Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-02-10


hands" And when women are called to
suca outdoor work, and to such heroic
positions, God prepares them for it; and
they have iron in their soul, and light
nings in their eye, and whirlwinds in
their breath, and the borrowed strength
of the Lord Omnipotent in their right arm.
They walk through furnaces IS though
they were hedges of wild flowers, and
cross seas IS though they were simmer
ing sapphire, and all the harpies OF. hell
sink down to their dungeon st the stamp
of their womanly Indignation. But these
are exceptions. Generally, Dorcas would
rather make
A GARMENT FOR THE POOR
boy; Rebecca would rather fill the trough
for the camels Hannah would rather make
8 coat for Samuel; the Hebrew maid
would rather give prescription for
Mammals leprosy; the woman of Sarepts
would rather gather few sticks to cook
q meal for famished Elijah; Phebe would
rather carry q letter for the inspired
Apostle; Mother Lois would rather edu-
este Timothy in the Scriptures. When l
see woman going about her daily duty
with cheerful dignity presiding at the
table with kind and gentle, but firm dis
cipline presiding in the nursery, going
out into the world without any blast Of
trumpets, following in the footsteps of
Him who went about doing good say:
"This is Vashti with veil on" But
when see woman of unblushing bold
ness, loud-voiced with tongue OF in
fate clitter-cistter, with arrogant look,
passing through the streets with mas
culine swing, gaYIy arrsyed in very
hurricane of millinery, cry out: "Vsshti
has lost her veil" When 1 see q woman
struggling for political preferment, and
rejecting the duties Of home as insignif-
cant, and thinking the Offices Of wife,
mother and daughter Of no importance, and
trying to force her way on up into con-
spiculty, say: "Ah, what pity; Wash
ii has lost her veil" When l see . wo-
man Of comely features, and Of adroitness
OF intellect, and endowed with al that
tie schools can do for one, and Of high
social position, yet moving in society
with superciliousness and hsuteur, as
though she would have people know their
place, and an underlined combination of
glggle, and strut, and rodomontade, en-
dowed with allopsthic quantities of talk
but only homeopathic infnitesimals Of
sense, the terror Of dry goods clerks and
railroad conductors, discoveries Of sig
nifcant meanings in pain conversation,
prodigies of badness and innuendo-I
say: "Vashti has lost her veil"
But do not misinterpret what say into
q depreciation Of the work Of those glor-
1ous and divinely called women who will
not be understood till after they are dead,
women like Susan B. Anthony, who are
giving their life for the betterment of the
c1ndition of their sex. Those of you who
think that women have under the laws of
this country an equal chance with men
are ignorant CT the laws. a gentlemen
writes me from Maryland saying: "Tske
the laws of this state. A man and wife
start out in life full Of hope in every re-
epect; by their Joint efforts, and as is fire.
quently the case, through the economic
ideas of the wife succeed in accommodating
fortune, but they have no children
they
REACH OLD ACE
together and then the husband dies
What does the Law Of this state do then?
1t says to the widow, hands OFF your late
| husbands property; do not touch it; the
state will find others to whom it will give
that; but you, the widow, must not touch
1t, only so much as will keep life within
your aged body, that you may live to see
those others enjoy what rightfully should
| be your own" And the state seeks the
relatives of the deceased husband,
whether they be near or far, whether they
were ever heard of before or not, and
transfers to them, singly or collectively,
the estate Of the deceased husband and
living widow.
Now, that is specimen Of unjust laws
in all the states concerning womanhood
Instead OF flying OF to the discussion eE
to whether or not the giving Of the right
of vollng to woman will correct these
laws, let me say to men, be gallant
enough, and fair enough, and honest
enough, and righteous enough, and God.
loving enough to correct these wrongs
against women by your own masculine
vote. Do not wait for woman suffrage
TO come, If it ever does come, but 80 far
as you can touch bsilot-boxes, and Legis-
latures, and Congresses begin the refor-
nation. But until justice is done to YOU
sex by the laws Of all the states, and wo
men Of Americs take the platform and
the pulpits, and no honorable man Will
charge Vashti with having lost her veil
Again: want you this morning to con
slider Vashti the sacrifice. Who is this
that see coming OUT of that pRlace-gate
of ShusnaI? It seems to me thai
I have seen her before. She comes home.
less, houselese, iriendless, trudging along
with broken heart. Who is she? It il
Vashti, the sacrifice. Oh, Whist change
! it WAS from regal position to wayfarer's
crust. a little while ago approved snd
sought for; now none so poor as to ac-
knowledge her acquaintanceship. Vsshti
the sacrifice. All, you and have seen Il
many time. Here is home empalaced
with beauty. All that refinement, ant
books and wealth can do for that home
has been done; but Ahasuerus, the hus,
band, the father, is taking hold on pathE
of sin. He is gradually going down
After awhile he will founder and struggle
like wild beast In the hunters net
further away from God, further away
from the right. Soon the bright apparel
of the children will turn to rags; soor
the household song will become the sob
bling OF broken heart. The old story
over again. Brutal Centaurs breaking ur
THE MARRIAGE FEAST
of L3pithae. The house full of outrage,
and cruelty, and abomination, while
trudging forth from the gpalace gate are
Vashti and her children. There are
homes represented in this house this
morning that are in danger of such 6
breaking up. o, Ahssuerus, tast you
should in home, by dissipAted life de-
stroYing the peace and comfort OF thai
home. God forbid that your children
should ever have to wiring their hands and
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