The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-23
TOMANS WORLD

u Ill nHU IL " ALD
,.is one of the queerest anomalies in the
"a, ,bat as a sex, we spend our lives in
inc the truth, and trying not 20 see
tbinss right under our noses that we
-bt ~ see. That we should attempt to
ID others think we are prettier, or
moor or wiser, or richer than we are;
we should try to pass ourselves off
onre gold when we are nothing but
-,,beck is not strange, but it is incon-
,..,hla that we should want TO palm the
.-,n5 off on ourselves. But we do. We
40 saws Dorothy Dix in the New Orleans
n...,une like children who cry out: Lets
,,,, that we are queens, and that these
bsrries are jewels, and this shawl court
.rt,e 90 and we go on with our make-be-
love as if we did not know that not all
,bs foolish pretense in the world could not
.,tsr the stony face of face. II is the
erich with its silly head in the sand all
over again.
M ,osical defense can be offered for it.
nh. battle with an unseen foe, fought in
] tbe dark. is always the most demoralizinS
no IN The soldier, because he cannot esti-
.lota The danger or the odds against him.
E,,.srv dictate of common sense teaches US
bat the difficulty that we can see, and
measure and 'size up is the one with
u1iah we are best able to cope, yet in
snlta of all that women resolutely refuse
10 face the conditions that confront them.
Plind-folded they make futile little jabs al
fate and when they do occasionally hit
tbA bulls eye, it is more luck than good
aim.
In reality women have no greater weak
ness than this horror of looking things
fairly and squarely in the face, and it is
the cause of untold sorrow to them, for
sooner or later, the time is bound to come
when we can no longer blink the inevitable
no matter how unpleasant it may be. Then
that road is paved with bitter regrets for
the things we might have helped and
didn't Only take, for instance, the
money troubles of women. We all know
dozens of women who were left modest
competencies by husband or father, which
ought TO have rendered them comfortable
for life.
Madame however was extravagant. She
spent all the interest and encroached on
the principal every year, resolutely shut
ting hr eyes to what the end must be. One
would think that only an imbecile could be
so foolish. What does she expect" we
asked. rs she looking for a miracle to
happen? What will become of her when
all her money is gone? Certainly she
doesn't think. 1t is entirely too unpleas-
mt TO face the prospect of want, until one
81 day poverty comes and takes her by the
shoulders, and forces her to look long and
tearfully into his gaunt eyes.
The same explanation may be offered for
so many womens failures in business. Is
It the woman who calmly and resolutely
confronts the difficulties of the situation,
and who knows precisely where she is
al" who fails? Never. 1t is the woman
who needs to work and earn money, but
who CLOSES it over with some kind of We
neer that makes 1t more attractive in her
eyes. If she starts a boarding-hou she
is taking a few guests for company" and
she is so desperately afraid that somebody
will know the truth that she sits In the
parlor all day and reads novels, while the
servants steal and half-cool1ed meals
come on the table at irregular hours. If
she sings for money or has a job on a
newspaper, or is a typewriter in an office,
she insists on keeping up the fiction that
she does these things only for recreation
niIH DtNduSt TIME IiuilS HedVy OH neE
hands. Ninety-nine times out of a hun
dried such women fail. The hundredth
time when they succeed, is when they
have the courage to say. 81 am going out
OF the world of society into the world of
workers. l need money, and 1 am not In
business for my health. The people who
pay me for board, or music, or writing or
Fpewnung don't care one rap about
whether I belong to the four hundred or
Inc forty million, but they want value re-
celVed for what they give me. and my
success is just going to be absolutely in
proportion to what 1 can give them"
AS matter of fact 1t is very much more
comfortable to face the truth, end saves
US deal of worrying. When we can come
10 the point of saying: 81 will no longer
oelude myself with idle hopes, illusions and
'lslohs l will sit down and look truth in
lhe lace and see what I am and can do
ana De; we are like people standing on a
mountain top watching the mists that
nave obscured things clearing away.
HiilK, for one thing, how restful it would
oe 10 give up the pretense of belonging to
iashlonable society. Suppose you should
Ooh 'he thing in the face and say: 81 am
pooI' and l am hanging on to it by my
eSehds' as every poor person must who
uies TO Keep up with people who have
Ahdbi QpiC their ilCODle. w nat
uo get out of it? scheme for invita-
IONS and am in a cold preparation of
esohy and anxiety until l get them. /
nave TO slave myself to death and turn
anu twist and contrive for gowns that will
as muster 1 half starve my family 20
80 entertainments for people who must
- leu on champagne and truffies, and I
near their Whispered sneers as reward for
NY sacrifices. There is nothing but envy.
Gnu Aeartourning, and jealousy in it, and
a'n gong to give it up" wouldn't that he
le peace that passes understanding and
@oiiuh you add to your own happiness
~ i'u nose about you? And, believe me,
80 madame, it is much better to be a
woman than a make-believe princess.
an Ola darky nanny of my acquaint-
II 80 ~ once asked a woman friend of mine
II cue was married. mo-" replied the lady.
Il an Is You contented?" pursued the
ny. On quite" returned the woman
MI d smile Well" said the old wo-
is la H. thoushtfully, "I believe old maids
/ s,r,'s..hiidd pplest dey is-after dey quits
n sb 1sshhg.' / often think the same way
81 y'l age 1t is the happiest and seren-
| .na 'li'e 'nere is after we face the facts
recla 5lEe up trying to color our hair and
/ 81