The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-11-21

had not an unusual father.
AS a matter OF fact, men understand
women better than those OF their own
sex understand them and vice versa. one
Of the most brilliant women OF the day,
woman who has done mans work
in the world and done it wen says that
she owes everything she is to her father,
why sympathzed with and abetted her
and. though her hair is gray and she Is
spoken of as elderly. she never under
takes anything that she does not con-
slider whether or no her father would APP
prove.
II never remember his speaking harsh
Is 20 me. I'm my life she says. never
remember his forbidding me 10 do any
thing or his commanding me TO do any
thing. he would suggest sometimes, would
say do you really think of doing that or
1T seems TO me this would be a nice
thing 10 do and ! was keen on the in
slant to do his will, TO anticipate his
wishes
1 set this down here because Il seems
to me this wnman's relation 20 her IA
Their must have been an Ideal one. and II
that IT was ideal. was due 20 no accident. n
but TO HIS deep understanding OF her
character and his respect for her indi-
viduRlity.
1 thought Of this relationship between
father and daughter the other day az the
club when l was the unwilling listener |
TO fond fathers exploitation Of his 4
daughter 10 a group OF his cronies. He /
spoke of her beauty, her cleverness, her |
popularity told how she had been belle /
last summer, how popular she was az I
West Point and Annapolis how much +
sought after she was 20 assist M after /
noon teas. but. " he concluded, eve can't /
do thing with her-her mother and ].
She has her own way In everything. The
little mink can wind us botl around her
I finger. and knows that she can"
What "a confession, Yet IS was made
with the greatest pride One could see
from the way in which he proclaims his
daughter was "A little mink and could
wind her parents around her finger that
! he eXulted in the fact. but will he eXult
when she does something wild and fool
| ish? VIII he not one day look back and
/ wish that he had not been so blind and SO
doting? To adapt a quotation from Cow
| per:
! Oh. sr~ro your idol, Think her human still:
/ Charms she may have but she has fTailries. too;
] Dote not too much nw spoil what ye admire
|
! A frequent and regrettable mistake
father makes is not 20 become the friend
OF his daughters friends He should
/ know every young man and young
woman who come 10 his house: know
their tastes. inclinations. antecedents, else
/ how can he tell whether the young man
who presents himself one day in his
counting house and demands his daugh-
/ ters hand because. forsooth. he loves
/ her, Is worthy? And is fl wise or kind
!! or paternaI. Is 70 properly exercising his
prerogatives to give her her own sweet VIII
in what concerns her lifelong happiness
and what concerns the unborn children
Of his blood? And unless he comes TO
know his daughters friends. how can he
prevent her from sacrificing herself. how
can he even know whether the object OF
his chid's choice Is a gentleman or a
cad. an honest man or a black leg?
Society was Mortified and shocked some
years ago by a scandal which involved
one Of its falrest daughters. This girl
was brilliant clever, interesting a bit in
Clined toward bohemianism, but with
such dash and aplomb that she was able
10 carry off any situation. and with such
a kind heart, such artless and winning
ways that everything was forgiven her
When il was announced that she was en-
gagged TO a handsome and titled foreigner
who was passing the winter in town her
friends were dubious for the man had
rot made a very good impression. He
was too suave, too fond Of talking about
his rank. and given 10 boast among men
of his conquests. But congratulations
] 4 A..
| happiness was delightful To behold.
Not long before the date set for the
( wedding. however. an Old friend, a club
man. felt 1t his duty 20 tell her all he
| knew about her fiance, and ne told her
some very unpleasant things: that he
! borrowed money which he did not pay
back; that he Dragged Of the irresistible
fascination he had for women. and that
b though he hated TO say this but il was
b really what had moved him TO 20 to her
( he had discussed his fancee, or tried 20
r discuss his fiancee, for his acquaintance
would have none Of that al the club
2 OF course. you know the result. There
can he only one result when a loving
loyal, though deceived, woman is told
that her lover is not the idol she has
painted him. The well-meaning friend
was turned out Of the house. the fiance
81 " az oNIlluUueu anu asked 10 explain. anO
, he explained 20 her eminent satisfaction
, SO the preparations for the wedding went
: on, until one morning the papers came
out with fiaring headlines declaring that
! the oily foreigner had been apprehendel
j, as a burglar and forger, and it was al
! true. The brOken-hearted woman put OF
, a bold front donned her wedding flnery
. and went about in society; but she wa,
n none the less crushed, and she never re
! | covered from the blow, although she mar
I ried few years later. became the mother
of children. and kept a host of friends,
Eut she died finally Of the terrible expe
4 rieEce she had gone through, died in he
o early thirties.
a 7 or all the unhappy affairs that hav,
r taken place in the higher circles the on
1 ! have quoted seems to me the most trag
e &c and SInnecessary-unne becaus
. the poor victims father could have pre-
N vented Il. Had ne only taken the pain
e to institute the most superficial inquire
d ne would have closed his doors in tn
l. mans face at once; but he was one o
O. those doting fathers who love 20 be twist
4 cd around his daughters finger and be
r cause he loved il, because he delighted i
ID her piauancy, her very willfulness. he
is domineering ways. he allowed her {
s. have her own sweet viii I'm everything
is boasted that he had never crossed hi
pr little girl in her life. and so allowed he
s. 20 work her own ruin. Oh, the pity Of il
T. So. dear little debutante. tell the faith
s.. ers whom you know 10 make friends an
s, companions OF their daughters. to max
r. friends OF their daughters friends, {
Id look to it that no one has the freedom G
m his house who is not fine and noble an
or worthy. The worst form OF selfshness
as the sel6sbness that prOu1pts one TO "a