The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-09-01
THE BACHELOR GIRL.

store. Corner Second and Market streets
THE BACHELOR GIRL.
A Aratron's Lecture on the Most Independ-
l.. ent Woman.
Woman is by nature dependent. In
deed, there is no such thing rs an all
around Independent woman. Few men
are wholly Independent. Many young
women calling themselves girl bachel-
ors think that they have sought and
found real independence. Then there
are the aggressive spinsters who are
firmly convinced that they alone Of
all womanhood are truly independent.
They Join In with the girl bachelors
and pity their married sisters for being
tied to man. The married women do
not answer them, for they are satisfied
with their lot as rule. And well they
may be, for the most Independent wom-
an in the world Is the woman who is
not only married but also mated. Some
people say that woman poorly mar
ried is happier than the woman not
married at all. A matron gave two
girl bachelors some points along this
line not long ago. They spoke to her
In rather patronizlng way about her
not being able to join In one OF their
larks because she was married; It was
like touching a match to kerosene.
"Such talk shows your ignorance"
she exclaimed in Q tone that carried
conviction. "You girls and your boast
ed independence afford me NO end Of
amusement as well as food for serious
thought. You see, / can read you like
books because before my marriage
was an Independent bachelor maid my
self. thought wouldn't exchange
my sweet liberty for the best husband
and the finest home In the land, or, at
least, tried awfully hard to make N.Y.
self believe that believed just as you
two girls and your kind are trying to
do"
why, what do you mean?" asked
one of the girl bachelors.
Sour grapes" said the other, with q
gesture Of contempt.
Merely this" answered the matron,
that 1t Is against Uature for woman
to be wholly Independent, and when we
go against nature she squelches US in
one way or another. Now you claim
to be two girl bachelors, don't you?
And you represent the two types of So.
called independent women. One of you
is independent by choice, the other
through necessity. Fan has a very
generous allowance, and she has elect
ed to leave her home and spend her life !
In study and also t0 do absolutely as
she pleases. Nell has been forced to
leave her home and earn her own liv-
ing, and she, too. h!s set her head to
think, speak and act as she sees fit.
There you are, and you are two out Of
thousands. You are both attractive to
men and have had and now have no
end of beaux, and you say that you
cant fall In love with any Of them,
that you are proof against such nom
sense, but warn you you aren't. You
are merely bent on shutting love or
like 1t out Of your heart. Some
day a man will core along who will
drive such notions out Of your head in
a hurry"
"Bosh!" exclaimed the one called
Fan. you don't know what you are
talking about. lead life of absolute
and the man doesn't
walk the earth who could make me
give it up"
"And so do l." chimed In Nell.
"Them's my sentiments, too"
ut would be preposterous to say that
the average bachelor girl is not inde-
pendent In way" answered the ma
tron, serenely. There are lots Of
meanings to the word independent, you
know. I'll grant you that the bachelor
girl is creature of Independent mind,
Of independent means, of Independent
manner, but she is not, never has been,
and never will be independent when 1t
comes to her heart, her affections.
Man can do without love in this life,
out woman can't. Not every man Is
subject to control by other people or
hings, but every woman is. The
more woman talks about her inde-
,endence and brags of it and plumes
lerself on 1t, the more firmly am con-
'inced that at that very moment Is this
woman dependent for happiness on the
Election Of someone Usually 1t Is a
nan. Berate me all you have mind
O for speaking this way, but am hav-
ng the satisfaction Of knowing that I
m striking home. You see was once
bachelor girl myself, and all OF my
riends said that l was a fool to give
p my career and marry"
Have you regretted it," asked both
iris.
well, should cay not" answered
he matron. "Thers is only one truly
life for a woman and that
, life with the men she loves. Love
the only thing tina: can set woman
zee. An all-wise uL versal Father has
lade this SO to preserve the race. l
ever knew what independence was ,
ntil after l was married. Single WON. 4
\ are apt to mistake license for indie
Evidence. know every trend of I
fought that the ao-called bachelor
rl, the so-called Independent woman, &
ls. She gets up ea.ly in the morning
thoroughly In love 18th the lot she has
,osen and starts jut on her days
ork She meets rebuffs, gets dis. I
,uraged, grows physically so weary
lat she longs to fly to some one who Y
yes her better thin all others, and =
i've good cry. I
ut is simply because her waman's
lture is revolving against a life of in
pendent loneliness or lonely indie
just as yol please to look at I
All that Is best In her Is stretching
it after home VT her own, after
mily ties, When she made heraalf =