SOME PECULIARITIES IN WOMEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5227, 6 April 1895, Page 3

SOME PECULIARITIES IN WOMEN.

(Tit Bits.)

Women have many little tricks and mannerisms that seem to bs peculiar to the sex. It has often happened that by means of theae alone the discovery haa been made that a woman was living in the disguise of a man, or a man in the disguise of a woman. For example, one woman passed many years of her life as a seaman, but was, ultimately, found out in a very simple and ridiculous manner. A fellowsailor threw an orange to her across the deck, and, instead of catching it with one or both hands as a man does a cricket ball, , she bent her body and tried to catch it in her lap, as a woman invariably does.

A woman not only doea not catch a ball in the eamo way as a man, but she has quite a different way of throwing it. The writer has heard physiologists advance learned theories to account for this pecaliarifcy, but they were never very convincing, and he has found at least one exception to the rule in the case of a lady who in early life had learnt from her brothers the masculine Bwing of the arm and body in throning. It is, therefore, clear that woman suffers from no physical disabilities in this respect. A running woman is generally anything but a graceful or pleasing eight, but probably the peculiar waddle of the body and the awkward throwing out of the feet are a consequence of wearing heavy skirts. As to whistling, we have a famous living example of how this generally disagreeable habit can be elevated to the dignity of an art by a woman, and yet the fact remains that very few women can whistle, while to svery man and boy it seems to be a natural trick.

"Woman is undoubtedly the ornamental box, and, true to her nature, she generally lives to Ateis. Man, on the other hand, usually dresaos to live, or rather selects such attire as he thinks nececsary or expedient in getting his living. If he goes beyond this, after considering health and comfort, he becomes " effeminate." Then, apart from garments, women havo a peouliftr fondneao for fill kinds of draperies in the house. Men generally prefer a rather severe style of furnishing, but women affect tho light and airy, and are never happier than when every available Bpace is covered with kuick-knacks. Even in the case of buttons, woman has her little idiosyncrasy. Nobody has yet satisfactorily explained why she persists in buttoning her clothing right over left, and not loft over right like the male portion cf humanity. In tho matter of poeketa mau averages ton, without counting those in hia overcoat, and there is generally something in each of them, but woraanpetfiUtß in going through life with

only one. She will carry her watch in her waist-band, her purse in a bag. and the bag in her hand, rather than have a few sensible pockets put in her clothing. A woman loves shopping in a degree thatisoimplyamasiingp.. 16 ianotsomuch that sue wants to buy something and to buy it m too cheapest market, but she will tell you that she delights in shopping for its own sake. Shop-gazing, too, has a opecial fascination for her. Sho will pass many pleasant hours looking in the windowa at things sha does not want, does not contemplate buying, and dees not profesa to take any deep interest iv. Again, she liken shop-gazing for its own sake. Sometimes, it is true, she secures "bargains," but in her owa fair vocabulary, this generally means something lowpriced, whether it ba of the slightest use to her or not.

It ia well known that a woman haa a way peculiarly her own of reading a novel. It has alight variations, but ib commonly something like thie. She first opens it at two or three placßO in the middle, and if she happens to alight on a few interesting bits of dialogue, ahe reada the first two chapters, then the last two, arid finally skimo the book straight through. When flho haa read it 6fce tnrnß to the title page to learn the name of the author.

She generally has an abhorrence of conjuring tricks and gatneaof skill. Occasionally she will loam tho moves of chess, but you find it very difficult to bring a game to a termination, for the simple reason that you have not the heart to make a capture when sha turns her pleading eyes to yours and says : " Please don't take it ! " or, " How unkind of you to take my queen ! " If you persist, ahe lets you know that she thinks you a very mean man, and that you will have cause to regret the set. Morphy, the great chess genius, played with a great many ladies of distinction, when he wsa at Paris, but he never won. He skilfully managed to draw every match !

An observant pereon will find that a woman has her own way of doing the most trivial things. She invariably turns on the . gas before striking the match, whereas the rougher sex lights the match first. . In lsaving a railway train she will gather up all her bags and parcels, and then put aome of them down again in order to open the carriage door, unless there happens to be some other passenger at hand to open it for her; but a man will open the door first of all. When drinking, no matter how innocent the boverage, Bhe generally takes a succession of aips, where a man would take one deep draught.

Then she possesses some charming little peculiarities of disposition with which everybody is familiar. Her acts o? generosity axe spontaneous and actuated by tho emotions. She does not stop to reason on the prudence of her charity in the cold-blooded way of man, but instantly follows the dictates of her tender heart. And yet, curiously enough, her generosity seldom takes the form of lavish tipping, as cabby knows too well. Women have an inexplicable repugnance to disclosing their age, and it is to bo feared that on occasion secrecy in this respect is maintained at the expense of truth. In conversation their language generally has a tendency to become exaggerated, and powerful 'adjectives are so frequently misused, that when it is really necessary to use forcible speech, they have no suitable words at their command, and are compelled to resort to temper and tears. . . .

Women are generally bad at definitions, and their descriptions are often remarkable for their inaccuracy. Any metal may be "a piece of tin," and if you ask for an account ox some mechanical contrivance you will, probably, get the answer, "It's a thing with a lot of wheels, and a little thing at one end going up and down on another thing, and— -and — you know what I mean."

12 you ask a woman why we can see through glass Bhe will reply, "Bacause it is transparent" (which is equivalent to saying, " Beoauso we can see through it"), and if you then, inquire why it is transparent; you will promptly got the answer, "Why, of course, because it is! " In the case of a lover's kies or caress, her •'* don't" must always be interpreted to mean' "do." But there are two things Bbrikingly feminine — the shriek and the giggle, and to see how natural these acts are to the sex you have merely to listen to a group of girls romping together, and then to an equal number of boys. A woman has more loyalty in her nature than a man. You have only to wrong or slight her husband to become her bitterest enemy. Her sense of justice ia ontirely obliterated by that wonderful and beautiful quality of mercy which she possesses in such : a marked degree, and which is one o£ her greatest adornments. Sho will beseech the judge to set free the brutal husband who di 4 his best to kill her, and though she has a curious inatinctive dread of a mouse, yet if you bring one to her in a trap, she will plead for its life with tears in her eyes. May women never cease to poaaeßß these charming peculiarities !