Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-01-31


hooks the past week and my study table
Ia piled high with unopened packages
from the publishers, and evening after
evening Beth and l sit In big chairs
by the ire burning low In the CRATE
and just talk over everyday things that |
come to us. Today Beth came In with |
n glow on her cheeks and the freshness |
of the winter afternoon about her. and |
as she sat 10 the big leather chair to |
the left of the fireplace she began |
sOh, they infuriate me, these women. |
j just met bunch of them coming |
from one Of their clubs, but oh such |
women simply jar Inc. Now, Portia,
you needn t shrink and looked shocked
at my slang, but 1t is such relief after
their dignity and pretences.
Why, Beth, child, what women do
you msanf''
s'0h, these so.called new women,
that talk club, club and aims, aims
those women who pretend to be men
ihaters, or at least they pretend to be
different to the sterner sex. -
We'll. bath, do recognize that
not inconsiderable portion OF women
nowadays are inclined to regard man as
necessary evil. They take it that he
; % here, and therefore for the present
likely to be formidable figure in
human affairs; bat that they dis
approve Of him and intend to work out
their lives as independently Of him as
possible. Yes, / know the women you
nean. One constantly meets them on
the street, wearing q manner naughty
and supremely indifferent, and with
suppressed lips suggesting judgment
and these women have as Mecca of
their hopes the ultimate disappearance
Of man from the face OF the earth, after
the manner of the mastoden and
other brutes. But, frankly, Beth,
slthough tnese women do carry their
disIikes too far, don't you think the
generality Of Dien are bit uninterest-
ing, And looked at her out of the
corner OF my eyes at an ill.chosen
moment it would seem, for Beth was
Just then, with a pretended careless.
ness, playing with a belt buckle that
has spring and inside OF which,
happen to know, IL a photograph of a
certain young man who Outlines drops
in to take O'Clock tea with US. So
the generality Of men to Beth would be
illustrated by him at that particular
moment, and went on, not noticing.
II you run over in your mind Madam
Tussands gallery Of masculine types,
you can't fail to acknowledge that y
goodly number OF sorry specimens have
Eeen perpetrated. To begin with, the
modern figure is not picturesque
figure. He no longer appeals to the
feminine eye by virtue of his imposing
apparel Foreign army officers, Chinese
dignities and servants in livery are
almost the only males who attract us
by their dress All our men, the men
We see about Us every day, the men
who are supposed to be the lords of
creation IN the circumference of our
lives, look alike; In fact, all men but
one look alike to any woman, and even
that:one is apt to be confounded with
the rest when be Is more than half n
tlock away. Undoubtedly Beth the
modern man is at present very trying
one to woman. The man who sits
opposite her at the breakfast table, at
the dinner table, day after day is a
lovable. but not especially exciting,
creatures he eats aud sleeps and does
most of the things he ought to do, and
leaves undone number OF things she
would like him to do.n
"Oh, yes, Portia, that IL all right.
Know some men are beastly stupid and
uninteresting.
'.Oh, Beth, = / couldn't help saying
under my breath, "some men Men
are divided into two GLASSES with you,
know, some men, and jack
But you must admit" went on
Beth, looking at me with sparkling
eyes, that most of these women, these
new women. put on airs and are not
half as Indifferent as they pretend to
be. DO you think half OF them study
for study's sake, and don't care what
the men think? Tommy rot
my dear. ninety-nine women out Of
hundred study to please men or some
one man. Eve was enough Of coquette
to hequeath the shred Of ooquetry to
every woman today-and be she thin
haired. or cross-eyed every Jill has some
JACK IL her innermost heart that en-
bodies her ideal. 1t is a very healthy
sentiment and is the leaven of life.
The fat breasted, gaunt old New Eng
land spipster who croaks when a man
crosses her cleanly.sorubbe threshold
has somewhere hidden In her old ma
hogany chest OF drawers faded rose.
or an army badge, or an old daguerro.
type she takes sly peeps at now and
then. Without this part OF our woman.
hood the world would be only an echo
OF pain, and the sun would only shine
TO show Us grief. and the rustic of
every leaf would be sigh. Oh. YES.
indeed, my dear, everyone of these fat.
heeied, apparently Indifferent serious
women Of %hom you speak have had or
Will have Just as much of this healthy,
foolish wisdom as any Of us, unless she
is at hearti all wrong, for woman is in
stinctivelya clinging creature; she has
been used to playing second fiddle SO
long, don't think she would know
how to lead the orchestra. Woman is
essentially impressionable, and at the,
very moment when some modern Joan
of Arc would he doing her best to make
the world a better place, would moi /
other women out of the dozen be giving
away TO the captivating atmosphere OF
some emotional situation?''
approve OF progress, of course, /"
went on Beth, land think it we'll that
women should assert their positions in
life but this wanting to take men IS
places-ah, / hate it! No, those
women ont in Colorado voting. What
do they want to DO that for? One
would suppose by the clamor on the
subject ofyoting that the ballot would
enable her to change her spots in q
twinkHng and become an absolutely
different creature We are insured.
indeed, that after woman has right
OF ballot given her the Rubicon will be
crossed and we win march to the music
OF the spheres; and it just seems to me
that woman is trying to get something
she won know what to do with; she
has stretched out her hands for rattle
and 10 determined to have it; but I
doubt it, she will know how TO play