THE GENIUS FOR FRIENDSHIP

Shannon News, 25 June 1926, Page 4

THE GENIUS FOR FRIENDSHIP

WOMAN'S ADVANTAGE,

It was a man, of course, who uttered the di&tum. "Love is of man's life a thing apart, 'tis woman's whole existence." But, for all that, woman, when she marries, does not dream of giving up her many and various friendships, whereas man ,as a rule, steadily tends to evince less and less interst in his own. Not perhaps consciously, and possibly without deliberation, he becomes so slack in regard (to these pre-nuptial associations that before much time has elapsed it Is his wife's friends and acquaintances that visit his house and enjoy his hospitality with barely a sprinkling of those of his own unaided making.

For it is woman, not man, who lias the genius for friendship, says Mrs. Gordon-Stables, in the 'Daily Grapnic' And for this reason: When marriage turns out a failure iit is often a greater debacle for the husband than for the wife. She, good soul, has a whole bevy of friends to whom to turn for comfort and advice, while he has a few intimates from whom to glean consolation.

Take even the busiest of women—the professional woman, for insltance, with a. home and a family to care ror as well as an occupation to follow. In all the unending turmoil of her dally round she will stil find time to make dates with hei- friends, to write lettrs. to those at a istance, to telephone to those who are sick or in trouble, to remember their birthdays, to do a hundred small attentive courtesies to cement the good feeling that yars of intimacy have built up. A woman will keep intact the friendships that her school and college days have brought her —precious possessions far too greatly cherished to be allowed carelessly to lapse. ®] But the man—how much of his time and thought go to the fostering of such ties? When he meets a pal unexpectedly in the street, all well and good. He greets him affectionately, may be, and is jolly glad to see him again. Perchance an invitation to come and dine may follow. And then, "the rest is silence." Whether he comes or nott is really not terribly important. There is something fundamentally casual aboutthe entire business.

I am not talking of affairs de cceur. They come under atotally different category. I am merely referring to ordinary questions of every-day friendships'between women and women and between men and men. I say that for women these make up a very large part of their existence while for men they count for remarkly little. Of couse, there are classic instances of masculine friendship, such as David and Jonathon and Damon and Pythias, but that was a long time ago and women,in thosedays were not the companions in intellect that they aro to-day. It surely is one of the finest tributes to womankind to-day that whereas they need friendships with their own sex to make up a full and happy life, their mates apparently find in them all that their emotional needs demand. What greater compliment could we desire?