Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-05-29
Life's Problems
Are Discussed
BY MRS. WILSON WOODROW

I often get letters so full of pathos
that they bring the tears to my eyes
and stir me to pity or sympathy or
Indignation; but when 1 looked over
my mornings mail at breakfast the
letter 1 give below caused me to
choke on sip of coffee, so involun-
tary was my laughter.
Dear Mrs. Woodrow: I am twen-
ty years of age, and until a month
ago affianced to a man of thirty-two
L have broken our engagement be-
cause he insists on treating me as
though I am a child. He refuses to
make one single verbal acknowledg-
ment that 1 have attained the sphere
of ladyhood.
True, I am small and dainty in
size, and he takes advantage of that
by terming me, "A Little Handful
His favorite name for me is Baby,
and when we are out at a restaurant
he cuts up my roast beef for me and
almost tries to feed me.
There is nothing he will not dc
for me. No engagement is too inn
portant for him to break. Yet to my
protests, to my signs of indignation
against his babying me, he only
laughs and calls me more baby
names. Even now With our engage
ment broken, he writes me the sweet
est letters, and sends me gifts as
though nothing had ever occurred
between us.
Mrs. woodrow, he's so big and
strong, and / love him so much,
that 1 feel I will die if I don't see
him soon. But 1 cannot ask him
to return until he acknowledges my
state of grown upness. And his re-
ply to that is that he is dealing only
with facts. Can't you help me?"
No, my dear, I'm afraid 1 can't
help you. But Time will never fear.
You remind me of little nephew
of mine who walls and yells If he
does not get what he considers
mans clothes"
The resentment you express at
being considered immature sounds
like the signs of a Peri in Paradise
mourning because she cannot return
to earth and become a scrubwoman.
1 can only paraphrase Thackeray's S
lines and murmur: Wait till you
come to thirty years!"
Most of the women 1 know would
be overcome with joy at having a
man consider them so childish in ap-
pearance that they could only be ad-
dressed in diminutives. And if he at
tempted to cut up their meat for
them they would be flattered beyond
words one moment and the next
would be holding dark suspicious OF
his mental state.
Nevertheless, although can't help
laughing, / do have a very real and
understanding sympathy for you and
an appreciation of your feelings. /
too, am small, and when I was TWEEN
ty no one thought me more than fif-
teen. 1t was very humiliating;
wanted of course, to be considered
a very grownup, dignified young lady
and I was always being treated as
| If / were a child. Old men clustered
round about me, and how I deteste6
them; and the boys that I wanted
to dance with always chose the old.
er looking girls, because they said
was such kid"
1t really is hard lines. One may
be bursting with ideas and views
| and opinions on all sorts of subject!
and long to impart them, but no one
pays any attention.
can recall as vividly as IL 1t were
yesterday that once, in the day.
when / was unwary enough to b'
Iured into serving on committees,
had on a certain occasion some rath
er pertinent views to give on a mat
ter of considerable importance. While
was talking, the portly, and i'm
posing ladies yawned and rustleC
their fans, one or two of the NOR
kindly listening with an indulgen
smile. And when 1 had finished
overheard one ponderous dowage
say to another, "Why is the Dresden
teacup holding forth ?"
You, my correspondent, may b.
longing to discuss business condi
| tions, or politics, or some abstrus
and abstract subject, and your feel
1 ings are hurt because you are no
taken seriously by a man who re