Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1889-01-03
}lol ms DEPARTMENT.
WOMAN. S SPHERE.

The Position Woman Occupies as Com
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1 thought not No one does. unless
enc is in need Of subject upon which
TO slow his wit I'm sorry you
don't cure for the position Of women; ]
should have liked Us to be friends; and il
is the only thing about which / think
much, or feel much"
Waldo looked at her II was hard to
say whether she were i'll earnest or mock
ing.
Il know it is foolish. Wisdom never
kicks at the iron walls il can't bring
down, she said. "But we are cursed,
Waldoi born cursed from the time our
mothers bring us into the world till the
shrouds are put ON us. Do not look at
me as though were talking nonsense.
Every thing has two sides the outside
that is ridiculous, and the inside that is
solemn
Il am not laughing" said the boy.
sedatel Y enough; "but what curses you?"
He thought she would not reply to
him. she waited o long.
1t is not what is done to us, but
what is made Of us, she said at last,
'.that wrongs us. No man can be re-
ally injured but by what mobiles him.
self We all enter the world little
plastic beings, with so much natural
force, perhaps, but for the rest blank;
and the world tells us what we are TO
be, and shapes us by the ends it sets
before us TO you it says, Horkt and
tous it says. Secm! TO you it says,
As you approximate to mans highest
ideal OF God, as your arm is strong and
your knowledge great, and the power
to labor is with you, SO you shall gain
all that human heart desires. TO us it
says, Strength shall not help you, nor
knowledge, nor labor You shall gain
what men gain, but by other means.
And so the world makes men and
women.
Look at this little chin OF mine,
Waldo, with the dimple in it, 1t is but
small part of my person; but though
had a knowledge ofall things under
the sun, and the wisdom to use it, and
the deep loving heart of an angel. it
would not stead me through life like
this little chin. / can win money with
it; ] can win love, | can win power
with it, can win fame. What would
knowledge help rne2 The less a woman
has in her head, the lighter she is for
climbing. | once heard an old man
say that he never saw intellect help a
woman so much as a pretty ankle; and
it was the truth. They begin TO shape
us to our accursed end, she said, with
her lips drawn in to look as though
they smiled, 'when we are tiny things
in shoes and socks. We set with our
little. feet drawn up under us in the
window, and look out at the boys in
their happy play. We want to
go. Then a loving hand is laid
on US. Little enc, you can not go,
they say; your little face will burn, and
your nice white dress will be spoiled. =
We feel it must be for our good, 1t is so
lovingly said but we can not under.
stand, and we zneel still with one little
cheek pressed wistfully against the
!
blue beads, and make q string for out
neck; and We go and stand before the
glass. We see the complexion we were
not to spoil, and tbs white frock, and
we loek into our own great eyes. Then
the curse begins to act on us. II fin
ishes its work when we are grown wo-
men, who no more look out wistfully
at a more healthy life; we are content
ed, We fit our sphere as a Chinese
woman's foot fits her shoe-exactly as
though God had made them both; and
yet He knows nothing of eithoP. IN
some of us the shaping to our end has
been quite completed. The parts we are
not to Use have been quite atrophied,
and have even dropped off, but in 9th.
ers- and we are not less to be pitied-
they have been weakened and left. We
wear the bandages, but our limbs have
not grown to them; we know that we
are compressed, and chafe against them.
but what does it help? A little bit
terness, a little longing when we are
young, a little futile searching for work,
q little passionate striving for room for
the exercise of our powers and then we
go with the drove. A woman must
march with her regiment In the end
she must be trodden down or go with it;
and if she is wise she goes.
81 SEQ in your great eyes what you
are thinking" she said, glancing at
him. II always know what the person
/ am talking to is thinking OF. How is
this woman who makes such a fuss
worse off than ]? ! will show you by q
very little example. We stand here at
this gate this morning. both poor, both
young, both friendless; there is not
much to choose between us. Let us
turn away, just as we are, 10 make our
way in life. This evening you will
come to farmers house. The farmer,
albeit you come alone and on foot, will
give you pipe of tobacco and cup oil
coffee and bed. If he has no dam to
build and no child to teach, tomorrow
you can go on your way with friendly
greeting of the hand. ], if come to
/ the same place tonight, will have
strange questions asked me, strange
chances cast on me. The Boer-wife will
shake her head and give me food to eat
with the Kaffirs, and right to sleep
with the dogs. That would be the first
step in our progress-a very little one,
but every step to the end would repeat
it. We were equals once when we lay
newborn babes on our nurses knees.
We shall be equals again when they tie
up our jaws for the last sleep."
Waldo looked in wonder at the little
quivering face; it was a glimpse into a
world of passion and feeling wholly new
to him.
Mark YOU" she said, ''ve have al
ways this advantage over you've can
at any time step into ease and compe-
tence where you must labor patiently
for it. A little weeping, a little wheed.
ling, a little self-degradation, little
careful use of our advantage, and then
some man will say, Come, be my wife!
With good looks and youth, marriage
is easy to attain. There are men
enough; but woman who has sold her.
self, even for a ring and a new name,
need hold her skirts aside for no crea-
ture in the street. They both earn
their bread in one way. Marriage for
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