The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1912-05-24
The
DAILY.
THE lRReLevANT SEX.

THE IRRELEVANT SEX.
Mrs. Emily Bishop, noted cham.
pion Of women, their rights and their
abilities, confessed the other day that
in one, particular. women are mot the
equal of the other sex, and that was
in the matter Of relcvance Of thought.
Women" confessed Mrs. Bishop, are
naturally irrelevant"
How about It, Mrs. American wo-
man?
Do you own the soft impeach.
ment?'
l really think you should.
For although also am sturdy
champion OF my sex, 1 must confess
that ! also have frequently been tried
by the irrelevance OF womankind.
Let us play. the harmless eayesdrop.
per at an average family dinner table.
The husband and father Is telling
about distinguished visitor who
came TO his office that day. The story
Is so interesting that his young son
actually suspends the business OF eat.
Ing to i;Eton. His wife hears him at,
first with an appearance of interest.
but In moment or two, the peculiar
expression comes across her face that
some one has APPLY called "house.
Hife's eye" Her husband concludes
his, story, and her comment Is. Wasn't
that nice?"-this absent mindedly,, and
then with iervor, "John. DID you re.
member to bring home that extra um.
brella you took?"
Women sometimes complain be.
cause their husbands do not toll them
moSe about their business interests
and what they see in the big world.
I wonder If experiences like these
may not have something. to do with
such reticence.
At a home whereI sometimes visit.
all table conversation is punctuated
well nigh to, extinction by the house
mothers well meant interruptions.
No matter what anyone-guest or
member OF the fai:.ily-may be say.
ms he fs likelytto be Interrupted, or
at least answered by Now, do have
some. more pudding" James. why
don't you give Mrs. C. some moro ~
tatoes?b ETC., etc. There is no doubt
whatever that this good womans l.
tentlons are the best In the world, but
Ler attention most emphatically is not,
and the two really need not be incom-
patible: '@h ,.lp' z ~ e
In a very clever essay on the dan.
ger Of being too goodSa housewife. "a
modern writer explains the feminine
habit OF irrelevance thus:
Realizing that there is no hour
in the twenty.fdar when the boiler
may not burst. the little ones main
themselves. or ,tradesmen present
hypothetical bills, she soon learns that
she must either abandon the home in
some greater or less particular. or
give up all forms Of concentrated
thought. She usually chooses
the latter alternative. This explains
her strangely vague and intermittent
attention. This Is why she touches
even the subjects Of ordinary CONVEX
sation as. lightly as humming Dnu.
which knows. il humminE birds do
know such things, that at any moment
1t may have to go wingfRg away to It's
cellar or Its medicine chest. You
drop in TO tea. THE silver is bright,
the food delicious, yet your hostess
sees not you. but the dent tn the tca-
kettle; heaTs not you but the voice OF
a strange man In the Kitchen" i.1E
; think We have all known this type
Of woman; perhaps we have visited
|hrr; perhaps we sit across the table
from her: perhaps VIC even sit in her
chair, How about it9 '"7'.ss.'''