Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-16
MEMS LETTERS POOR READING
WOMEN ARE BETTER WRITERS
THAN THEIR BROTHERS.
Masculine Messages Are Dull or
Overdone. When the Expression
of Love Is Sought.

! From the Manchester Chronicle.
/ Some weeks ago YOU We're pleased to
say some very unkind things about the
| feminine letter According TO You. our
| letters are masterpieces of ingenious
| falsehood and dissimulated egotism.
Would II not have shown better dis
cernment on Your part had you stated
| that the pen was invented for men and
women 10 hide their real thoughts more
easily, more completely even than they
can in Words 1t may happen that
| speech betrays us. owing to an involun-
/ tary gesture, or the uncomfortable sin
| cerity of our eyes. On the other hand,
we are not seen by the person who reads
us: he sees US in his minds eye accord
/ ing to what we write and according to
his individual fancy.
| And then. contrary to the proverb.
which. like all proverbs, is unSound the
\ spoken word does not efface itself: once
| said. how are we going to recall 1t. how
! efface or correct it? A letter. on the
! other hand. is patiently constructed, SUI
+! fers eraSureS and corrections. can even
/ be copied-it can. in short, be ''recooked.
/ according prudence and insincerty
| suggest.
! Tn one respect, however. we agree:
/ sincere feminine letter especially when
ii is intended for an absent male friend,,
/ If, indeed, it is not an unknown and Chi
merical quantity. would deserve place
| of honor curiosity in the collection of
| archives. But as for mems letters-and
| above all a mans letters to an absent
friend of the fair sex, Are we to suppose
I that your desire for falsehood is less.
| simply because your pen adapts itself less
| skillfully to them than ours? And are We
to esteem YOUR Stra ShtforwardnesS on
| account of your general lncapaclty Tor
writing letters?
Mems Pens Insincere.
What poor literature they are, mems
letters Has it ever struck YOU that OF
those addressed by men to women there
are hardly any that are famous, and that
the most reputed of these are overdone:
Between you and me, where can you find
more insincere eloauence than In the
Letters to Sophie or more fastidlous
pedantry than i'm Merimees Correspond
dence With Unknown Women: Even
the superior sort of man. the moment ne
is constrained to write few pages 10 the
woman he processes 10 care for, suddenly
becomes impotent and sterile.
That is why the male race is so ready
to show its correspondence from women.
whereas it very rarely happens that
woman will show even her best friend
the supposedly sentimental epistle she
has just received from man. 1t is all
very we'll for her to cherish the letter be-
cause 1t Is little portlon OF lle doseh.
one; the fact is. she fears the discerning
eye of her friend. which will gauge the
sentimental void concealed beneath the
pitiable structure of phrases
Your letters. messieurs. have this great
fault-that they are void at least void
of that which we SO fervently seek, prov
ender for our hearts. Oh how clumsy
YOU are in composing those four pages
of tender prose which cost us women SO
little effort and bring us SO much sue
M
shows letters of a supposedly sentimental
nature to another woman IhouSh !,
myself, have only been favored with
few such masculine epistles. l have been
able. as / enjoy some reputation for dis
cretion. to glance at a few with the
owners permission. Their perusal has
not caused me to envy the recipient.
Sign of Boredom.
Without exception. all these letters
proved that their writer was bored when
he composed them. Some OF them were
foolish, others witty; there were lengthy
epstles and short notes; polite ones and
harsh ones. but. whatever merit of style
or expression they had. all of them spoke
of forced effort. Here We have already
primary difference between your letters
and ours. Even when we are not In love
with YOU, we like TO write TO you. i
have heard men exclaim very naively:
Strange woman. When We are both IN
Paris she is unreliable. whimsical and I'M
bearable. She is constantly hurting my
feelings. But as soon as We are apart
am favored with the most delightful
missives from her" Falsehoods and de-
| ceptions YOU will say? Not at all, Many
of us honestly prefer the absent friend
! AS soon as you are sone we are COM
:. PEELED in any way to make ourselves
| a agreeable to YOU. To scatter tender
/ arabesuues on a sheet of paper at safe
distance is form of diversion for some
| of us. However little you may please u.s.,
| it pleases us to write: you please u.s.
/ The moment we are away from you
| YOU relegate us to a corner of your mem
| ory, Just as in summer one slows away
i ones carefully packed furs in cup
| board to leave them there TIL the begin
| ming of the cold season. Oh, certainly,
you are glad enough when we reappear
| Just as we are glad of our furs when we
| need them: but, in the meanwhile, summer
distractions and summer raiment suf11ces
you, and if you think Of us at all IT Is as
one thinks of ones heavy, warm 1urs,
very useful in their season
The Fateful Letter.
But suddenly your peace of mind and
Your pleasures are troubled. The post
man brings you an envelope, with the ad-
dress written in thick down strokes OF
the pen. The envelope does its best TO be
ineratiating and perfumed: from the four
or eight pages il contains hreathes nat
ural spirit of gracious affection, cajolery,
desire TO see the absent one or, at least,
10 receive in fun measure proof that
his memory is faithful.
You are really pleased TO receive the
letter. To begin with, your sef-esteem
is flattcred. hence results sincere SEN
saiion of affection for the fur of which
YOU are reminded. and. smilnslN you
pocket the reminder. During the days
shooting while the heaters are making
"A big turning movement. YOU are inspired
to reread the letter You say to your
self: How we'll she expresses herself.
and you communicate a portion of this
tender epistle to some friend of your
BOSOM of whom land this is certain
sureJ there is always one among the
other guns.
One day, two days pass, and YOU have
forgotten. Then in conversation some
chance reference recalls her name or the
place whence she wrote, and You say to
yourself: Dear me. l really must answer
her, And thereupon five minutes
detection settles upon YOU. stu you
defer. making excuses to yourself, and
make a rough calculation of how long
YOU can, in reason. keep her waiting.
You allow the period TO elapse, until
finally, when ii is too late, but when
there is no more chance of postponing
il, You make 4 start. We'll. here goes.
and yoL begin your answer by false
bond-pamefy nv apte1atinc