The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-09-22

Keith Clark, of st. Paul, told a good
deal Of truth in her article in the Sep
TENDER Reader about the woman of
thirty. She says: when one knows
the age of woman, one knows the wom-
an. = She no longer masque-
rades. She has lost a certain uncer-
tainty, an eVaneScent delicacy, that was
irresistible charm"
Miss Clark thinks that the woman
about thirty is the most fascinating;
and about thirty may be nearly forty.
Indeed, all our standards of age have
changed these days, and the woman of
thirty, who, unmarried, in other days
would have regarded her life as al
most over, in this day and generation
finds it but just beginning. Women Of
this age cannot be too thankful that
they find themselves living in the twep-
tieth century; for this is the day of the
middle-aged women; she reigns SUI
preme not only socially, but intellectu-
ally; in fact, in every line of endeavor.
Time was when the girl of eighteen
was deferred to and received all the at
tention; but that time is past, and the
woman of middle age, whether married
or unmarried, is a power in the world.
The young girl sees that she is of very
little account-except in her own little
social Set-unleSS she be married or
doing something. For the women Of
today are all busy, all workers. They
have their club work, their charity
work, their societies; or they have some
great musical gift, but one and all do
something, are interested in something,
and it is these women who keep the
world moving.
The day seems forever past when a
woman who does not marry is made to
feel that she is nothing, and is put upon
the shelf. Indeed, with the messes that
we see made all about us of domestic
life, the single woman who is indie
pendent and has her work is looked
upon with envy.
Miss Clark writes very entertainingly
of the old-fashioned "old maid Chap
"She was not made in fast colors orig
inally," everything about her was a
trif1e fade. She quite agreed with the
world in apologizing for her being on
earth. She knew she had failed in her
mission. She was one of those women
who no man had loved. AT least that
was the superstition; and although,
like all superstitions, it does not bear
probing, for every woman has had her
chance, has been loved and has loved
at least once. Yet the oppo-
site is believed, and believed the more
firmly because it has been a supersti-
tion." Miss Clark puts it well. And she
might have added that though women
will believe that some women are sin
gle from choice, it is difficult to make
the average man believe it. From
some native conceit or mental twist,
every man is firmly convinced that
every woman would be married If she
could be; Miss Jones by choice is
hypothesis utterly untenable to the
masculine mind. Refuse to marry
man! Pouf! 1t could never be! And
~ yl,il -
ways their mental attitude.
The single woman looks about her
and what, she sees of domestic bliss
among her friends does not fill her
with envy-for sometimes she sees
much that is not bliss, but, withal she
could never convince the husband of
her friends that she was not consumed
with enviouS bitterness. There is now
and then an ideal marriage, but alas
more often in these days, mismated
couples, who end in the divorce courts
and then go out and do it over again.
Miss Clark says again: 1.-The ade-
quate portrayal of this new genus
feminium, the old maid in curves in
stead of in angles, will come out of the
new world. Sometime its fiction MAX
erS will write of a new Diana who will
stand at the crossways, reluctant to
choose because the American woman is
capable of living two rich lives in one,
the life independent and the life de-
pendent; and she will desire both,
knowing that each is honored and
honorable. Perhaps she will
make some compromise with fate less
abortive than suffrage or the divorce
court. Rest certain she will find a way
The husbandless heroine is still dux
femina facta.
The woman who has found her work
and is independent-even though she
be bit lonely-is not the unhappiest
woman in the world.