The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-08-29
PROTEST FROM THE "FAR WEST. y


elegantly dressed ladies talking-and not
in whispers-of the Far West.
was that little girl, born and reared in
an Illinois town, and to this day can re-
call the feeling of indignation that filled
my childish heart when they talked of
Chicago as if corn fields must be found
within the city limits, and the wild Indian,
In all his glory of blanket, war paint and
feathers, on her thoroughfares. At first
felt that / must defend our beautiful
Pride of the West" until a feeling of
commiseration for their ignorance took
the place of wounded pride.
Very much the same feeling came over me
when | read lately that when the president
of an eastern club gave an account of her
visit TO organizations like our own in the
far west, she said, with some amusement
and some regret, that sin very small and
remote settlements, like Boulder City, the
women'S clubs were inclined to devote
themselves largely to the study of ancient
Greek art and similar subjects to the eX-
clusion of the vital topics of the day"
The same spirit that rebelled against a
Misrepresentation of Chicago, having gone
hundreds of miles further west. has grown
and strengthened under the influence of
people whose motto is, "Ad Astra per
Aspera," and we are more than ever I'M
willing to be pitied and condoled with be-
cause of geographical location; to be re-
stricted in what we may or may not study;
| to be weighed in the balance and found
wanting because we live beyond the hum
of Broadway or out of calling distance Of
Beacon or Murray Hill.
| We would like to ask, what is the differ
| ence between the east and the west after
all? Fifty years ago several weeks travel
| interviewed between 1.-THE cultured east"
and 1.-THE wild and woolly west" Ten
| years ago it had narrowed down to five or
six days, while now it has diminished to
/ L.. l. %ba Of
| the east has advanced westward in the
same proportion that time and space have
| been annihilated and the wild west" has
disappeared before the advancing waves OF
| progress.
Why should not ancient Greek art be
| discussed by western club? Ask the
question, "Where did you come from?" at
one of our western club meetings, and the
! answers would be as various as the faces.
| Ask, "Where were you educated" and
! hear thear the schools and colleges named,
and then hope to confine, or define, the
| discussion of so cosmopolitan body; and
then ask them, "Were you ever east"
with the locations of all the points
of interest in art, music, educa-
ton, etc, of several at least of
the principal eastern cities, and can
speak advisedly of their progress in these
lines How many eastern club women do
you suppose could tell as much of our
much-maligned Far West"-and by this
would mean west of the Mississippi?
Why should not a western club discuss
any question under the sum-
Eastern publishers are delighted to sell
to western purchasers, ard western readers
may have every paper and magazine pub
llshed on their library tables, if they but
will, almost simultaneously with those
who live nearer the Office of publication.
We find that eastern newspapers, like those
of the west, are much more prone TO give
full and detailed account of a tistlc en-
counter, dog or chicken prize fight, or a
base ball game, than to devote their valu-
able space to womans' convention; but
we have our own Cycles, Journals, Trib-
unes, etc, and through them try to keep
step with the advancing women OF the
times.
Our enterprising western Journalistic
educated oft times on the eastern papers
have eyes and ears alert to the happenings
of the world, and we sit at our breakfast
tables reading very much the same news
that our esteemed eastern friends are
reading
The same "hand of time" that has made
no north, no south, is breaking down the
bars between the east and west. Your
capitalists buy our bonds, own our city
railways, our electric light plants, our
water works; our merchants go to your
TO your watering places, to your galleries, !
sail from your shores in your company to |
European countries and come home to !
their Free eautiful western prairies filled /
with the same ideas, the same memories, !
the same knowledge, gained by Boston |
ian or New Yorker.
In over four years existence of a club of |
fifty members we have found If but one |
person in the club was well informed on a /
subject, her knowledge and well directed /
efforts brought out many unsupported |
ideas from Others and many times the |
discussion of a subject Is but the contin-
uatiOn of a work or line OF thought taken |
up in an eastern home, before the person |
had taken Horace GTeeley's advice.
With one member of our club who has |
a beautiful studio in the grand university |
located here land who goes every year to
the eastern galleries and studiOS), and with |
at least dozen others of that class SOrO-
sis has lately dubbed 'dabblers in art"
with those others who could dine the club
on exquisite dishes designed, painted. |
gilded and fired with their own hands. l
hope this lady who regrets that a western
club should discuss ancient Greek art will
not be surprised that we have had one
afternoon devoted to Historic art, ''Wo-
man in industrial art" and several other
phases of the subject.
Later we atoned for wading in this deep
water, by plunging into the depths OF
"Heredity" and Enlightened mother
hood" but, under the guidance of our
four talented physicians, learned many
things calculated to make US better
mothers. And when we had an afternoon
on An ideal home" and rs cooperative
practical" we had learned
that which was calculated to make Us
better wives.
With several members possessing
histrionic talent, and presi,
dent who has written, published
and successfully produced several
dramas, we found enjoyment, pleasure
and profit in discussing, The influence of
the drama on society and How to ele-
vate the standard of the stage" From
these topics we have passed TO Are
women frivolous?" Russian literature"
Gust at this time George KEENAN, lectured
here, and some of the club had a long pri-
vate conversation with HIM, "Where do
we get our character" is polite society
politeg' is the world growing beJtery'
'HypnotiSm," plain talks on domestic
"Egyptology," etc, and varied
As are the subjects (and these only few,
we-perhaps in our ignorance-calledt them
all vital topics of the day"
We do miss many things you have in the
east, but the people of the great west
would be like Gagged birds shut up in a fat
in your heated cities. We have grown
used to the fact that the art centers, the
homes of the literary people and many
things much to be desired are there, but
we make pilgrimages there to gaze
upon these beauties and the beau
tiful creations of thought that are 20 (
be bought and transplanted 20 our homes.
We believe that no place can by right
remain the hub of the universe. We must
recognize the fact that wheel with the
hub at one side would made a very pecul-
lar progress. Forward, advance, keep step.
progress, has been called all along the line