The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-10-21
OUR TASTES ARE THE SAME.

The heart-gripping "best seller
that goes at the rate of fifty thousand
the first few months that it leaves
the press, the appealing, soul-stirring
play that is produced by three COM
panies at the same time and that runs
for three winters, the air that we are
all humming, the little o-yesr-old girl
that every member of the family
adores, the dessert that mother is al
ways being urged to make for din
ner-ail these things that gain and
keep popularity are the things that
appeal to men and women-not to
men alone, nor to women alone, but
to every one.
We used to hear lot about "the
sort of book that appeals to women"
the actress that makes hit with the
men" dishes that tickle the mascu-
line palate" and sports that were in
teresting only to men. But much of
that was simply talk.
Popular writers, all the way from
Robert Chambers to Arnold Bennett,
are read by men and women alike.
Billy Burke-supposedly the mans
type of girl" has as many matinee
girls at her feet as doting college
boys. Give a woman half a chance
and she makes as good baseball fan
as her brothers; and now that girls
are devoting much of their time to
active exercise, swimming, motoring
and dozen other muscle building
activities, they usually like the same
kind of thing to eat. 1t is no longer
fashionable for girl to content her
self with squad or a salad and a
cream puff for luncheon. The deb
utante of these days orders her ia
vorite grill or her English chop and
manages to eat it as heartily as her
brother.
No, these old-time differences in
taste, were not really based so much
on any inherent difference in mems
and women's mind as upon differ
ences in training and in opportuni-
ties.
Women-especially young women
like to imagine that there is some
thing very very different in the way
a mans brain works, in his tastes, in
his sentiments from those of women.
The young wife hatters herself that
she understands men" that she has
solved the difficult problem of mas
ruline psychology. The young deb
Itantc likes to think quite often that
she has that unknown something in
her character that makes her better
pals with the men than she is with
The girls How often you hear wom-
en- say-'t is a dreadful bromide but
hey still say it as if they had dis
great and significant truth
that men are children or primi-
ives any way, and that you can't get
long with them we'll till you realize
t."
Well. of course, there are differ
noes in the mental processes of men
ind women, but psychologists tell {
is these are not so numerous nor so
great as many women like to i'm .
gine. And it is safe rule to follow
hat the woman who really under
lands men also understands women. !
f you once grasp the underlying
human traits of your husbands or I
our friends or your children's minds .
he differences will take care of them
elves. c
And as for that old chestnut about :
nen being mere children, we'll, aren't :
the women you like to be r
With. also children part of the time?
The veneer of civilization in both r
nen and women is very thin; and you =
re probably a good bit primitive i
ourself if you but had the gift that I
lobby Burns prayed for of seeing I;
ourself as others see you. v