San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-09-10
LEARNING TO THINK.
"PLAIN LIVING AND HIGH THINKING"
FOR THE FAIR SEX.

A woman's ideas Concerning the De-
velopment OF Mind and Character-A
Whole Sermon in Brief-when the Nil.
iennium May Be Expected.
"Plain living and high thinking" That
was Emerson's motto, wasn't ita How many
women realize that they exactly reverse this
motto; or, worse yet, make it, High living
and no thinkingr OF course, I mean by
thinking" real thought upon the serious af-
fairs Of the day, the duties of women as
women, the development of mind and char
acter, both in themselves and their children.
As society is composed Of men and women,
womens thought and character are valuable
to it; and they are valuable to it, in any
broad sense, in exact proportion as they are
distinctively womanly. Let women train
themselves, then, to grow up into the full
stature of womanhood The exigencies Of
life demand that she be trained to stand, on
all vital questions and lessons Of humanity,
firm. self poised and self supporting. How
shall a woman do this if her whole force Of
mind be given to getting herself up in the
latest approved mode, if lace hats are to her
thinking Of far greater interest than the
tariff question, If the matter of American
public schools and the issues deriving from
them stand second to the question whether
ties are really going out of style, if new
books and healthful reading must be dis
pensed with in order to get something to
wear, which very likely is not needed and
whose only raison detre is that "they" are
all wearing it, if keeping the hands white
and soft and doing item up in all sorts Of
pastes and lotions for hours every day is of
more consequence than employing them in
some form Of honest labor which shall help
somebody or something and tend to brighten
up some corner of the world generally.
Now, a woman need not be a guy A
woman who thinks and reads and talks in
diligently need not, Of necessity, transform
.!eTse.f-5y negligence, perhaps-iuto Tat
lightly esteemed parsonage commonly deSig-
aated 40 trump She may consider what
IS becoming to h.:r style of beauty-or lack
OF it, and keeping within the bounds OF fash
iOn-not way behind it-dress within her
means, and still have time to read and think.
Moro than that, she may plan and make her
OWN wardrobe without having her mind en-
tirely absorbed in il; or do her own house
work, il need be. and not be entirely given
over to the cares OF the world or the dust Of
housekeeping.
So many women are straining for plane
Of high living which they cannot afford.
have known women who would deny them
selves the comforts of life in order to have
tn, snowy luxuries. There is home not ten
miles from Boston which is over $50 years
old. It is filed with old furniture, quaint
IL nd fha air pf oil A
Commonwealth avenue lady visited it re-
Gently and went INTO raptures over it. On
coming away she said: Now, come and see
me soon. have an elegant house and guam
titles Of expensive things. But / can't show
you anything like your own house. Mine is
display Of the most elegant upholsterer's
wares in the city, but that is all"
There was whole sermon in the lady's
modest disclaimer. And if the woman who
cannot afford rich furniture would remember
that her house, with its plain, unpretentious
furnishings, but bright, social, "homey" air,
is infinitely more preferable to her neigh
boris costly stiff plush chairs, velvet carpets
and lack Of refinement, she would be much
happier, and stop continuing how she may
secure those things. And if she would be
content with becoming, lady like, inexpensive
clothes, when she can't afford better, and
spend an occasional dollar on some book that
is really worth ones while, she would be not
only happier but wiser.
It is important, so long as women continue
to be, as is everywhere conceded, the finer
portion of humanity" that they make
themselves attractive, but that is term and
quality that pertains to the mind as well
as to the body. Women should remember
that; and with all their getting, get wis
dom" When the average woman comes to
believe, that an uniformed mind is as much
blemish as muddy complexion; that lack
of taste in good literature is as much de-
fciency as the absence of half dozen even
ing dresses in the wardrobe; that ignorance
of the worlds progress is more deplorable
than freckles, or a figure which is not an ex-
act model Of dressmaker's form" that the
attitude she takes on the topics of the time
and the training of her children is Of infn-
isely more consequence than ''parlor sets"