The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-07-17
WOMEN WHO LEAD
PURP USELESS LIVES

By FRANCES yMAFFER.

1
II one possessed more money thar
she. really knew what to do with. o,
II one were the wife or daughter Of q
man Of many millions or just an easy
income, with no necessitous urge fol-
remunerative work, and II one really
felt no serious. useful impulse to serve
/ where service was greatly needed-whai
do you fancy would happen?
That IL not at all the problem of the
average woman. who cannot travel the
| primrose path Of dalliance" II she
! would; but there are many young. mid
dle-aged and old. for whom the ques.
| ton of money has no terrors, for II
comes to them upon q wish, or something
less. Everything important 10 done for
| them, everything needful given to them
and there IL no real urge anywhere.
And what do they do. what can they
dor
One may lightly ana pertinentIy
| enough answer-Iet them take up SOCIAL
work, the refuge of many an aimless
| woman. But II they do not like the
| held. and II they are worthless there
Surely, for the sake OF themselves ana
the greater sake or the neid itself. they
had better keep away.
Dress? Society. Travel and the chang
ing call or amusementsY For awhile they
| satisfy. but not for long.
Life Easy for Them.
Inc home and the children tnat pos
sibly are there! But, you see, IN the
homes OF wealthy folk. paid helpers lift
every burden from womens shoulders,
ana modern civilization makes nre very
easy for them. The little folk. IL there
are any, are early placed in the hands
Of trained nurses. then they pass on to
LON 1aA fvSt
the college ana university. Ana, IN
iessened degree. tnar - true IN homes
that are Just well-to-do. For there are
nurses to keep the little ones out in the
air all day. and when they are OLD
enough they are sent TO school .or IN
struction that mothers. naturally enough,
are not trained to give. And in these
weii-to-do homes. too. there are the
fewer helpers to perform the work that
II Is not necessary Tor the mothers ana
the daughters to do.
And with the conditions Of life making
physical or mental toll quite unnecessary,
with no endowment of duties and occu-
pations. 1t il easy enough to understand
how and why they drift into some
strange outlets for their dormant ener-
gies. For II must be remembered that
while. among the wealthy and the we'll
TODD classes, as among others, there are
many with a head and a heart for sery-
ice, there are those who will answer
no call for any kind OF labor. unless
there is personal or family need back of
the call.
The world sharply frowns upon men
who are drones. whether they are mill
lionaires or the sons of millionaires. and
they vigorously exert themselves to fit
in in some dignifed. productive work
corner. They may be brilliant and prove
factors to reckon with wherever they
go, or they may be quite ordinary and
create not particle of stir: but, no
matter what the background of money,
they must do something that looks worth
while.
World IL Getting Critical.
The world is beginning to cast it's
critical eye upon women of elegant leis- |
ure and to remind them that "the
harvest truly is great, the laborers are
few" but, after all, 1t has very easy
EXCUSES for women OF wealth and abun- |
dant leisure who passively stand aside: |
and. while 1t occasionally calls them fine |
lady parasites, 1t oftener lets them of |
with an easier designation-just purpose
less. and sometimes frivolous.
And SO, since they do not care for |
or physical exertion, they |
Indinerently accept the wealth that |
others have earned and follow their own |
inclination. wherever it leads them.
Some folk are saying that IL these |
women who are supported by the ex-
ertions and the wealth Of others felt II |
imperative somehow to find their work |
level. they naturally would drift TO the |
easier. more lucrative, more aIluring po-
sitions now held by men and women to |
whom work Is no pretty dream of kill |
ing time but plain, everyday neces-
sity. And, since high places sometimes |
go by grace of wealth and the influence |
t rather looks that way.
But perhaps in a world where the dig
nifty of useful remunerative work was
FULLY recognized by men and women alike,
Illness might come to be the only test |
and the problem might work out COM
for all. For a while, however,
those who were driven by necessity might
lind some dangerous rivals II the purpose
less women Of wealth who sit with idly
folded hands emerged from social fields,
from luxurious homes, and from the sim
pie quest Of pleasure to some kind of
withdrawing work.
Wide Enough Field.
There is wide enough field to give
Tree scope to the intellectual and the
physical activities of all such women IL
hey have genuine desire to be of use
IN the world. And II is one of the beau
iful developments Of modern growth that
,ften and often they have untold wealth,
freedom to come and go and do as they
Ike: but, fortunately for themselves and
he communities they serve, they want to
EEL that the corners where they live are
he brighter, the better. the more whole
'ome for the double fact Of their Dos
sessing great wealth and of their passing
hat way.-And they make it their aim in
life to verify that ambition.
It Is not OF that class one is thinking
ust now: 1t is Of the purposeless women,
I'll the way from comfortable to wealthy.
Who live and thrive without any manner
II work or service. and without the de-
lire for any, SO long as the ''wherewithaI'
zones pouring in.
With conditions as they are and with
public sentiment as tolerant as 1t is, II
s easy to understand that in the human
impulse to do something. whether 1t is
worthy or not. they sometimes fall from
grace and make sorry specta-
les Of themselves.
But It does seem that not quite "all'sl
veil with the world" when conditions
oster so many purposeless lives.