Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-01-29
Leap Year Out of a Job
BY Frederic J. HaskIn


New York, Jan. 20--Now that Leap
Year Is onoc mors upon us, what viii the
women do with it7
/ This question, which ,sed 10 bring a rcev
blush and dcmire litter from the fair sex
now answered with disconccrfing frank.
ness and practically by the ncw women.
Indeed, after asking il few times YOU
perceive that women are getting newer
| and newer
"What will wc do with it7'' exlairncd n
young woman politician to whom the
inquiry was tactfully put the other day.
''IIuh, the sanc As We do with every wear.
DO you mean to say you still cling to that
old tradition that men do the proposing7
Why, l thought our friend, g. bernard
Shaw exploded that theory years aro.
Here read this-it answers your question
better thnn can
With vigorous swccp Of an athletic
arm, the young woman pulled book
from the shelf over her desk and opened it
upon page marked with a blue pencil
THE SPIDER AND run yLr.
'1t IL assumed that the women m,nt
whit motionless, until she is woocd," the
reporter read, "and she does wait, mo-
tionless. But that is how the spider vniis
for the fly. The spider spins her web and
If the fly shows n strength that promises
To extricate him. how swiftly docs abe
abandon her prctcnac of passiveness and
openly fling coil after coil about him until
he is secured forever"
Say, promise no. to quote me on sny
Of this" snid the young wunan. IA che
replaced this bit Of sshavian philosophy
beside q volume on ward politics "T
don't want TO lose all my men friends"
This il striking illustration of the way
thing have changed in the feminine world
since mother was rirl, and especially
since the last Leap Year Now women
have the long desired ballot in the mr. |
jority Of States: in every State they have |
secured and held on tn = large number of /
remunerative Jobs which used to belong /
exclusively TO men they have invaded the
assemblies, the national legislature, and |
the courts Here in New York there IL a
huge army OF successful business and pro-
fessional women who could afford TO sup |
port husbands, after proposing to them, IL
they wanted TO.
But, in the opinion of many Interested
observers, this very economic facility is
responsible for keeping these women
married 10 their careers rather than to the
gentlemen cf their choice. A career, as a
usand-dollar-a-ycar business wo-
man remarked the other day. il lot
more profitable and dependable If you
get tired Of il. she explained cody, YOU
can change il for another. whereas getting
rid of husband Is n frightful nuisance
IL don't believe tho men need be fright
ened at all this Leap Year." sayB This
young woman. "If the records for the
iirst month of this Lesp Year were avail
able, | believe you would find that the
iats
The answer is found in the s'Heip Want
I'd columns Of the newspapers. There
never has been time when young women
have been in so much demand in all kinds
of business.
"Do yousupposc any member Of the sex
Rho can earn large salary Is going around
asking for the privilege of chauifeuring a
sas stove and warming over the coffee OF
'ome young male person who hasn't bali
ihc business initiative of D progressive
,irl OF todayf''
This cheerful young admirer of her own
ex also believes that it gets the better OF
he bachelor game. She SAYS that increas-
d expenses which are depTiving many
nen OF home comforts, have not the same
errors for woman, since she is acquaint-
a with many clever devices for reducing
hem. \ bachelor girl, she says, can cook
III sorts OF cheap but wholesome meals IN
ler apartment, even if she has only gas
'urner to work with, but man is at the
mercy Of the city's restaurants, which is
uite terrible way to be.
ADOPTING CHILDREN.
Many New York bachelor women, who
re unwilling to share their careers with
natrimony, are, however, adopting chill
ren whenever their salaries grow large
nough 10 support them. OF the ap-
,roxinstely 1900 children for whom the
'harities Association of the city found
omes in the past few years, % were
sken by young bachelor business women.
he choice of sexes in the adopted appears
o be about even. Some of the women
refer daughters, and some sons. One of
he most prominent women architects of
Sew York has adopted son. and young
ronaan politician who was recently
for city magistrate has an
dopted daughter Is years old.
Mrs. Pankhurst Is one of the most en-
husiastic advocates of adopting children
drs. Pankhurst herself has home full OF
I1-%.I |