A Woman of the World

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A Woman of the World, by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

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Title: A Woman of the World Her Counsel to Other People's Sons and Daughters
Author: Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Release Date: April 14, 2004 [EBook #12020]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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[Illustration]
A Woman of the World
HER COUNSEL TO OTHER PEOPLE'S SONS AND DAUGHTERS
By
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
1904
Fourth Impression, April, 1910

Contents
TO MR. RAY GILBERT, Law Student, Aged Twenty-three
TO MISS WINIFRED CLAYBORNE, At Vassar College
TO EDNA GORDON, During Her Honeymoon
TO MISS GLADYS WESTON, Who Faces the Necessity to Earn a Living
TO CLARENCE ST. CLAIRE, Regarding His Sister's Betrothal
TO MISS MARGARET RILEY, Shop Girl, Concerning Her Oppressors
TO MISS GLADYS WESTON, After Three Years as a Teacher
TO A YOUNG FRIEND, Who Has Become Interested in the Metaphysical Thoughts of the Day
TO WILFRED CLAYBORN, Concerning His Education and His Profession
TO MISS ELSIE DEAN, Regarding the Habit of Exaggeration
TO SYBYL MARCHMONT, Who Has Learned Her Origin
TO MISS DIANA RIVERS, A Young Lady Contemplating a Career as a Journalist
TO NANETTE, A Former Maid
TO THE REV. WILTON MARSH, Regarding His Son and Daughter
TO MRS. CHARLES MCALLISTER, Formerly Miss Winifred Clayborne
TO MRS. CHARLES GORDON, Concerning Maternity
TO MR. ALFRED DUNCAN, Concerning the Ministry
TO MR. CHARLES GRAY, Concerning Polygamy
TO WALTER SMEED, Concerning Creeds and Marriage
TO SYBYL MARCHMONT, Concerning Her Determination to Remain Single
TO MRS. CHARLES GORDON, Concerning Her Sister and Her Children
TO MRS. CHARLES GORDON, Concerning Her Children
TO Miss ZOE CLAYBORN, ARTIST, Concerning the Attentions of Married Men
TO MR. CHARLES GORDON, Concerning the Jealousy of His Wife After Seven Years of Married Life
TO MRS. CLARENCE ST. CLAIRE, Concerning Her Husband
TO YOUNG MRS. DUNCAN, Regarding Mothers-in-Law.
TO A YOUNG MAN, Ambitious for Literary Honours
TO MRS. MCALLISTER, Concerning Her Little Girl
TO MR. RAY GILBERT, Attorney at Law, Aged Thirty
TO THE SISTER OF A GREAT BEAUTY
TO MRS. WHITE PEAK, One of the Pillars of Respectable Society
TO MARIA OWENS, A New Woman Contemplating Marriage
TO MRS. ST. CLAIRE, The Young Divorcée
TO MISS JESSIE HARCOURT, Regarding Her Marriage with a Poor Young Man
TO MISS JANE CARTER, Of the W.C.T.U

To Mr. Ray Gilbert
Late Student, Aged Twenty-three
Were you an older man, my dear Ray, your letter would be consigned to the flames unanswered, and our friendship would become constrained and formal, if it did not end utterly. But knowing you to be so many years my junior, and so slightly acquainted with yourself or womankind, I am going to be the friend you need, instead of the misfortune you invite.
I will not say that your letter was a complete surprise to me. It is seldom a woman is so unsophisticated in the ways of men that she is not aware when friendship passes the borderline and trespasses on the domain of passion.
I realized on the last two occasions we met that you were not quite normal. The first was at Mrs. Hanover's dinner; and I attributed some indiscreet words and actions on your part to the very old Burgundy served to a very young man.
Since the memory of mortal, Bacchus has been a confederate of Cupid, and the victims of the former have a period (though brief indeed) of believing themselves slaves to the latter.
As I chanced to be your right-hand neighbour at that very merry board, where wit, wisdom, and beauty combined to condense hours into minutes, I considered it a mere accident that you gave yourself to me with somewhat marked devotion. Had I been any other one of the ladies present, it would have been the same, I thought. Our next and last encounter, however, set me thinking.
It was fully a week later, and that most unromantic portion of the day, between breakfast and luncheon.
It was a Bagby recital, and you sought me out as I was listening to the music, and caused me to leave before the programme was half done. You were no longer under the dominion of Bacchus, though Euterpe may have taken his task upon herself, as she often does, and your manner and expression of countenance troubled me.
I happen to be a woman whose heart life is absolutely complete. I have realized my dreams, and have no least desire to turn them into nightmares. I like original r?les, too, and that of the really happy wife is less hackneyed than the part of the "misunderstood woman." And I find greater enjoyment in the steady flame of one lamp than in the flaring light of many candles.
I have taken a good deal of