The times., 1901-05-19
THE NEW BACHELOR GIRL
A Fine Yet Pathetic Figure in Mod
ern Civilization.

The Product of Her Own Inspiration
and Ambition-Work. Love, and
Hope Necessary for the Com
pietc Happiness of Woman
| The privileges and freedom which wo-
| men enjoy. OF brave, as the case may be.
i in this the twentieth century, have de-
veIoped what is known as the bachelor
! girl. She is fine and yet pathetic hs-
ure in modern civilization; she is at once
the product of her own inspiration, ambi-
tion, and advancement, and the new de-
velopment of seIfishness, helplessness, or
non-estness of her fellow man. Necessity,
as she always is was the mother of IN
vention.
1t is food for reflection that as soon as
women began to show they could work
they had to do it.
Brother looked around for good
opening, and Sister took in sewing to
| tide over the time. There have been
| countless instances where Brother never
| found a position and Sister tided over
| lifetime of waiting; and there have been
other instances when Brother got work
| and shortly after wCoed and welded
| Mamie or Katie, who never missed a mat
| inee all winter
In either caseY when the woman once
| puts her shoulder to the wheel there
seems to be but two avenues of escape
| for her: marriage and death. And the lat
| ter is generally the kindly friend who. af-
ter the long years of patient labor, self
| sacrifice, and duty, opens the doors and
| leads the way to peace and rest.
| Man seldom cried for the privilege of
| shouldering the burden, though he not in
| frequently adds to it.
| What do you suppose became of all the
| poor women and struggling girls before
| the doors of the professions swung back
for them?' / asked of a busy woman the
| other day.
She stared at me and answered reflec-
| lively:
My dear, it is just possible that some
| gOod-for-nothing, lazy man had 10 exert
| himself and earn the daily bread. ! don't
| know it for fact, of course, and il rather
sounds like a dream-doesn't it?-but it
| is just possible
Before women began to work, says the
| New Orleans Times-Democrat, the
main branch of a family invariably sup
ported several specimens that were clas-
| sified under the title 'old maid, women
| of middle or more years, who were either
| of one or two descriptions; narrow, GRO
chiefly, plain, and unloyabie' or with sweet.
| placid. gently creased old faces, pale as
| the ghost of womanly happiness, their
dear soft hearts open to every sorrow
save their own, their eyes melting over at
the smile of a little child. The two DIS
| tinct characteristics were material 1or
| sharp jests in the funny papers 1r pathet-
! ic stories in the magazines. And then the
| independence of what was called the new
| woman dawned, and In the rising nght OF
! the dignity of labor for women these ola
! faces faded away, and in their place grew
| the intelligent, active, purposeful pacheior
She appeared in offices, behind counters.
| at desks and evoluted to the head OF re-
| form movements; caDability ana perSs-
| yerance and unwearing energy, self
| abnegating humanity behind her NE
| work There are no such things as oId
| maids these days. Brave, active women,
whom fate or fortune has denied the sim
| ple happiness of a home life there are.
| but the lest is dumb that would seek FOOD
| for rnerry-making on the subject OF thelr
| lives, Father didn't have his life insured.
| or brother was good for nothing, or mar
| ried and out of the shadows and the dlI-
fculties she stepped, unconscious OF her
| heroism, her strength, her noplnty' thdl
| should make every man dof his nat
| Happiness is the product of three things:
| One must have something to DO, some one one
| TO love and something to hope for. Inc
| word hope to a woman indisunctly holds
the vision of her life's happiness, a home,
and the man to whom she can give all lhe
! sweet unselfish love in her heart; ana SO
! il is that the bachelor girl-the working
woman-goes through her hfes treadmlli,
| bird who drags a broken wing Inc
| something to do she has, the some one to
| love she generally has in mother and de-
pendent younger kindred, and a man-Oh,
! gentle readeri@ooks a long time oeiore
| he admits encumbrances- he VIII Walk
| around the block year or so to ind II
| somebody else won't do as well, before ne
| takes unto himself his wifes family 80
/
! last in the quiet haven of housekeeping are
| small and she goes on growing stronger TO
| stand alone and fight the old proVerbiat
| battle for those who look to her. Her eyes
| have searched wide horizons, and uncon-
| sciously she demands in man that which
| she observation-disclosures, courage, fidelity,
| steadfastness; and this is doubtless an
other reason why. If she was married be-
! fore. she never does IL again, or, If not, Is
shy Of entering into strange cage where
she must ask for car fare and expect to
have her letters opened.
| Bachelor girl, we cali her, in preference
| tn the .'oId maid. BacheiOr-the word
is a comprehensive one, suggesting some
thing of manliness in its picture of in
| deuendence 1t colors the mind with no
thought of lying abed half the day, loung-
ing at the CLUB: or confabbing over va
rIous stems in the evening. but with its
! aDplication to woman it sheds Itself OF
any blaseness and selhshness. TIE pic
ture is that Of woman with firm whlte
hand driving her engine ahead with in
| teuigent ewes that smile at sidetracks
There have been stories of men who
deserted their old mothers and young SIS
| ters for the befringed face OF Mamie or
Katie. | do not recall any woman who
forsook her duty or her self-imposed bur
den. They get tired of 1t all, perhaps,
so tired and heartsick, with a wistfulness
to sit on cushion and sew fine seam.
| and live upon Strawberries, sugar, ana
! cream" as the old rhyme says; but DO
| they ever turn back?
II is lust this lack of the feminine ele-
uent in the working woman's life that
makes it hard; just these things which
she must forego that make her centaur-
woman part of her cries out against 1t
now and then in the dull silence OF the
| night but the horse part of her tramps
on grandly up the hill.