The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-31
WOMAN'S
WORLD.

Mothers-in-law are forever target for
mems sarcasms. Stepmothers are sup
posed to be the embodiment of everything
that is mean, writes Mex o'Rell in the
New York Journal On the other hand,
I have never heard fathers-in-law turned
into ridicule, and stepfathers are invaria-
bly, painted by novelists as unseIhsh, de-
voted men who come to the rescue of wild
ows and help them to bring up their chill
dren in comfort and happiness.
Poor women do have grievances, and
no mistake! And the widows! oh, the
widows! Now, what have they done that
they should be the butt for jokes that
are made at their expense? Why should
they provoke the sarcasms and excite the
sccrn of men, instead of their pity, or,
at all events, their kind sympathy?
II a widow grief is great and she wears
the deepest mourning, she is called an
'fnconsolable. desolate widow and peo-
pie SMILE saying with sneer, "She will
be cured" If she bears up bravely and
well, she is called Jolly widow" and
people say, "She is BETTER If she re-
mains amiable and attractive. she is i'm
mediately baptized willy widow, and
If her good constitution is such that even
her sorrows and worries do not make her
get thin. but the contrary, she is called
"a plump widow and people wink. And
all the time the widower escapes scot free.
Men respect his sadness, are prepared to
write odes about him If he remain faith
full to the memory of his wife, and send
him hearty congratulations if he remarry.
Never smile; no sarcasm; no scorn.
What awful towards men are! And
what surpasses me is that, as a rule, wo-
men are to be found who join them in
all the joyial remarks that are passed
on widows.
However, widows are not altogether
without their revenge. They get many
advantages. They have the best of young
girls in the matrimonial market. The best
courted woman in the world is the rich
young widow. She has fascination that
very few unmarried women possess, and
many men prefer her Why? Don't ask
me Widows know the world, have ex-
perience in dealing with men. There are
teachers. destitute Of patience, who prefer
advanced pupils to beginners.
Mere Iaziness, my dear friends, nothing
else.
Men are so conceited, tool If they were
not, how would they dare marry a widow
ana constantly run the FlSk Oh UeluS IOuuu
far less loving, pleasant and attractive
than No. i was? 1t is true, that if, after
a quarrel a mans wife should exclaim
How 1 do regret my first husband!" he
would have a chance to cure her of that
expression by remarking quietly; MY
dear, you will never regret him as much
as l dor" But all this does not suggest
to the mind happy condition of matri-
monial affairs.
Midt~ufc lace In TCnp
land than in other countries. for this
reason, that their late husbands, in their
Wills almost invariably stipulate that
they leave so much to their wives on the
condition that they will not remarry. II
they do, they forfeit everything. OF
course, to a certain extent, I understand
that man does not feel anxious to know
that IL by his industry and carefulness
he has succeeded in amassing a plump
little fortune. Smith, Brown or Robinson
will one day enjoy it in the company of
his wife. Still, why not? What does
1t matter? If his wife has been good
TO him and she is still young when he
dies, why should he condemn her to
solitude for the rest of her days? What
good does it do to him when he is under
the grass to have his wife lonely and
miserable? If 1 were a Woman ever so
fond of my husband. ] would so much
resent that stipulation that 1 would tear
his will in pieces and marry the first
respectable and attractive man who sought
my hand. Compared to the Englishman
who makes such a will, how 1 admire
that Frenchman who penned the follow
ing one:
II leave to my dear wife, for her sole
and absolute use, everything / possess
and everything 1 may become possessed
of. She may remain a widow or remar-
ny, just as she pleases. / am not afraid
of competition" 1 cannot help thinking
that this is the proper way to treat n
woman who has been true friend to
you. the partaker OF your pleasures. OF
your Joys and sorrows, and that, on leav-
ing her, you may as well pay her the
compliment of taking II for granted that
she will know what is best for her and
act accordingly.
In France q woman wears deep mourn
ing for her husband during year, and
half mourning during another year. Many
a French widow wears mourning during
her lifetime. For that matter, there is
no country in the world where mourning
is worn so long as in France, in the
provinces especially, where half the pop
ulation is in black for somebody or other
This outside show of mourning may be
exaggerated for real mourning is worn
in the heart, not In the clothes. Yet, IL
a French widow, in a small provincial
town, should shorten her Widows veil
by an inch. people would say: IF she
never cared for her husband she might
have the decency not to advertise the
fact and fish already for another!'
And you have to conform to the usages
of a country, especially when you live
in one which, like provincial France. is
built of glass houses.
How long should a widow mourn the
loss OF her husband2 Two days after the
funeral of her husband young widow
received the visit of a friend, who re-
marked, on seeing the sadness engraven
on her face:
Poor dear, how sad. how haggard you
took?"
"Ah! dear, that's nothing" sighed the
young widow. You should have seen me
yesterday"
AS rule husbands are mourned as
long as they deserve.
And 30 are we all.
Queen Alexandra hos once or twice
played in public for charity, and she
proved then to the very limited public
. admitted to hear her that she was an
uncommoniy good amateur, musical and
well taught says the New York Sun. Sil
Charles Halle was one of her teachers
and ON the plano she Is more facile thar
on any other instrument although she
plays the harp and dulcimer and ha'