The evening times., 1898-05-11
ANXIOUS TO
MARCH FORWARD
Our Women Earnestly Wish
to Do Patriotic Work.
The Fairer Sex Cou.ider Their Ideas
Worth More Thnn Superficial
Attention.

nice little spread at a crack club is
jolly. but running across one of the
brightest fellows in the club is still jol-
lier. when the particular clubman has
a reputation for ideas" Such streak
of luck came my way the other morning.
and literally gobbled II up.
To be sure. my first flight of fancy Is
still haunting me most unpleasantly. I
am busy wondering what demoniacal
spirit urged me to take 1t. That l did so
just to entrap the attention of a mascu-
line is a self-evident fact. This Is how l
scared.
Wouldn't dearly love to be man
just now?'' thus writes Dorothy Maddox.
'Oh. no! Not because ] am anxious to
go to the 'front.' am a fearful coward
but because / could then meet with other
men, and. being able to brush up against
masculine minds all day long. hear some
thing really worth listening TO. 1 am
simply crazy to talk war. but 1t is no
fun to talk war with lot of women"
The clubman looked at me for a second
If he had doubts of my sanity. then
confidentially said: $50 you would like
to hear the men talk? i wish to heavens
you could take some of the idiots on my
hands who insist they know It all. Talk!
Why. most of the men cackle like lot of
old women at a sewing circle. What
writer is it who says: The average pan
plays to the gallery of his self-esteem?'
1 have forgotten his name. but he is no
fool. at any rate. There was never u
smarter criticism of men put on paper.
Why. right here on this spot within tho
last ten minutes, have heard one man
declare war with Spain would last seven
years, while the next one asserted just
as confidently that our scrap would be
over and forgotten within three months
Neither fellow knew what he was talking
about. but each wanted to say something.
and. as usual. it was not to the point.
Now. that is what / have to endure a
good part of my time. Talk to men,
indeed. Ny dear madam. what you should
do Is to thank your lucky stars that you
are woman. and well out of the Way
of bores--"
And still I am not convinced
1t would be mighty funny. If 1t were
not touching. to see the catering going
on amongst the women when any men
are around and war is mentioned. They
rush IN. the foolish things. where angels
would fear 10 tread. and regularly they
get snubbed for their pains.
Men hate to concede the truth that here
and there is to be found woman who
can say her say intelligently. II seems
TO run up manly self-importance Few of
US are guilty of any such indiscretiou,
We are surely a lot OF geese following
with pathetic care the ganders of the fam
ily
II is well authenticated truth that all
OF us struggle brayely to interest our
selves in matters that interest men. If
We founder We deserve pity. not reproach
Women try politics until their brains are
in whirl: then they make bluT at
stocks without too clear notions of IL
nance. and now it is war-war TO the
knife.
amused me greatly.
War. Dorothy, war! Why, war with
Spain is child's play compared with the
family war going on at our house. We
women have daily encounters with the
men that threaten to disrupt the estab-
lshment. We never open our mouths
that we are not snubbed. Then We get
mad, and | suppose We do fly off in tam
gents. and then of course we are at the
mercy of the scoffers. II We only had
a little encouragement We could beat the
men all hollow at an argument.
One trouble with us is our lack of geo.
graphical knowledge. The men have To-
caiities at their fingers ends. 1t don't
make any difference how they got
them there. the fact remains. Our igno-
rance is feminine We hide behind this
excuse and get into hot water according
iy. ] have had any number of women say
that if this war was not doing anything
else for them il was teaching them some
thing about geography. One candid crea-
ture in particular declared that when she
started in to talk war she hadn't really
two intelligent notions of the situation
of any place. big or little. Now" she
adds. Il am out of that muddle and /
am ready to talk.
This is one reason why We are caught
up as we are with a round turn. We
don't buckle down and straighten out
for ourselves. We are willing to
become feeble echoes of our brothers and
husbands and lovers. Consequently no.
body of the masculine gender takes much
stock in our opinions. They may be lot
of noodles the men, but / can't see that
this helps matters SO far as We are con-
cerned.
Perhaps before this war Is over We Will
have learned that time and energy are
thrown away on the sterner sex so FAR as
our war talk is concerned.