The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-12-08

See where the hrelogs glow and spark,
Glitter the lights of Shadowtown;
The pelting rains on the window, bark
Are ripples rapping upon its strand.
There where the mirror is glancing dim,
A lake with its slumbering cool and STILL
Blossoms are waving above its brim
Those over there on the window sill.
Rock slow, more slow, in the dusky light,
Silently lower the anchor down;
Dear little passenger, say Good night"
We've reached the harbor of Shadowtown
1t is clear from. the recent discussions on
female suffrage that there is good deal of
uncertainty and difference of opinion at
the present day as to woman's sphere in
the world. The movement which led to
the Improvement in woman's education is
still so young that its results can hardly
yet be tested. We have no sufficient mate
rial to enable US to decide whether, and if
so, in what direction, the female intellect
differs from the male. Wehave no adequate
means of judging whether those special
womanly qualities which are universally
valued and admired are inherent in a
woman's nature, or are due, in part at
least, to the circumstances of her past life,
sheltered as it has been from much of the
struggle and competition of life. 1t must
still be considered uncertain whether the
particular direction taken by the higher
education for women is the ideally right
one. The advance has been so rapid that
we have hardly had time to breathe, still
less to ponder and judge. But the cry is
for further advance, or rather for more
change, for new openings, for fresh devel-
opmentS.
1t might perhaps be wiser, seeing that
we have done so much, to be content for
the present to move little slower, and
take time to the work that has been already
done. There seems something selfish in
our haste. We wish that the changes
should, at any rate, come in our day, that
we may have the merit and benefit of
them.
A little more caution is certainly needed
before we take steps that it would be i'm
possible for US to retrace. Is it too much
to ask that those who wish for more
changes should at least take time to form
ulate what is their conception of woman's
share in the work of society l have been
told that the only way to decide this is to
open everything to woman for which ma
ture has not obviously untitled her. This
suggestion, for Christians at least, has one
decided objection. There is nothing in the
nature of women to unfit them for holy or
ders, but we cannot imagine that any
Christian, however advanced an advocate
of women's rights she may be, would wish
to see women as priests Nature does not,
therefore, seem to be an altogether safe
guide in this tangled question. 1 should
like to ask my fellow Christians whether
revelation has not something to say to US on
this subject
The old story of the creation of woman
tells US that she was made as a helpmeet
for man. | doubt whether modern claims
have advanced her to nobler place. st.
Pauls views about women are well known
but they are, as a rule, dismissed with
some remarks about the nature of the times
or statement that St. Paul did not appre-
ciate women-was a mosogynist, IN fact.
Yet even he had valued women friends,
Priscilla, Phoebe, Lois, Eunice. ST. Peter
was a married man and lived with women
around him. and he had found out that the
ornament of woman was "meek and quiet
spirit" The political platform of the nine
teenth century does not, however, seem
akin to the meek and quiet spirit.
l fancy have seen in America among the
best women a better ideal of woman's
sphere than is often to be found elsewhere.
| have noticed some glimmerings of an idea
that women should regard it a duty to bring
sweetness and light, intellectual as well as
moral, into the lives of their male relatives
and friends and that with that object each
woman should aim at making herself as
complete character as she could. If we
women would only take the trouble to be
something, to have character, to have In
terests, to have ideals, to have true religion,
who would say where our power would
stop. But no, we want our rights, we want
to make noise we want to be of conse-
quence, we are afraid that our opinions are
not sufficiently valued, we clamor for an
appreciate test of our influence.
The gospel teaches US different lesson.
1t would be well if we could content our
selves for time with bringing the fruits
of our improved education, of our enlarged
opportunities to bear upon the duties i'm
posed upon us within our old sphere, and
those others which are intimately con-
nected with it. Meanwhile we might study,
with little more care than we have hith-
erto done, what are the peculiar character
istics of the female intellect Too much
time has been wasted with the desire to
prove that it is the same or equal to that of
man. If we believe the fact that the
world is peopled with beings of different
sexes is not due to chance, but to the will
of the Creator, we are bound to believe
that he has appointed work of different
kinds for each sex. We cannot believe
that in the revelation he has given US he
has left US without guidance in the per-
picking task of how this work is to be ap
portioned
The little folks are full of practical theo-
logy, and the idea of God gets into their
heads in very realistic manner. A four
year-old was being botheredby her brother,
when suddenly she rushed to the window
and looking skyward, called out, "God,
offender, she said, There! God'n give it
TO you"
A curious fact about Sara Bernhardt is
that she has caused most sumptuous tomb
to be prepared in Pere la Chaise for her
own obsequies. 1t is all in white marble,
with the one word, "Bernhardt," inscribed
above the portal. Within there is space for
single coffin only The great actress de-
sires to be alone after death, as she has
been unapproachable in her genius during
her life. Every year on her birthday she
visits this tomb and lays upon it wreath
| of immortelles. Some one asked her why
she did so. Because she said, 81 would
like to have my grave decorated with flow
ers after my death, and perhaps if l accus-
| tom people to see it so adorned they will
| follow my example and keep up the custom
when 1 am no more" Is there not some
thing piteous in this clinging of the most
famous actress of her generation to the
fleeting memories of those she will leave
behind her!
Look on this picture and then on that:
ssFather is coming?" and the little round
faces grow long, merry voices are hushed,
TOYS are thrust into the cupboard, mamma
glances nervously at the door; baby is
bribed with lump of sugar to keep the
peace Fathers business face relaxes mot
a muscle the little group huddle like sheep
in corner. Tea is dispatched in silence,
as though speaking were prohibited. The
children creep like culprits to bed, mar
yelling that baby dares to crow SO loud now
that "Father has Gomez