Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-16
Around the CITY

Around the City
A medical journal knows everything. of
course. SO it must be true that women
are physically stronger than men. Mans
excuses are given as the why. There is
one citizen among us who accepts the
verdict, but resents it's stated cause.
He was Glen Echoing with a woman,
gray and lumpily contoured, like him
self. and he was giving the Esculapian
theory the thing we call particular fits.
A carefully censored opinion or two went
like this:
~ GU take the average young man. He
has stronger teeth than the average
young woman, and I'll bet he takes bet
ter care of them. He has a healthier
complexion because his body isn't laced
and straightforward. and his hair is
more vigorous because it isn't infested
with rats
Women have been handicapped with
those fashions only the last few
But never mind what the woman said:
he didn't
I'm not denying that in life's general
roundup women outlast men, because
I've no statistics to show to the con-
trary. but L do protest the theory that
mantle average man. understand
shortens his days by excuses My ex-
PLANTATION is that man-average man,
NINA, Is oVer-extravagant with his
Vltallty-Just as most of us are wasteful
with matches, say, when there are SO
many around that box doesn't count.
We strike recklessly, disregarding
draughts, and a match flares out No
matter. There is always another 1t is
only when we are on our last box, with
no more In sight. that we are careful
of the flame. Now, mans strength
means apparently endless matches, and
he wastes it recklessly He has dec
AIDES to be young and rompy in, while
poor woman's youth is a matter of the
few years her beauty lasts. Therefore.
though her allowance of matches be
scant. and maybe blue heads at that,
she sees the necessity Of saving from
the start. For that reason. 1 consider
it the only one, her light is still flicker
ing after man has f1ared out. 1t isn't
that man-average-is necessarily vi
cious. 1t is merely that he is prodigal
with his matches. And woman is a
miser with hers-do you get me?'
He needn't have worried. He was got
by every passenger on the car.
She was small woman in white, with
a lot of crinkly hair that defied rats;
friendly blue eyes and a voice as bust
nesslike as a cash register. And she
stood at station window to buy a ticket
for Blank In the West Virginia noun
tains.
The clerk looked his ignorance of the
fare and was turning to his schedule
when the business voice clipped out:
-Four fifteen, round trip. for three
months
She had the price. down to cent. and
having purchased her ticket went over to
the Pullman window to buy chair privi-
lege. The clerk know they ran sleepers
over that line, but wasn't sure about
parlOr-
IF they do it will be fifty-hve cents"
said the woman.
When that was settled she went into the
baggage room to check her trunk. The
man she corralled was uncertain, orhand.
a to location:
Let me see Where is Blank"
West Virginia. Anything else you q
like to know about IT.?
The cash register in her voice had
given way to confabby cheerfulnesS
that one felt must be it's natural habit
outside of business dealings-and the man
of trunks responded with amused readi-
ness:
well. it isn't every lady who knows
enough to tell me what she wants. I'm
still suffering from the effects of one
who came to have her trunk checked as
far as Baltimore. where she would take
the boat Of course, | asked her what
boat. so that l could know where to send
the trunk, and-the way she turned on
me was d caution 1t was none of my
business what boat it was The next
thing she knew I'd be having the nerve
to ask her how long she was going to
stav and what her board bill was"
I'm n ended with good naturPd
little chuckle in which the other cheerful
voice joined. and the incident was over.
Nothing to it, was there except to help
show that women like weather: takes
all kinds to run the world.
When theory bucks against fact some
thing is liable to smash And it won't be
fact.
Consider. for instance. that senile adage
about borrowed umbrellas, and then
listen will you, to the experiences of
woman who calls herself Miss Pris:
She went to the theater one night not
so long ago in a white frock. spick and
span from the tub Her companion was
more elegantly fussy in black silk with
Dutch neck and coral beads. and both
were adorned with umbrellas. The one
that belonged to Miss Pris was big,
business gloria. with no style to 1t, but
entirely reliable. except that the strap
button was gone. And a pin Is Just as
good. 1t had stormed during the per-
Torrance and was raining lightly when
the play was over. On the outer edge OF
the umbrellaless crowd Miss Prfs no
ticed two young women. one Of them in
delicate blue linen. with lot of embroid-
cry on the waist. 1t was too pretty
gown to be washed before it's time-all
that fancy work-so she passed over her
umbrella and address and poked her own
head under her friends shelter. BY the
time their car reached Capitol Hill the
sprinkle had become a downpour, and as
black silk calls for all the umbrella 1t can
get, Miss Pris performed the flying Alta
lanta act from track to house steps and
got as drenched as if she had been floun-
dering around in the fountain of youth
except for looks. of course. But it didn't
matter, because her frock did up splendid.
The umbrella was sent back next morn |
ing with a gracious line Of thanks, and
Miss Pris. being busy soul given to
doing continuous things with her pencil,
was about to forget the incident when a
man-nice man. too-who CHANGED to be
standing by her desk expressed surprise
at the umbrellas return.
Ever lend one and fail to get it back?'
mo. can't say l ever did, but-you
know the old SAYING
Miss Pris saw an opening for mission