The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-09-15
FINDS CHARMING
 MAN GREAT BORE English Woman Gives Her View of the Genus HIS CONDESCENsION Natural Comradeship of the Honest, Chummy Man Much More Pre- cious Than Overcourteous
 Charming Man
!, CONDESCENSION
From the London Mall.

whom the typical charming man is-weil, typically charming. You have noticed of course. that the charming man withers a little in the presence of his counter part the charming woman
 He is also not at his best when he is endeayoring to maintain his favorite role the role of the perfectly delightful tete- a-tete artist-when faced by really clever or tremendously handsome or even . very tall and gracious woman.
 A possess none of these characteristics. , Like Barries heroine lack "charrm." and although I believe I am tolerably pretty happen to be small in stature.
 have no presence" I think that is the noun to describe the peculiar gift with which my more effective sisters, without the slightest effort and without any remotest shadow of snuhbing, seem to deprive the charming man of his ar mory of conversational weapons.
 That Neglected Miss Colorless
 Consequently. as I have observed, the charming man selects me as his especial victim at all social gatherings.
 For the charming man is a connoisseur fin being nce'' to petite women who look as though they had no one to talk to and who are--shall we say?-not altogether too plain of feature.
 know that what have written sounds spiteful,' l know that persons who have had little to do with the genus Charming Man, and who therefore have not seen through him, consider that his persistent Rttentiveness to inconspicuous feminine nonentities like me is sheer kindness of heart
 Just look at MT. So-and-So, taking such a lot of trouble to be polite to that neglected Miss Colorlessi'-o can ai- most hear their comments when the charming man brings me glass of hook cup or an ice or-if we are at country house party-offers to conduct me round the gardens or to punt on the lake.
 But from sad experience I recognize, almost at first glance, the contrast be- tween the simple good nature of the what shall I name him ?-thei chummy man and the elaborate and polished sham unselhshness of the charming man.
 The Over-CourteOus Man
 And, speaking for myself, the most off hand natural comradesnip offered by the honest, chummy man is more precious to me than all the too fussy, overcourteous, and sometimes blandly patronizinS attend ance-dancing of the charming MT So- and So. There have been charming men of this kin din all centuries and in all walks of life, and also I imagine there have been fastidious women who, like myself, have secretly detested them.
 have told you that my stature is small. The charming man singles me out, in con sequence of my smallness, because in ad- dressing me he is able to bend gracefully. Tt is A trifie. but, oh, how it emphasizes the subtle hint of condescension in his pose!
 Now that hint of condesceusion is what women simply cannot endure; and 1t IS our instinctive repudiation of it which, earns for us the adjectives spiteful and ungrateful.
 The accusation of spitefulness I must allow to pass, for 1t is obviously futile to reply to it. seeing that it only repre- sents point of view But as for 1ngrat- ttude l insist that women who ike myself are doomed to take a place, by physique and temperament, rather in the background of life are only too eager to be grateful, genuinely grateful, to the man who sincerely seeks our company.
 The charming man is not sincere Ills motives are transparent. The op)ect or Ell his manners of outward and surface delightfulness IS to make all hhpieS sion.''
 It is the quite young girl, or the woman with no brains at all, who is impressed by the charming man and l confess that I do not like being treated either as a quite young girl or as woman "ilh ho brains.
 What Really Pleases Her
 When | al some SOCidi iubNtiNh ~ takes very little to please me-a word or two of pieasant chat here and there, smile and a nod from my acqualntahces' and perhaps the jolly interlude of being taken down to supper by some masculine escort who is not ashamed to talk or the things he is interested in or who, though shy allows himself to be drawn out.
 enjoy myself easily on such occasions. do not ask to be entertained" for even if I am fated to be an onlooker for the whole evening I have the capacity for deriving pleasure from my observations.
 Can you wonder that It irritates me when some specimen of the charming man species is inspired to take pity on ne and I have to endure his excruciating smiles and smirks and pleasantries; when find myself being drawn out as my eelf would draw out some callow youth or girl fresh from school. and when. to crown 1t all I perceive that my host Is aattering himself that I am basking in the rays of Mir So-and-So's genial pres ence?
 Can you wonder that the charming man--unable, as always, to take gen file hint (and I am never courageous enough to administer the drubbing he es)-misinterprets my boredom, works all the harder to impress me, trots ont all his stalest tricks and man. nerisms and mots. and afterwards ln- forms his cronies that am one of those boor dear little women with no esprit at all nearly stupid in fact? And do you think like 1t? Of course not. I hate it. And I hate its cause the detestable charming man. f Let me give the charming man two nieces of advice. First women do not hlways like to talk about themselves or to be told about themselves. There exists some women who have already made up their minds about themselves and do not require any tur- finer enliehtenment on the subject. nor do they wish 10 talk 1t all over in pseu- ao-intimte detail with just any man kvho happens to smile effectively, wear his clothes well and has low ana caressing voice
 Secondly, most women have got ih'o lhe habit in these last years, or re- tenting any excessive display of cour- tesy
 |- It Is impossible to define the diher- once between the courtesy which we ptill expect and the courtesy of when we have grown tired; but there Is line of denarcation between the two hnd the man who. nowadays, does not detect the whereabouts of that line IS hopelessly out of date.
 ' It is the distinguishing mark of the objectionable charming man that he is too conceited to discern the finer shades of this new social development.