Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-05-17
Just Hon. Far Can
q w oman Carry on
O. Filtration?

There are a few subjects which are
never exhausted. flirting is one Of them
Tho reason why We never come TO the
end Of 1t Is that we never come to the
end OF flirts. both male and female
Like Tennyson's Brook" they go on
forever"
The only thing that alters is our idea
Of what is flirting. II used to be q
filtration II a girl sat out with her part
ner after dance instead Of going back
To her chaperone the moment the music
stopped.
Without any thought OF Irritation It
must be admitted that few Young men
are equal to keeping up a flow OF talk
with not only q strange girl. but her
equally unknown mother or aunt. or
other guardian. while few of the chap
erons have anything TO say TO the strange
young men with whom their wards have
danced, and the girls themselves have
been brought up TO be demure and retir-
ing, and consequently very dull
in Europe ii is no longer considered
advanced for girl to have something
to say for herself, and II Is even allowed
by a good many people that q girl who
cannot flirt Zone has never met her out
side Of old-fashioned poetry is not prop
ery equipped for social life. 1t all de-
Ponds upon what view VIC take Of flirt-
ing; II car be such despicable amuse-
ment. II can be such harmless bright
ening Of the Wits. DO not you think that
the harmless kind has saved great deal
Of boredom7
Girls know men a great deal better
nowadays than they used 10. because they
are allowed 10 see more Of them. n is q
very good thing. with the right girl and
the right man, that he may take her to a
theater or q picture gallery. or for a
walk on an afternoon without starting
all his and her relations talking like jays
about when he viii propose and how She
will answer. II approaches 10 that very
sensible custom Of keeping company.
which IL essentially far more modest than
| the notion engendercda by the old-fasii.
4 toned system that every time he spoke tc
/ girl It meant something That wal
system that produced unhappy mar
rage on the one hand and heartless fllrtt
] Oh INC HAlltT ny Allt bHNiuf ohb WIEN ~
did neither it very often prevented q mar
and girl from coming together who
would have suited each other eplendldly
| A little while ago sn accustomed mar
who does not dance said with q. very wise
and proper air that "one could say whsi
one liked. but ball was the easiest place
10 fllrt al that could possibly be imagined
and that sitting out did great deal oil
harm"
Now, man who does not dance snt
yet goes 10 balls has mo- way Of gaugins
what ball means TO those who 60 Their
for the purpose Of dancing. He has moth
ing to occupy him except TO sit out ant
4 firt, and he has the whole evening IN ar
uninterrupted stretch in which to DO II
whereas dancers have only a few inter
walls Of about five minutes in which tc
get into mischief.
II one goes 10 a dance 10 flirt there II
no doubt that one can do II there very
thoroughly and very extensively; but Al
most people go to dances. the kind Of
flirting that goes on is mostly OF the ligh
social kind. without which conversation
between two people who have no known
interest in common would very soon CONF
10 an end.
Does anyone believe that this kind o
flirting does real harm? ON the con
trary. 1t brightens the wits OF the play
ers, and It Is an excellent way TO stud!
character.
or course everything depends on VIII
4 is that plays the game; it ought no
to be anything more than, IN litera
sense. e pastime"-a pastime which con
sists Of pleasant mutual pretense tina
the other person is for the moment in
teresting to one. After all, this Is tn
root Of courtesy As soon as there come
any suggestion that the other persol
will be interesting to one the next day
or even an hour later after separating
that Is verging on one Of three things
Friendship. love or filtration in its base
i form.
Friendship and love are serious sub
iects. Base filtration Is, In another way
almost as serious. II Ia heartless, sor
rowful kind of thing. in which one doe
not like 10 think OF girls engaging, an
which fills one with seorn when one re
fleets that there are men who think
! ..,...,n. 30 MA srfth ~irfa ana mean moth