Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-12
What Women Are Doing

MRS. FRANK AMBLER PAT
N TISON, president OF the New
III Jersey Federation OF Women's
Clubs, addressed herself to the subject
of race suicide the other day. and in
the course OF her remarks declared
Nautilus to be better prophet than
our own Theodore. Malthus, you may
remember. was the learned gentleman
who predicted that in time the world
would become overpopulated; that old
Mother Terra Fir1na, like the ancient
dame who lived in a shoe, would
sooner or later find her family out
growing their domiclle. OF course,
there's still little room. We haven't
got so crowded that we're showing
each other off the edge into the Pacific
ocean, but then we're young yet, you
see. And by the same token, neither
are there so few of us that there are
jobs enough to go round.
Mrs. Pattison, however, isn't wor-
rying over the Malthusian theory any
more than she is over the Rooseveltian
preachment. She says the chances of
race suicide or of overpopulation are
both exceedingly remote when COM
pared with the imminent peril of race
degeneration, and she adds that 1t
would be far better for the state, In
very many instances, should husband
and wife be brought to a realization of
the fact that they are not fitted
physically or mentally to become
parents.
That's the nub of Mrs Pattisons
argument. Poor stock, she says. should
not be perpetuated. Instead of urg-
ing upon all families'the patriotic duty
of bringing as many children as pos
sible into the world, she would impress
upon them the wisdom of sterility in
all cases where one or both of the
prospective parents exhibit blemish
which might naturally be expected to
communicate itself to their offspring.
Ibsen, you may recall, presented
similar belief in Ghosts"
Mrs. Amelia Barr, the novelist, was
guest of honor of the New York Fed
GRAFTON of Women's Clubs one day last
week. She was introduced by Mrs.
Belle de Rivera, who seemingly is
wholly devoid of tact, for in making
her presentation speech Mrs. Rivera
violated the most sacred canon of
feminine amity She told Mrs. Barr's
age-told it right out loud-and her
victim smiled through the ordeal,
ment in her for this spoliatlon of wo-
mans dearest secret.
However, there were extenuating
circumstances. Mrs. Barr, you see,
doesn't have to keep her years under
bushel She is not in the splendid.
secretive forties, or the fllrtatious fif-
ties either. She's seventynine. That's
why she smiled and that's why she
nodded assent to Mrs. Rivera's dis
closure.
"Yes," she said "it is true. 1 was
born in the reign of William ", and
was going to school when Queen Vic
toria was crowned"
Mrs. Barr isn't writing much now.
She doesn't have to. She doesn't look
like the old-fashioned literary wo-
man" either She is just a gracious,
kindly, old woman, with a spirit of
abundant charity and good will, alert
mentally and still vigorous. More
power to her.
Through the death of King Edward,
Mrs. George Keppel has become the
queen dowager of London society. Mrs.
Keppel you see, was a great favorite
of the dead king, and of his wife.
Their friendliness made her the most
powerful woman socially in the entire
British empire. so powerful indeed that
Sne never 1e1I IL necessary 10 put ny
popularity against the day of another
reign. Therefore it Is that Mrs. Kep-
pei no longer sways the scepter of
social royalty.
The new king never liked her, and
the new queen hasn't spoke to her for
ten years. And now that the king is
dead, long live the king, Mrs. Keepers
social power has vanished as utterly
as though it never had existed. Who
will be her successor? Well, time
alone can tell. There will be an inter-
regnum, you know, until the court
shall have emerged from its period of
mourning.
Mrs. Arthur Ingersoll Hoe, nee Perry
seems to be a remarkable young Wo-
man. Her wedding in Washington last
month was the elimination of COM
mon sense courtship in which a ra-
tional Cupid played an important part
Mr.. Hoe is heir to the printing press
millions. Miss Perry is the daughter
of a "human skeleton" and palmlst.
Her father, the man of prominent
bones, deserted his family soon after
EVELYN was born and the mother was
compelled to bring up two chlldren az
hest she could She made good Jop
of ii. too, for Evelyn's brother Is now
IN Lt