Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-09-02

stink back into triviality, abandoning
the world of creative art. They-witi
n few brilliant exccptions--arc hope
lessly trivial.
OF course. you are an exception, II ht
4 is talking to you.
Now, this man is one of the best
There are men who deny the right tC
women to prove that they have pro-
found thoughts. There are those who
rOolly assert that the divine plan or
daincd that women exist merely tC
cater to men and that they must re-
main trivial Mr. S only says
sadly that they are.
The vast number of human beings
! likes to take life easy. Few Nnpuleons
and Ediscns are willing to slave twenty
and sleep but four hours night Few
| flesh and blood persons struggle on
! against every handicap. laboring from
dawn till midnight. and conquer OBJ
staCles ard change the shape of the
world. Few women have labored
thus and scaled the mountain peaks,
because fewer have had the chance.
Then. too, it was so discouraging to
Enttie against public opinion. No one
wants to Oe thought contemplate and
unwomanly. When Rousseau. the re-
nowned educator, said that as women
were created solely to amuse men, they
should be educated only with this in
view, IL must have been rather dis
couraging to the brilliant French women
who led conversation in salons with a
wit and ClevCrness never CQualed.
When we think of the millions Of
women in business, 1t does seem that
our conversation cannot be wholly
trivial. In one trade. in which perhaps
you have not thought of women as
prominent. that of hotel managing,
there were 4,235 running such hostel
riCs in America at the last census. that
of 1910. And feminine restaurant
keepers numbered 1O,516. That Is,
nearly % .00s women were executives of
public hotels and eating places. BY
this time. the number must have dou-
bled. It is probable that they have
something to talk about besides the
fact that skirts are being worn short
this season.
When we listen to the chatter OF the
myriads of girls in the great office
buildings. it is quite true that we find
them talking of dress and beaux and
swimming and vacations. but so are
the young men of equal age and status.
Their talk is of the eternal ball game,
and the prize fight and all of the light
themes OF youth. What really is sur
prising, often. is the serious and tech
nical conversations one hears from
young woman of business Offices, as
they sit in tea rooms or summer gar
dens. They are not trying to impress
any bosses, hut are earnestly discussing
some Of the days business happenings
or some phase of the work that they
think could be improved
Yes, femininitv is trivial in the great
mass. for all folks are not celebrities or
geniuses. Perhaps we must grudgingly
admit that womankind is a bit more
trivial than mankind taking in the
millions who are without responsibility
because they are comfortably supported
by husbands. But we are catching up
very rapidly. and our interests ar.
broadening amazingly. Since the war
we are unwilling to creep back into our
chrysalis.
Feminine and masculine nature is not
so different as old fashioned folks think
A character in one of George Eliot's
novels long ago Mrs. Poyser) declared
II ain It a denyin ns women is foolish
the Lord Almighty made elm so, to
match the men -