. "0t course we dc that.
IA ike 10 steal hearts by the billion, / would.
and 40 would every other woman II she'd only
owr II. As for my part. l think II the duty OF
.ysrv living woman to hurt the hearts OF as
r,nv men as she can get a hold OF Just to get
.yen with the sex for all the things they do"
"you'te stealing now" said the bachelor
~,,h an amused smile. Actually stealing be-
fore our very eyes"
The girl shrugged her shoulders and eN-
slnimed. why. l always understood that you
RALLY believed you had no heart"
"Hearts he-banished." calculated the bach
.lor 81 haven't got q heart In the neighbor-
hood OF my ribs. much less in the back part Of
INV head. You are stealing time. That's what
I'm talking about. / repeat 1t all YOU women
do,s on stealing time from one another. It's
raally APPALLING. / never could quite under
,tand why Thou shalt not steal thy neighbours
lima was not included In tho commandments.
you know I've been spending three weeks
With my sisteri In a New England village and my
observations there set me to linking on this
subject. From morning until night she is n
terrupted by people dropping in. not because
tbey care for her and want to talk with her in
, ,piri. Of sympathy and understanding. but
because they have nothing else to do. Their
ealls are absolutely aimless. That isn't all.
This. village ia a very central point. and: peo-
nile must pass through it to get TO q large num-
bor OF towns and other villages which surround
II. Well, they drop in by the score for a day.
a day and night. and oftentimes q week, on
their way to or from visiting other people. and
all because they have nothing else 10 do. To
nv mind there is something actually wrong in
such reconsideration for each other; there Is
something nothing short OF criminal in steal
ing time in this way"
'Oh, it's all ina lifetime" said the girl. what
difference can 1t possibly make. and. anyway.
people In the city don't do that. It's only peo-
pie In the country"
You are vastly mistaken" answered the
bachelor. City women are mcre given to this
pernioious habit than their country cousins.
Take those who live in big. handsome houses
and are blessed with big incomes. They form
advantageous acuuaintances for the most part
and must needs simulate genuine feeling for
one another by dropping in on each other at
any time. The people with limited incomes
who live in flats and cheap apartments are no
better. for housekeeping Is so simplihsd for
them that they have lots OF spare time on their
hands with which to steal the time Of other
folks. As for the inmates of boarding houses,
they make a regular business OF stealing time
from one another. 1t is. in fact, a failing com
mon to your sex. And the mischief OF it all is
that the average woman talks to tell what she
thinks, and not. like that good Boston phil
osopher. to find out what she thinks"
You ar e'entirely too harsh In your judy
ment." spoke up she OF the white hair. Sue
cess in life depends largely on the number OF
people one meets"
Indeed. not" retorted the bachelor. but II
does depend on the power OF coming into real
sympathy with some of that number"
II do not consider that callers, droppers-in.
as you call them. steal ones time. for they do
not interrupt specific work. / must admit
that they do take up a lot OF valuable time.
The woman hesitated and the man added
c~ynically. It's all in a lifetime? Do not mis-
ing down the companionship OF friends. No
other possession in life can begin TO compare
with that OF loyal friends, but these women
who ,drop, in on each other because they have
nothing else to do make real friendships next
to impossible: they leave no time for the culs
tyation of real friendship. which is a tender,
delicate essence and needs much care and
thought. To exchange formal or even infor-
NAL calls and reception and dinner invitations
Is not trieRdship; ofteper il Is politics. To
friendship, and neither is membership in the
same club or class or society. and yet you wo:
men call 10 SO, and thus cloak your habit of
stealing time"
You can't convince me that men don't steal
time rom one another lust as much as we wo-
men do" put in the girl %lippantly. i've no.
Ways have 1t ten times WORSE"
foga, &re vastly mistaken" said the bache-
his fellow man. He is too selfish. Man only
can enjoy, Ii, would never occur to him
or a day. on a man with whom he has moth
ing ~ common, Just because he has moth
ing else to do, or n ?where else to go. All per-
behind a sense OF charm. DO women feel that
aner some one has stolen a precious hour. a
n0t WiS or an NJ afternoon from them think
" VISITOR has departed. make up your mind
mat you've been entertaining a thief. a person
IMTIho ;has stolen that most precious thing in
Come to think OF It," answered the woman,
,d,nGve given the best part Of my days to enter
- pcopIe VINO visited me because they
nsu hothlng else TO do. and, as you say, IL has
eeitalhly interfered with my entering into real
nshauonshiDs with many who would undoubt-
GUY haye made far greater perfection. greater
ttUmipletenesS in my sphere. Common cour-
TTsy Imposed on me self-restraint in my con-
auct toward these ~stealers Of time and made
me treat them with gentle consideration at the
ouSsetol.my Life, when was forming my circle,
snd after q while i accepted their happy-go-
mcky ,alnless comings and eoings as the order
" my NE and gave up all thought OF any
ttstEonSeL ties with women. Twas all a mis-
s o ! Know now, though I'd never thought It
SSs oei0re; and l guess that's the reason I've
Sseh able TO accomplish so little In the way OF
Ssvay and work that really counts. | eased
Ky conscience on this point by saying that one
hsss 20 little time In the city to do anything"
I,th ana mats one OF the reasons you have so
nsug YIN In the city" answered the bachelor.
fVorlng one. Other women steal It from you.
ssSSTnaer II that great preacher who remarked
ttSSeaiy mat one has so many opportunities In
Inv n NY and so little time and SO few oppor-
Wua'neS n the country and so much time
~ "ffssnot thinking OF this habit that women have
".TV ca time, / believe So"
snhtiooou seem to have thought so much on this
sea- H. perhaps you can explain why women
thai 10 ehtirely due to q lack OF perception on
has n PAT, ne answered promptly. Woman
n q u almost supernatural intuition. but her
yyower q perception is rather limited, This
,aS Isck Of perception results In want of con
thsISrr non Tor others and so she imposes on
sftra m time and furthermore she saps their
steslPEn.ah ana resources. In fact. this habit OF
lil breeding" ia'N 1''"f9