The Washington herald., 1920-02-13
:: :: Excellent Advice ::
By DOROTHY DIX,
Highest-paid Woman Writer.
WOMEN ARE
BAD SPORTS
Highest-paid Woman Write

The most serious fault that l have
to find with my sex is that women
are bad sports. They do not know
how 10 play the game, and when
things go against them they whine
and howl.
Yeu see this illustrated in a thou
sand ways at every turn in life.
Women are such notoriously bad
losers, for instance. that men dread
TO have any business dealings With
them. A woman will implore man
, TO invest money for her, or she will
importune him to let her go into
some deal with him. The man will
explain to the uttermost detail eV- 4
cry risk and tell her that there is
nothing on earth she can put her
money in that is absolutely safe eX-
cept government bonds.
The woman will understand the
situation thoroughly. and yet II the
investment turns out badly. or she
loses money on the speculation. she
will oveNwhelm the man with her
reproaches. and go through life feel
ing that he has robbed her.
For a woman to welch on a bar
gain is almost a habit Of the sex.
\ woman will tell you in a most
positive manner that she win take
some article you have for sale, or
she will make such and such a bar
gain with you, and then she will
calmly repudiate the whole arrange
ment. She calls this changing her
mind. and she considers it her ina
lienable right to do so. no matter
even if she has made you miss a
sale to someone else, or il she sends
your whole scheme to pot by her
detection.
Therere is no such thing as
"gentlewoman's agreement" among
women. for women know better
than to trust the word of another
woman. Until you have woman's
check in your pocket you never have
any idea of whether she is going to
make good on her agreement or not.
This is not because womsh are less
honest than men about money. 1t is
simply that they have not developed
in them that sporting spirit that
makes them feel that they must stand
by a bad bargain even more than one
stands by 4 good bargain. and that
very often the less you want to do
thing the more bound in honor you are
10 do it.
IL is because women are bad sports
that 80 many marriages end in di-
Norce. for it is notable that far more
women ask to be relieved OF their
matrimonial VOWS than men.
This is not because wives do their
duty any better than husbands. or
because men are less disillusioned
by marriage than women are. Prob
ably just as many men realize that
they made mistakes in marriage and
a. ha
vie. as there are women who real
J." That they missed their soul mate
S~a are tied to uncongenial and dis
-tas'"fUl husbands.
E"t ~" men are good sports They
T1T'l' bad bargains and they blame
r-"''ndy els" but themselves. and so
'''N .tUriy go on enduring the un-
80 ''HeSs they brought upon them
selV"F as best they may
IUt the women are not good
SnortS- They also assumed ObIiga-
tions. They also made bad bar
gains. but when they realize what
they lehve done they do not even try
." make the best OF their bad bar
GAINS They go weeping to the di-
vr"--" court
Every young girl marries with
her head fun of impossible. ro-
Y.
She expects it to be a perpetual pic
mic in which she will be fed upon
straw berries. sugar and cream. and
have nothing to do but to enjoy
herself Furthe rmOEe she expects
h"r companion at tho picnic 20 be
combination of a matinee hero.
Mr.. Rockefeller and Job-a super
man who will always make romantic
IoV" to her. furnish her with un-
limited money. and be a meek and
humble door mat for her to tread
upon.
The fact that she has observed
that her mother has not had this
sort of life. nor any of her friends.
and that she has not personally en-
Countered any husbands who have
any Of the ear marks Of the one
she ~ confident that she will get,
do not shake her faith in her be-
lief that she will escape the com
mon fet" of married woman. nor
the common variety Of husband.
Aud when she marries and ascer-
tairlS that she also has to work and
economize. and nurse teething
babies. and put up with an imper-
feet husband. she throws up her
hands and howIes out that she has
been gold bricked in the matri-
monial transaction. and she gets
cold feet. and turns gutter.
Half the married women YOU
know are winners. Their only con-
versatiOn is about their troubles.
They go about with dropping should
ers. and sagging mouths, railing at
fate because of their hard luck.
and when you sift their grievances
down. nine times out of ten it
amounts to nothing except that they
are too lazy to work, and too cow
aTdly to fight, and they haven't got
enough pluck in them to take a lit
tie punishment without bowling to