Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-01-19
Shun Women Who Ask Questions.


The moment the subject of asking
questions is preached we recall with a
shudder some woman of our acquaint-
ance with a genius for cross-examinatioE
that would make prosecuting ATTORNEY
turn his face to the wall while he
blushed and wept
Equally, Of course, it is the taetless
woman who asks questions with IL sort
of rapid firing attachment that tangles
up all the varied emotions of your heart,
soul and body If You are well bred and
polite you don't like to tell her in so
many words that it is none of her busl
ness, and when you hesitate to answer
she is apt to feel horribly inmred and
add insult to injury by remarking in an
offended tone and with an indescribable
manner, "Oh, you need not tell me if
you don't want to, with the result that
you must be rude and risk her enmity
for life, or else parry the question as
best you can.
II people want you to know anything
they Will tell you without impertinent
questioning on your part. If they fancy
that any little tid-bit of gossip will in
terest you they will take pleasure in re-
talllng 1t, but there are people who per-
slst III proElng every nerve and jumping
upon all your tender corns at once.
nave seen sensitive women who were
braVely bearing an agony of humiliation
through some domestic or financial m
heayal be driven to the verge of hysteria
by the probing and questioning, cruel
ana Vlruient, OF women protesting I'M
qualified interest in the others concerns.
ana taking the ground that their friend
snip licensed an attack at once cowardlv
ana absolutely unjustifiable by anv nal
liating considerations.
friendship is not an open sesame for
lmpertnence. nor does it carry with If n
patent grant priyiieging one to its abuse
by disregard of lys noblest nrprooo-
tiyes. A friendship that is worthy fha
name will shield its object: not ONLY
through a PERSONA regard, but will also
seek to hide from the world at large an
information calculated to reflect directly
or indirectly upon its object
Ii woman who really loves her hus-
band hnds herself the victim of domestic
gflet OF any nature she does not want
the matter discussed or bruited about hy
anyone, and for woman to take adyaI.-
tage of ones humiliation to come rushing
III with "Oh, you poor dear, | am So
sorry. DO tell me all about it." and 4
Gatllng gun fusillade of questions is
nothing less than an unprovoked assault.
and the woman so cruelty indicate de-
serves to be killed then and there
1t IS not sympathy in such cases. but
an overwhelming curiosity lacking every
sense OF the delieacy that should hold
the sorrows of another sacred II is
often relief for one in trouble to unbur-
den the whole sad story to woman up
on whose judgment and discretion rei-
ance can be placed. but even then the
listener should be careful to soothe and
comfort rather than to reopen and bruise
the torturing wound to question probing
There Is yet another class who Dro-
Tossing u fri I-I,ir
cannot meet another woman without
seeking to know the whole story of life
Not many months ago. as a matter of
courtesy, | accepted an invitation to ac-
company friend to a hen party. Now,
do not particularly enjoy hen par
ties, for which | guess q house full of
brothers and being the only girl may be
responsible but | went prepared to be
on my very best behavior.
The first woman to whom | was intro
duced said:
You have the New York look but the
southern tWang."
Yes" | twango1 in reply.
Negro servants absolutely ruin proper
enunciatiOn,' she complimented.
Yes" | twanged again, and hating
arguments, said no more
Southern women are so languid and
nearly all are widows"
Yes, | twanged once more. and when
come to think cf t lots of us are
widows.
That woman was positive patent
sitting process machine and she taxed all
my good breeding to be polite.
Are YOU Il widow, or only divOrcedT
poor Jones is really dead.t
How many years have you been
widow?
why have you nevnr married?" (Alas
why}
How many children have you?"
DO you think you viii ever re-
marry?"
Have you found more happiness in
married than in single lifeE
These were only few of the thou
sand or more questions which she shot
at me in rapid-hre succession.
My pOliteness ooZed out in short order,
and excusing myself, / sought my friend,
and tearfully begged her to take me
home, if she did not want to fish me out
OF a real bad miy-up.
Now, that woman prides herself Oh
mailing from genuine old knlckerhockeL
stock, and by birth, education, and en-
vlronment can lay claim to all the pre-
negatives of cultured womanhood. but
she was inquisitive. rude. and lll-bred,
and after my friend allayed my fears
that | possibly looked like a museum
freak, l congratulated myself upon my
escape. 4 little longer exposure to that
womans siftings and there would NOT
nave Deen even enough aShes Ieil oi nv
to do duty for cremation urn
There are women who cannot see one
swathed in new "glad-rag OF any
kind without being seized with a curl
osity panic. through the desire to know:
where you got it," how YOU got II:
who made it, what it COST and a
hundred other details that are eXasperat-
ing.-kate Tyson Mari in Exchange
How One Woman Divides House
work Economically Among