The Washington herald., 1921-01-26
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petual dCbutantc and even at so
was not permitted by convention to
have home Of her own, or TO go
about unehapcroncd; when she had
to be the fringe on somebody elses
family and when no occupation was
open to her save the most mental
and ill-paid ones. Then a woman
had to get married. whether she
wanted to or not, in order to get
a meal ticket and have social stand
ing.
Now DAYS it is far different
Any woman with intelligence can
support herself quite as well as the
average husband can support her.
And without working half as hard
in store or ofice as she would have
to do in her own home. In her
profession she can find never
ending source Of interest and
amusement. so that she has some
thing to MI her thoughts and her
hands, and it is no more remark
able now for a bachelor woman to
have her own apartment than it is
for a bachelor man.
Under these conditions it has de-
vcloped that there are large num-
berS Of women who do not want to
marry. They look the ground over
and see that marriage seldom brings
happiness to either party. They OBJ
serve that their friends who are
married look colder than they do,
that they are less well dressed and
live less comfortably; that they
have no freedom, and the prospect
OF exchanging their good jobs. and
individual pnCketbOoks. and latch
Keys just for a mere husband.
doesn't look good to them.
or course, If the Prince Charming
"t their dreams were to come along
that would be a different story.
Eut the supply OF Prince Charm
ings is not oNer-abundant. and most
women never even get a glimpse
of him at all.
SO these women do not want to
marry. but they are not man-hatcrs
or indifferent to the pleasures of
masculine society. They are pre-
clSeIy in the position of the man
who enjoys pretty and attractive
women. who likes to talk to an in
telIlgent and sympathetic woman
VINO would find a moonlight even
ing on the seashore, for instance as
nat as an egg without salt, without
the companiOnship Of something
young and charming. and fluffy
ruHIed, and yet who does not want
70 assume any wOman's board bill.
ana shoping ticket, or to put his
neck in the domestic moose,
ferhaps the men and women who
take this attitude towards each otb-
"r are selfish. Perhaps they aro
SIackers. who evade ASSUMING tb,,r
snare of the responsibilities of Iif,
we are not arguing this point. 80,
are merely saying that there arc as
many women who are as eager. and
determined to sidestep matrimony.
ds there are men, and that these
men I,, ana these women have made
t7tohIc friendship a reality. in
Sleau OF the Camouflage for scnti-
ment that it used to be.
This Knowledge that every woman
"ot Trying TO marry, has made
Tor y great free masonry between
the sexes For the first time mon
are not scared out of their lives
OF women. and they can indulge
their natural craving for feminine
society. For even the most case
hardened old bachelors long for
woman friend, someone to whom
they may pour out unbiased, the
hopes, the plans, and even the
ooastlng they would not have the
lace to tell another man. For men
are as loquacious with women. as
they are dumb with each other.
Of course, Platonic friendship
sun does end very frequently in
love. A man and woman who have
been good comrades and friends.
suddenly wake up to the fact thar
they are something more, and that
life without each other wouId he
as ashes and dust.
And of course, Platonic friend