The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-02-25
WOMEN
AND YOUTH.
Nature and Art Have Done
Much for Woman
kind.
EXERCISE Of COMMON SENSE
Worrying and Meddling Leave
Their Marks.

I have always entertained a great sym-
pathy for the man who sought n sought
in vain the fountain of perpetual youth
OF course he was on the wrong track, but
his ignorance does not condemn him.
You know our wisest teachers have always
labored to teach US how right it is to have
respect for the motive, provided the nae.
tive is good.
Women are the most persistent seekers
after the fountain of youth and have been
for many years. In the long ago men
may have been just as ambitious in that
direction-and maybe they still are-buf
they say less about it or pursue their
quest with less noise. Not that a woman
means to proclaim her dislike of approach
ing age, but she does so nevertheless in .
thousand little ways.
The modern man and the modern Wo-
man are wiser in their quest for youth
than were the older time men and No
Art is still employed-yes, and who VIII
say that this should never be so-and yet
nature is the main dependence and strong-
hold. Fresh air, fresh water and exercise
is the up to date watchword. When wo-
men wore shoes too thin to walk in and
laced SO tightly that sfainting was COM
1llO1 liz NhCoO
of, the woman of 80 was quite passe, un-
less she was married, and then she took
quite a ''back seat and sometimes
sighed and told about more than half re-
gretfully what she did when she was
young" q
Try to get the modern woman under 40
to say that she is sanything but zyonng,
and indeed even long beyond that age she
will not admit the fact that her youth Is
over, whether she is maid or wife, and she
is right. You will seldoms anyway, guess
| that she is as old as she really ia, and
often when she eonfides in you the date OF
her birth you will not believe her, though
she does not wear a wig or "touch w"
her hair. Indeed the gray hairs may show
very plainly for aught she cares. But her
hair is clean and well kept and as fluffy
as any girls. Her face is smooth ana
pink, and only after careful looking can
you discover a few wrinkles. There is no
pensive droop to her mouth to bring deep
and disagreeable looking lines, and her
eyes are not sad and dreamy, but sparkle
with good nature and happiness. If art
has ANYTHING to do with the freshness Of
her appearance, as I have said, it Is de-
cidedly hard to tell "where nature ends
and art steps in, " and I for one will NOS
blame the, woman who turns q bit to are
when nature has wearied Of being gem
erous.
1 might add to the popular beauty pre-
scription of fresh air, fresh water and exs
ercise good nature and charitableness.
A bright woman has said that she thinks
there should be an eleventh commandment
and that it should read, "Thou shalt NOT
NEEDLE in other folks business" and that
she would particularly impress this upon
the girl child long before she makes her
debut in the social world, but that If she
could not begin with the girl child she
would still not be discouraged, but have
copies of 1t printed like tracts and scats
ter them broadcast.
You may think that this good eleventh
commandment and aSwoman's youthfuA
looks have very little bearing n upon the
other, but break this commandments or
continue to if you have been IN the haolu
of doing SO and see how scon{ 70 viii take
advantage of your d~isobedience to trace
his telling lines.
1t is as well for a woman to learn as she
goes through the busy world with its ups
and downs that she cannot direct the
affairs of a dozen people or institutions
and look after her own successfully at the
same time. While it is not well nor gem
erous for a woman to be self conferred, she
must still not confound interest, simple
and honest, and the most common and
disagreeable of tendencies to NEEDLE.
1 know two women whose particulars
mission in life seems to be to visit orphan
asylums. Both, I know, aresgebout the
same age. One wearasher hsir very
straight and severe, and the other wears
hers becomingly fluffy. One avs 1t ID
"worldly'' to wear very modish bonnets,
and the other insists upon her milliner
making hers very fetching. One wears
gowns that may be quite out Of style for
all she cares, and the Others have a nice
little air about them. One looks at the
little feet to see if shoes n stockings are
warm enough, and if they seem too thin
or worn she sends out a box OF new ones
The other talks about reforms and de-
clares the lax management OF the "1nsti-
tuition (she always says institution, with
a capital y is simply shocking, and that
the good little matron is not firm enough
and should not allow the children to frisA
in and out of their little beds, sitter the
manner OF children, when the clock has
chimed 8.
Now, one of these women is charitable
and the other meddlesome. Can you guess
which is which? Oh, yesl / know 1t is
not particularly respectful to call any wo-
man who, visits orphan asylums meddle-
some, but somebody is bound to do 10
sooner or later, and so I might as well be
first. And besides I am only giving
an object lesson, 1 am ambitious to add
to the art of staying young and good to
look upon, and [ have discovered thai
many q wrinkle is added by the persistent
desire that some women indulge IN OK
having the whole world run by their own
Acknowledgements Hannis in St, Louis
Republic.
Women Playwrights.
1t is said that the most successful plays
-.oa,oad in Enrland and America these