Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1889-10-10
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cum grano sails, Yet
we are forced to admit that the state
ment is very rich in suggestion. Prob
ably there is no trait of human nature
that serves better to mark the subtle
distinction between manly and womanly
character than the quality of fortitude
in woman-her ability to bear pain and
sorrow in dignitied, patient silence.
This is woman's courage. as distin-
guished from mans dashing bravery,
which leads him into the thick of dan
ger and adventure in his desire for
excitement. To thoughtful woman
our writer's little maxim seems to con-
tain the germ of carefully observed,
well-attested fact. At least the ac-
ceptance of it explains much that is
otherwise extremely misleading and
puzzling.
How tedious, for instance, have be-
come the misanthropic walls of the cal
low rhymster of the period, usually
young man who affects the extreme
Byronic style, in hair-dressing, collars,
and morals, the only thing about Lord
Byron which he fails to initiate being
the latter's genius. This individuals
studies in feminine human nature
having usually been in those doubtful
fields and byways to which an un
wholesome and erotic fancy would
naturally lead him, the result is whole
sale condemnation, in studied meters,
of our poor sex, and this with all the
assurance of ignorance
There is too much of this nonsense
being written and spoken against
women. In certain sense we our
selves have, through hearing it so long,
almost learned to accept it as partly
true, and do not protest much against
it, In this submission-this meek, tacit
acceptance of certain cut and dried
maxims, which are only worn-out fic-
tions-we are somewhat in the same
frame of mind as was Topsy, in an in
stance in "Uncle Toms Cabin" Miss
Ophelia was determined that Topsy
should confess her sins, and poor Top
sy, casting about in her mind for some-
thing to confess, at last made up an
elaborate aud entirely false account of
crime that had not been committed,
namely, the theft of Miss Eva's ear
rings. When the falsehood was de-
tected, Topsy's explanation was that
MiS Ophelia would have her 'fess"
to her misdeeds, and she could think
of nothing bad enough that she had
committed, so made up story about
sin she had not committed.
The morbid browbeating of genera.
items has had its effect upon women.
We are born penitents, burning tc
"'fess." Alas our harmless little sub
terfuges, usually prompted by heart
full of truest love, our white lies, with
white motives back of them-how pa
thetically innocent and harmless do
they appear in comparison with the
deliberate and elaborate system of de-
ceit practiced, not toward us alone, but
toward their follow men, by our ac-
cusers every day.
Shame upon us for our lack of spirit,
sisters, and let us not thus tacitly ad-
nit our general culpability, without q
little inquiry into the facts in the case.
How long it has been going up, tAis
howl of detraction from all classes and
conditions of men, and including such
variety of cross grained, dyspeptic
masculines, ranging from Philosopher
Carlyle, tearing his hair because
rooster happens to crow in the neigh
boring yard, down to the poet of the
"Porkopolis Packers Portfolio" clear
down to Tim Hodge smashing the
breakfast dishes and his wife's head,
in his lordly contempt for woman after
night at the neighboring saloon. As
the inventors say, "Fhe principle is the
same" in each instance. In the case
of our poet, however, perhaps an over
dose of absinthe, cigarettes, and lazi-
ness induces virulent stupor of cyni-
cism, rather than the more active tenn
porary tantrums of the drunken hod.
carrier.
And stillis the result the same. Poor
woman. Trying to restore peace and
weather the storm, she meekly fesses"
that she is the original author of all
woe, blameworthy, reprehensible
creature, very neglectful of her whole
duty, which is to keep kind of earthly
paradise called "home" for her revered
lord and master-a peaceful haven
where roosters shall never crow nor
duns never intrude, where absinthe
shall never give morning headache,
aud the word blizzard" shall be void
of all meaning .-Barbara Thorne IN
Chicago Ledger.
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