The evening world., 1912-10-23
~ Have Lived in Many
Countries, but I Have
Yet to Find a Society
in Which There 10 So
Little Wilful Blindness
to Social EUils and So
Great in Insistence on
the Single Standard Of
Morality as in Amer
ica," Says Mrs. Ethel
Watts un,ford Grant.
Marguerite Mooers Marshall.
Are We . nation Of hypocritssf

Marguerite M0Oers Marshall.
Are We . nation Of hypocritssf
That canny gentleman, Arnold Ben
nett. observes that. like his own country
men. We shut our eyes to unpleasant
ness and thus conjure ourselves Into
believing Il doesn't exist The ostrich,
you will remember. has evolved the
same brilliant plan OF defense. And
now comes Karin Michaeiis. the DarSsh
woman who wrote The Dangerous
Age" with the flat-footed assertion that
many things which are done openly
in Europe are hidden In America under
. mask Of hypocrisy" incidentally.
Madame Michsens has discovered that
the American man puts his wife on
pedestal, that the monde and the demi-
monde mingle temptingly in Fifth
avenue. and that sex problems are
taboo In the American press.
Truly. q startling array OF charges,
but the FIRST II the most important. Now.
~ every thoughtful person must reanze.
the Sherlock Holmes OF the hypocrite
is--the cynic. The person VINO can't be
imposed upon IL tho natural antagonist
Of the person who imposes on every
body else. II her fellow citizens are the
worlds prize hypocrites. Mrs. Ethel
Watts-Mumford Grant. the gifted collab-
orator of the Cynics' Calendar. must
know II. so l went 10 her charming
home In Port Washington and asked
her.
~ havs lived In many countries"
she replied, "but have yet TO hnd
. society In which there 10 20 LITTLE
hypocsisy, % little .wtlfui blindness
70 social sviis ana % great An IN.
sistsnos On the single standard Of
morality. ~ In Amsries.
Consider the rescue work undertaken
~ women's organizations. Consider the
social purity movement being launched
10 our schools Consider even the COM
mon topics Of conyersation ut our DIN
uer tables and among our young
daughters! This conversation may be
unchildlike. vulgar, indecent-but at
least It's frank!
REMARKABLE AssEM1LAGE OF
SOCIETY WOMEN. ,
Two days ago ] had the good for
tune TO be present at q truly remark
able assemblage. II would have been
Impossible In Germany or In France.
10 England II must have been drawn
from an exceedingly limited group. 1t
consisted of some twenty-five women.
all OF whom are generally known a.
society women They met to hear the
story Of Rose Livingstone. that Girl re-
csntly rescued from Chinatown. told by
herself In words OF one syllable.
Those women weren't after . sensa-
ton. The meeting was held In . prl-
vate home. and several OF the guests
brought their sixteen-year-old daugh-
tiers. Frankly. ! expected some OF them
would get up and leave the room. But
they didn't. and each Individual woman
offered eager suggestions for the stop
ping of such traffic and the redemption
Of those engaged In It. Now 10 there
anything further from hypocrisy than
such an incidentf"
Mrs Grants piqusnt profile lifted de-
terminediy. while she Strengthened the
nun OF dark hair which acccntuates II.
She was Just In from tour OF the gar
den. aS the late red roses twisted
through the hittonholes Of her gray
sweater attested. Numerous dogs were
evidently only too anxious to beguiis
her outdoors again. But she resisted
and took another giancing survey of
Madame Nichaeliss arraignment. q sur
vey which ended this time In = mirthful
chpckie.
~ wonder who're that hypooxata-
81 ninSling Of the monde ana The
lsna-meaAs takes place" she muS.
INJURED. ~ never saw . asbutaAts
snA . asni-nondalns suyksy-tsos-
ting tegsthss aown Hifth svsnusi
ne asSutaztss 'trot ct shsrrys,
ana ths other ladies some place
else, 90 far - nay observation goes.
an Afraid Madame lgtohasiis has
allowed . very young and would
~ wise stage person to take her to
. real Bohemian bari
'Of course one sees women Of al
sorts In Fifth avenue. but 50 one doe
In the main thoroughfares OF the bill
Continental cities. The Partisan CO
cote 10 quite as much In evidence II
the streets OF Paris a. Ii her American
prototype In New York. Just becaus
the latter cannot Immediately be dis
tinguished In the crowd by fore!gne
who has spent few weeks with us 1
no slsn OF an inherent resemblance be
tween her and the woman OF fashion -
And when Nine. Michaelis calls u
hypocritss. don't you think she fsrset
osr divorcesr" l suggested. 'Surei
many Of these take place because tn
American wife will not shut her eye,
as the European one Is In the habit o
doing."
Surely" nodded Mrs Grant.
LARGE NUMBER OF DIVORCES
GOOD SIGN.
THE fact that America shows IN
largest number OF divorces ID a goo
Sign. II means that our women ar
determined 20 set the purity and wei
being OF their homes above the col
vsntional effort to keep up appearance
the conventional fear Of what tho worl
viii say. Both instincts are of II
very essence OF hypocrisy.
1T IL Europe which covers Its scar
dels with mask. The betrayed wlvs