The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-14
WOMAN AND SUCCESS
By MAX NORDAN

Woman is in the happy position or not needing any instruction in the science of success. She is endowed by nature with all the knowledge that is required by her in order to obtain sue cess in life; and the lesser arts that may not perhaps have been born in her. she acquires later on entirely with out assistance
 According to the prevailing arrange ments in the world by far the largest number of women confine their efforts to one form of success-that of pleasing men, In order to attain this end, all that is required is that they be pretty, or have something striking about them.
 There are misguided minds who have hit upon the infelicitous whim of found- ing colleges for the higher education of women In these the poor creatures are taught drawing, drumming on the piano, murdering foreign languages with an absurd accent and confusing historical dates-that is to say. just those very things that later on will make them objects of horror to the men.
 The scheme of such establishments can only have originated in the brains of pining old maids or vindictively dis posed married cripples who are used to being thrashed by their wives. It dis plays an absolute ignorance of the true life aims of women. The orientals in their primitive traditional sagacity re- gard matters from a far more rational point of view. Among them the girl learns nothing beyond singing, dancing, playing the lute, telling stories, dyeing her nails with henna and the edges of her eyelids with charcoal-that is to say, the arts that make her an objec. of desire fin the eyes of men, which af- ford her the opportunity of displaying her charms in the most favorable light and which will fascinate her male part ner in life and permanently attach him to her.
 Our poor girls of the west are in con- sequence of the prevailing system of education artificially prevented from giving way to their instincts though this would promote their interests with much more certainty than all the spec tacled and unspectacled teachers in their institutions.
 It is only when they have left behind them forever the absurd hardship of school life that they become able freely to follow their natural impulses and develop themselves as they were de- signed to do. Then of their own accord they acquire the art of painting with rouge or even of doing themselves up with rice powder, of wearing a bold style of costume, of walking, standing and sitting in such a way that what gives offense In the cut of their clothing becomes most prominent; then of their own accord they attain to the art of playing with their fans in the most ex- pressive manner, of causing their eyes to roam about in an inviting manner, of indulging in little airs. charming ges lures, and sweet, dainty little pouts of giving to their voices the delightful modulations of childish innocence youthful trickery and piquant igno- rance.
 With such aids they are sure to gather about them whenever they may appear a host of admirers, to secure dancing partners, enthusiastic follow CTS. a husband and all the rest-in short, to obtain everything that makes life fair or agreeable.
 Married women will, of course, turn up their noses at them and on superior and nobler members of the male sex they will likewise produce a repellent rather than attractive effect. The latter will feel that patches of paint, grease, flour and daubs of all sorts are no more in their proper places on a woman's face than, say, on a velvet dress.
 But what matters 1t to woman if she is subject to these criticisms? At the hands of her own sex she does not look for~ any kindly feeling, and even if she received it it would mean nothing to her. And so far as her male critics are con- cerned, it would be to her in the highest degree matter of indifference If some pedant did turn his back upon her with disapproval, so long as the young gentle men of the Jockey club fixed thc'r o,-r-. glasses upon her in token of apprecia- ton. She cannot possibly bring her na-