WOMEN'S WILD OATS
ESSAYS ON THE RE-FIXING OF MORAL STANDARDS
BY
C. GASQUOINE HARTLEY
Author of "The Truth About Woman," "Motherhood and the Relationships ofthe Sexes," etc.
"For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto thedead."—Prov. ii. 18.
NEW YORK
FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY
PUBLISHERS
Copyright, 1920, by
Frederick A. Stokes Company
All Rights Reserved
To
MY HUSBAND AND MY SON
CONTENTS
| PAGE | |
| Introductory | 7 |
| The Prosperity of Fools | 19 |
| The Covenant of God | 52 |
| That which is Wanting | 81 |
| "Give, Give!" | 113 |
| If a Child could Choose? | 150 |
| Foreseeing Evil | 192 |
| Conclusion | 223 |
| Appendices | 229 |
WOMEN'S WILD OATS
INTRODUCTORY
WOMAN'S CARNIVAL
"To the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet."—Prov.xxvii. 7.
The sudden collapse of the war left us in a daze. After the years ofinhuman strain it was hard to ease off tension to the almost forgottenconditions of peace. I recall that ever to be remembered day, November11th, 1918—Victory Day. In the early hours before noon I was in London,and my young son was with me. Everywhere was an atmosphere of anxiety,an unusual stillness. Men in little groups of two and three stood hereand there, soldiers in larger numbers loitered or walked slowly alongthe pavements; girls and women waited at the doors of business housesand shops, where inside nobody seemed attending to the few customers.Everyone was waiting; [8]there was an expectancy so great and so stirringthat ordinary life had stopped. The last hour seemed endless in its slowpassing. I do not remember ever to have experienced the same anxioustension, which was felt so strongly by us all that, in a