The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-01-04
WOMAN'S DEPARTMENT.
WOMAN'S SPHERE.

mo"
81 thought not No one does. unles:
one is in need of subject upon which
to show his wit. I'm sorry you
don't care for the position of women;
should have liked us to be friends; and il
is the only thing about which l think
much, or feel much"
Waldo looked at her. 1t was hard tC
say whether she were in earnest or mock
ing.
81 know it is foolish. Wisdom never
kicks at the iron walls it can't bring
down." she said. "But we are cursed
Waldo; born cursed from the time oul
mothers bring us into the world till the
shrouds are put on us. Do not look Al
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,
sedately enough; "but what curses you?'
He thought she would not reply tc
him, she waited so long.
1T is not what is done to us, but
what is made of u.s." she said at last,
'that wrongs us. 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 rest-blanls;
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. To us il
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 a knowledge of all 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, l can win power
with it, can win fame. What would
knowledge help me? The less 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 one. you can not go.
they say; your little face will burn, and
your nice white dress will be spoiled. y
We feel it must be for our good, it is so
lovingly said; but we can not under
stand, and we kneel still with one little
check pressed wistfully against the
pane. Afterwards we go and thread
blue beads, and make string for our
neck; and we go and stand before the
glass. We see the complexion we were
not to spoil, and the white frock, and
we look into our own great eyes. Then
the curse begins TO act on us. 1t fin
ishes its work when we are grown wO-
men, who no more look out wistfully
at 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 either. 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 piticd-
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, little longing when we are
young. a little futile searching for work.
a 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.
Il see in your great eyes what you
are thinking" she said. glancing at
him. Il always know what the person
j am talking to is thinking of. How is
this woman who makes such fuss
worse off than l? will show you by a
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, to make our
way in life. This evening you will
come to n farmers house. The farmer,
albeit you come alone and on foot. will
give you pipe of tobacco and a cup of
coffee and a bed. If he has no dam to
build and no child to teach, tomorrow
you can go on your way with a friendly
greeting of the hand. i. if l 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