Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-08-15
Woman's Life and Loue
SaLan,anders and Cold-Diggers
BY tNINIFRED HARPER COOLEY

and silly schemes. For instance, the!
always were having birthdays Whei
a man was taking them out to dine ant
discovered that he had run into thi
happy event he naturally suggested
gift, and they could accept this withou
a feeling of obligation. Again, u
couple OF girls were entertaining ealler
in their bedrooms), a peddler woul
invariably appear, selling frail and cost
ly lingerie and silk stockings. Th
boys" would exclsim, - .et Inc bu!
those for you as long as ! am here,
which after some protests they would b.
allowed to do.
OF course, the who're thing had beer
staged. and later the peddler wou ID TAX
back his wares, for the girls had NOR,
stockings and filmy lingerie than they
could use, and the spoils would be di.
vided on q cash basis, for the girls die
need food
These trivial CRAFTS we're almost pa
! thetic, for they showed the shifts Il
which poor girls with mediocre talents
arc put to. Still, II was u case of lazi
ness and greed, largely, for had they
really gotten down to regulnr jobs, such
AZ stenography. they could have made
decent living. 1t was the spirit ol
the parasite. tie hanger. on to those Of
actual wealth and talent that made them
So contemplate.
The Gold Dicgers were frankly conf
| dcnce women, who were out for coin
and apart from the fact that most ot
such would not have been so s1uenmish
| about maintaining their technical vir-
tue. II does not seem that they were
very admirable, even granting that they
aid this!
,ot en,nath;rr far nothip IN n
Is not to be condoned in any one.
The heroine wns Charmingly refined,
yet acted the part of an abandoned girl
pretending to get drunk. and to tell the
hero all about amours with many men,
in order to keep him from loving her.
He insisted that he loved her anyway.
and wanted to marry hcr-which IL not
very encouraging for those who abjure
the primrose path There is nothing
more disgusting on the stnge than the
portrayal of a drunken woman. yet the
play had standing room only for nearly
two years. The fact that she was only
rctending does not soften tho OBJ
jcctionable scene. In the end an ultra =
respectable. QGakerish mother turns up.
to spread a regular cloud of decency over
the entire fat.
We care not about this novel or
thnt drama. Inc point Is, are the
conditions they portray true? l do not
believe so, and yet no one can deny
that there are tendencies in modern
life and In feminine thought toward
mercenary feeling and greed. The re-
action from the past when women were
immured in converts and dull domes-
tic homes seems to be toward gaiety
and worldly love Of gold. Always there
have been celebrated spendthrifts-
the courtesans Of Rome and Athens and
Alexandria of France in the reign of
the Louis kngs-who literally spent
millions of dollars on jewels and silks
and perfumes. They usually precipi-
tated revolutions. for starving mobs
would not tolerate their insane ex-
travagance. But women in general
have been gentle and self sacrificing.
ever ready to give up their dowries to
husband or sons, or to slave for years
In order to educate brothers for bril-
liant worldly careers, or to donate their
entire fortunes to religious orders.
Are women en- masse wholly chang
ing? Are we becoming money mad?