Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-02-07
LOST ART.
ny II PAIN.

kdlheA SAAgtu dl dlDIk Inc nHts
Think sog' said the grim old lady.
Certainly. Until we have votes and sit
IN parliament we must go on fighting. But
20 one can look back on the history Of the
last century and moi Zee the immense im-
provenent in women ; position. OF course,
we've gained"
Gained in some Bays-lost in others.
think the balance i against you"
I've heard it before. l think / know
every conceivable argument-including the
pbysioiogical-that is brought forward to
prove it, and they are all very easily an
swered."
20, my dear child I'm really not going
10 talk physiology. 4 know, OF coL4 mat
every woman who mas faIieu u a. &c
mentary science examination is entiLeL 10
lay down the law in mixed company on
everything uncomfortable and everything
undecided; but / am old fashioned. 4 don :
know any physiology; aud if / did /
shouldn't talk about It to you, because you
would sham that You could understand
which would be morally bad for you
You are very rude 10 me. / don't know
why you should relef to my failure to pass.
1t was merely that / mad not specialized
enough. My reading was on the broadest
possible lines"
The old lady chuckled.
And, said tae glrl, getting angry, I'm
stead Of dragging ii these personal mat
tiers, to give yourself the cheap satisfaction
OF annoying me, | tank you had better say
IN what way women have lost. You seemed
30 sure Of it."
Wen, well, you shall have your bone
to Worry-you mooern women are remark
ably fond Of worrying. | will say, then,
that women have lost the power to sur
prise
There's a good deal to be said about
that observed the young grl, sagely.
And, list Of all, have we lost its'
Il can remember tae time w4en a decent
woman could not smoke a cigarette 10 pm
yate without making somebody wr..e a aook
about It,, Now she smokes in publc and
nobody gives even a paragraph to1t-or even
a thought to it. Il a woman wants a Gig
arctic after elmer nowadays she can get
IL IN almost every house. LIE thing las
become banal. IN tIe old Gays a woman
in a hanson was a surprise, aaa 4 nttse
later a woman on a bicycle was a startling
sensation. Nowadays a woman's football
club goes bankrupt because men are not
enough interested in it to pay to look on
at the matches. | can remember the effect
that a very witty old friend of mine-she's
long since dead-used to make by a slight
and occasional irreverence. Now you may
all be as profane as you like, and the only
criticism 1t suggests Is that it is very vul-
gar, but after all it is rather smart to be
very vulgar. You go to plays that, like
your reading for the examination, are on
the broadcast possible lines. You know
everything about sin and nothing about
housekeeping. You have reached the height
OF audaelty, and stuck in the very dirty mud
there. Occasionally you may be able to
get an elderly trump like myself to disap-
prove, but you cannot shock; you cannot
surprise; you have lost the power to make
an effect; you are fiat, stale and unpro6t-
able"
Il really don't know why you should take
the very worst OF the smart set as repre-
sentative"
Il speak generally. The wife Of a bishop
may smoke nowadays, and the wife of an
archbishop may ride a bicycle. That the
worst | have said may be true chiefly of a
comparatively small set Of people | freely
admit; but the general truth remains.
W AAA1 q AtEh bhE a vi "a IN AsAHks VI
course that is speaking relatively. You
could probably pick a few women out of
their club in London who would astonisb
a country curate very much and very
painfully, but they would not astonish the
kind OF man they usually met in the very
least degree; they would probably bore
him profoundly ii they made the attempt"
Il do not grant tla, we have lost the
power to surprise; buJ Ii we have, what on
earth does it matter
1T matters in many ways. The art of
surprising is a part OF the art Of interesting,
and the art OF interesting is part OF the art
Of charming"
20, yes!" said the young girl, bitterly.
eve are to lay ourselves out to charm men.
We are to get them to marry us. High and
pleasing ideal, isn't il; Only, you know,
some Of us don't happen to care much about
that kind Of thing"
My dear child, don't come charging at
me on that excessively aged warhorse. [
will give an analogous case. which viii show
you what | mean. | can quite believe that
there are people WAC do not want to 60
to any kind Of social function whatever:
but they want to be invited all the same
it's the proof that they It'll count for m
thing. Similarly there may be women who
do not wish to be married, just as there is
a larger number which wisnes. to be mar
ried and says that it does not, | can be-
lieve that. But | cannot believe that there
are women who do not wish to a~ttracs,
or at least to be conscious Of the power
of attracting. When you come to think
Of it, it is rather silly OF any woman 20 say
that She does not wish to have a power
to which the best masculine abilities very
frequently succumb. And it is especially
silly for any woli3n who Is really serious
in wanting to & ance the cause Of women
TO wish TO threw away the most effective
weapon She has"
Il have heard something Of that kind
urged before, and a friend of mine made
a very good answer. she said she would
sooner employ her highest power than her
lowest"
All" said the grim old woman, anus
ed. '"And was this friend Of yours pretty
and attractive
The girl checked a reminiscent smile.
sNKr,1I M Rut She V-as vary oIav-or -