Evening journal., 1912-07-30
OLD MAIDS AND BACHELORs.

M ISIS HELEN GOULD is what is popularity known
as "an old maid" She quite properly resents.
however the assertion OF the Rev. Elmer " Huff
ner Of the First Christian Church in Grand Junction
COL that "old maids should be isolated on barren
island as waste product" Such broad statements
coming from the pulpit any other that is
worth considering, foolish. We take IL that the
average woman who fails TO be married is not "od
maid" from choice. The natural inclination Of wo-
man is to become wife and mother, and. if she be
properly mated that her happiest condition in life
We think that the Rev. Mr.. Hufner will admit.
however, that il is infinitely better for to
be happily single than unhappily married
There many reasons why women refrain from
being married. In the eyes Of the world there is
nothing pathetic than a so-called old maid who
is an old maid because Of unrequited love- the
death lover whose memory is everlastingly green
in her unhappy life There is something heroic in the
so-called old maid who is an old maid because when
young and charming she rejected suitors ow-
ing to the fact that she had dependent parents or
brothers and sisters who looked to her to win the
bread and the roof for them, and whom she was too
loyal to desert she might be happy and take her
proper place in the world In these days of separa-
tons and divorces. and the tales Of cruelty and neg
ect which accompany them, it ia not surprising that
many girls refuse to take the chances Of unhappl-
ness which go with modern matrimony. In fact there
is scarcely an instance in which woman is an old
maid in which her is not deserving Of individual
inquiry and judgment No hard-and-fast general rule
is properly applicable to old maids.
No doubt there are many instances in which wo-
men remain single without valid excuse, but cer-
tainly they are no worse than men who remain sin
gle without valid excuse, and the world is full Of
them. Woman is under no greater moral obligation TO
marry than is She is the prime conservator OF
her own life and happiness. We think it would be
infinitely more becoming the Western preacher II he
would train his eoquence upon the old bachelors They
AT least have one right which is denied to delicate
women That is the right Of proposal. They are not
compelled TO wait to be sought but are at liberty to
90 out and seek their happiness.
There are cases however. which bacheorhood rep
resents noble sentiment We know OF one case in
which three Delawareans all prominent in their re-
spectve spheres in life. were in love with one
beautiful lovely and accomplished woman. She could
not be the wife Of all Of them, and selected the one
for whom she entertained the greatest love. The two
other men never married. although they might nave
done so readily. They true to that hrst love ana
treasured Il through life. We do not imagine that even
the western preacher would contend that those two men,
who lived useful and honorable lives should have been
placed on a barren island as human waste because
they remained true to that first love
Old maids and bachelors have played, and still are
playing conspicuous part in the work OF the world
They are entitled to the respect and, we fear TOO
often the sympathy of their friends and neghbors
Many of the greatest charitable works have been pro-
NOTED and fostered by old maids. In the doings oil
all civilized nations they have played large and COM
mendable part Helen Gould is living example OF
what an old maid can do for the benefit Of humanity
We have old maids right here in city who devote
their lives to others and find happiness in so doing
No doubt If the world could look into the hear-of-
hearts of most of those II would hnd there
somethnc pathetic heroic 10 account for the fac
that thew are old maids and not happy wives and
mothers.