The Irish standard., 1907-10-26

knowledge Of the even more compli-
Gated physical and moral levers Of
marriage do the average young peo-
pie bring to bear upon their life prob
lem?
Success in any undertaking. even
marriage, is always both shy and obs
thorny hedge of persistence, hard
work, unselfishness and above all, pa
tience-a quality now gone out Q.
fashion. which made Of our grand
mothers civilized centers of peace and
harmony; for they were content to use
slow curative measures to mend their
matrimonial ailments. and the knife"
was looked upon with horror. One
finds 20 often in the women of that
generation a strange quiet as OF wis
dom long digested; a deep. abiding
strength; an aloofness of personality
that makes for dignity; sweet old
faces that bear the marks of Cloves
grandeur" What is there today in all
this fret and fuss and fury Of femin-
Inc living that compares with the
power for good Of these wonderful old
women. fast disappearing?
Tho painstaking thrift of European
women has no parallel in this coun-
try; nor the painstaking cleanliness
that is 4 revelation to American eyes.
accustomed to the general "slouch"
from one end Of the United States to
another. It has been said OF the
much-maligned Italians that only
among the Chinese can be found a
parallel in their almost, tragic econo-
mics. Half of italy could live on what
New York city alone throws away in
a year.
The present excessive education OF
young women and excessive physical
coddling (the gymnastics. breathing
exercises. public and private physical
culture, the masseurs, the manicurists,
the shampooers) have produced curl
Gus anomalous hybrid: a cross be-
tween a. magnificent, rather unman-
nerly boy and a spoiled. exacting deni-
mondaine. who sincerely loves in this
world herself alone. Thus quite new
relationship between the sexes has
arisen. a slipshod. unchiyalrous. COM
panionship, which before marriage they
nominate good FORM but which after
marriage they illogically discover to
he cause for tears or for temper.
Is. it to be wondered at that the in
definable charm. the sacredness and
mystery Of womanhood are fast passing
away from among US? When women
themselves set the standard of conduct
lower down: when they consider it a
gaucherie to blush, shyness a laugh
able anachronism, sentiment 'sicken-
ing nonsense" u" courtesy bad for1n,"
months after marriage girl 50. often
finds her husband disillusioned and In
an ugly reactionary mood? Finding
also herself stung into fury Of dis
appointment and resentment at his
want of that same instructive tender
ness and courtesy which she had re-
pulsed before marriage. and which
now. when it is too late. she not only
longs for, but demands!
We have quoted at much greater
length than we had Intended but there
was no resisting the compulsion of
these passages. There are others from
which we should dissent. 1t cannot be
truthfully asserted that, besides mar
riage, no other work really important
to the world has ever been done by q
woman. Such a statement as this
surely demands qualification. And is
it not more complimentary than cor
rect to say that men are the worlds
idealists?
=. Mrs. Rogers has written admirably
of the duties and responsibilities Of
American wives-so very we'll. indeed.
as to have incurred a. personal obli-
CATION. Those who have inherited wis
dom and acquired experience are as
much bound to allow less favored per-
sons to profit by them as a.. man Of
wealth to relieve the distressed or to
succor the INDECENT. Helpful thoughts
so happily expressed as in the article
to which we have referred are like a
generous aims bestowed with the ac-
compartment Of beautiful flowers.
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