The Washington herald., 1911-10-04
DOROTHY DIX HEART
TO-HEART TALK WITH MEN

At the beginning of the theatrical sea-
son I desire to address a few earnest.
heartfelt, fearful, words to men. Gentle
men. you have passed a law requiring
women to remove their hats in the
theater. and to their credit. women obey
this law without protest, although it
subjects them to much Inconvenience
and is a blow to their vanity, since a
woman's hat is to her face as frame
to picture and enhances her good looks
80 per cent. Nevertheless, women recog-
nlze that 1t makes for the common good
and comfort and pleasure Of an audience
for them not to obscure the stage by
their millinery, and so at the theater
they cheerfully wear their hats in their
laps instead Of on their heads.
Now. as the ordinance In regard to
women's hats in the theater has worked
out so well. I ask you, in the name Of
justice and humanity to pass another law
making II a misdemeanor for men to go
out between the acts. thereby infiicting
bodily injury on women and ruin on
their clothes.
What women suffer from this nuisance
no tongue may tell, but it converts the
tergoing from the joy and pleasure it
was meant to be to a martyrdom that
calls for the display Of all Of the Chris
tian virtues OF resignation under perse-
cutton and forgiveness for undeserved
affiictions.
Gentleman or HoOdlumF
No one save a woman can realize the
fearful anxiety with which a woman
views the men who sit in the same row
with her at the play, and how esgerly
she scans each face as it appears, to
frNy to MI
gentleman who is capable Of sitting
quietly in his seat for a couple Of hours.
or il it is the mug of a well-dressed
hoodlum. who will trample her under
foot ruthlessly six or seven times during
the evening as he passes back and forth
to the neighboring barroom.
For on her seat neighbor's conduct de-
pends the woman's pleasure and the
state OF her wardrobe, for It is impossible
TO appreciate even the finest play when
ones toes are writhing in agony from
having had 2oo-pound man step on
them, and one has had ones best frock
mussed and torn by the clumsy elephant
that has just dragged over ones lap.
Perhaps, II men realize just how much
and annoyance they put
women to by climbing over them be-
tween acts at the theater they would
show more consideration in the matter
gentleman who may chance to read these
lines to two important facts. The first
Is that the space between the rows OF
seats In theater is not designed for a
Promenade.
Nuisance to whole Row.
In order for any person in row to
pass out, every other person in that row
has got to get up and stand up. fattened
= In 80 d ..
cr her belongings clutched in his or her
hand to prevent the destruction of said
articles It Is a most tiresone, awkward
and inconvenient position for anybody to
be called upon to assume, and nobody
except a human hog would be selfish
enough to ask such a sacrifice OF his
Naturally men will deny that they all
scale the mountain passes OF women's
inery at the theater in order to drink
They say they wished to stretch their
egs, and that they get tired and nervous
sitting still. 1 have the warmest sym
pathy for people with ST. vItus' dance, or
any malady that renders 1t impossible
Tor them to keep quiet, but surely such
lfficted individuals should have enough
to always buy end seats
where they can get In and out without
the public, or else the theater
should segregate them In
some section of the theater where they
,an step on each other without worrying
anybody else
The truth OF the matter Is that there
s no earthly excuse, except violent III
hess, for any man not to sit out a play
without annoying every woman IN hIs
flcinity There Is a law that makes
women take on there hats In the theater
md there should be another one to nrs,
rent men from going out between the
lets. DOROTHY DIX.