The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-02-07
PASSING OF THE OLD MAID.

The old maid in the sense of the
typical home-body, filling a distinct
niche in the nations households, is
passing from among us, giving way
to the bachelor woman, with her own
peculiar aspirations and established
interests. Even now the genuine old
maid is so scarce as to have risen in
value. In another generation or so
she VIII nave bCv0rrr~- ~zxtits~t,-n.,
there will be only garbled likeness
of her-certainly not one that does
her justice-preserved to posterity.
In future times the story of woman's
first decampment from the home cir
Gle will sound in students ears as the
tales of the ancients sound now to US
interesting, romantic, but very re-
mote from current issues.
It will be told how, in the latter
part of the nineteenth century,
maiden Eve in the sheltered home
garden, all unblemished and sound of
heart, got inkling of a strangely sweet
fruit called independence. How she
tasted it, and finding it good, told her
sisters about it. She told her broth
ers and brother-in-law about it
also, and they smiled indulgently.
Independence-yes, it was a pretty
good thing. The fruit of tree whose
tap-root reached back to creation. 1t
agreed with men splendidly, but it
was doubtful how it would do for
women.
What did women want with it, any
how? They had love, shelter, pro-
lection. Even influence and rever
ence had been accorded to them, and
now they must cast eye upon an ex-
clusively mans prerogative, clearly
not meant for them. And the men
of the day, SO the tale will continue,
took counsel together as to how the
women folk had contrieved to get
hold of this peculiarly mans benefit.
Had some man turned traitor in a
doting moment and let on to sister or
sweetheart as to the wonderful quail
ties of independence? Or was the
discovery just some new phase of that
marvellous intuition that lurked in the
feminine makeup.
But however the new idea started,
it must be stopped before mischief en-
sued. In the first place there was
not enough of the fruit to go around
if woman dipped into it. As it was,
even with the entire stock kept for
the sterner sex some man had to put
up with very small share. 1t must
be explained to woman that the after
taste of independence was bad and
lessened the pleasure in things woman
had heretofore delighted in. That a
continual diet of it induces coarse
tastes, developed an understanding of
money matters for one thing and
clear-sightedness and critical faculty
that i'll compcrted with feminine
charms.
What chance would man have with
woman if she brought too close criti-
cisms to bear on him? What cherish
ed beliefs and rapturous experiences
was threatened if woman got any
nearer in likeness to man than she
was then-she who had been brought
up to revere the being masculine with
all unquestioning faith in his powers
and superiority?
No. A taste of independence might
be we'll enough for woman's regale-
ment on occasion. Just sufficient to
jolly her along, and that taste judi
ciously mixed with other ingredients.
But for daily commons it was too
stimulating for the feminine constitu-
ton.
Well, the arguments were sound
ed, the protests reiterated. But wo-
mans day had come. She slipped
off her domestic habits and traditions
as naturally as the bud slips its
sheaths when the moment is ripe, and
made for the opportunities that OPEN
ed with an energy and enthusiasm
that caused her critics first to stare,
then applaud, then help her.
And thereupon all over the land
was heard the swapping of family ties
and the air settling into hundreds and
hundreds of vacant spaces in house
hold economy.
This will be the story of woman's
enfranchisement-parti of the
single woman-portrayed in social
history many years hence and cou-
pied with it will be "reminiscences of
the sort of person the old maid was
before she developed business capaci-
ty-how she had a talent for mend
ing, darning, comforting and sooth-
ing, the like of which never was Sc
cured to mans household after her
taking away; how she cared for the
little folks of whatever household
sheltered her with an unhagging 10y
atty that was tenderness itself and
knit in with the very marrow of her
being.
In fact, stanch loyalty and disin-
terestedness will be the chief traits of
the old-style old maid preserved to
posterity. Now it was niece upon
whom she lavished her affection, turn
ing over to this niece whatever store
of money she possessed, and abdica-
ting every slightest right to spend her
own means on herself Again, it
was in a cousins home that she shone
vital influence, SO ever-present and
to be depended upon that her minis
trations were counted as much mat
ter of course as the suns rising and
setting.