The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-10-27

en- who are finding serious fault with
the average educated man in this
country. They tell US that he is not
interesting to woman. He has lost
many of his old romantic emotions,
and is therefore a dull, poor love-
maker. He is so ignorant on many
of the subjects that absorb modern
womeu's minds that he is socially
dumb and stupid. But. worst OF ALL
he lacks something more than mere
knowledge and development; he lacks
temperament. He lacks a state OIL
mind and. consciousness that woman
is hungering more and more for IN
man. 1t is a psychic state Of mind;
a spiritual intelligence; a comprehen-
sion and sympathy; an appreciation
and patience that know how to speak
and, above all. how to inspire.
No, the American man does not in
terest and charm woman as man does
in most of the countries of Europe,
notably in France and Italy. But
why does he not? There are acute
foreign observers who visit US and de-
clare mat American life has evolved
a man and a woman who live in two
SEPARATE worlds. Our men and wom-
en- are fast becoming complete strang-
ers to each other. They actually
know less Of each other and enter
less into each others innermost lire
than men and women in those lands
where woman goes yelled or commu-
nicate. with man by means OF a ran
In church, or steals a glance at him
through a window. The familiarity
and equality Of the two sexes in
America have built a stupendous wall
of ignorance between their souls.
Woman has become commonplace to
man. He thinks he knows her only
too we'll. While to woman man has
lost all the mystery of his power. He
is a thing Of clay, and most inferior
clay at that. Therefore, mai prefers
to associate with man and woman
with woman. In no other country IN
the world are there so many exclu-
.sively mems and exclusively womens
clubs.
These two distinct worlds OF the
American man and woman are separ-
ated by walls of adamant in educa-
ton, in business and in society.
Woman in the middle and upper
classes goes her way with her leisure
for culture, her charities, her clubs
and guilds and society. She investi-
gates history and science, and she
writes and reads. Her mind becomes
critical and analytical. She is rest
less, she travels.
Man. on the other hand, filings him.
self with all his mind and soul into
that modern maelstrom business.
In this world he forgets woman's
heart, for it is a world without sent1-
ment, without romance. without love.
It is a world of producers and accu-
lators. The American business man
is. in his mental state, like a ship
leaving port. His mind is always 60
ing out. His occupation, his COM
plete absorption in the things before
him, and his general attitude OF mind
carry him as far away from woman's
world or in opposition to woman's
world as the east is from the west.
He loves business as a gambler loves
his game or a miser his bag. He 500
neither. knows nor cares for anything
else.
There are innumerable exceptions,
hut this is the tendency and spirit OF
business. When nan steps into
woman's world, it is like a whale
f1ounderiug on the shore or an ele-
plant wading into the deep. He is
timid. and mis- timidity is that of con-
scious ignorance, and it is often min
gled with a feeling of repulsion to-
ward himself. He p%erceives at a
glance that his own spirit has tended
to harden and make artificial wom-
ans spirit.
The late Mrs. Aston said Of the
modern American man, Socially, he
does not interest or please woman
because he is not socially developed"
He has no leisure for society, and
that caste organization called society
is in too chaotic a condition in most
places in this country to develop him
if he had the leisure. The American
of Importance is. as a rule, not at
home in an assembly of women. He
is a poor listener to things that do
not directly appeal to him, and he
looks impatient and bored on formal
social occasions. His range Of knowl-
edge outside of his own profession is
astonishingly limited. Ten represen-
tative men-politicians, business men,
manufacturers, lawyers. bankers, in
surance officers, brokers. etc.-were
asked the question. Are the men you
meet and know Interestingly" The
instant reply was, Outside of their
own work-no."
The raconteur Of extraordinary
gifts abounds in this country, but
good storytelling is not converse
ton. The French. the finest CONVEX
sationalists in the world, do not, in
what they call their chamber-music
talks, allow p]rotracted anecdote. Con-
versation. according to the French
art, is rapid, animated. lightly trip
ping and turning speech without ar
gument, without difference Of opinion
in the company of about a dozen apt
Nv solicited men and i one
of these companies a F~renchman is as
near heaven as he ever expects to get
ON this earth Seldom do men and