The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-05-13
SHE HAD BOILED OVER
Sweet Young Thing Rises to Protest
Against---Oh. Everything.

Against---Oh. Everything.
don't know how other women feel
about IT, but I. for one, am getting ex-
ceedingly tired Of hearing my sex
scolded over a lot of pretty things
that don't matter, and a lot OF other
things that aren't SO. And so / have
boiled over.
Take this matter of high heels. for
instance Last October | saw the pa
rade Of the Red Cross nurses who
were going 10 France. and the Red
Cross workers Of New York city--a
great. impressive, colorful procession
that came down the avenue in the
noon sunlight steadily. seriously, as
women who have "A great duty to do,
and who are bravely doing it.
They were American women who
were preparing to brave exactly the
things that their brothers and sweet
hearts in the army are daring. They
were to face death in many ways
Germans love to bomb hospitals, you
know They were TO face exacting
horrible duties beside. which Ordinary
nursing fw~srhe merest child's play.
tell you the thought of it gripped
YOU by the throat: IL made everyone
who saw them marching past want
10 cry and cheer and pray for those
splendid. brave women as they went
along in even. unfaltering ranks.
And, II you Will believe me, the
next morning a man wrote long let
ter to the newspapers. scoiding the
women for wearing high -heeled shoes
All he had seen of that wonderful.
i'm preSsive. heartbreaking parade WAS
that some Of the women had one
shoes with higher heels than he con-
sidered healthgul' l don't know who
he was. but To me he was the last
straw of all the seedlings / have
heard on this same subject. He said
IL was awful
He almost wept about 1t. the poor
silly creature, l want to tell him
right here and now. and all others of
his kind. that one woman of my &C
auain,ance a grandmother over nifty.
writer who earns somewhat more
than $40, 600 a year. who goes every
where. sees everybody. takes up every
good cause with more vim and energy
than anyone else ] know. always, al
wears high heels, the curry
French kind. that are said to be the
worst of all for your health And
she's as strong as a horse end enjoys
life in every possible way.
And here's another thing / am very
tired of hearing women scolded about
| Just now, and that is what our men
I critics gre pleased to term the re-
turned goods evil" who started the
returned goods system, / should like
to know. If ii wasn't the men mer-
| chants? who taught the salespeo-
(, pie 10 urge us women to have two
! or three sent home, and keep the
one you like the best after you've
tried it on before your own mirror
! Does that sound familiar? Ah-ha
these isn't a woman alive who ever
shopped in a big modern store who
! hasn't heard it.
| And / am willing to bet good
substantial sum say enough to buy
| four pound porterhouse steak) that
where the women have not adapted
! their menu to the needs of the ma.
ton ii is the fault of the men in their
households. Ask the wives who al.
ways give the white meat to James
| because it's the only part OF the
/ chicken he likes, why they aren'i
having cornbread for breakfast, and
you get this answer, repeated sc
MANY times that I'm tired of hearing
| II: James won't eat cornbread. He
has to have his toast"
| I'd like TO see a count taken of the
men who've given up eating butter
and sweets TO help win this war, and
/ the women WIZ udNC kiNSh w SAAoSS
two things. 1t might check some OF
these persistent scolders of the Ameri-
can housewife and her patriotism.
! After the food administration has
shown the women what they can dc
to save food and check waste, then
then. the real work will begin, fol
| they'll have to make all the heavy
middle-aged men with long-indulged
appetites come up to the scratch. too
and play their part. For, In
deed, we women are scolded fol-
| everything. We are scolded IL w
/ dress up and try toRmake ourselves
/ appear young and beautiful. We ars
scoided il we pay little heed to ouI
appearance and our dress. We ars
scolded II we give q great deal Of
attention to our children. and scolded
still more II we give little. We are
Iscolded. oh. dreadfully. when we want
to vote! And when we get the vote
wen probably be scolded IL some Of
us don't hustle right up to the poll,
the first thing. We are scolded foI
earning our own living. and scoldet
for being parasites. We are scoldee
for everything we do or leave undone
for everything We say or leave unsAtd
even have vivid premonition thai
shall be scolded for writing this ar
ticle.
| But at least have had the satia
(! faction of saying my say and know
ling that many women will agree Will
what have said.--WomAns H0mt
CQmp1WjoUa --s-s - s-.-~- - IL