Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-03

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 never hear Americans
use the ill-bred expression ''old maid when
alluding to such of their feminine relatives
or friends who may happen to remain I'M
married. They know too wei that these
confirmed and settled spinsters are as
capable and as well to the front in the rush
OF life as the welded wives II not more So
They know that among these unmarried
famtnine forces they have to reckon with
some of the cleverest heads OF the day to
whom no opprobrlous term of contempt
dare be applied, women who are editors and
proprietors of great newspapers. women
who manage famous schools and colleges;
women who, being left with large fortunes,
dispense the same in magniffcentiy organ
lied but unadyertised charities; women who
do SO command by their unassisted infiu-
ence certain social movements and events
that IT, indeed. they were to marry some
Thing like confusion and catastrophe might
ensue among the circles they control by the
introduction of a new and possibly undesir-
able element. 'Old maid may apply to
the unfortunate female who has passed all
the days of her youth in talking about men
and in failing to catch so much as one of
the wandering tribe. and who, on arriving
ut forty years, meekly retires to the CHM
ney corner with a shawl over her shoulders
and some useful knitting, but it carries
neither meaning nor application to the
brisk. brilliant American spinster who at
fifty keeps her trim svelte figure, dresses
Wen, goes here. there and everywhere and
sheds her beaning smile with geod-natured
tolerance and perchance something of grail
tude as we'll on the men she has escaped
from.
Life does not run only In one channel
Tor the American woman. She does not
make tracks solely from the cradle to
the altar from the altar to the grave She
realizes that there Is more fun to be got
out Of being born than just this little old
measure melted out to her by the barbarIc
males OF earliest harbaric periods, when
women were yoixed to the pillow with cattle,
as they still are In some parts of Switzer-
land. And 1t Is the innate consciousness of
her own power and intelligent ability that
gives her the dominating charm, the mag
netic spell under which the stoiid Britisher
falls more or less stricken. stupefied and
inert He is never great taiker; she is.
t1er How OF conversation bewilders him.
She knows SO much. teo-she ciatters of
Shakespeare, Byron, Shelley, Keats-and he
thinks he has heard Of these people some
where before.
his head. occasionally he feels his mus
tache II he has one. When she laughs, he
smiles slowly and obviously. He hopes she
Is not laughing at him. He feels. he feels,
dontcherknow. that she Is ripping He
couldn't tell you what he means by rip
ping to save his life. But painfully accus-
toned as he Is to the dull and iistless con-
versation of the British materfamilias and
TO the half hoydenish conduct of the British
tofnboy girl who will insist on playing golf
and hockey with him In order not to lose
him out of her sight, he is altogether re-
freshed and relieyed when the American
woman dawns upon his cloudy horizon and
instead OF waiting upon him commands
him to walt upon her with one dazzling
look Of her bright. audacious eye. The
American woman Is not such fool az to
so play hockey with him at all times and
IN all weathers. thereby allowing him TO
take the unchecked measure OF her ankles.
She Is too clever to do anything that might
possibly show her In an unloyely or un-
graceful light. She takes care to keep her
hands s0ft and small and white, that they
may be duly caressa1ble. and makes fhe
best and prettiest Of herself on all and |
eveFy occasion. And that she has succeeded |
matter Tor surnS4se Engliah sDciety. un-
mixed with any forei4n s1esnenk = fre-
quentiy said TO ~ the du11est - the world. |