The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-04-30
HN OLD MAIDS
LOVE HFFHIR
Stories Read Before the Civil
tas Club of Brooklyn.
A Masculine FIirt Described I'm an
Essay That Women May Pos
Silly Profit BY.

The CiVitas Club of Brooklyn held
its last public meeting of the season
yesterday. The announcement of the
reading of the prize story and essay
called forth a full attendance, and the
meeting, il was generally agreed, was
one OF the most interesting Of the year.
While Mrs. Florence Guertin futile
read her story, Cupid at Forty" she
was frequently greeted with signs of
unmistakable approval 1t was said to
be the most successful Of any of her
literary attempts. As the title hints, it
tells of the love affair of a bright old
maid. In the opening of the story she
is discovered on Christmas Eve dec
Grating a Christmas tree for her broth
er's children. who are to visit her on the
next day. AS she is about to suspend a
fine wax Cupid above the treee, her old.
unmarried friend. Mr.. Leicester, ar
rives most OPPORTUNITY to hang the
messenger of love for her. His attempt
is in one sense a failure, for he falls
from the stepladder and receives bad
ly-sprained ankle. This unhappy event
leads 10 the most happy of all issues.
kind nursing Of his friend. is led to ask
for her more tender care as a wife.
After a slight misunderstanding over
the form Of proposal, they all live hap
by ever after
The charm of the story is added to
by the fact that il lis largely car
ried on by a Vivacious dialogue, of
which the following quotations from
the interesting old maid are fair ex
amples:
"A nirt," she replied. lis a man with
a small capacity for loving every wo-
man and large incapacity for loving
one"
Again: Christmas is a time when
you receive a lot of things you don't
want. and give away everything that
you do"
Miss Van Anden read her essay on
Socialism: A Disregaried PROPOSE
ton" After defining socialism she re-
viewed its present status in Europe and
the United States. giving its particular
characteristics in England and France,
and referring To the social democracy
of Germany. She then cited the esti-
mated number of European socialists.
as founded on. their pooled vote. which
accredits them with 31.0oo.000 men. wo-
men and children in Europe. In con-
sidering socialism in the United States
mention was made of their prominent
place on the official ballot. and il was
said that a hint Of their vitality was 10
be seen in the number of fiOurishing
socialist publications. A list of theve
was given. showing their existence in
eight cities and in eight different lam
guages.
The youth of scientific socialism"
was next alluded to, and its rapid
spread was compared with thar OF early
Christianity. In making an urgent ap-
peal for an impartial study Of the sub
ject. Miss Van Anden continued: We
need not. of course. accept the tenets Of
socialism. but We place ourselves with
the prosecutors OF Jesus. Socrates.
Briggs and Darwin if we judge social
ism off-hand. An understanding of the
subject is not, however. to be CLEANED
from a novel like Looking Backward
which is To socialism only what Ken
ilworth' is TO English history
Present "quasi-socialistic conditions"
were instanced in State ownership in
the Adirondacks, and even in that
growing form Of centralized admins
tration. the trust. In conclusion. the
speaker said: Our industrial condi-
tons. We acknowledge. need vast i'm
provement. Some results of our civili-
cation are in themselves retrogression.
We cannot. therefore refuse to con-
slider remedies: among others this So
.ialist proposition. We must respect
fun investigate this constructive sys-
tenn Of reform. whose underlying spirit
is gaining ground among us. and whose
form is crystallizing before our eyes.
Socialism is not going to be this or
that mans plan, but just what we
ourselves make it. and herein lies our
great responsibility"