The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-14
A WOMAN'S AGE.
Not Necessary for Her to Proclaim 1t
from the Housetops.
New York Sun.

New York Sun.
Is 1t necessary for a woman to tell her
age? A variety of opinions exists regarding
this delicate subject.
II don't think there is particle of neces-
sity fer woman's telling her age" says
one woman, adding, but 1t is equally use
less for her not to tell IL. There Is always
some one who knows it. and. therefore, If
you attempt to prevaricate you are certain
to be found out"
This is quite true. 1t never fails that
just at the point when you have cleared
away all difficulties and convinced every
body that you are quite young, some dear,
good-natured friend is sure to pop up and
say;
pened when 1 was twenty, and you were
then just three years older than t.
So what lis thevus of keeping the truth
back? You might as well submit to the in
evitable and confess the exact number of
years you have been on this earth.
There is no reason, however, why wom-
an should go on the housetop and proclaim
to the world that she is fifty and glad of it,.
Don't do 1t, and don't think you are old No
one nowadays is old. 1t is questionable.
The favorite sticking age for woman is
twenty-five. This is proved by the fact that
the number of women returning themselves
as between twenty and twenty-five is far
larger than the number OF girls returned
ten years before as between ten and fifteen.
The former must naturally be the survivors
of the latter. Here is little mystery of
which the solution must be found in the
The present King of England, when
| Prince of Wales, once asked a pretty wom-
an her age. She replied:
Just twenty five"
Five years later he met her again and
| asked the same question.
Just twenty-five" she again replied.
The prince smiled and said:
Five years ago you made the same an
'Ah! Your Highness,' was the rejoinder,
| surely you don't think l am a woman who
TO-DAY and thing
| Tomorrow
She was quite right twenty-five is a very
proper age at which TO remain.
There is no reason why woman should
| be obliged to tell her age In court. If she is
| wise. she will not
And what is your age, madam was
the attorneys question.
my own" she answered promptly.
II understand that, madam; 1 mean how
| old are you?"
II am not old, sir" with Indignation.
Il beg your pardon, madam, L mean how
many years have you passed?'
None; the years have passed me-"
| How many of them have passed you?"
"All; 1 have never heard of their stop
ping"
Madam, you must answer my question;
want to know your age
II don't know that the acquaintance is de-
i sired by the other side
II don't see why you insist upon refusing
/ to answer my question: said the attorney,
| coaxingly. Il am sure I would tell you how
old | was If | We're asked"
But nobody would ask you, for every
/ body knows you are old enough to know
better than to be asking a woman her age"
And the attorney passed on to the next
| question
| The objection made by women to letting
! their age be known Is not approved by the
ladies of Japan, who actually display their
| cycle Of years by the way in which they ar
| range their hair.
Girls from nine to fifteen have their hair
/ interlaced with red crepe in a semicircle
| around the head, the forehead being left
| free with curl at each side. From the
| ages of fifteen to thirty the hair is dressed
very high on the forehead and gathered up
| at the back in the shape of a butterfly or
fan, with twistings of silver cord. and per-
! haps a decoration of colored balls.
Beyond the milestone of thirty, a woman
| twists her hair around a shell pin. placed
| horizontally at the back of the head. Quite
! differently. again, a widow arranges her
] couture. and the initiated are able to tell at
a glance whether or not she desires &c mar
/ ~ again.