New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-13

soon enough seq. 4 am tossed and dragged
about by my miserable weakness" he wrote IN
his journal Never was anything so ridiculous
as my indecision- Now marriage, now solitude:
now Germany now France; hesitation upon
/ hesitation, and all at bottom because I am IN
willing to give up anything" He couldn't give
up anything! As Professor James once re-
marked the case Of such man who couldn't
get mad at any Of his alternatives is quite
hopeless He is doomed to unhappiness, his life /
Is worry, q veXatiOn, bore. Now the case
OF a man who is unable not TO give up every
thing is, in effect, exactly the same Consider
o sweethearts! an existence in which you could
not choose between a dance and the theatre
between fudge and rabbit between chiffon
and muslin De sole between Morris and George,
because each and all OF them seemed equally
/ uninteresting, profoundly unimportant, van
ity OF vanities! Not being able to get mad"
at any alternative because you could give up
all Of them would be quite as bad as not be-
ing able TO get mad" at any of them because
you could not give any Of them up. Life would
be- not perhaps a worry, but surely bore.
An! But you cannot conceive Of a state OF
MAD where all Of these things seemed equally
embarrassing, profoundly unimportant'? OF
course you cannot You wouldn't be women if
you could But, therefore, does it follow since
men there be who have experienced this state OF
mind. that it the part Of real cleverness. of
intellectual originality, to set it forth. not to
| tel YOU something you knew already? OF course
you knew life is pleasant. And, ungaIlant as
/ it may be TO say this therefore you thought the
young who told you So clever. That is
always the way with women. II reminds one
/ Of a remark made by noted Boston educator
as he was emerging from lecture by Edward
/ Howard Griggs which had been largely attend
60 and yociferousIy appauded by the fair sex
Of the Hub. Why do the women think this
man Griggs so cIcver?' the educator VAS asked
Because" replied the grave man with a
+ smile, he tells them what they have always be
+ leved.'
Letting that pass, however, the persistenuy
+ acute sweetheart who has stuck TO the main
I issue. DESTROYS Of 4 chance 10 speak, shall be
/ heard. What you are trying to say, them" she
declares, lis really that the glory Of being bored
arises from two things. from the distinctly
4 masculine quality Of the accomplishment, and
/ from its difficulty. Standing ones head is. in
4 general a distinctly masculine accomplishment
and not a particularly easy one to acquire
/ Would il be the glory Of a college to teach
that" daughter and applause from the other
sweetheartsJ
IL the face Of triumphant feminine laughter,
} one may well pause with temerity before vent
I lring a reply. But this discourse is not half
/ done vet. and a reply must be made. Yes, on
/ the whole q college which taught its students
/ 10 stand on their heads-tO do more than IS nee
essary and reply 10 the whole argument though
+ only part Of il is pertinent-would be worthy OF
/ renown- IF It is stiu the fashion for young
/ women 10 read Emerson, you may recall the
/ argument he brought forward for idealsH-
stoop down and look at familiar landscape
/ through your legs. Now, with the prevalent
style Of feminine costume you cannot folio" the
letter Of his advice. Even you must stand on
your heads to observe the spirit OF It. And It
IS surely true that your brothers would read
/ Emerson with much more pleasure II to the
task Of assimIlating his argument were ADDED
/ the charm Of mastering difficult athIeuc feat
A campus studded with inverted young men
| would be both a Joy to the heart OF Bishop
! Berkeley and a glory to philosophy.
Now 70 the argument proper, though hrst let
II be set down that if to be bored is distinctly
/ masculine accom- lishment, to be a bore is no
/ less SO But is It distinctly masculine accom-
rlishment? There was Christina Rossetu, who,
/ II her poetry is 10 be believed land ii sounds
sincere) found life vanity Of vanities. and, in
| the moments between her glimpses Of an inter
esting after life and her joyous periods Of crea-
tive work when she set forth IN verses OF
! haunting beauty the emptiness Of earthly ex-
Ie.ence she must have known a boredom pro-
found and poignant And, Of course there was
/ r4e5da Gabler. No far be it from one who has
/ ttr,self known the emancpating effects OF
| boredom 10 deny to women the right TO snare IN
y gfgrH