The Washington herald., 1910-01-25
FILTRATION AN EXACT SCIENCE
Said 10 Be Sure Road TO Proper
knowledge of Social Life.


From the PHILADELPHIA Telegraph.
Flirting is the Eurest road toward the
proper knowledge Of social life. Girls
and boys should mingle a little frivoIity
with their studies--ln other words. they
should flirt little"
In these words a professor of Harvard
University condensed the wisdom of his
sixty-seyen years and two ventures into
matrimony. The learned professor, who
is said to be contemplating third mar
riage. also told OF a girl student OF Rad
cliffe, a wise virgin who burned the mid
night oil over her books while her more
frivolous sisters danced and flirted
When / was bidding her good-by after
she had graduated with high honors.
told her that she had a task before her,
that she would have to firt good and
hard to make up for lost time. and she
said she would"
There may be more actual wisdom in
President Eliots five feet" OF musty
books than in these brief recommends
tions of his subordinate professor, but
there is no doubt the latter will have and
Will IFSti Nt a iiAbit tAtfl4SAFt pVpAlGl iAy #.
1t is the fashion to refer 10 baseball as
the national game. and IL only open air
diversions are considered there can be no
quarrel with the term But II indoor
sports be included. the perennial pastime
OF flirting undoubtedly has adherents
more numerous than the baseball fans
or the sea sands
Moreover, baseball is exclusively a
warm weather enthusiasm. Flirting, Ike
death, has all seasons for its own, and
also, In this country at least, all persons.
In Europe, Of course, flirting" is con-
siGered an occupation for the married ex-
eluslvely, Between the unmarried it Is
practically unknown. To "hirt" with
your neighbor's wife Is a custom having
the sanction Of centuries. but to attempt
hirtation with his daughter IS worse thar
| useless, being ia all well regulated fam
flies. because Of ceaseless chaperonage
| quite impossible.
What is "flirting?" A poet might say
| II is the sparkle in the wine Of life, but
/ OF course 70 a temperance advocate the
/ expression wine OF life" would have q
be changed TO sarsaparilla or root beer.
SO the definition. not having the quality
Of giving universal satisfaction, must b
rejected.
/ Some very estimable persons live to b
ninety without flirting; others firt from
/ the time they are babies in long clothes
until they die. But these are the born
hirts, whom no vows OF heaven or cart
can bind, whom no disillusions can sober
and whom no terrors can arrest.
But for every one OF these 10 whom II,
art OF flirting comes as easily as breatE
there are a thousand who learn by N,
''sink-or-swim'' method. being thrown int,
a seethIng whirlpool Of emotion from
which they extricate themselves as bes
they may. II they are lucky, or drown i
/ the swimming instinct does not asser
itself.
/ believe IL was once the fashion to tes
witches by throwing them into the water
If they sank they were innocent II they
Aoated they were guilty and had to b
I burned at the stake.
/ So. IN flirting If we sink-that is. II th'
other person gets the best Of us-we arr
/ innocent. II We float We are given ovel
/ 10 the fires Of masculine condemnation 70
! being heartless witches. It would seem
/ therefore, that the college professor wht
/ recommends flirting as a pastime should
also outline a curriculum OF Irritation
l thus raising fl to the dignity Of an exac
! science. so that those who mastered /
might be honored with degrees showing
/ their proficiency.
It would simplify matters very much ]
Miss Mary Jones. upon arriving at a sum
mer hotel should write after her nam
\ B. A. Filtration. Harvard. or Mr.. Johi
Robinson should append TO his signatur
/ Heartbreaking Phi. D, Yale