The Washington times., 1910-12-17
Those of American Variety
Are PoSerS, Is Princes
Comment.
INCREASINGLY APE
THOSE HIGHER UP"
But the Only Poverty One Need Be
Ashamed Of Is the Shabby
Genteel.
By DOROTHY DIX

PRINCE, who is also a diDIo-
" mat, who recently visited this
n country, when asked the bro
midic question what he thought
Of the American woman. made this
wise reply:
The only fault I have ever been
able 10 nns with your American wom-
an. either when I met her at home OF
abroad, is that she is bent on posing
as a cosmopolitan She is the most
charming woman in the world when she
is Just herself, but si7e doesn't seem
10 know this She keeps on trying TO
be an English woman or q French
woman, or some other kind Of a WON
an-anything, 50 long as 4 isn't an
American woman-aud she goes to all
sorts Of trouble to do it. when she was
Iauch more the thing, don't you know,
when she was just herself It's a beast
" shame, and somebody ought to ten
about what q mistake she is making
That's about the most discerning and
discriminating and deserved criticism
thar has ever been passed upon the
American woman, and she would do
well to heed It, for it's true, every word
OF IL The American woman is ali
right when she Is herself, and she's in
all wrong when she tries to be some
BODY else And there are more pretend
ers among Us than there are TO the
Spanish =JHrene- which Is going some
Woman Affects To
Be Somebody She Isn't
Its a queer thing that in this country
where our proudest boast is that we are
all born free and equal, and that We
have no class distinctions, practically
every woman is affecting TO be some
body she isn't Abroad a duchess is a
Duchess and A housemaid IS a house
maid, and each seIf-respectingly stays
IN her own sphere in life The duchess
doesn't dream OF posing as a princess,
OF the servant maid Of trying TO look
a. If she were a EoVerneSs or saleSg1ri-
hut IN America me woman WITH 2
hundred thousand dollars acts as II she
were a HIlIiunaireSS- the miIiOnaiTess
affects 20 be a multi-milliOuaiTesS Of
long standing. the multi-TniliiOEairesS
hires somebody TO hunt her up-a padi-
gree that proves she descended from
William the Conqueror. the servant SRI
preteuds 20 be stenOgrapher, the stem
oEraphcr carries her lunch IN a music
roll or imitation book 50 she may be
mistaken for q professional woman. and
the professional woman starves herself 4
10 death 50 that she may dress like a
Why do we do IT. Heaven only
knows, for there IS nobody so mean and
poor Of intellect IS 10 be taken IN By
such transparent shams, and nobody
with bad enough taste 70 admire the
rfdpous pfnchbeck article We turn out
Of ourselves On the contrary, do We
not continually hear some one say,
What a charming girl Mary would be
r she only was herself or. ''tf hat 4 n
Interesting woman Mrs Simpkius would
be If she would only be natural
And how absurd and ridiculous, what
figures Of fun, are those who are forever
pretending 70 be what they are not.
Nothing So Ridiculous
as Sham.
There Is all Of the innumerabIe COM
rany Of working women who pretend
10 be idlers- OF old women who affect to
DE young, Of dull women who Try to ap-
pear learned, Of big, fat women who try
70 he kittenish and look ike performing
elerhzuts- Of poor women who wear
cat fur. OF women with comic opera
tastes who would Ike TO 90 10 see
Titles Nightmare, and drag them
selves 20 see ''Parsifal-''
God help them all. and give them
eyes tq<see the beauty OF sincerity and
make them realize that there is nothing
else II the whole world 50 ridiculous as
sham and 50 attractive as reality. The
only poverty that one need be ashamed
OF IS the shabby Eenteel- The only
ignorance at which one Is ever inclined
10 sneeT i the bombastic and pOmpous
pTetenSe Of learning No one crftiCises a
meal Of honest C0rued beef and cabbage
and beer Il IS only when one IS served
mock duck and 5I-Cent champagne by
walters that are hired for the occasion
that one is tempted 70 deride his hostess
On the other hand. there are no peo-
Ile so fascinating as those who have the
courage TO be simply themselves and
who say and think what they feel. and
DO not 1nect tastes and opinions that
are foreign 70 them We call this per
sOnaIity in an individual but in reality
II IS ONLY simplicity and Sra-.-1rifv-