The San Francisco call., 1904-08-21

TO an idea which the stolid Brftfsher
gets into his head. namely, that she
has. she must have, money. The
American girl and money are twins,
according to the stolid Britisher's be-
lief. And when the stclid Britisher
fixes something. anything, into the
passively resisting matter composing
his brain IT would take leviathan with
not one. but several hooks, to unflx it,
And thus it often happens that the
sight of a charningly dressed, grace
full, generally smart. American girl
attracts the stolid Britisher in the
first place because he says to himself.
money" He knows all the incomes
of all the best families in his own
enough to suit him. But the Ameri-
can girl arrives as more or less of a
financial mystery She may have thou
sands, she may have millions; he can
never be quite sure. And he does all
he can to ingratiate himself with her
and give her good time on spec" to
begin with, while he makes cautious
and diplomatic inquiries. If his hopes
rest on firm basis his attentions are
redoubled; if, on the contrary, they
are built on shifting sand he gradually
diminishes his ardOr and like a wilt
ing flower" fades and "fizzles" away.
I am here reminded Of a certain
Earl, renowned in the political and So
cial world, who, when a young man,
went over on a visit to America and
there fell or feigned to fall deeply in
love with very sweet, very beautiful,
very gentle and lovable American girl
In a brief while he became engaged
to her. The engagement was made
public-the wedding day was almost
fixed. The girls father was extremely
wealthy and she was his only child
and sole heiress. But an unfortunate
failure-a gigantic collapse in the
money market, made havoc of the
fathers fortunes and as soon as his
ruin was declared beyond a doubt the
noble Earl, without much hesitation
or ado. broke off his engagement and
rapidly decamped from the States
back to his own country, where. as all
the world knows, he did very well for
himself. Strange to say, however, the
girl whom he had thus brutally for
6aken for no fault of her own had
loved him with all the romantic and
trusting tenderness of first love and
the heartless blow inflicted upon her
by his noble and honorable lordship
was one from which she never re-
covered. The noble land honorable
has, repeat. done very well for him.
self, though it is rumored that he
sleeps badly and that he has OCCASION
ally been heard muttering after the
mark. ooh, God, 1 could be bounded
in nutshell and count myself a king
Of infinite space were it not that L
have bad dreams!"
Marriage, however, is by no means
the only. or even the chief resource
in life of the American woman. She
evidently looks with a certain favor
on the holy estate of matrimony and is
quite willing to become an excellent
wife and mother if the lines of her
destiny run that way, but II they
should branch out in another direc-
ton, she wastes no time in useless pin
ing. She is too vital. too capable, too
intelligent and energetic altogether to
play the role of an interesting martyr
to male neglect. She will teach, or she
will lecture-she will sing or she will
act-she will take her degrees in med
icine and surgery-she will practice
for the bar-she will write books and
the days are fast approaching when
she will become a high priestess Of
the church, and will preach to the lost
sheep of Israel as we'll as to the
equally lost ones of New York or Chi
cago; she will be a beauty doctor, .
physical culture" woman, "a me-
florist, a house-decorator, a dealer in
lace and old curiosities-ayel she will
even become a tram-car conductor If
necessity compels and the situation is
open to her-and she will manage a
cattle ranch as easily as a household,
should opportunity arise. Marriage is
but a link in the long chain of her
general efficiency, and like Cleopatra,
"age cannot wither her. nor custom
stale her infinite variety" A curious
fact and one worth noting is that we
seldom or never hear Americans use
the ill-bred expression "old maid
when alluding to such Of their ferni-
nine relatives or friends who may
happen to remain unmarried. They
know too well that these confirmed
and settled spinsters are as capable
and as well to the front in the rush
!. of life as the welded wives. is not
more so-they know that among these
unmarried feminine forces they have
to reckon with some OF the cleverest