The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-03-10
PROFANITY AMONG WOMEN.
A YOUNG GIRLS ACCOUNT OF HER FIRST
FORMAL DINNER.
She Was shocked when the First Woman Said
DAMNED and Almost wept when Worse
Developments Came-Other Complaints
Besides Hers About Women who swear.

Tho young girl who had Just made her
debut in society came home with a puzzled
look from the dinner where. for the frst
time. she had met some OF the older women
In what she and her mother called their ret.
1t was her first experience OF y more mature
society than that formed by the young girls
Of her own age and tho youths with whom
she had grown UP and met now regularly
at the round Of young peoples dances and
dinners TO which she went.
Like most young girls new TO society. she
was very much more Gattered by the atten-
tlon OF the older men than by the society OF
these boys, although the latter were very
much more Of her way OF thinking and talk
ing. and naturally much moro congenial,
But she had the feeling. shared by all the
girls who had come along with her from
school into the lifs of society. that It was
rather a failure not to attract the notice and
favor Of the men who had been for years
well-known figures in the set she moved In.
This dinner. at which She was the only
young unmarried gIrl. was her first expert
ence In the world which she thought was
SO much moro enjoyable than her own. There
were some young married women at the
dinner with their husbands, who Of course
were placed judiciously al some distance
from their wives. and there we're two or three
Of the unmarried men whose names most
girls in her position know several years be-
fore they are able 10 meet them. But when
she came homo that night there was not a
look OF entire satisfaction on her face. In
fact. she looked rather downcast.
How was TT" she was asked by On older
sister who cane into the room as she was
undressing Tell mo who was there and
what you all did. and then what kind Of time
you had
Tho young girl named the guests.
1T was al very %tl,l she added. nrh'
flowers were oean'ii'n ana everything lovely.
0l Tier sister looked a. her closely.
But what" she asked What could
there have been that wasn't pleasant with
Il don't lnow what It was. : the young
woman said. Us her lip Quivored. but they
oil talked SC. drnadfully. 1-.--f-- and be-
the tear, came. and she WA sob6ing as Il
something very serious had happened to
OF course there was an exclamation after
the older Sister who had known society We'll
year-"ii' and the lstterr was rsaly to- tel
Just what had lnterfered with her enjoyment
OF ne evening .o ~. ,,..
fore. {" She said and I don't believe I ever
wan. 70 70 70 another. at least not until 1 am
abe To- saw something myself somethlna
a little bit different from the stupid things
| tulk cd about IN NIGHT upVpr Ind any
idea that those people would talk the a
yngy do 20 anu l ou''N h"'s oo"
o,tbouvhM Ia never IL known now her SIN, KISSED
me- because she aid shs was a friend OF
motGer'a and she thought she'd met me for
The iirst Tine when Twas a baby That
made mo feel very much at h0ne. But
She frightened the life out Of me when she
cold that anybody was a fool 70 come our
Of the house on sncch a night "
,o ,Mow | never NJ heard ard a w DSHST say nsv damn ANN
o-night that il was rerfectly permissibls
Tor a woman 70 talk that way just because she
saii lust the same thing to me hostess. only
Instead Of saving that she was sorry that she
time was nearly as composed asihe other
as "A matter OF course.
I'VE wers waiting for one OF the women
for several minutes, and her OF explanation
when she came In was that the striking ma
chine of an automobile had broken down
AMI kept her waiting fifteen minutes on Fifth
another word that | never thought was any
where, much less az a dinner party, but tive
or ,r IsrGE Gf ne W|9m r1 FepGa a II s .iy1G
as much as did damn. which ratified around
thc, table two. or three times.
Tint but when the coffee. came the woman
sittlng opposIt" me- gulped down q glass OF
water hnl turned 10 th". man next 10 n'T.
Look out for that she said. its hotter
than hell
That was the frat time ] really wanted 70
CRY. and ! am certain that / couldn't have felt
moro mortified II ! had said Il myself.
1t was at least n relief when tho women
got M and entered the d~rawlnH. room u
was bad enough 70 hear those things said
under any circumstances but in the presence
Of a lot, Of mon It was worse Yet nobody
seemed nth" least surprised but mo Eyery-
body said damn just rs they said very
but II didn't make any moro Inference.
| got more and NOR" nervous tho longer
] stayed there, 6nd | was deng hted when 10
o'clock came Some OF the things they said
] cOuldu Understand at all. and | was rather
glad Of Il
Il understood the Jokes so far as the words
were concerned. but couldn't see the loint
tried to smile, but | know | must have
looked ms stu piG as ever, because Mrs Y.
looked over NJ me once and laughed
You poor little goose. shc said. you
don't understand any Of thesr things, and
its a good thing YOU don't There actually
was a time once whon | wouldn't have UNDER
stood them