The Washington herald., 1921-01-08

the gift of perpetual youth II 1t
were offered to US on a silver salver.
This is as true of women as 1t Is of
men, though a woman's age Is sup
posed to be her greatest asset, and
her worst handicap.
1t is the custom to speak OF youth
as time of ineffable Joy, of circling
wings. and golden glory, of laughter
and care-freeness. This is not the
case, except with the very few who
are the darlings of the gods. The
most, youth is a period of fierce joys
and fiercer sorrows; of black des-
pairs and weary waiting, for to
youth the time between Christmas,
and Christmas~ is an eternity. It
has no philosophy with which to
console itself for disappointment,
and no experience to teach it that
sunshine invariably follows rain,
and the darkest day has its end.
1t matters nothing that the sor-
rows of youth are over trifles. Not
to be invited to a party to which all
the other boys and girls are going,
is to youth a tragedy as great as to
go bankrupt in later life To be
held up to the scorn of the world at
so, is no more blighting an expe-
/ rienCe than it is to be a wall flower
at 20. Life hurts ss so at every
point before we learn to laugh in
stead of cry.
OF course, every woman likes to
think Of the time when she was
young, and brag ABOUT how pretty
she was, and get out her old photo
graphs and look at the starry-eyed,
slim. young creature she was, but
| she really doesn't wish to go back
and be that girl again.
For well does she Remember all
the stormy, hectic years of her girl
hood, how she agonized over her
| clothes, and her beaux, and the tears
she shed because she couldn't have
as pretty dresses as some other girl.
Above all, she recalls with a shud-
der the eNweary husband chase; the
bores she had to endure; the ego
tlsts she had to hatter to draw men
ABOUT her on the chance that in the
crowd there would be one thai she
wanted. Nor can she forget her
fears that the right man would never
come along, and that If he did he
might overlook her, and to her dv-
ing day she will recall the horror OF
the nightmare of her wedding prem
aratlons' and the weepy honeymoon
IN which she and her John learned
10 adjust themselves to each other
and live together In peace.
| "hat woman would go through il
AGAIN even to be rewarded with tho
Prince Charming of the fairy tale >
Every woman knows that her han
plest years are those after she is
safely married,>or else after she has
| accepted oIa-maidhood, and has
given up the struggle to get mar
ried.
And no young wife wears the
placid expression of the middle
aged woman who has accepted her
husband as he is, with all his faults
and foibles, and is making the best
OF him instead of trying to make
him over.
Nor does any woman ever know
| peace of mind and body until she
mas reached the age when she has
ceased to care whether she attracts
men or not, and when she realizes
that the people who like her and
admire her do it for something 9TH
er than her looks Then only can
! she let out her corset strings, and
cut down the heels of her shoes, and
eat what she likes and say what
she thinks, and be comfortable and
happy.
because youth Is so greedy of
pleasure and sensations, we think il
! the most enjoyable time of life. As
well might an epicure envy a dock
| labOrer his capacity for devouring
corn beef and cabbage. Youth has
no determinations. 1t makes no
subtle comparisons. 1t fiavors moth
ing with the aroma of delicate
memories. All it wants is quantity,
not quality.
1t is only when we become mid
| dle-aged that we are able to be
gourmets in pleasure. and to SAVIOR
the flavor of any situation to its
| fullest, to know what Is fine in
music, art, and conversation, and to
really enjoy life because we have
| got a perspective on it, and know
how fieeting are both pain and
pleasure.
So there are not many of US who
would spend our money on the per-
| petual youth doctor. Real youth
holds charms only in retrospect, and
we can imagine no greater horror
| than to have an old soul looking
| out through the mask of a young
| face. That would be old sheep
served as spring lamb, indeed.