The evening times., 1898-08-04
WHY SHK
STAYS SINGLE
The Bachelor Woman Will
Not Tolerate q Master.
She Makes Her Own Career and En-
Where She Usually Dwells.
Ich was composed

II knew a family which was composed
as follows writes Mr.. Gwynn. in the
London Contemporary Review: ''The
mother, widow Of q Cambridge professor.
had devoted herself to politics. and fought
In the front ranks OF the Radical party:
the eldest daughter, unmarried and thir-
ty. was a journalist. and lived by her
self in a nat. where she received her
friends of both sexes; the second was a
professor of history at Girton: the third
had founded a model farm. with the pur-
pose Of training ladies' to earn their live
lihood as gardeners: the fourth had be-
come an artist. and was studying sculp-
ture. Not one Of these four girls had the
least desire to marry. nor troubled herself
In the least to captivate a man. They
might easily have found husbands, as all
were well OF. the two youngest excep-
tionally good looking: but they did not
want to: they said that as things were
they had more freedom. and that marri-
age would diminish their liberty and their
pleasures in life. They had. in short.
devoted themselves TO sterility. not from
religious motives. but from sheer calcu-
lation.'
Mr.. Gwynn argues against this pessi-
mistic conclusion. He grants that society
Is being greatly modified by the new and
rapidly increasing class Of women to
whom marriage Is not the chief end and
aim In life: but proceeds to show by ac-
tuai instances, and also by modern fiction.
that the advanced and educated woman
may still occasionally be induced to take
pity on single men. He says:
For the most part the bachelor wom-
an has either to grow. old in her virtuous
Bohemia-and II Is not wholly a cheerful
fate-or to marry and go into ordinary
society. There Is. however. one thing to
be said. II she immigrates in sufficient
numbers into society she will probably
end by modifying its conventions: and 1t
is surprising what a number of women
one meets who have. at one time or an
other. studied art IN Paris and lived on
or francs day when allowances ran
short, or assisted in a bonnet shop or
tried their hands at journalism. A good
many. of course. have merely broken
away from home for a few months in
sheer desire OF change. or have set up
a studio chiefly in order that they may
give tea parties in; h. But. however little
serious may have been the work they did
In their effort TO be self-supporting. yet
the habit Of Independence is implanted.
and a rude shake Is given to the old equi-
librium. = "a
The working gentlewoman wants to
get married in order that she may have
less work and mone comforts; the club
woman. who IL often a widow. remains
unmarried for the very same reason.
Naturally. she Ia mot pioneer. nor an
emancipation nor enthusiast. nor theorist
of any kind: she is simply the counter
part of the club man-that Is to say.
person who organizes life on the lines of
least resistance and aims chiefly to save
trouble and avoid responsibility. While
IT was bad form foS a woman to live in
chambers by herself. these ladies would
never have thought. of doing so: but as
soon as society accepted paople who were
either doing or had done this thing. they
realized the possibilities open to them,
and. though they were no theorists, con-
tentedly put themselves in advance OF
humdrum people. And certainly they
have gained enormously in the conven-
fences OF life.
The lady who has five or six hundred
a year and no membranes used former
" to be obliged to take a house and have
two or three servants: that condemned
her at, once to a cheap suburb and made
entertaining practically impossible Now
she has chambers somewhere in Piccadil-
~. her mind is free from the cares of a
household. and she has neither to engage
nor dismiss servants. nor compose tnefr
uuarrels; she has absolutely all the at
tendance she wants. and everything about
her Is well turned out: meals come for
the touching OF a bell. and instead of
carriage she has her pick of the han
SONS II she wants to see faces about
her and avoid that sense of solitude which
has driven 50 many women into matri-
mony all she has to do is to step round
to her club: it may be a club for women
only, or. If she prefers 1t. one of the mix
ed arrangements which are becoming so
popular"
The author concludes By expressing the
opinion that as a result of present condi-
tions there will be great falling OF in
the number of marriages OF convenience.
The reproachful term "oid maid will dis
appear, and instead We shall have not
only the bachelor girl, but the old bach
e,or woman. who, when the middle-aged
single gentleman of the future grows
tired of club life and offers her the COM
forts OF a home. will reply:
THE comforts of the homo are for the
husband. I do not want to take upon
the charge of an establishment
and the tedium Of eating three meals a
day which I myself have ordered
These bachelor women are one thing and
the oId-time maids quite another.