The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-12
THE GIRLS FIRST PROBLEM.
sFtRCH or 4 TOUNG WOMAN FOR
1 CONGENIAL ROOMMATE

Ter Latest Experimental Philosopher
and u Girl In Love-Need of Talent.
As a class" said the girl who was putting up
,bc curtains 4 detest roommatea Have you
ever known a girl who was your roommate
urb whom you did not have 10 make an
nctoi. effort TO keep from flushing at the end OF
the frat week.
If ,ou talked To them all like that" remarked
,b, Girl who was the now experiment in room
mates Il suppose you fused at the dusk Of the
first day
From, the window sill where she was balanced
while the step-laddcr stood idly by. the other
c,tl laughed the nice little laugh that made you
Ike her
4 have been in New York she said, earning
mt daily bread and what hansoms I could for
iour or five years And you are the seventh girl
hive tried IN hit II of with 90 not 70 have 10
tai. hall bed room. Well, have seven good
friends out Of tho sevcn-but thank Heaven
never tried " go to Europe with any one Of them,
uncSpcrlmentcd upon
The girl with the hat with the ties whose adml.
ration for professional women was her sole charac-
terIsuc beside her many rings sat as visitor
looking on In mute appreciation OF tho household
arrangements In progress
sBut" she said "thc seven wero all women In.
teres,ed In something. woront they Music
AT sluurnb, newspaper women, HdCners OF
language think how much you must have had
IN common. talking about your art Then in
the evening when. tired after a long day
When tired after a long day the curtain
ritl took up tho refrain. 4 used to come home to
ve, tired all over again with long evening Of
work and find the couch cushions all shaken UP
and the alcohol lamp being filled and three people
invited irr that evening to share my roommntes
hospitality. Dream Of comfort would that be
/ can't afford an alcohol lamp" murmurcd
the new roommate, "and am In many ways
desirable"
hut all that would only be once in a while any.
way" objected the girl in the hat
YOU are right" assented tho ono Of seven ex-
penences Other times she would wan, crate
rre when was positively stewing, or she would
throw open the windows and let in the noise Of
the elevated trains till I went 10 pieces She
would fail TO buy matches when IL was her turn
She would read my paper and never buy one Of
her OWE She would never bring homo fruit or
candy And above all. she would let me get well
In the middle Of an involved sentence on the type
writer. and then break out with Dear. what
would YOU think a man meant II he were TO say
70 you. Just naturally you know as II IL had Just
occurred 10 him - and 80 on. all insanitandum
All these were different girls, mind you But
most Of them agreed in getting 10 the pitcher
FIRST when the bathroom wasn't on our
f>,r and using up all the water Then there
was the borrowing letter paper. stamps. hair.
pms hatpins, money-oh." said the girl at the
curtains you can tell me anything about room
mates
The new eJpe ment sat down on the end Of the
lounge and voiced her detection: do you think
honestly she walled. that am going 70 do one
or all these things And was Just ready to ask
dry
"llandkerchieisr' said the curtain girl brskly,
'youll And them in the top drawer Of the chinoner
e. there! Help yourself Haven't you had
experience Of that kind, really she asked serious
ly, slipping down " the window seat and sta ling
out on The street. don't you know that what say
Is Tue one Of the Srs%a.ss' problems Of the sell
ConGcnial girl with whom she can go halves on a
decsGdy sized room; and not wish herself in
u sleep in io'ty times the fts, month"
must be full of cungenia gi'ls"
You are oongenll you know objected tho
experiment feebly to the curtain girl you yourself
have tacl,!y admitted IT Why no, some OF the
,lhs only way" went on the girl in the window.
ss:.i .tor sirl With small income an income Of
I. take room with her She can pay Sl2 wcel
eo conn o viz sns by Sf se 1 ,S.
The problem is 10 find The girl"
u put up with things"
=, "oh can do that said the dissenter feelingly.
when wan: 10 60 to sleep Bu, there are some
few things ! cannot stand. usually things that
could be avoided takes genius not 10 be need
dominates possess or think IN cultivate I re-
member, she went on with the little l-ugh which
they tnld her would make her famous after dinner
remember
once had who fell in love ] never saw the man
was spared t that Blu, | suppose carry ,s
iSt", and virtues and looks and wise sayings
F T,Ty G% xSt my g.y msGr any rsue
Ne time talked 10 me about him. IL Is a great
oi.rrn to hav" your roommate fall in love
- Then there was another, maddcning philoso.
hnyc believed she could be such a dis,ractineiy
can can ,5 D";: s r.memhrr one nigh, We lpped
spread "" had Just bought for the couch. / said
81" things and respectfully and rxp-ctantiy
S','ct ioi her TO echo them She "a, BY ME win.
but my dear girl what is a bottle Of ink in The
sum yl, e" y2ut conscious eIperienoe' And what
verse" And another day missed a cali lust
", from ne rain besides And she was in red
get my breath she looked up and said A li,,ls
s Ssi a-aI g., In ne sum total Of time, when
less % you, who are mind You can draw '' no -,
nra 70" maddening that sort 81 thing IT, She
got u az from an art teacher 81 hers who utterly
shg''ri her '2r n sensible, girl ough, TO have
hHd some college course | suppose before could
br SAID TO he broadened: that would have
sII'nl"i rr up 10 trailing around in wet skirt,
ahH Noppy hat and saying that nothing
-, R"rlIy, though" ven,urcd the girl who wa.
WMNlihs mat is beautiful doctrine II one would
=, 1.-Two up To- it, repeated the girl who had been
Mi.lSh It, ~ shouldn't have minded her living
Up !" IT Nh"rr disscntci was ut her hurting
y ~ NJ" AL N" time. She believed In philosophy
Wi believe IN honesty and In ordinary square.
hrSS and that | look best In red, Hut don't
!e"I dfa"n - impart these things To everybody
M,lhi me. roommate. 10 be a success has
~, 70 keep still more than half the time ~"
, Nhh YOU said the experiment kindly believe
III cushing your busy half through, don I YOU"
-, h' Hfl IN the window seat, being a philOSo-
phrr herself did not mind
:. o'inr girls, you know she said. TRANQUILITY
ZEN !" 'cei II III the air when you want them 10
krrb sun Others you have ~ tell. and either
huN the' feelings or make them mad Some
, Hnn" l'lst how much 10 give up and how often
~ ulrIi Turn 10 straightcn the room, and that
nny can brush oil their own skirts when they
Lu' Vlrm IN lust as conveniently as you can do
" 20, them aftcrward. Some girls are born with
hll ms ~ they are with skill at doing up their
nav wen, or making dlmity dresses or saying
vi, w, nEh' l1lng, II takes" concluded the woman
WIN experience "A woman OF talent To he n room-