The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-03-08
WAR MEANS ONE MELLON
OLD MAIDS IN EUROPE,
BY Marouerite Moores Marshall.

OLD MAIDS in EUROPE.
BY Marguerite Moores Marshall.
The wittiesti living lrishman, bar
none. and the kindest, most uncondes-
cending critic.guest America ever
had, has Just returned to us for a
second visit. He is Canon James
Gwen Hannay; otherwise, &c. A. Biz.
mingham: otherwise, the Mark
Twain of1reland; otherwise, novelist,
dramatist and author of those lively
and sympathetic American impress.
sions, From Dublin to Chicago"
II probably made you laugh till you
cried: or, perhaps your iayorite is
Spanish Gold" or 1.-THE Slmpkins
Plot or THE. Majors Niece" or
whichever book OF G. A. Birming.
hams you have happened to pick up.
But YOU never shed tears, other tnan
those o. mirth, over the Birmingham
humor. The very salt of 1t is kindli-
ness, and that is ones first and last
impression Of Canon Hannay.
Our Women Are Favored.
First, we talked q bit about the
war and ireland. Then be spoke of
our American women.
There are people who believe we
are born again and again, rising or
sinking in the scale OF living things,
according es we believe ourselves,
we'll or badly, In our present state"
said Canon Hannay. "lf this creed
were true j should try very hard. In.
deed, to be good because should
want, next time am born, to be an
American woman. She seems to me
to have q better kind OF life than the
woman Of any other nation. or, in.
deed, than anybody else, man or wo.
man
Nor Is that all.
u like a good time as well as any.
one,a he added frankly. but have
other ambitions. And Lido not want
mo be an American woman only for
the sake Of her material gain. She
seems to me to deserve her good luck
because she has done her business In
life exceedingly well, better on the
h whole than the American man has
done his.'s
Our looks, our clothes, our CONVEX.
sation, our cookery, our chocolates,
all delight him. And this is his con.
fession Of faith:
pisasrees With the Kaiser.
II AMI wish to make this clear
q good feminist. No man is less in
clined than j am to indorse the words
of the German Emperor and confinc
woman's activities to 'kirche. kuchen
und Kinder Church, kitchen and
childrenl. Iwould, II had my way,
give eyerykwoman a vote would in.
vite her to discuss the most intri-
cate political problems. with a full
confidence that she could not possibly
make q worse middle of them than
our male politicians do.
u should like to see her conducting
great businesses, doctoring her neigh.
bors, pleading for them in law courts,
driving railway engines, and. il she
wanted to carry a rifle or steering
submarine. would place woman in
every possible way on an equality
with man and. confine her with no
restrictions except those with which
she voluntarily impedes her own &C.
tiyities, like petticoats, says and
blousesI which hookiup the back"
"Then you don't agree with Mr..
Chesterton that woman's entrance
into industry and her political enfrsn.
chisement mean her slayery?" I
asked.
Canon iHannay gazed at ME in polite
wonderment.
BrieflySI outlined the newest, Ches.
tertoniany paradox.
"I'm afraid he murmured, that
young Mr. Chesterton is following in
the footsteps OF his brother"
Killing OF 6ridefirooms.
Then he Continued, more seriously:
"As a matter OF fact. the number OF
women in industry will be greatly in.
creased by the war. In the first place,
for some time to come marriage will
be made q more unusual career for
European women. It's perfectly sim.
ple-if you kill off a million men you
XII OF a large number OF potential
husbands. The women these men
would probably have married Will pe
l)1eft without mates. They must do
something.
Then the withdrawing of large
numbers Of men from various occu-
pations means that women will be
used TO ill their places. Just at the
beginning OF the war many women