Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-11
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES Z. TRACEWELL.

Perhaps In no one direction Ia the
growth OF better thinking on the part
OF the ma IS Of mankind better evinced
| Than In our ideas about women
Not 200 years ago Lord Chester1eld.
| tho mirror of good manners in Eng
| la nd, wrote to his son:
Women are only children OF
| larger growth
When one thinks OF woman today
ne is ~ likely as not 10 think or
friend. pal" comrsde.
Not only have women-at least In
America been removed from the
ella ssiticS ton given by the German
| pre-war writer's. but also from that OF
Lord Chesterfield and SchopSnhauef.
Yet, since there will always be
| those who secretly refuse to give
F., women the status which their supreme
place in creation merits, the thoughts
Of the Earl of Che will always
| he OF interest.
Writing TO his son, under date OF
September ), 17IS. Lord Chesterneid
said:
at least pretty numerous, part OF
company. ana as their suffra ges 80
Il great vay toward establishing q
, mans character, in the fashionable
part of the world. II Ia necessary to
! please them. viii. therefore. upon
this subject, let YOU into certain
area M that will be very useful Tor
/ you TO know. but which you must.
with the utmost care, conceal and
! never seem TO know.
Women, then, are only children OF
a larger growth; they have an enter
! tanning tAttle, and sometimes WIT but
| for solid, res sonins good sense, never
in my life knew one that had II, or
| who req soned or acted consequentialiy
! for four and twenty hours together.
Some little passion or humor al
! ways breaks In upon their best reSolu-
lions. Thair beauty neglected or con
| troverted. their age incresse or their
supposed understanding deprecated.
| instantly kindles their little passions
and ovnrturns any system OF conS<-
auential conduct that in their most
| req sonsble moments they might have
| been capa BILE OF forming.
| A man Of sense" continued Lord
| Chesterfield. only tribes with them,
| plays with them. humors and Matters
| them as he does With sprightly. for
ward child: but he neither consults
them about nor trusts them with
| serious matters; though he often
makes them believe that he does both
| which is the thing in the world that
| they are proud Of. for they love
| nightly to bs ds bbiins in business
| (which. by the way. thsy always spoiD:
| and being Justly distTustful that mon
! in general look upon them In 4 iririine
| light they 8 imost adore that man who
| talks more seriously 10 them and who
| seems 70 consult and trust them
| say. who seems-for veal men really
| do hut wise ones only seem 10 DO 1t.
| So, seriously, the worldly wise earl
gets his spleen against women out Of
his system. along with tremendous
sent ence that required all his ability
! as q writ er TO restrain from wreckins
| itself against MANY psrenthetlcai ex.
| pressi0ns. 1t is a tribute to his ability
that, despite it's length, the sentence
ia easily understood by any reader
even the ladies.
! F1stter 'em-thst in the sist of his
continuing sentences:
| NO f1attery is either too high or too
| low for them. They viii sreediIy
swallow the highest and gracefully
accept OF the lowest: and YOU may
| felr fiatter any woman. from her
understanding down TO the exquisite
taste OF her fan
Women, who are either indis
putabiy beautiful or indisputa bly,
ugly. are best battered upon The
score Of their understanding: but
| those who ara in state of mediocrity
are hest fattered upon their beauty
or. at least, their graces; for every
| woman who Ia moi absolutely ugly
/ thinks herself ha ndsome. but not hear.
! Ing often that she Is 40. Is the more
! grateful and the more obliged TO the
! few who tell her so. whereas de