Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-08-20
Sensitiveness.


to hospitality, because you can't al
ways have her and you dare not leave
her out in your invitations. She is ut
terly incapable of the generosity OIL
making an excuse. Your dining-room
may be so small that you can entertain
only limited number of people at one
time. You want to invite the dis
tinguished lecturer or author to dinner
and have some people with whom he
has much in common to meet him. The
next time you see the sensitive woman,
she gives you a frigid bow, and you at
tempt in vain to explain, "Oh, OF
course" she says, 'T'-with an empha-
sis on the II didn't expect to be in
vited when you had famous literary
people. l never pretended to be bril-
liant" et cetera. And it goes. You
are kept in an attitude of continual
apology to her, until finally you get
tired of it, and you give her up for
some one who has fewer feelings and
more sense.
AS d friend, the sensitive woman Is
the most unsatisfactory person alive
Her precious feelings are always get
ting trampled upon, and you are re-
quired to make a continual poultice of
yourself to heal them. You must be at
her beck and call. You must on no &C
count have another friend. for she ar
rogates to herself the right to have a
monopoly on your affections. If you
dare to withhold anything from her in
regard to your private affairs, she is
deeply hurt at your lack of confidence.
If you refuse to take her advice. it is
at the peril of your friendship. There
is no restfulness, no comfort, in her;
for no matter what you do, you can
never be sure that you are not stab
bling her sensitiveness in a vital spot.
Worst of all, such a woman has a con-
tinual battle against the world and
expects you to fight it out with her.
Her susceptibilities are spread out all
over the place, and naturally somebody
is always getting on them; and she
spends her life camping on the trail of
imaginary grievances.
In church and club the sensitive wO-
man is the firebrand that has started
the conflagration that has cremated
many good cause. Try to do any
work in woman's organization, and
the very first snag you strike is the
lady whose feelings are always kept to
the front. You need chairwoman for
committee. and you want a level
headed. tactful, hustling woman with
executive ability. "Oh, but we are
obliged to appoint Mrs. Blank as the
head Of that committee" comes in a
chorus from women who have been
tcrrorized by the human porcupine be-
fore. "Of course. she doesn't know
any more about it than a rabbit, and
she will get everything in snarl, but
she is so sensitive. She'd never get
over it if we didn't" So Mrs. Blank is
appointed, and does as she is expected
and at the last minute some sensible
woman goes in and straightens things
out after the sensitive woman has got
everybody tangled up and stirred up.
and has herself got her dear little feel
ings hurt, and has taken her doll rags
and gone home.
In the women's club she is deadly
personal and vindictive if anybody
opposes her, and the day that sees her
motion laid on the table sees her resig-
nation in the presidents hands. Argu-
ment is simply out of the question with
her So is justice. So is any consider
alton of anybody else's right.
The truth is that oversensitiveness
! is nothing but superb bundant vanity,
and women have cultivated it to it's
| finest flower. because heretofore they
have lived in a walled garden where
this peculiar form of exotic could be
cherished. A great many people depre-
cate the entrance of woman into the
arena Of public affairs on the ground
| that it will harden her and dull her
exquisite sensibility." Let US hope so.
1t is the most hopeful prophecy that
can possibly be made for the future.
The world will be a cheerful place in
which to live when women take down
the Keep off the grass" signs by
which they now surround themselves,
| and one can disport oneself in the
| garden Of their souls without fear of
| setting a devastating foot on any
sensitive plant-Elizabeth Gilmer in
| Twentieth Copf,,rxy Homo