The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-25
WOANAN'S
WORLD.

me what / thought was
in the world. .,o o,oro
The art Of letting other
! answered and then ! said
least understood .s..,..t
She stared. then smiled, as If sh>
] intended tc be funny but ! wa -,
more deadly in earnest In my life
suffered, you have suffered, the
world has eroaned under martyrdon .
the hands of those who would not let -"
alone. but Hho insisted on regulating on
lives according to their own notions ana
without the slightest regard for any pref
udices we might have in the opposite d.
rectiOn.
am loath to confess it, but these we'll
meaning prosecutors are generally women.
Men are so busy trying to make both ends
meet in their own business they have scant
leisure 10 NEEDLE in The affairs of their
neighbors. \ shoe merchant may do busi-
ness for twenty years next door to an in
surance agent without attempting to show
him how 10 write out a policy or conduct
his Office. woman, on the other hand,
can never see any body do anything diff
ferentiy from the way she does it without
burning with a frantic desire TO correct
them and set them right. If Mrs. AS
own children wore flannel she can no more
help worrying over the Is. children having
on cotton than she can help breathing.
Every woman in her heart believes that
she is the only human being who possesses
the real secret of economy. the true relis-
ion, and an infallible gift for managing,
and being SO perfectly Convinced of The
correctness of her point of view it seems
10 her actually criminal to let you alone
and permit YOU to go your own way in
stead of hers.
As matter of fact. the passion for re-
forming things is inherent in the sex, and
we can't help it, We were born that
way. In its violent and insane form it
makes dear, sweet, refined, angelic girls
throw themselves away on disgusting
drunken brutes whom they marry expect
ing to reform them and lift them out Of
the gutter into responsibility. No woman
escapes the fascination Of the idea entire-
ly, and the very first thing a girl thinks
of after she gets, engaged is what a per-
fectly delightful time she is going to have
reforming her husband just as soon as
she gets him. Sometimes it. $ his poll
ties and religion that she means to have
him change, sometimes it's merely the
shape of his collar, or the cut of his hair
but she's always bent on reforming some
hing. II there could be a perfect man
he would have to live and die a bachelor
There isn't a woman living whom he
would interest, because there would be
nothing 10 change about him.
Men seldom suffer from this peculiar
mania. When a man first falls in love
with a girl he thinks that everything
about t1pF ig ahgnlatplx-
the time he gets over that to a degree
and gers sober second view of her. he
is too wise to undertake the job. He
has found out that there is nothing mu-
tual IN Womans idea of reform, ana
that she most emphaticaIlv objects 10
the process being tried on her. and he
lets il alone. Women seldom learn that
ana so we are continually treated to the
spectacle of women who have waged an
unsuccessful war against their husbands
smoking for twenty years and who ara
stia hammering away at the same re-
form instead Of letting him smoke in
peace 1t is doubtful if tobacco IS harm
fuL Certainly it can't be as bad morally
physically or mentally as perpetual ar
Gument on enc subject Only fancy what
we should think of a man who was for
ever harping on the injurious effects OF
chocolate creams or nibbiing between
meats, or ice cream soda! Our own espe
oial vices are the only ones that never
need reforming
This inability of women to let another
person alone also affords the explanation
OF why women are so loath 10 take an
other woman into their homes. Not long
ago / was discussing the case of a gentle
woman who was in sore need of a home.
She was gentle, refined. cultured. but
with no knowledge of any business nv
which she could make a living 81 should
think" l said that such woman
would be a perfect godsend 20 any
mother, especially woman who goes out
much in society, and who had little chill
dren she was unwilling to leave entirely
TO the care of servants" so she would .
exclaimed my friend "if she could only
be induced to let other people alone. bur
she couldn't be in any ones house. to save
her life two hours without wanting to re-
construct It, Once she paid me a visit and
at dinner she almost had a fl because We
had wine on the table. She raised a per
iect storm every time we went to the
theater. because she happened to disap-
prove Of that She lectured my husba n
about belonging TO clubs and the children
about reading what she called trash. and
kept everything in q perfect ferment bX
doing what she considered her duty
never was as glad of anything in my ife
as when | saw her depart Nobody OF
earth would live with her if they cou.d
help II" And there IL is, and there are
mllliOns IKE her.
II sounds like a joke. bui it's the sober
truth that a woman has 10 reach the
very highest pinnacle of unselhshness anc
generosity before she is willing 60 le
others do their own way. instead Of hers
but how charming and delightful how
perfect and Incompatible she is in ever,
relation of life when she does master tn,
art of letting others alone.
There is absolutely no limit so far a.
money Is concern d, b" said plainly dress
ed woman TO her companion, 'thorougn
bred looking creature. with the indies
cribable and distinctive air OF extrem,
fashion that only comes from long. ha6
hual consciousness Cf an assured position
The latter. says a writer in the New
York Tribune. lifted her eyes from he
teacup and looked at the speaker inquir
ingly. why, she would not hesitate I,
give $4,000 TO obtain her object" coniin
ued the other, and why should she? Wha
use are her mill ous to Ter IL they do no
enable her TO obtain her most cherishe,
desires? TO sp ak frankly that is the rea