Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1903-09-04
The OlO-MAID ACE
A Woman Not Beyond th.
Until She Ia 40 ne NJ

Until she Is 80.
A rev years ago 25 was ,...
as the age at which a woman a'S -
an old maid. 'A Oecaa
The limit has now been
In other words, at 80 is the im.'l br, a.
line which separates the .s
spinsterhoOd into halves h 'l
stage being that of eligibility to n.y.
mony and the second that Of to,.l. u.
voluntary resignation to slna,. .''oa ~
edness. ue
Although the cry of "old maid,
still be heard, it has ceased to ~
Indeed. there are no old maids ~
sense In which the expression
once used, and the idea that m.,'
Is the chief aim Of women M ~
exists in the minds of senslN'
pie.
Nor is woman supposed to h,
lost all power of attraction ba,,'
she has entered her third dSn,
Balzac had laid down the tbeor, y
a woman at 30 is at her most fa,.i'
Ing and dangerous age, danger
that Is, to the hearts of men
She cannot boast, perhaps, Of II,
train Of admirers. Partners Of n,
are less persistent and fewer in M
ber. The delicate aroma of a,A
has become fainter, and now and 4
a very young man may make he, /.
like her own grandmother by al,
advice about his love affairs ya,l
thcless, many women who have ont,
ed the thirties are the center a
drama upon which the curtain i /,
likely to fall for many a year.
In all womanly honesty, it NAV
she revels in her part of heroine !,
in the disturbances and agitation,
which she is the cause. This kind |
woman, as Landor puts it, IVAN
both hands at the fire of life"
1t is not only a fact that won,
marry later in life than they used !
but 1t Is equally true that everyVly|
the more mature woman is TO N
fore. The young and lnexpereDs|
bud has ceased to be the re9i|
queen of the hour. She has been trI
ed to yield her place to the matrI
woman, the woman of broader eyDs|
ence and wider knowledge.
AS a matter of fact, the woman
80 or thereabOuts often has a feel,
which is akin to pity for the sVs|
young thing Of 1S-a feeling Wild
would doubtless surprise the viiI
eyed girl in muslin and blue rbk
who thinks the whole world lies
her feet.
"One thing / am thankful for," Nd
the bachelor maid, land that Is Id
l am no longer a bread-and.buta
miss.
"There is no period of her exseni
l think, wherein woman appears
less advantage. 1t Is almost mpOS
bic for a girl of 1S not to be cOHsc0u
and she has SO little knowledge Of b
world that she is unable to hide
awkwardness.
1T is amusing, even pathetic 10 \
the efforts of the poor thing to Y
pear natural and at her ease and
say her little say without betaTl
that she has prepared it beforehanl
A word to the glorified spnse'
to-day-let her take her stand bold
firmly. Let her never pretend to
day less than her years really NUMB
Let her look as pretty as she can a
as young as she can as long as
can. Let her preserve all the sai
and coquetries Of womanhoOds 10
possess so potent an attraction Il
is her woman's prerogative.
But no kittenishness, no juyenll
no shyness. That is not her n
Shyness in a young girl is charm
But it weakens the position OF the
married woman. 1t makes her %
apologetic, and this she should le
seem to be, as her position neeu'
apolOgY.--Chicago Inter Ocean.