St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-15

Nm M E<Y1lE5 NJ Truthful W TIC cOlOTS
N AEM E/3Isy " than a lady to her
M|GG u pOwder-puff. Nor is
Is ~ this reproach. In
- the original coSmical
scheme it was mani
festiy intended that every female of the
human species should be brimful of faS-
cination and allurement.
Women were created to attract men,
and 10 hold them in bonds of admira-
| ton and submission; and when they
fail in this direction something's is wrong
somewhere. The great difference be-
tween ourselves and the beasts and
birds is that among the latter the male
| Is generally the more attractive, per-
sonally. The male lion has the name,
the male peacock the tlamboyant tail.
And what is worse, the lioness and the
peahen are debarred from the use of
artificial tresSes and dress improvers. A
woman can often make herself nicer
than nature made her-and she does :;
but beast and bird must put up with
natural fur and feather
In ancient times women were for the
most part admired and celebrated for
their physical beauty. At least Helen
of Troy was. and many another. Her
glory was in her hair. her lovely eyes
and mouth: complexion of milk and
blood and in the flowing lines Of her
figure. Of course women OF sense and
culture were always sought after, par
ticularly among the Greeks and Ro-
mans. But it was not then the fashion,
as it is now, for ladies to place them
selves in intellectual rivalry with men,
and to compete with them for prizes
and academical distinction in the
schools. At Athens or Rome or at
Olympia what took place at the Royal
University of Ireland the other day
could hardly have occurred. Ladies,
however, did take degrees at some Ital-
ian universities in the middle ages.
But Padua herself probably never
heard such news as comes from Dublin,
to the effect that nine girls were last
week capped and gowned-one got the
LID, and the rest were made masters
and bachelors of arts. Is it not wonder
derful and agreeable in tile extreme?
Moreover. all accounts are agreed in
stating that the nine graduates-the
very number of the muses., by the way
look delightful in their square-topped
capS-a most becoming head dress, and
solemn gowns with purple hoods.
What could be more pleasant to look
upon than nine pretty Irish girls, with
black hair and blue eyes, and skins like
velvet. thus ACQUIRED? 1t was wort
while winning the degrees if only TO
the right to wear costume so becom
ing and of so much distinction.
VIII these nine clever women make
better wives and mothers than if they
had never graduated, or gained the priv
llege to wear the academical gown and
mort ar-bOard? That is a question which
cannot be answered in this place. 1t is
problem the solution OF which lies
with the future-a matter entirely per-
sonal to the individuals themselves. A
question far more pertinent arises
Are women likely TO be happier for
being clever? The answer to that is
Yes: emphatically, yesl A nice woman
lives at her best in the equal compan-
lonShip of nice man. All the talk of
the Women's rights evangeliSts about
women making sphere and position
for themselves in antagonism to. and
outside their relations with men is alb
solute, sheer nonsense. A man with
out woman's love, and woman with
out the love of man. is something in
complete-like the sun without world
to shine upon; like a magnet without
steel.
Hence men should feel no touch of
anger or veXation at women trying to
rival them in the field of learning; and
women should encourage no undue
sense of triumph in carrying of the
honorS in science, history and litera-
ture, from men. Undoubtedly it is a
very remarkable fact that Miss Fawcett
should have come out higher than the
senior wrangler at Cambridge this year,
and that no fewer than nine girls should
have gained scholastic distinction at
Dublin last week. But it is glad sign
of the times, and healthy one WithaI
and augurs we'll for the happiness of
the race in the days that are to come,
when the writer and the reader shall be
no more, and men and women of 4 new
generation live more happily, in greater
love and accord. than we see now in the
world round about us.
No one who goes to the theaters, or
reads the So-called comic papers, or
generally keeps open eyes, can have
failed to observe that women above a
certain age are constantly made the pub
lie butts of small, petty, and vindictive
Wittlcsms. Upon the stage, and in the
comic papers especially, no sneer is too
bitter for the old maid or the mature
matron. 1t is made merit to flatter IT, e
young and be rude to the old. The rea-
son why women will not tell their age is
because with them age is in this way
made disability, and robS them of that
consideration and esteem which all nu-
man beings prize-the equivalent of
fame, honor and glory. This is fate
which happens to women in the gross,
but very seldom to women of excep-
tiOnal cleverneSS and culture.
The history of most marriages-of
course there are tens of thousands of
happy exceptions-is tale of disaster.
Youth, Beauty and High Spirits attracts
the man, and make a slave of him. But
Youth cannot last, and Beauty has a
trick of fading, and Care comes in and
drives High Spirits outside the door.
Then spreads discomfort on the one
side, and petulance Oh the other. Where
the wIfe's mind is not equal to that Of
the husband, when the beauty is gone,
not too much remains behind. But
where the woman is a real companion
to the man, mentally equal to any male
friends-and hundreds of thousands of
such cases eXist-there is true marriage
found and true happiness. Women will
be beautiful, or seem so. at any cost.
They do not need to be encouraged in
that direction. But il the young girls
of the day desire to be happy when the
wrinkles and the gray hair clamor, and
will not be denied, let them buy books
and papers as we'll as face powder. Let
them, like the wise Dublin girl gradu-
ates- to whom all honor-increase the
ever-welcome and overwhelming circle