El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-06-07
No Woman Who Has a Job Need Marry
Unless for Love in the Modern World
The Day of Women Waiting for suitors and Desper-
ately Accepting ANY Offers, in Dread
OF Being Old Maids Is Past

THEY also serve who only stand
i and wait" wrote Milton IN his
famous sonnet on blindness. which.
in the opinion Of many critics, is the
finest sonnet in our language.
That il has been quoted oftener.
paraphrased and parodled more than
any other English sonnet. goes
without saying. There IS a recent
burlesque on the great poem dealing
with the subject OF girls who have
no definite occupation in life but that
Of waiting for some man TO marry
them The last three lines are:
Thousands at their reckoning flee,
And post Ger land and ocean without
rest;
They mostly get the mitt who sit
around and wait
There may be Mattresses" today,
but their number has decreased sur
prisingly in tie last generation or
So Fifty years ago a girl who was
not married at % was frankly re-
garded as a failure, and one has only
20 read the life OF Florence Nightin-
gale 70 realize how completely young
women were held In the tolls OF the
notion that an early marriage 10 any
one was preferable 20 remaining sim
gle.
When Florence nightingale began
20 broac5 the subject OF professional
nursing. relatives and friends brought
forward young men 10 try and per-
suade her TO marry For the young
EuElishWoman was pretty and rich
and OF excellent social position, and
why she wanted TO study nursing in
stead Of getting married no one could
undersrand-least Of all her family.
But as every one knows, she stuck
fast 20 her purpose and was the means
u saving the English army in the
Crimea-
When Jane Austin began 10 write
her delightful novels, she felt obliged,
as a concession 10 public opinion, TO
keep her work basket handy, and
when any one entered the room she
slipped the precious manuscript IN
der bit OF sewing For in those DAYS
it was considered strong minded" for
young woman to know how to write.
She might be weak minded or light
headed TO her hearts content. and no
one ever thought anything about IT,
but strong minded never
Hoped for Young Man
So a girl remained at home. under
her fathers roof. waiting for some
man to come along and marry her.
and she hoped with all her heart he
would not be old. snuffy and uuat-
tractive. II did not make the least
particle Of difference il he happened
TO be all three. II her father and
brothers approved OF him They hand
ed over the poor little 16 or II pawn
who had TO curtsey. dry her eyes as
best she could and express her thanks
for the great honor the old and snuffy
party was comforting on her
Nowadays IL a girl makes a mar
rage OF this sort it IS almost always
her own fault She can work and
wait till the man Of her choice comes
along She does not have 70 marry
eide on some man as an eligible hus-
band. and leave her wholly out Of the
family calculations-as very probably
was the case with her great grand
mother
No girl who has a Job IN which
she IS interested and who had learned
the joys Of doing useful. practical
work and being financially indcpend-
ent. and who has begun 90 get an
idea or Woman's real place In the mod
ern world need even marry for any
reason but because she Is in love
A girl who IS proud OF being q
woman. and who has a gloriously
busy, happy time promoting important
things. does not have Nightmares over
the old maid" idea The foolish
words have absolutely no terror for
this sensible type OF girl And you
couldn't possibly use the o1dfashione1
taunt in such a way that it would
wound her.
No Sting in Words.
In fact, all the sting went out Of
the term "old maid" from the time
that girls stopped waiting passively
at home for somebody to come alon
and marry them. though why any
one ever found it I'm his or her heart .
to- laugh AZ so pitiful a figure it .
would be difficult TO saw. She was "a
woman practically uneducated and .
wholly unframed. whose CHIEF occupa-
ton I'm life was TO smile and he agree
able tin she was taken off her faith
.r's hands. Wouldn't such a destiny
be enou0h TO sour and emhftter a I
saint, and do YOU wonder when their
smiles and little co0uetrfes failed. and I
no man came to take them. that the
very word stood for ridicule and fail
1ree
Now work WAGES and independence
lave changed the nosition of women,
With the advent Of these things IL has
'eased 70 he a favor on the part Of ]
p man 90 ask a woman 10 marry him. I
On the contrary. he Is asking one
And on the mans side. his accent i
nee today hv q girl bread winner" T.
g q good deal more fl7tterinr because
here can he No Question 81 the hon