The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-27
'The Woman Of tEae Future.


Novels are not more eagerly devoured by
the unthinBing multitude than the clap-trap
written in the present day about women.
Pope's famous line, 'And fools rush in where
angels fear to tread can be so titly applied
to no other kind of criticism, and naturally
enough, as it requires little else but audacity
and proves extremely lucrative, the crop is
abundant. One may safely say that young
authors fortune is made who can abuse
women in a lively, il-natured and authori-
tative manner
Frivolous, discontented, irrational, crea-
ture of whims, a devotoe of fashion; a victim
of ennui, morally, physically, and intellec-
tually feeble-such is the woman of the pre-
sent according to the satirists. The marvel
is that they wish to see unchanged what they
denounce as contemplate. If anything is
proposed by which some of these faults must
inevitably be eradcated, these consistent
critics take alright. Let us keep these angels
of perfection as they are, cry they, soft
cushions whereon to rest masculine asperities
What would the world be like if woman
kind we're changed from the lovely
thing it is? and so on, the incOnse-
quent multitude listening and believing.
Fortunately for all, this kind of writing,
like any other form of sensationalism in lite
rature, is of the day only, and will pass away.
What has been said 50 often will tire even the
foolish at last, and ''We have piped unto you
but We have not danced" will be the lament
of these once popular detractors. A great
change, moreover, is taking place in public
opinion regarding the education Of women.
The wise are more inclined to weep than to
laugh over the frivolities of the sex, and see
no reason why this as well as any other ele-
ment of unhappiness should not be eradicated
from society. On one point we imagine alike
the serious-minded and the scoffer, the re-
former and the epigrammatist, to be
at one -- namely, that frivolity is evil
and not good Those who love the
truth for truths sake, and consider each indi-
| vidual life as an important unit of humanity,
are bestirring themselves to remedy the evil;
| those who live without any sense of moral
| responsibility whatever try to hinder the work
| from pure selishness or pre- iudice. To discuss
| the numerous schemes on behalf of the better
| education of women is quite foreign to the
| purpose of this paper. few of these have
| already passed from the ordeal of popular con-
| tempt into the sunshine of popularfavor; some
| still in embryo are too rational to meet with
! opposition from any quarter. Many others will
| doubtless be proposed when the world is ready
for them. To own in the face of these facts
that the woman of the future will resemble
| the woman of the present is to deny the
entire sex all capability of moral and inteec-
tual growth. If occupation exercises any in
fuence upon the character whatever-and
there is little doubt that it exercises great in
generations to come will indeed feel
thankful for the change. Deprecating as we
do the sweeping assertions of clap-trap
critics, we are forced to admit that there is
wide room for improvement. Women are
not universally so beautiful, so wise, and so
good as they might be, and it is to the inter
ests of humanity that they shouldbe beautiful,
wise, and good Consider in the first place,
the question of beauty. The more hopeful
look forward to the time when something of
the old Greek feeling for physical perfection
shall have revived and simpler and more
healthful life shall have fitted women to be-
come mothers of noble race. In this re-
spect we are wiser than of old, but though
hyeiene and common sense have done much
for ourselves, they have done much more for
our children. We Of the present generation
are the offspring of tight-laclng mothers; but
small waists, tight shoes, and other abomlna-
tions are no longer universal. Dress is much
better adapted to out-of-door lie than
formerly. Etiquette has been relaxed,
| and onr young women enjoy a
freedom from physical restraint undreamed OF
bv their prandmothers. Health has ceased to
he the monopoly of the other sex. Still the
majority of women lead far from wholesome
| lives; and as beauty is more or less matter
of health, too much can never be sad agalns'
such abuses of it as are yet in fashion. Inc
worst of these abuses is that they lead TO q
perversion of taste. Quite naturally tht
fragile type of beauty has become the STANDARD
of the present day, and men admire IN rea
life the ly-cheeked, small-wasted, dapha
nous-looking creatures idealized by hvine
+ | artists When we become accustomed 10 {
D nobler kind of beauty we shall attain t'
= d loftier ideal. MeIl Wlll seek noDliiIy raIhel
4 than prettiness strength rather than weak