Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-08-31
STRONG MINDED WOMEN.
THEY ARE APPRECIATED BY THE
SENSIBLE AND CULTURED.

| 1t Is Only Empty Headed Snobs Who
Crit.cise Intellectual Women-Life Gives
| TO Woman the Same Possibilities of Rich
| FulfIiment That 1t Affords Men.
! just why the epithet strong minded should
| be used as a term of reproach to a woman
! has always eluded my comprehension. /
| suppose however, it is because the majority
! of persons consider strong minded and man
nish synonymous The implication is as alb
! surd IS 1t is I'm Just, as any one must reccg-
! nize who for a moment viii view the subject
/ from the proper standpoint.
My idea of a strong minded woman is any
| thing but uncompiimentary. She is woman
endowed by the gods with an unusual amount
! of common sense, to begin with; her mind is
well poised; she is keen witted, and, best OF
ali, is invariably talented Ii is this latter
characteristic which lifts her above the COM
mon herd, and naturally marks her as the
target for their small shot.
WHEN SHE Is INDEPENDENT.
A strong minded woman has the convic-
tiOnS Of her own opinions; she is independent
OF the small souled criticisms of the narrow
minded people about her; she viii not be ham
pered by them. If you viii observe you viii
find it is invariably the woman who writes
who is spoken OF as a strong minded creature,
as though it were not a blessing to have mind
at all, particularly a forcible one. But, says
the world, it is not the fact Of a woman's
writing that we object to, but the knowledge
That she gets money for it, thus placing her
! self in the role OF bread winners. Evidently
| the world does not know that there are woul-
en- today who have entered the field of jour
nalism who are far above want or the neces-
sity Of earning their livelihood, but who enter
into the work, body and SOUL from pure love
of it, The money il brings is not their object;
it Is the natural result and the best evidence
of their ability. But, says the skeptical
world, what possible pleasure could woman
find in writing all day, unless she had it to
dos Let ne answer on the part of the liter
airy enthusiasts known as strong minded
women, that there is no pleasure in life equal
10 1t. OF course, to the woman whose field is
in the land of fiction and the Imagination,
the delight is of the highest order. Her world
is peopled with the children of her brain, as
real and dear to her as the merry, boisterous
group which gathers III the flesh about a
mothers breast.
Most women have been brought up to be-
heve that life should be spent in luxurious
idieness; that for woman TO exercise her
dainty fingers except in fashloning some use
less bit Of tawdry fancy work or in running
the scales Of a musical instrument was some
thing shocking And women have been con-
tent Tor q long time to accept the decree Of
so inane q fate; but, happily, at last a new
regime has dawned upon Us, and although
the world ut first looks askance at them there
are those among us who feel that life was
given to woman with the same possibilities
Of rich fulillment that it was 10 men. The
women who deSpiSe the hollowness and insin-
cerity of the SO called society world, who,
though possessing the birthright which gives
them the entree into the best, and having
talents and accomplishments which would
make them favorites, scorn its favors and its
shailowneSS. and dare TO brave its sneers BY
devoting their days 10 improving their
minds their nights TO preserving their health
aud their morals
SNO2BISH Ill BREEDING.
Do we ever find the cultured, the broad
minded. refined members Of society condemn
ing q woman because Of her mental abilityl
All, 20. Are they rather not the parvenus,
the upstarts, who dare not LOOK generation
back in their family tree. and who have now
only 1.-The sold wlich gives the straitened
forehead Of the fo5IE" Verify. YES They
know not the superiority of mind over mat
ter, because they have never dealt in the fine
article. | write with feeling because Of a CON
temptble piece OF snobbish Ill breeding wit
messed 2 few days ago at a fashionable sum
mer resort. when a womb OF newly acquired
social position turned her back upon "a young
special correspondent. who. for her own
amusement, was writing bright. interesting
letters for several CT TIE leading Journals Of
the country. and who, by The way, had pre-
vIoUsly declined 10 be introduced 70 the
woman who sought to mortifv her. l saw
the whole thing. and having 8 warm interest
in the correspondent, being myself q lover OF
newspaper work, l stepped up TO her and
sought 10 make her forget her embarrass-
men-.
% Selene 81 she said. did you imagine I
felt insultedl No, no, mon annie. Lady
would not Insult another. and one less mod
ding toward the oFenderi could not. you
know and she laughed merrilv. But"
said she, "out Of regard for thosa women
who are driven by stern necessity to WELD
the pen As a weapon OF defense against chill
penury, VIII you -ot write an article defend |
ing them ami showing that woman may
write for the papers ana stu be unworthy !
the epithet Of strong minded in Its objection /
able sense q ulaGEiSn Z" Yes sal! l. and
/ VII snow them that the fact q 4 woman