Stephens City star. (Stephens City, Va.) 1881-1883, 1882-08-12
REBELLJOUS REFLECTIONS

WOmcn the Tortured ttcilmssoi tueiT O"h
Fellies.
Here we are again in one of our mel
ancholy moods; impatient and nervous.
Why is it that everything persists in
going wrongp OF what sin were we
women guilty before our introduction
to this 'delectable" life that we are
here doomed to serve full term penalty
with hairpins piercing our scalps- more
comfortable is the shaver head OF the
State convict-corsets cutting us in
tvain-worse are they than the straight
Jacket of the mailman, as unpleasurable,
at least-shoes pinching our toes, and
ct short intervals sending shooting pains
to our throbbing temples-less revenge
full is the government, foot-gear-"pull-
backs holding us as vice-more lib
erty is awarded the worst criminals of
the land; they may stand, sit or lie at
willard our skirts clinging and drag
ging to impede our every movement
Who shall say the wearers of Uncle
Sans striped suits are not clad better,
as regards health and ease for body and
mind, than are WEI say "mind," for
when the body suffers the mind must
symyathze; there is no averting that
consequence.
Indeed, women are the tortured vic
Tins of their senseless garments and
their-the garments Undetermined ad.
mirers-the emotional men who are all
eyes and impulse, wao turn their backs
upon nature and common sense while
they kneel to and smile uron deluding
images; idol worshippers they are,
praying to carefully adjusted paints and
pads; and these grovelling creatures
rule the world-witb vengeance, too
and call themselves "Nature's noble
men," Can they believe that women
do in true sense admire and esteem
their devotional gallantry? Yes, evi
IDENTIFY they can and do. They think
women's minds are controlled by sight,
as are theirs. They look only upon the
surface themselves, and therefore can
not understand why "weak women"
should sometimes at least look deeper
into the character of those who court
them in the masquerading garbs they
themselves detest most heprtly
''The best of women are hypocrites,"
says Thackeray. He cut the sentence
too short. He should have added; they
must be so until the burden of the last
straw breaks the back OF their patient
endurance, and, incensed by outrage,
they join in resolute instruction.
"Men have sight, women insight" says
Victor Hugo.
1t were we'll indeed if the proverbial
fools were all dead, and impartial reason
might inherit their thrones. Will that
time ever come, we wonder Will
women ever be emancipated from the
two cooperating tyrants-man and
fashion?
Were only our own stake-ropes not
choking us; had we but reasonable
amount of liberty morally and mentally,
80 to do little thinking for ourselves,
and training for self-support, self-reli-
ance, self-trust, ETC., then our enemies
might be vanquished. We're it proper
for women to be capable of Standing
alone officially, then the human race,
male and female alike, might club to-
geiher and declare war against them.
They might be exterminated by strang.
ulation, after the modus optrandt for
killing practiced by the thugs of India.
The female sex, may say, is down.
trodden race. Unfortunately, l am q
woman, and that is not the worst.
figure in the wrong extreme in avoirdu-
pois to make an imposing women's
rights lecturer ; my audience would
first have to hide their faces behind a
wilderness of opera glasses that is. if
the house were packed to see ii had
yet mounted the rostrum; but then,
when did, they'd have no need of
artificial ear.drums to hear me. l
sometimes wish had few degrees of
the physical elevation which many
women have to spare then 1 might don
"the lions" gear and act the spy among
the enemy. But no that would not
do either my remarks, which are un-
comfortable, would betray me at once
And SO it is with me am disqualified
for every path to reform and progress
simply because am short two inches OF
reaching the five feet mark. Deplora-
BILE case
am q woman, as said before, and ]
share one popularity of my sex-called
an abomina5le fault by our bearded
masculines-thatof never being pleased
Men, we are to infer, are much addicted
to being pleased. and if that were the
only thing they were addicted to, they
wouldn't make il a particular rule tC