The Washington times., 1923-05-18
FINDS AMERICAN
WOMEN LACK
REPOSE
British Female Preacher
Wonders How Their Nerves
Stand the Strain.

Mass A. MGMde R0y6en, nOte0
English Wom0n preacher Uho re-
Gently pisited the United States,
has Writtem a series of articles tor
the Internal ionGl News Service set
ting forth her impressions OF
America. The first of these articles
is herewith presented, Miss Royden
discussing American tOomen.
BY A. MAUDE ROYDEN,
Noted English Woman Preacher.
Copyright 1929, by international
News Service)
LONDON, May 18.-Shall ! be for
given if / pass very lightly over
those attributes of Americas women
which are known to all the world.
All who know anything know that
they are able and efficient, witty and
socially gifted; independent and self
reliant, without an atom of sex
antagonism Of self-assertion; capable
Of delightfully."- frank and gracious
comradeship with men.
These things are the common
places of all of us who have the
happiness to number American wo'
men among our friends. The Ameri.
can woman is as highly valued for
her womanhood az the French wo-
man. and far more genuinely
respected as human being.
Doubts Women Are Selfish.
am told that she sometimes pre-
sumes on this and is selfish. can't
say. / haven't met all the women
in America. All / know is that the
ones have met are not like that.
Perhaps all the others are. But J,
don't believe it. / am inclined 10
think it is the criticism of women
whose men--to tell the truth-have
pre-empted the vice of selfishness
and staked out a permanent claim
in It, That is how things are in a
good many cases in Europe.
But having said this, may / very
respectfully say something on the
other side. American women are In
creasingly nervous and overstrained.
Much as I liked to admire them,
was painfully impressed by their ab.
sence of repose. They rush" even
more continually than their men do.
am rarely unpunctual and can af-
firm with certainty that. though /
was travelling continuously, and in
trains whose schedules appeared TO
have been completely dislocated by
the weather, / was never once late at
a meeting or other engagement, ex-
cept when my hostess made me so;
yet / was never able to move without
being propelled or towed by one or
more earnest American women. who
seemed unable to believe that | could
move fast enough. | shot out OF
lifts. I rushed onto platforms. flew
along passages and corridors, always
with the anxious pressure of an arm
or hand to hasten me. could
hardly greet Granger without being
pushed i@ III cl' her direction first!
Ihon-'., mis- must be because my
'~E less appeared worse than it
really is, but when / found my be-
loved secretary, six feet tall and ath-
letic to boot, also hurried about,
marveled.
Cleanest Women on Earth.
An American woman talks with
her whole face. even her whole per
son. / felt she must be exhausted
after ten minutes conversation. She
was not. She was not exhausted
after ten hours. At least it seemed
not But | wonder?
Does life not ask too much OF the
American woman? Almost without
help she runs her house, looks after
husband and children. keeps up a
high--an extraordinary high-stand'
ard of cleanliness, order and eff
cheney in her home. Il believe Amer
iican women are the cleanest on the
earth. Their houses are lovely TO be
i'm. Besides this. she belongs to
literary club. votes, takes an active
interest in public affairs. II is
staggering achievement. She must
have brains to do il. But her nerves!