Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-01-26

yeASAFsR&I society, but the pirl
4fAI father objects strcnu
~ ouslv To the man s
calls, and thinks II improper Tor his
daughter To receive attentions from man
without intentions.
The father belongs 10 the old-tnshioned
school. which corceivos of no relationship
betweon the sexes except the sentimental
ono He does not realize that the new
stains Of women has made Platonlc friend
ship between n man and n woman posi-
b,lity for the first time IN history, and so
added a now richness 10 the life of both
Heretofo,e, friendship between man
and woman he's been hooking and ny
word IL WAS The smoke-soream that each
sey lot down 20 cover its manWuvres IRON
the other, and from behind which woman
conducted her subtle attack on man 8
offensive and q man lay siege to woman
affections.
Both knew friendship for the hollow
mockery that IL was, and played at " WIN
their tongues in their cheek, Tor nobody
| had dreamed Of day when every single
| woman would not be on a still hunt for
! rhushand, and the object of every unnlar-
rod female would be 60 get avoiding ring.
| Hence tho friendship cf man for
woman wa. about that of the hunted for
the hunter, who was sum 20 get him II he
| didn't watch out.
| Among older people, and IN certain
circles, the idea st,ll prevails that every
woman who liant married is crazy 20 marry
and that she I. always seeking husband.
| They think that life liz dull, and barren, and
and desolate 20 the eingle woman, and
that she v eternally casting envious eyes
upon the altar
| Perhaps thir WIS true IN the old deys in
/ which The unmarried woman was supposed
20 he a perpetual debutsntc. and, even
| AT eiytv, was not permitted by convention
| 20 have q home of her own, or to 60 about
unchaperoned when she had to he the
| fringe on somebody else's family, and
when no occupation WIS open 70 her save
the most mental and ill-psid ones. lhen
a woman had 20 get married, whether she
wanted 20 or not, in order 10 get meal
ticket and have social standing.
Ncw-a-dsyr IL is far different Any
woman with intelligence can support her
cell quite ss we'll as the average husband
Gan rapDort hrv And without working
hsh as hard in store or Office aa she would
have 70 do in her own home. In her pro
fession she can find = never ending source
N ;nterest and amusement, So that sfHe has
something 70 fill her thoughts and her
hands, and Il ia no more remarkable now
for a bachelor woman TO have her own
apartment, than It se foT bachelor man
Under these conditions IL has developed
that there are large numbers of women
who do not want TO marry. They look the
ground over, and see that marriage sell
dom brings happiness TO either party.
They observe that their friends who are
married look older than they do, that
thay are less well dressed and hive less,
comfortably: that they have no freedom
and the prospect Of exchanging their
good Jobs, and individual pockethookS
and latch keys just for mere husband
doesn't look good 90 them
OF course, If the Prince Charming OF
their dreams were 10 come along, that
would he different story. But the supply
Of Prince Charminr is not ever-abundant
and most women never even get glimpse
of HIM ST all.
So these women do not want TO marry,
but they are not manhaters, or indifferent
TO the pleasures Of maxculine society They
are precisely in the position az the man
who enjoys pretty and attractive women
who likes 70 talk 10 an intelligent and
sympathetic woman, who would find
moonlight evening on the seashore, for IN
stance. as fiat as an egg without salt,
without the companionship of somethln &
young and charming, and fuffy-rIffied,
and Vet who docs not want to assume any
woman's board bill, and shopping ticket,
or to put his neck in the domestic roose.
Perhaps the men and women who take
this attitude ownrds each other are sell
fish Perhaps they are slackcrs who evGde
assuming then share of the responsibility
of life. We are not arguing this point We
are merely sayi ng that there are az many
10, aud dot ed
TO sidestep matriInony, as there are men.
and that these men and these women have
made Platonic frien dship O realty. instead
of the camoufage for sentiment that It
used TO be.
This knowledge that every woman Is
not TRYING 20 marry, has made for great
free-ulasonry between the sexes. For the
first time men are not shared out Of their
lives of women, and they can indulge their
natural craving for feminine society. For
even the most hardened old bachelors
long for a woman friend someone TO whom
they may pour out unabashed, the hopes,
the plans, and even the boastlng they
would not have the face to tell another
man. For men are as loqu acious with
women. as they are dumb with each other.
OF course, PlatOnio friendship still does
end very frequently in love, A man and
woman WHO nave Dcou ROOO coLih aNCc e>AAu
friends, suddenly wake up TO the fact that
they are something more, and that life
with out each other would be as ashes and
dust.
And of course. Platonic friendship is not
for the woman who wants TO marry. For
the man who takes up her time, sno
camps on her parlor chairs, keeps away
other men. So, after al, Platonic friend
ship is merely the consolation prize fol
those who are not sports enough TO take
hand in the big gambling game o.
matrimOny.