The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-25
THE UNCONVENTIONAL
WOMAN.

bizarre fashions, such as going with
out hats in the day time, rolling their
sleeves up to their shoulder, and Guilt
waiting a complexion like a saddle skirt.
At college they ape what they fondly
believe TO be the hoodlum manners
of college boys. They make them
selves i'll smoking cigarettes that they
aIbhor in their "dens.' thew drink
cocktails with men in public restau-
rants. They are never so happy as
when they think they have shocked
somebody and they loudly proclaim
that they are going to play the game
of life according to their own sweet
will, and not according to the Hoyle
rules of civilization.
This they call being unconventional.
New, whenever a woman tells me that
she is thoroughly unconventional l al
ways put a black mark against her
name on my visiting list. No matter
how charming she may be, no matter
how desirable she is in other ways, l
know she is bound to be a trouble and
a worry, and had better be avoided.
She is the woman who never can be
depended on to do the right thing at
the right time. She aggravates your
tations and ruins your temper by COM
ing when you don't want her, and 60
ing when you wish her to stay, and i'm
perils the peace of the community by
saying the things that should be left
unsaid. She is a boomerang in society
that is continually flying back and
knocking down innocent people.
Just why woman should account
II unto herself for virtue to defy the
nf ,;otx.
nave never been able to understand
You often hear some woman described
as conventional" in a tone of voice
That implies a criticism. 1t would be
quite as just to attempt to throw obli-
guy upon man because he was ac-
cused of being a good citizen, who re-
spected and obeyed the laws. When
mankind decided to cease being wild
beasts and become civilized they made
Tor their guidance certain regulations
Whlch they mutually agreed to con-
form TO for the general good. That is
precisely what the conventions of So
ciety attempt. They are the laws we
nave evolved to protect ourselves from
the tender mercies of indiscreet friends
and the Vaccinations of our enemies
Ihey are simply the keep off the grass
signs with which we warn trespas-
sers off our individual liberties.
AS matter of fact, the attitude of
the woman who is thoroughly uncon-
ventlonal is one of utter selfishness.
she never takes anything but her
own desires into consideration, and it
never troubles her in the least that she
upsets other peoples plans. You ask
her to dinner for instance All over
the civilized world dinner invitation
is sight draft on politeness that must
De honored at once. But the woman
who brides herself on her unconven-
uonality, declares she will never be
ruled by the hide bound laws of soci-
ETY., so she does not reply to you in
vltatlon until it suits her The DAYS
go by and you agonize over your ia
Die, not knowing whether she will come
or not. Perhaps on the last dav she
telephones that she will not come. In
her haste. and in deadly fear of giving
offense, you ask a substitute to fill her
place; then just at the last minute she
walks serenely in. and calmly an
nounces that she decided to come after
all. You conjure up a sickly smile of
welcome, rush out and interview the
waitress, and count the entrees, put on
another plate. and wish to goodness
you could make the laws for about five
minutes while you fixed a penalty fit
ting the crime for such an offense, 1t
doesn't make a bit of difference what
kind of a woman she is. Though she
were the Venus de Medici in looks, an
Aspasia in wisdom and a Madame de
Stael in wit, she has ruined your din
ner party, and all because she refused
to recognize the laws laid down for
such occasions.
Then there are those delightfully."- I'M
conventional people who take the lib
erty of revising your invitation list. In
hnfr TIT 4v,,,g
affair, and transferable from one mem
Der to another. They accept with
alacrity, and send whom they please,
so that at your dinner of ceremony to
a scientist you may have Anticipated
Cholly, who doesn't know a blessed
thing above a two-step, in place of his
learned father, or at your butterfly
luncheon to a debutante Maud's ele-
phantine mother may appear in her
place as a substitute that is expected
TO fill your heart with joy It may be
taken as rule that a hostess generally
knows what she is about. and has
given some thought to the people she
is to bring together. A tactful woman
arranges such a matter with as nice
sense of shading as a painter does a
picture, and it is an objectionable inn
pertinence for a guest to presume 20
alter it.
Another thing the unconventional
woman triumphs in is in disregarding
the hours on her cards of invitation.
Many of us have houses built on the
contracted Queen Anne style of ar
chitecture, and a hospitality design
ed on the roomy old colonial order. To
reconcile these two, we invite some
of our friends to come from TO 5.
say, and others from to 7. II they
would do II all would be well. We
have probably spent sleepless nights
trying to arrange our invitations so
that certain congenial cliques would
come at the same time, and miss other
uncongensal factions. At any rate. II
would give everyone plenty of room.
and not overcrowd the dining room.
II is a lovely theory, but the uncon-
ventional woman knocks II silly. be-
cause she would rather die than go
just when she is expected She waits
until the women who are receiving
have grown limp with fatigue, and the
other people are coming, then she
PUSHES in in her might and packs the
little dining room to suffocation. and
turns what you had hoped would be
lovely little reception into some
thing that is pushing, scrambllng
mob.
We all know the woman who proud
~ proclaims she never does any cere-
monious visiting. or goes 10 see people
on their "at home" day II is nothing
10 her colossal conceit that you might
be pleased 10 see her on that day and
very sorry 10 see her az any other time
Then you have your rooms comfort
able. you have dOnned your pretty
house frOck and have a smile and a
welcome for all who come. on another
day the story D. entirely different
Every woman has plenty Of work a.