Oh yes, that's all right.
M. O'R
April, 1901.
CONTENTS
| page | |
| CHAPTER I | |
| THE ETERNAL FEMININE | |
| What do we know about women?—Generalities on the subject—I am requested to speak on some subject I know something about | [1] |
| CHAPTER II | |
| WOMAN'S INFLUENCE FOR GOOD AND EVIL | |
| A woman at the beginning—The first love-story—Different versions—'Cherchez la femme'—The influence of woman on national characteristics | [6] |
| CHAPTER III | |
| MAXIMS FOR THE MAN IN LOVE | |
| How to deal with your girl — Avoid catching colds in your head — How women with humour can be saved | [10] |
| CHAPTER IV | |
| ADVICE TO THE MAN WHO WANTS TO MARRY | |
| What should attract him in matrimony — At what age should people get married? — Be superior to your wife in everything | [14] |
| CHAPTER V | |
| ON THE SELECTION OF LIFE PARTNERS | |
| Be as careful in choosing your partners as you would in choosing your ancestors — Count your change before entering, as mistakes cannot be recognised afterwards | [18] |
| CHAPTER VI | |
| MAXIMS FOR THE MARRIED MAN | |
| Keep your wife in order — How to deal with her (confidential) | [22] |
| CHAPTER VII | |
| MAXIMS FOR THE MARRIED WOMAN | |
| A wife should follow and obey her husband, especially follow him — Feed the brute | [29] |
| CHAPTER VIII | |
| THE GENTLE ART OF RULING A HUSBAND | |
| The rule of women over men is the survival of the fittest | [33] |
| CHAPTER IX | |
| ART IN LOVE | |
| Pleasure and happiness — Loveis the poetry of the senses — The artistic temperament — The instrument and the instrumentalist — The defence of monogamy on artistic principles — Polygamyversusmonotony | [38] |
| CHAPTER X | |
| SORE TRIALS FOR PEOPLE IN LOVE — WILL LOVE TRIUMPH OVER THE AFFLICTIONS OF THE BODY? | |
| A pathetic story — Could you whisper words of love through an ear-trumpet? — The case presented on the stage — Take care of the woman you love | [43] |
| CHAPTER XI | |
| MAN VERSUS WOMAN IN LOVE | |
| How many times can a man and a woman love? — They love differently — A delicate question — 'Lucky dog!' — The inexorability of the virtuous woman | [47] |
| CHAPTER XII | |
| COURTING IN FRANCE AND ENGLAND | |
| Kneeling and sitting — The piquancy of French courting — The use of the second person singular — The sealing kiss | [51] |
| CHAPTER XIII | |
| THE WOMAN-HATER | |
| Should a woman marry a woman-hater? — The portrait of a woman-hater — The risk a woman runs in marrying a woman-lover — Take your chance, don't cast your pearls before swine | [55] |
| CHAPTER XIV | |
| WHAT DO WOMEN ADMIRE MOST IN MEN? | |
| People generally admire in others the qualities they do not themselves possess — The sexes differ in their opinions of infidelity and its causes — The eleventh commandment: Never confess | [59] |
| CHAPTER XV | |
| CAN GRATITUDE ENGENDER LOVE? | |
| Expecting gratitude is asking for the price of a service — Love keeps out of it | [64] |
| CHAPTER XVI | |
| DOES MARRIAGE HELP A MAN? | |
| In social life — In commercial life — In literary and artistic life — Matrimony is a highly respectable institution | [68] |
| CHAPTER XVII | |
| THE GOOSE AND THE GANDER | |
| The case for man, the defendant — Freemasonry between women — Which is right? — Influence of plumage — The female bird — Man is not invariably wrong — 'What is good for the goose is good for the gander' — But there is a difference between the goose and the gander | [74] |
| CHAPTER XVIII | |
| DOES JEALOUSY COME FROM TRUE LOVE? | |
| The different kinds of girls that men seek in matrimony — Jealousy is intensified, not created, by love — Why should not a married man continue to admire women? — I want to knock down a newly-married woman's husband — 'Who would "polyg" with him?' | [80] |
| CHAPTER XIX | |
| DO WOMEN DRESS TO PLEASE MEN? | |
| The female attire — Women dress for breakfast and undress for dinner — You don't know them from Eve — Society likes to be exposed — How French, English, German and American women dress — Simplicity in dress the coquetry of some women — What would happen if two women remained alone on the face of the earth | [85] |
| CHAPTER XX | |
| THE FRENCH WIFE | |
| Her keenness and common-sense — Her power of observation and her native adaptability — Her graceful ways — Her tact — Her artistic refinement — Monsieur et Madame-'Did I hear you knock at my door, dear?' | [90] |
| CHAPTER XXI | |
| THE ENGLISH WIFE | |
| Her position — Family life less attractive and piquant in England than in France, but more solid — The English wife is the goddess of a beautiful home | [94] |
| CHAPTER XXII | |
| THE BRITISH MATRON | |
| The English woman the most charming of women — The British the most ridiculous one — English and British — The British matron is the produce of British soil — Her ways — Her fads and inconsistency — Her knowledge of French literature and her judgment thereof | [98] |
| CHAPTER XXIII | |
| THE AMERICAN WOMAN — I | |
| A new coat-of-arms for America — The American woman — Her ways — The liberty she enjoys — 'Oh, please make me an American woman!' | [103] |
| CHAPTER XXIV | |
| THE AMERICAN WOMAN-II | |
| She walks first, Jonathan behind her — The educational system of America explains the idiosyncrasies of the American woman | [108] |
| CHAPTER XXV | |
| THE AMERICAN WOMAN — III | |
| Opinions and impressions — An answer to criticism. | [113] |
| CHAPTER XXVI | |
| THE HUSBAND OF THE AMERICAN WOMAN | |
| The telephone and the ticker — The most useful of domestic animals — Money-making — Loneliness of the women — A reminiscence of Chicago | [117] |
| CHAPTER XXVII | |
| PETTICOAT GOVERNMENT | |
| Description of all the Anglo-Saxon fads | [122] |
| CHAPTER XXVIII | |
| THE LIBERTY OF ANGLO-SAXON WOMEN | |
| The mistakes made by foreigners — Misconstructions — Educational systems — Girls do not lose their charm by independence | [135] |
| CHAPTER XXIX | |
| ENGLISH AND AMERICAN WOMEN HAVE NO LOVE TO SPARE FOR ONE ANOTHER | |
| England and America are two branches of a family who once quarrelled — For their common interests they may make it up, but there will never be any love lost — There are no such quarrels to patch up as family ones | [139] |
| CHAPTER XXX | |
| THE WOMAN I HATE | |
| Women's-righters — Electric fluids — The bearded lady — The first-fiddle — Lady doctors — Lady lawyers — Lady speech-makers — Prominent women — A pretty picture | [144] |
| CHAPTER XXXI | |
| THE KIND OF WOMAN I LOVE | |
| Another answer to critics — Distorted minds — The portrait of a womanly woman | [149] |
| CHAPTER XXXII | |
| THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMEN IN THE WORLD | |
| The Irish, Hungarian and Spanish women — The beauty of the English and French women — The redeeming feature of every American woman | [153] |
| CHAPTER XXXIII | |
| BLONDES AND BRUNETTES | |
| Characteristics of blondes and brunettes — Theingénueand the villainess — Which of the two do men like better? — Sauterne and Burgundy — I like both — All women cannot afford to be blondes — Blondes with dark eyes — Brunettes with blue eyes | [158] |
| CHAPTER XXXIV | |
| FLIRTS AND COQUETTES | |
| The difference between the two — Points of resemblance | [162] |
| CHAPTER XXXV | |
| WHAT IS A PERFECT LADY? | |
| 'Am I the man as wants a gentleman to drive him?' — How can you tell a lady? — A lady is a woman who adds to the virtues of a woman the qualities of a gentleman | [167] |
| CHAPTER XXXVI | |
| MAMMIES AND GRANNIES | |
| Cupboard love — Every kind of love is more or less selfish except maternal love — Maternal love over-rated — If you never had a grannie, do get one — Reminiscences of grannies — A sacrifice — Grannies are not at all prejudiced in favour of their grandchildren | [171] |
| CHAPTER XXXVII | |
| ON MOTHERS-IN-LAW | |
| How to deal with them — Difference between a misfortune and an accident — 'That will spoil the whole thing' — Shoot her! | [176] |
| CHAPTER XXXVIII | |
| ON WIDOWS | |
| Women do have grievances — Various specimens of widows — The jolly widow — The inconsolate widow — The plump widow — Marriageable widows — Mourning and black — Last wills and testaments — How long should a widow mourn her husband? — 'You should have seen me yesterday!' | [180] |
| CHAPTER XXXIX | |
| ON OLD MAIDS | |
| Different types of old maids — Many of them are undisguised blessings — Few men are good enough for women — Old bachelors and old maids | [185] |
| CHAPTER XL | |
| SHOULD PEOPLE REMARRY? | |
| The excuse most people give for remarrying — St. Peter's opinion of men who have been married more than once — Stepmothers | [189] |
| CHAPTER XLI | |
| THE LAWS AND CEREMONY OF MARRIAGE | |
| Laws that will be altered during the twentieth century — People will have to pass examinations before they are allowed to marry — The Church should give young couples a happy start, and change the ceremony of marriage | [194] |
| CHAPTER XLII | |
| ON NURSES | |
| Nurses look the happiest women in the world — Their lives and their privileges — True story of a nurse | [198] |
| CHAPTER XLIII | |
| PORTRAIT OF A FRENCH MOTHER | [214] |
| CHAPTER XLIV | |
| FAILINGS AND FOIBLES OF GOOD WOMEN | |
| Women of strong character — Obstinacy and prejudice — Tastes and temperaments — The diplomatic woman — The strong-minded woman — The superiority of woman — Monopolizers — Little women — The woman who is wrong — 'I told you so' — Why women were not given beards — Women who marry for money and for titles — The only chance of success in matrimony | [228] |
| CHAPTER XLV | |
| CUPIDIANA | |
| Stray thoughts on women — Love and matrimony | [237] |
HER ROYAL HIGHNESS
WOMAN
CHAPTER I