The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1912-06-10
AVERAGE WOMAN'S
LIFE AS A WOMAN
|MAG|NES It IS
Only a Supemumerary IN the
Great Drama of the World,
Says Mrs. |. H. Gilmore.
SKILLED IN LOVE GAME.
She Kisses the Chains Which
Bind Her Wrists and
Her Ankles.
SKILLED IN LOVE GAME.
Marguerite Mooers Marshall.
Are you an Aver ~ womanf


Are you an AveHlss Woman,
90. OF course you're not-perish the
thought You are unquestionably an
unusual. indeed IN extraordinary
weman. But there are probably p'enty
Of average women among your nelsn.
bors; almost certainly they are to b
found among your husbands female
relatives. Now see II you recognise
their pictures In this one drawn by
Ines Haynes Gilmore. who describes In
HArpers Basar THE IAfe Of an Aver
age Woman"
''Ths picture which, IN imagine
Non. always draw Of her," Ms.
0lilmors tells ~, 'is . slim, weak,
pale, bowed, weary hgurs-mssk,
humorlsss, inartaoulats, standing
tinsidly ON the threshold q NE,
pssrin9 through the open door, but
not daring TO enter. And ~ she
stands she Kisses the chains whaoA
SanAs her wrists ana enklss."
Truly . sad agslomeranon Of ad-
1ectives from a writer who IN 'Phosbe
anA Ernest" has depleted distinctly not
uncneerfui types OF the -Average wom-
60 Of suburota. But. speaking IN Shs
vsln Of serious PHILOSOPHY. Mrs. OIL
moro finds her subject to be in the pre-
dloament Of Ishmaei: Every name
hand shah b turned asainst her"
CHE DOESN'T CONSIDER WOMEN
TO BE roPLiNeRS.
woman 10. after all. onay . s,per-
nunsrary in the great drama OF The
world" she begins. Sometimes she
takss . smaai part in the prologue or
he spilogue, but she never acts n the
paay ttssM. Size 10 only . faint mar
ssnai comment IN the great book Of
NE
a think nat . Congress Of Al me
WomO In the World would admit that.
- Q eek. they have not developed cor
taiA qualities; that. for instance. they
peeDsss ~ present only the rudimsnts
Of Z sex code, Of q sex sense Of humor.
a Q sex Vocabulary; and that although
ShSy poesees moro physical and moral
eourNGe than has ever been attributed
- them, they have only Just begun to
dh0W mental courage.
~And ! think they would end their
rOport thus; But We DO not believe
that any qualities are inevitable to the
STATE Of being . maio or the state Of
being q female. We believe that the
aualkies which seem to set u OF A. q
- are purely adventitious-ths result
Of our artificial lives - women. We
oslisvs that changed conditions viii de-
vslop those qualities whose lack We %
sincerely dsplore.'
Let us now study the Me Of the
Average Woman to see what II does
dsvslop In her" continues Mrs. Gilmore.
Her life may run In one Of two ways.
ohs may become a wage-earnsr or she
may remain Ut homo q pensionsr on her
fathers bounty.
CHIEF BUSINESS OF WOMEN 10
WAITING.
'@Ths same anxiety hangs ever in the
back OF her mind. Suppose that some
where In helpless middle years she
should suddenly become incapable Of
ssif-support. what then7 Suppose the
father on whose bounty she lives
should die, what then7 The answer
comes At once. There Is only one way
out-marriage. But she discovers that.
though she belongs to the sex which
says WHEN marry. she cannot com-
Del marriage OF fats. She must wait
for It. And II 10 borne in upon her that
the chief business OF women in life 10
waiting.
"If marriage. for instance, b her nat
Esi career. then mon are her natural
prey. But unfortunately thsaU are
never enough men In her world to go
around. From the instant she realizes
this she must declare war on every
other member OF her sex.
"NAn must often wonder at That
minute and merciless examination 70
which, on q first meeting. every woman
submits every other woman. Thh 10
only the swift Interrogation with which
n warrior surveys the arms of his op-
pouent. Every other woman becomes
hsr enemy. To succeed in her world.
the Average Woman must play lone
hand and q cut-throat game.
"Aud suddenly she discovers
nat she - - skilled In the lovo
eAms as II she had played Il all
her ufs. The Average Man IL 80
AaSTant . novice ut II that he 10
llstanosd from the start. He be-
usvss, for instance. that IL 10 gov
sgnsd By rules; but the Average
woman has learned to beat the
rules Q hundred different ways. She
<an HAT - subtly, suggest so cun-
1lns1y that she chooses for the
sverags man while he still thinks
tAat he u choosing for himself.
~Dut consider for moment how ex-
traordinArtly difiicult and delicate q
oos,rus the Average Woman must steer.
In rsgard TO the man with whom she
hes callen In love she must school her
ssk thus:
"sOf course he's not In love with me,
although II seems as II he were. Any
way, I must treat him as II he weren't.
And OF course I'm not In love with him.
Although II seems as II were. But II
hs does propose I shall know that
hsvV been In love with him all the
tine II he doesn't propose. OF course
I've never given him second
SAouSht.'"
Dut even after the Average Woman
- bscome engaged and married 20 the
m Of her choice or second choice. the
taAo Of her woes Is not ended. TN
ey1tnoly some here along the married
reaA Genes q parting OF the ways" MrA
0allmors bsus ~