The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-01-26
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By MAY DEWITT TALMaGE.
The Twentieth Century Girl.

II WAS after dinner. and we sat, q
group Of women, discussing some OF
the problems of today One of the
girls suddenly exclaimed;
Il think the girls position today Is
a trying one for the brunt of the
changed condition in woman's life falls
on her Fathers and mothers with
up-to-date ideas fluctuate between
trying to keep their girls nineteenth
century maids and then give them
twentieth century education, fitting
them for economic independence. They
give her a college training, send her
abroad to cultivate her talent for art
and then If she wants to apply her
training to any real work they get
frightened and rebel at the idea And
yet the parents quite blame the girl
If she wants to put her training to
some practical use?
They want their daughters to take
their training seriously. but not too Sc
riously. They want them imbued with
the modern idea of life that a girl
must be prepared for any economic
change that might come In her life
at any time; but to hold the talent
no matter of what kind 1t may be- up
her sleeve as 1t were, to be produced
at the right moment If 1t is needed
for financial reasons. They seem to
FORGET. that unless there is some defi-
mite aim in sight there can be no great
result from any kind of work"
The changed conditions in women's
lives are making some parents very
inconsistent j have a friend who Is
full of the spirit of the times She
is keen about having her daughter ex-
eel along some line. She flatters her
self she is absolutely progressive, and
she means to have her daughter the
most pronounced type of twentieth
century girl, yet she told me the other
day that she is most averse to all the
new forms of femlninism and she has
decided to counterfeit the effect of the
modern ideas on her growing girl of
fourteen. Her method is to inoculate
her daughter with all the romantic
novels she can find, Airy Fairy Lii
lian," by The Duchess. the books of
Rhoda Broughen and Rosa Nouchette
Cary-the novels. in fact, of twenty
years ago.
laughed at her for trying to go
against the spirit of the age, but she
said she believed that romance and
love making made girls happier than
the atmosphere created by problem
plays and the ethical discussions of to-
day. She did not seem to realize that
one of the greatest problems of today
seems to be how to keep abreast with
the times. not how to cling to Old
ways.
We shall always have love and ro-
nance; no one need cultivate that
But it is a little more than anybody
can expect to combine thu character
istics of the pale, clinging, romantic
type of a romantic girl of those times
with the wholesome common-sense
college girl of today, who wants her
lovers and men friends, as well as
chance to see what she can do in this
world of big things. Some of the girls
of today are born to experiment,
others are born for the daily routine,
and If they get out OF 1t they are con-
fused and don't know what to do next
The optimistic venturesome spirit
will never be downed, 1t Is always
hoping for something better, and IL
they bring up in the wrong place they
get a second wind and start off again.
So the parents of the twentieth CEN
fury girl must let her find her place
In the great scheme of the work even
If they have to occupy the linenvtable
position OF the hen that hatched out
d brood of duck sss ss$ .ss g assAS.