Omaha daily bee., 1917-06-26
Don't Be Unreasonable
BY BEATRICE FAIRFAX.

posed to be a reasoning human be-
ing so there doesn't seem anything
especially startling to me in the fact
that see the logic OF the situation" ,"
| replied.
well, its startling all right.
Most women are not reasonable.
They decline TO stand off and figure
out a situation keenly and sanely.
They expect miracles to be performed
because they want them to be per-
formed. They think that their de-
sires are>important enough to deserve
precedence over business and honor
and the inclination OF the other per-
son concerned"
"Oh, that's silly. Any woman with
the least particle of common sense
knows perfectly we'll that if a man
suddenly gets sick headache or is
called to sit on an important COM
mittee or finds that a business friend
of his is in trouble and needs him,
he isn't going to neglect any of those
things just for the sake of keeping
a dinner engagement with her."
Douglas shook his head. Most
women either haven't that particle
of common sense to which you refer
so calmly or they prefer to disguise
its presence from men! If you have
an engagement with a woman and
care anything about her regard, you
keep it at any cost, because if you
try to break it she always imagines
it is for some sinister hidden reason
you dare not mention.
"She insists that you are trying to
avoid being with her if you suggest
that you have a friend in trouble
who needs you. If you tell her you
must go to directors meeting she
asks if you think she doesn't know
that means that you're going to di-
rect your eyes at some member of,the
chorus OF popular musical comedy.
"And if you tell her you have a
sick headache she is sure that you
are trying to break off your friend
ship forever--because if you are Just
sick you ought to want her to come
and take care of you.
at won't do. Men are forced to
recognize that they can't tell woman
the truth. The only way to handle
them is to. be called to Boston on
the next train or to go to Chicago
and send them telegram from there
Woman aren't reasonable. They die
thousand deaths if you promise to
telephone them at II and don't say,
Hello, until ll:20."
opened my lips to argue--to deny
to refute. And then | closed them
again with the helpless recognition
that | couldn't say anythingl
And Douglas continued: "Why
can't women learn that decent men
give faith for faith, and admire the
reasonable honesty which expects
and respects honesty? Most men
have code of honor-but' to avoid
hurting unreason they have to offer
something just as good--polite lies.
We give the women what they want,
bless 'emr' ...
A clever contemporary has said
that nothing bores man so much as
giving him devotion when all he asks
is diversion. By the same token it
would seem that nothing grieves
woman so much as giving her merely
diversion when she longs for devo-
ton!
The reason women swing to TN
reason is because they long for devo-
ton. From friend they expect the
attention due from a lover; from a
lover they expect the devotion of
fiance-from hance they expect
nothing but devotion. And by ex-
pecting and demanding as their due,
and feeling that they have right to
overwhelming attentions, they force
men into corner unpleasant to oc-
cupy.
What is the result? Giving be-
cause it is expected or demanded of
you is not that charming, ideal offer
ing of largeness which giving because
the gift fairly wells up from your
heart may be-. Being attentive and
faithful and always on deck" because
Mysteries or cold pique or accusa-
tions and recriminations will fall to
your lot of you don't, is-well, the
one word which expresses il does not.
belong on this pagel''ss .-'
The more l think about tile rather
cynical philosophy OF my clever friend
Douglas, the more | see that it is
tragically true. Too many women
feel that they can only hold them
selves dear, keep their valuation high
and gain the respect they want by
being exacting. Now, between being
exacting and unreasonable on the one
hand and demanding honorable, fair
treatment on the other, there lies
wide gap of misunderstanding and
lies and posing and nervous decep-
ton. 5,...a- a-l-
Let US suppose that two sensible
men have arranged to dine and 60 to
the theater together. Jones finds
that he ought TO be at meeting of
the directors of a certain bank at 8,
and that at $50 he is due at an impor-
tant reunion of his class at school.
He telephones and informs Smith.
Smith says, Sorry, old man--guess
you're going to miss good show"
and sets about finding another COM
panion. Failing to do that he goes
alone.
Now, OF course, if two women are
placed in similar circumstances the
deserted Miss Jones does not want
to make herself conspicuous by COM
ing into the theater alone and she
is not sure she can get another COM
panion, so she whimpers a little and
pleads with Miss Smith to forget duty
and keep her engagement The self
ish fear that she is losing a good
time or is going to have a stupid
evening on her hands makes one
woman little unreasonable even in
her demands on another woman
friend.
But let the dramatis personae be
John Smith and Mary Jones. Now
we have the setting for drama--drama