The Washington herald., 1907-08-17
FROM WOMARS
POINT OF VIEW

/ am sorry for the woman who lacks
resource the one who must be amused
every minute, OF life ceases 10 be en-
Joyable. II is not always possible To
find amusing people: and the resourceful
woman can always I'll in her time with
an interesting book or a bit OF sewing
Personally. have never seen the time
when dozen different tasks were not
awaiting my leisure moments, and they
have served 10 make me forget that there
was such thing as loneliness
spent a summer in New Hampshire
village. where the neighbors were so far
apart that winter storms must have often
made sociabnity impossible for a time
The feminine head Of the inn was "a
rather young and attractive woman. a
second WIFE, with a step-daughter old
enough TO be CompaniOnable I asked her
how she spent the winters, and if she did
not fad them long and tiresome She
looked at me with genuine surprise as
she told me that her winters We're quite
enjoyable and all too short
There were the family sewing and the
preparations for the next summer. There
were sleighing parties and barn dances
new books to be read, and a yearly visit
70 city cousin. Summer returned al
most before II was expected. and brough+
her host of duties that made the win
ter seem like a holiday. Involuntary
1 thought Of guest once tried TO en-
terrain, pretty girl, who could not he
depended upon TO amuse herself for one
hour of the day. When II rained she
suiked, and when there were no Young
men about she was a victim Of melan-
chOly.
1 could not govern the weather. and
tbcre was an end to the list of voung
and eligible men, and when either CON
tingency was TO be met was at nv wis
ends. 1 actually lost flesh in the month
which marked her visit to me. but the
experience taught me one tbing-two
weeks is a reasonable length of time for
any visit The resources Of even clever
hostess are overtaxed when visit is pro-
longed beyond those limits.
There is a host of women who are novv
putting all their spare time into Christmas
presents. They do not find time hanging
heavily upon their hands There are
women who spend unpleasant DAYS In
Strengthening bureau drawers and mend
ing leaving the pleasant ones for amuse-
ment- a woman who spends five months
of each year at the seashore always plans
to do a lot OF reading and sewing at that
time, and she confesses each fall that
many Of the books were never opened and
little Of the sewing was finished.
She is not an indolent woman. bur The
demands upon her time and attention lef,
her nc chance to get morbid and lonely
the time was altogether too short for the
uses she found for il. Life can never be
other than enjoyable to such woman
for much OF its misery is born in the I'm
agination and hatched in idleness. I know
an unspoiled housemaid who Supplements
her tasks with knitting. an occupation She
thoroughly enjoys. She does not vav-n
away her evenings and impatientlv wait
for her weekly holidays. When the holt
days come she Is ready for them. and no.
body can possibly enjoy them more than
this little maid. 1 am not advocating
work for every hour Of the day. hut I
strongly recommend a store of resources
for investing spare time with some degree
of interest. There ought not be room IN
life for such an unhealthy sentiment as
noroldness, BETTY BRADEEN.