The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-02-20


In the current number Of The
Twentieth Century Home. John BIis-
ben walkers new woman's magazine,
Ranord Pyke. who has been dong q
series OF sketches Of a similar nature
for The COsuopOlitau, analyses the
widow and her generally acknowledged
fascination IF We sum up what ap-
pears TO be the consensus OF oplnAoA
as expressed both IN BOOKS ana N
casual conversation says NJ - n,
we shall have TO think OF the typlcsL
widow as a woman who IS mol oL4y
rusee- and therefore dangerous but as
one who is eager 20 marry again, VINO
is clever at ensuarln5 men, anu SiO
is not over particular as 10 VINO Il =
thar presents himself to her eyes as a
second husband.
The topic the author thinks is too IN
terasting TO be dismissed IN TINS on
hand manner and with so sweeping q
eralization. and he proceeds to dIf-
ferentiate between widows and WIDOWS
and especially to weigh the question OF
the Widows fascination for men Wld-
ows are attractive, he concludes 10
some men. but not to all, ana IN con-
sidering this he reminds Us Of the gen
eraI law of the attraction OF the sexes
on the complementary theOry-thaI Is,
that a man most often chooses the
woman who possesses certain quaHtleS
which he himself lacks. This principle,
says Mr.. Pyke, extends TO physical as
well as mental eudOWments~ The under
sized and ueager man mates with the
tall and robust woman The albtno seeks
out for himself a pronounced brunette.
We see frivolous men married TO wives
who lack all sense Of humOr. serious
men attracted by feather-headed girls.
suIky men figuring as the husbands of
amiable women, and hot tempered,
irritable men united to placid gentle
women All this" he explains, is in
accordance with a law Of nature which
leads both men and women to mate in
such a way as to secure an even bal
ance in their offspring, excess supple
menring defect, both physically, men
tally and spiritually. Now one gift
which all human beings may acquire
is the gift of experIence-the knOwl-
edge Of life as it really is" And here
is where Mr. Pyke gets down to cases
OF rather, widows He finds that the
widows experience is attractive to cal
low youths, men themselves deficient
IN this respect who find her knowledge
of the world fascinating piquant and
allurIng. but less so to men who know
even more of life than any widow
There IS nothing which more at
tracts and charms than experience and
knowledge when they have meIlOWed
rather than soured their possessor,''
Mr.. Pyke goes on to say. This is why
young girls so often regard youths of
their own age with Indifference They
do not take seriously those who are as
green and gauche as they feel them
selves to be- They long for some one
they can look Up to and upon whom
they can lean with perfect confidence
and G delicious sense OF safety. And,
SO, too with most young men, They
are usually both vain and tfmid and
their self-Cousciousness mas to be
soothed into somuolence before they
can be quite at ease and WhollynaturaI
Only the tactfulneSs Of q woman of the
world can exercise this charm and the
serious attention OF the woman of the
world IS Infinitely fattering to them.
This tactfulness, this exquisite art Of
pleasing is possessed more fully by the
widow than by the woman who is still
unwedded. For whatever other women
know. the widow knows still more and
she understands the full effect of every
move she makes. So with the general
run OF young men she has a real ad-
vantage and this is why there exists a
tacit fsud between all maids and
widows"
But with the man OF experience, Mr..
Pyka says. the case is somewhat diff
ferent- Does he, too. find 4 charm in
WidoWhoOd2 Much more infrequently.
He knows too well the meaning of the
mysteries Of life; and IN him the wish
to be first is usually very strong To
kiss where another has kissed before
him, to love where another has loved
before hirn-tfis is distasteful to q. de-
gree and many who have believed at
first that they would be reasonable and
would not care have found the insist
ent thought Of the one who was before