Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-02-14
WOMAN'S DEPARTMENT.
WOMAN'S SPHERE.
The Position Woman Occupies ms Com
pared to That of Man.
"Do you take an interest in the posi-
ton of women, WALDORF

tlon OF women, waldo!
"No."
81 thought not. No one does, unless
one is in need of subject upon which
to show his wit. *. :. I'm sorry you
COM care for the position of women, !
should have liked us to be friends; and it
is the only thing about which / think
much or feel much"
Waldo looked at her. 1t was hard to
say whether she were in earnest or mock
ing.
Il know it is foolish. Wisdom never
kicks at the iron walls it can't bring
down." she said. "But we arc cursed,
Waldo; 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"
II am not laughing" said the boy,
sedatey enough; ''but what curses you?"
He thought she would not reply to
him, she waited so long.
at is not what is done to us, but
what is made of us" she said at last,
"that wrongs U.S. No man can be re-
ally injured but by what modifies him
self. We all enter the world little
plastic beings, with so much natural
force, perhaps, but for the 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, Work! and
to us it says, SEEM 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
10 labor is with you, so you shall gain
all that human heart desires. 10 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
a small part of my person; but though
] had knowledge of all things under
the sun, and the wisdom to use it, and
the deep loving heart of an angel, il
would not stead me through life like
this little chin. / can win money with
it; can win love, / can win power
with it, lean win fame. What would
knowledge help me? The less woman
has in her head, the lighter she is fol
climbing. | once heard an old mar
say that he never saw intellect help ;
woman so much as pretty ankle; ant
it was the truth. They begin to shape
us to our accused end" she said, will
her lips drawn in to look as though
they smiled, "when we are tiny things
in shoes and socks. We set with oul
little feet drawn up under us in thu
window, and look out at the boys il
their happy play. We want t.
go. Then loving hand is lait
on us. Little one, you can not go
they say; your little face will burn, ant
your nice white dress will be spoiled.
We feel it must be for our good, it is S,
lovingly said; but we can not under
stand, and we kneel still with one littl
cheek pressed wistfully against tn
pane. Afterwards we 60 and threa,
blue beads, and make a string for on
neck; and we 60 and stand before tn
glass. We see the complexion we wer
not to spoil, and the white frock, an
we look into our own great eyes. The
the curse begins to act on us. II fin
ishes its work when we are grown wo
men, who no more look out wistfull
at more healthy life; we are content
cd, We fit our sphere as Chimes
woman's foot fits her shoe-exactly a
though God had made them both; an
yet He knows nothing of either. /
some OF us the shaping to our end ha
been quite completed. The parts we ar
not to use have been quite atrophiet
and have even dropped off; but in OIL
ers-and we are not less to be pitied-
they have been weakened and left. w
wear the bandages, but our limbs hav
not grown to them; we know that W
are compressed and chafe against then
but what does it helpP A little bi
terness, little longing when we al
young, little futile searching for worl
little passionate striving for room fC
the exercise of our powers-and then "
go with the drove. A woman mu
march with her regiment. In the en-
she must be trodden down or go with
and if she is wise she goes.
Il see in your great eyes what yc
are thinking she said, glancing
him. II always know what the persC
] am talking to is thinking of. How
this woman who makes such a fu
worse off than /? Twill show you by
very little example. We stand here
this gate this morning, both poor, bot
young, both friendless; there is n
much to choose between us. Let
turn away, just as we are, to make OF
way in life. This evening you W
: come to farmers house. The farme
albeit you come alone and on foot W
give you pipe OF tobacco and a cup
coffee and bed. II he has no dam
3 build and no child 10 teach, to-morrc
you can go on your way with a friend
. greeting OF the hand. ], II / come
7 the same place tonight, will ha
5 strange questions asked me, strau
chances cast on me. The Boer-wife W
t shake her head and give me food TO G
5 with the Kaffirs, ard right TO sic
D with the dogs. That would be the fiji
S step in our progress-a very little or
5 but every step to the end would rept
: it. We were equals once when we
: newborn babes on our nurses kne'
D We shall be equals again when they
e up our jaws for the last sleepl"