New-York tribune., 1912-03-10

Distinguish 90 was the Widow Bedott. The
vas man; then. Shall we regard oSlah
question ., -, oe tvpical or exceptional: Ana II
Allen VIII. aLo,,t Mrs. Wigs Of Cabbage Patch
So what ,i"nnie "Tgi Allen. andanumbcrof OF others
fame anu JoubIc has come to know ana ike!
whom ue Ion Ion Are women witty: came
ms ms discussion in a certain cluo " lew W
TIP ioi hark "i We all said yes; OF course; Ior
year, o@Ir ,bere was hardly Il chance Tor argu-
We felt ,nvi lnd vet. when one of us went to the
ment' 1J 1p,,biic Library and began a SyS-
Boston t',,,t for Womcn'S wit. through It's
tenatic bn'ndrcd thousand volumes, there
seyeIa, appalling rauylty OF information on
was an ePt There was several thousand
the SuDJ'( on Woman with a capital w.
VOLUMES ,oe o' one book that treated OF woman
There We, NHS Lnads her vices, her duties, her
under th.eS md the first chapter filled up
perec'io..hso, .ho volume. There were plenty OF
most u nt;no ,a Of the relation OF woman to
books IT,, TSarc Was another entitled, ~ Prop
man .n p,t Woman in Her Place, and
oslIo,r III another treating on II HNetch ol the
SUI STil %-Il Genius, Disposition Accomplish
lllsyU nntS Employment, Customs Virtues;
ileh'y; Ni Vices of the Fair Sex but none oi
anu anu, 'r,,Hentioned her wit. In short there IS
tneli ne m,( hook there that really treats OF
ony n4oresting Unr topic, and that is Kate San
ms .lns sThe Wit of Women.
ooll OK Sorrse there were plenty references TO
,,,. oi wor,en; but ST, few items OF evidence.
WHY "o,,o; o,.on;no -hcmcntioned her researches
i.rs Ion His reply was, "Womcn were shy
% S;storv = ~,o making times about putting them
III ms li,S'C on record ~ witty; for the woman
~ >dernonstratcd the presence OF VII IN hcr
VIA WIZ generallv lost it. meaning her head.
1rADANlE DE STAEL was one OF the
nj uittie,, women in all history; yet see
,bat happened to her. Was not her WITTY, ~,
not 70 say sharp, rctorts that 'anlSncd nGI ,,
mornanentlv no- from NapolconS court; .NI
F,enrbwoncn of that time thought II Naitr
- 'Iis teen their Wi, as much in check as poSSi-
tIo ~ i is recorded that the girl whom sgd
o0,. ul.. Cn,;tb accused Of making an indecent
%:o,av IS Of intellect was early persuaded ny
Lor anviou, mama that If She did not 'urb
Nv ~ -,o,,tsl ,,,.,.,iou> She would never get
brsband r And the result Of that hunt
.Srorab tbe tome, III the Boston Public IL
t-ar,, t-,T was the definite conclusion that only
- women who hadn't shred OF other
renntation LETT could afford, in those hygone
aor,t,,r;es ~ allow themselves onc Tor wit;
IN Short that they could afford wit among
other ;mmo~alitics. having nothing 10 lose;
And vet the witty savings OF some go0'd
,,.o,,,cn have come down o. us. 1t was Lady
NIontapu who said the only thing that
roconciIed her to being "a woman was that
Che world never have % marry one
adv Blcs,ington. who had cntc. tanned
louis \aDolcon at her London house during
his exile went later to Paris when he was
FmDeror. He took no notice OF her what
eyer until one dav. meeting her face to tace
where he could not avoid speaking, he IN
c,,;red 1oftilv. "Do YOU expect TO remain IN
paris long," Whercupon She rctorted, coolly'
lane Carlvlc. Miss Milford, Fanny Bur.
ney Hannah More. and other wor- OF
that day had witty savings accredited to
them.
Even Queen Victoria perpetratcd a Joke
nov and then. as when the little girl danced
70 please her and the Queen asked, What
shall give YOU in rcturn;"- The head OF
Gladstone. replied the girl, quickly, while
the Lord Premier stood by and smiled.
sGlady." responded the Queen; only he
lost it sometime ago.
Frances Power Cobbe went TO the Queen S
drawing room one day when she was very
lame from a sprained ankle. rs She limped
in. the man 1T the door announced in loud
tone. Miss Cobble.' To which she prompt