The Washington times., 1937-02-13

that YOU -
chuck your Elsie Robinson
regular chores and listen to their
broadcast. Which is bad enough
if you're just a regular housewife,
but plain murder if you're a pro-
fessional, trying to turn nimble
minutes into nickels.
"Of course" she continues, with
rapidly rising temperature, these
1oafers take advantage Of polite
ness and good breeding-and know
it! They're not strangers, unfor.
tunately, or you could throw them
out. Being social equals or bust-
ness colleagues, or relatives who
make a racket of their sensitive
ness they must be treated with
consideration.
ON DEAF EARS
However sensitive they may be
where their own rights are con-
cerned, they're completely cal
loused as to yours. Nothing dis
courages them-closed doors are
diSregarded-gentle hints fall on
deaf ears. If you frankly show
your evaporation, they proceed to
lecture you on the folly Of taking
things Strenuously at middle age.
"It burns me up, Elsie! They
ruthlessly waste whole days which
might be given over to creative
work. Why aren't such people as
much thieves as plain pickpock-
etS?"
They are, lady. And life would
be infinitely more pleasant and
profitable if we'd cut out futile
courtesy and frankly treat them
as such.
Yes, know the answer-oneu
be frightfully unpopular. People
will sniff when your name is men
toned say you're stuck up
begin dropping you from parties.
And, I'll confess, these penalties
once seemed dire to me, also. So
for long hours I listened while
Mrs. A. babbled about her beauty
treatments or Mrs. B. told me the
details of the latest row with her
husband.
Even worse were the endless tele-
phone talkies. Promptly at nine
they began, Sister and Junior hay
ing been bundled off to school,
breakfast and the dishes stacked
in the sink. Then-a kimono
thrown over her pajamas, a cup
of coffee by her Side-Mama cud.
died down by the phone and began
her regular rounds of Dirt Dish
ing. And heaven help the unfor.
tunate female who refused to listen
for there is no rite more sacred
to the average housewife than her
morning broadcast
So, 1, too, watched the precious
hours pass, secretly sizzling at
these ruthless time thieves and
feeling ah, how sorry for poor,
abused Elsie! Until gradually I
realized that Enemy No. was not
Fanny the Phone Fiend nor Gertie
the Gossip, but my own spinelesS
self! If wished people to respect
my time and work, why didn't I
start respecting them myself? It
wasn't up to the General Public
to protect my privacy. That was
my own personal job. And If I
couldn't or wouldn't do it, de-
served to suffer the painful conSe-
quences.
But women wouldn't like me if
I refused to loaf n listen? Well,
suppose they didn't. Which was
the more pressing and precious
the good work 1 had undertaken
or the shallow approval of q lot
of fuzzy-minded rattle traps? Was
there any real friendship or sin
cere, mutual admiration involved
in their blab tests? There was
not. Then why did I endure
them? Because I was coWardly
and conceited-afraid Of trivial
displeasure and flattered by
worthless attention.
MUST PAY PRICE
So what? So these cackling
confabs were merely another
4OIu VI weak OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OLA
my own part, and had no more
right to continue them than to
prolong any other demoralizing
habit. Spending my time listen
ing to tripe was exactly as con-
temptible as spending it drinking
or gambling. My use Of misuse
of time was the test OF my own
civilization-or savagery.
People don't steal my time any
more. It is true, I am not nearly
as popular as I once was. Many
consider me stuck up. .unfriendly.
And often the loneliness hurts.
But that is the price which I must
paw for using time as a civilized
being should use it.
If I'm not willin1 to pay the
price, I do not deserve any
respect, nor will I achieve any
work which will merit it. I will
lust remain a gabby squaw.
Which is not my idea of a success
full 1887 female.
So-hang up on 'em, sister, or
take the blame for the conse-
quences.
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