El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-12-21
Should Woman Take Initiative and
Make Love To DefenceleSS Man?
Men and Women Are Side by Side and Equal In the
World; Should She Await Him To Seek Her
Out, Or Do Her Own Wooing?

I come. While women are flattered
/ by open manifestations Of love, a
I man, on the contrary. is flattered by
/ believing that the woman he loves is
/ umph TO persuade her ultimately to
| smile upon him So that open and
avoWed preference on a womans part
often quite fails to arouse any re-
I Spouse in him, but rather leads him
to distrust her real value.
All this is unreasonable OF course,
and old fashioned, and the result Of
| inherited instincts and customs which
men have got to outgrow. They're
outworn and out Of date But the
difficulty is that they're not out
grown yet. and that the woman who
is in love must still reckon with them.
Profoundly in Love.
If a girl finds herself profoundly
in love with a man who, like the
soldier in this letter, is distant"
and makes no sign of interest in her.
I should say that she isn't likely to
gain his love by pursuing him fur
achieve her object by making some
concession to his masculine notion
that love Is q game. and that he IS
the leader in it
1t IS true, of course, that the love
game has been looked at in quite an
other way Many people have be-
lieved. with the great English play
wright, Bernard Shaw, that as a
matter Of fact il IS always woman
who takes the lead in love, but that
by a clever instructive camouflaEe
she so conceals this tact from her
prey that he believes himself TO be
the hunter and the captor.
Woman the Arbiter.
According to this view. woman Is
an extremely powerful creature. It
is she who regulates the world OF
love and courtship and marriage. II
man makes love to her It is be-
cause she herself has first chosen
him. arranged the scene and given
him his cue.
Now this extreme view, which re-
duces men to the rank OF helpless
puppets. rather than lords Of crea-
ton, isn't likely, perhaps. to be
selves But wouldn't a wise woman
admit that It held some truth2 And
doesn't every woman. wise or foolish,
know that she exercises more power
over men than they themselves are
aware OF?
A subtIer Method.
So It may be that IL isn't necessary
for a woman in the grip Of love either
to. remain unnaturally passive or TO
follow up her chosen one with gifts
that there Is a subtler method Of
cOurtship which will bring the man
and woman closer together without
any realization on the mans part that
NANA AA4RRN HAdHc 0A MS OhM
ship wasn't entirely OF his own con-
irving.
I do not mean. OF course. to con-
done duplicity or intrigue. or to sug-
gest that any form Of deceit is Iegiti-
mate. even to attain the supreme re-
wards OF love.
It's Not Deceit.
Being charming 10 the man you
like isn't deceit, and entering into a
OF good eomradeshiD with
him surely isn't taking an unfair ad-
vantage But Il will give him a
chance 20 know you better. to realize
the bonds Of taste and interest that
exist between you. and 70 may pre-
pare the soil for the sudden wonder
full blooming OF the magic flower Of
love.
Instead OF being touched and
pleased by her signs OF favor. I am
afraid that 'Portland's'' soldier who
doubtless has no fear OF bullets and
bayonets has shrunk away from her
pursuit IN truly masculine alarm and
caution.
So think she will have 10 try an
other course with him.