West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1888-03-23

4
such a separation, such an immens'
| divergence, from annihilating atA'
union. How can this woman, en-
crossed by her duties, this admira
| BILE mother, contend with her com
petitor, the World, and its variety
the giddy, glittering world of to
| day? No personality can hold its
own against an adversary which op
poses to it thousand different pow
ers at once That giant with
thousand arms, the Press, brings
every hour to him the worlds nov.
eIties-the novelty of events, of acci-
dents, of facts. which render the
novelty of ideas in the most fruitful
mind less piquant than they This
brutal training of the, mind by ma
terial facts blunts and deadens the
perceptions. M .ncai3sqnoo sHt
Let woman follow, if she can, that
ingenious being, that varying, enter
tanning kaleidoscope-Faslion she
is still in the most uncertain compe-
tition with Change itself-with all
the risks of the Unforeseen And
what resistance can. possibly be Of
fered by delicate personality to vi
olent stimulants, ardent spirits, that
barbarism of civilization, which
cares only for bold strokes, for fac
titious paroxysms and outbreaks
those true demons of the mind?
Women remain mere amateurs,
having no power to understand works
of conscience, and the masterpieces
of herculean talent, like Ruysd@l,
for example. ,-s ess9 i,
We do right in not requiring from
woman such terrible works as that,
which involve a martyrdom to art.
Her glory lies in living works, far
above all art. In her is, the spark
by which they are inspired. Women
love energy and grand results, the
principle and its goal; but they are
ignorant of the long road which
leads to that goal, appreaciating
neither the time nor the continuity of
effort necessary to success. Beliey-
ing that everything is gained by
strokes of genius, by happy hits,
they are sensible of no achievement
but that of improvisation. The for
tunate lawyer who carries home to
them triumph every evening, the
sparkling journalist who dazzles
them with his display of fireworks
these are the beloved men. But even
improvisation, in great matters, re-
quires time, and a great deal of it.
That of Michael Angelo, so rapid,
took six or seven years of solitary
application to paint one church.
Observe that too frequent effect
of great performances, of grand ef-
forts, is the loss of language. He
who acts or creates, talks little.
Deeds not words,' is his motto.
The brilliant gifts he-may have had
when he was yet at the surface of
things, are lost to him when he en-
ters into the thinking, exacting in
tercourse of art, where only results
are called for. The smallest Of
small takers may take precedence
of and keep silent, tie greatest of
inventors. Ihave sometimes beheld
the strange spectacle of an insignifi-
can't character, in a circle of laugh
ing ladies, lording it over a poor
man of genius, one Of the three or
four who will give their names to
this century, who shall reform its
very art, who shall compel it to
study.
1t is still worse in business, prop
erly so called. For a woman there
must be no business. She herself
wishes to be the only, the essential
business of the man, every other is
odious to her. She scarcely ever
gives full credit to the mind, to the
talent, the superior faculties so often
displayed in the management of va
rled interests. She desires to know
nothing of all this. 4 shi ~
AT the slightest word uttered.
about his plans, his efforts, what he
does and what he hopes for his
family, she yawns or turns away her
head. In short, she desires to be
rich, but to hear nothing about the
way of becoming SO. What shall
the husband do? He often works
solely on her account. She goes and
comes, idle aud disdainful. while he
wears himself away, in reality alone,
and keeping to himself the thorns
of life. How is it, if you please,
that the novels which, it is pretend
ed, represent our manners, never
touch upon all this? Why are the
men we meet In them--huSDands,
lovers, whatever they may, be-al-
ways idlers with incomes? Why do
messieurs and mesdames, the au-
thors, usually choose their heroes
from the vagabond class help me
to the popular expression, strong
and graz hic) ,drones, and people for
.fattiag? Why is this? Because
the weakness they retain, for all
their democratic speeches, is for the
dainty world, for the gentry. | re-
gret to see so much genius wasted
in this century on this dreary style
of novel, made to probe our wounds.
to aggravate them. The novel has
taught US TO weep for ourselves; 1T