The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-23
J" COMING OUT" TEAS
A SLIGHT REACTION AGAINST
THESE FUNCTIONS
The Girl of Today Frequently Adopts
Profession Instead of Spending
Years in Social Life-Life Now Be-
gins for Her Before Marriage.

News from New York indicates that
there is a Slight reaction against COM
ing-out teas and some OF the elect
have given them up. There are, OF
course, objections against the coming
out tea for the debutante, and there are
advantages connected with 1t, too. One
objection which might be brought by
some one who goes deeply into things,
is that when a girl is eighteen or
twenty and is given tea or a dance,
that is equal to saying to the world,
here is my daughter; she is now ready
to accept attentions and receive offers
of marriage from eligible suitors; take
her or leave her" The girls who have
had their formal coming out are then
included in invitations sent to their
mothers, and are expected to make
calls upon their mothers friends. 1t
means a definite change in the debu-
tantes manner of living and signifies
that she is grown up.
One cause for change in this pro-
cedure is the fact that manysgirlS who
would come out and devote the follow
ing years to society are now taking UP
professions and starting in upon ca
reers. This was not formerly the case.
About the only profession open to the
girl of q few years ago was matrimony.
But We have changed all that, and the
girl who used to sit at home and Won
DER Wnen she WOulQ marry can now
become a lawyer, doctor, trained nurse,
teacher, indeed almost anything she
pleases And the girl Of today pleases
to be something rather than a mere
butterfly
Under the old method a girl simply
waited to be married; then her life
began. Now marriage often interferes
with her career and she puts it off as
one of the things to do when there isn't
oil oh Of hon
this is a going on or a going back is
matter of opinion, but it will not take
the modern girl long to answer the
question if you put it to her. She will
tell you that of all degrading and I'M
pleasant things, sitting down and wait
ing for q husband is one of the most
unpleasant That because she is
trained nurse or a teacher is no evil
dence that she has renounced matri-
mony. Many of them marry and hap
PLY.
Busy girls are much more likely to
be happy than idle ones. The fact
that women can make careers for them
selves outside of marriage has added
Indefinitely to the self-respect of wom-
en-. There can be no doubt of that
whatever, even if Willie and Johnny
should rise up to dispute US. 1t is as
utterly impossible for a man to enter
into a Woman's feelings on this sub
ject as it is for woman to see things
from masculine standpoint.
The advantages about coming out
tea for a girl are that it is definite
thing and let's the world of society
know that she is ready to entertain and
be entertained But a young woman
of the present day, especially if her
parents are not wealthy, should no
more be brought up without a trade,
profession or accomplishments that she
can turn to account than should a son
of the family. These are the days of
commercial ups and downs, and no
girl knows at what moment she may
have to face the world and support
herself Even the girl who makes So
ciety a profession almost, should be
equipped to fight the world if neces-
sary.
Men say that women don't marry as
they used to; but they should remem-
Der that We have not advanced yet to
the stage where women can do the pro-
posing, though they have the matter
largely in their own hands The woman
who prefers to be teacher or trained
nurse, rather than marry a man simply
for the sake of marrying, is not to be
blamed, but rather commended.