St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-10-07
THE LITERARY WOMAN.
The Woman Who Writes Port
rayed by One Who Mirrors the
EuF,Tanr

on no. she IS forced production.
generally speaking. of the hot bed of
her own emotions and repressed powers
and surplus energies. Her mind is a
perpetual bloOmer: the fTOSts of neg
lect the SHOWS of Oblivion seem in no
wise 10 check its prOdigiOus prolific
ness. She can write poetry without
looking at ii as her grandmother used
so knit stockings. not at all Stinted as
regards length. If somewhat deficient
IN breadth ana depth: she spins off es-
says tapJiy so called by the yard, upon
every subject under the sun. She
would write book. at least once a fort
night. ii book publishers were as Access
sible rs newspaper editors. for she
writes 10 be published. if YOU please.
she experiences an awful. blOOd-ting-
ling sensation upon behOlding herself
in print: 1t Is the very salt Of life TO her.
The bold headlines at the top. the fam
liar signature at the bottom. between
which are saudwiched a cOngiOmeraIiOn
OF original bTain-productIOns and HARM
less. half-uncOnSciOus plagiariSms. are
TO her what the fOOJlightS and audi
ence are TO a born actress.
The literary woman Is very Sanguine
OF ultimate success. She is sustained
by a firm belief that somehow, some
where. some time, she will be famous
II is all tTi1ie indefinite as regards
place and date. which is the case usually
with a Woman'S firm beliefs" but she
has not doubt thatshe will get there"
later. II not sooner. So she plOds and
grinds away. with sublime patience and
bull dog tenacity of purpose. standing
up like an Old soldier before the con-
tiuuOus VO!ley of rejected MSS. fired
at her cOu1emDtuOuSly. She gathers up
the sOiled and crumpled leaves.
SmOOtheS them out with a warm fiat
iron. replaces tenderlv the mutilated
leaves. ana sends them forth again with
only a little sigh over the size of her
stationery and postage bills. and the
modification over a bushel OF MSS. re-
1ecJed IS not worthy to be compared
with the glory that is revealed in her
over one accepted.
This interesting subject under discus
sion Is possessed OF the famous seven
devIls'-three lodge in her head and
four in her heart, and they torture
her until she had no alternative but to
write them up or 20 mad. She is so
unfortunate as to possess both heart
and brain. With either one alone she
might live. Laugh and grow fat: with
both. she must die or write, and she
writes. Her work Is good in proportion
10 the intensity Of her inner fortunes.
When the little devils in her private
''infernO' get things up to white heat
she becomes as one inspired. ana
lays bear with keen. inciSive
rhrusts all the falseneSs and rot
tenneSs on earth: man nor woman
spares she not. proudly ScOrnlng to re-
member that she Is one of the latter.
sharing the weakness that she exposes.
To give expression. either written OF
verbal. to her thoughts Is an absolute
necessity 60 WOman-they Seethe and
foam. and boil ND and over. The weak
minded woman talks from early morn
To deWy eve about her neighborS. in
competent help. physical ailments and
the weather and fashion: the literary
woman. with intellect graded a tritie
higher writes. Ii she OuUdOes her sister
with the Wagglng tongue, IN choice of
subjects and s6illful handling of them-
well. pen. paper. ink and solitude are
conducive TO thought.
Hear met is each WOman'S cry.
elf l talk, hear me. if l write. hear me:
tnIs Is my safety valve-give me hear
Ing lest l explode" The listener TO the
talker Is not more essential than the
publisher 10 the writer. To talk with
none to hear is not more idiOtic than to
-
cape of steam is doubtless a great relief
20 the boiler" but as for the benefit To
the reading public-the majority of
literary women would be more uSefully
employed in knitting blue stockings in
stead Of trying 10 wear them, as defunct
bard meanly remarked OF a defunct
poeteSS. Woman Is aVarlCiOUs when she
mas once learned TO make money. and
boards her own earnings much better
than she did the earnings of
the male protector who erstwhile
provided for her. The Jingle
of the coins. when her hand
goes into the feminine substitute for the
masculine pants pocket is such sweet
music to her because it is tune she has
hitherto played only by proxy. so to
speak. But no woman who mas cut her
wisdom teeth viii turn literary because
of her greed after wealth. The profess
sion unfurls not banner emblaZOned
with any such inscription as: There's
millions IN Il. II You were born a
Rives-Chanler or a WheeleT-Wilcox you
might hope 10 support your aged rela-
tIveS, get married, 20 10 Europe. etc !
The creme de Ia creme" Will sell. but !
the skinned milk must be given away
or kept 10 sour on your hands. Shock.
Startle or ScandalZe the public into con
shutting you a craze" and YOU NAV
chance to yet rich. If You cannot do
this. your chances of being heard are as
the tree tOadS to the nightingale'S. and
you can make more money selling wash
Ing machines or manipulating them.
there is another species of the liter
airy w0man-she aspires to editOrship.
more disIngue, by far. than the com
mon every day contributor" She !
Knows her sex thoroughly, and ex-
poses its fOibies merciiessly, but not /
maliciOusly. She finds daily association /
with the masculine element decidedly !
cOngenial. but is diScreetly silent upon 1
that sensation. She is big-headed. too /
self-cOnfdent and too Seif-Sufficient to /
walk beside any man because of an ac- ]
knOWledged need of his protection. or a /
sueaking desire for his society; but /
feeling a sort OF ''gOneneSS" when the
shadow OF some masculine attendant /
falls not across her path, she endeavOrs /
TO 50 deport herself that.as she walks
proudly alone. she shall cast such a
shadow herself as shall delude her into
believing il is of the Sterner gender.
She further strengthens this fiattering
cOnceIU by culUlVating an illegible pen
manship that etfectually cuts her off
from all communication with any of her
kind. except editors. she springs away
from her legitimate feminine title and
cuts OF all SdperiiuOus letters from
her given name as an Inflated balloon.
ready TO ascend. frees itself OF anchor
and ropes signing herself with a bold.
undecipheTable initial or two. that leave
the stranger in awful uncertainty as to
whether he gaZes upon the signature of /
He. She or Ii. so confident is she that
by her work she shall be known.
CORIE DAVIS.