The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-04-20

for nous avo1as change tout ceES; and
woman in the present and in the future
Is far fairer sight.
But man, like the fly upon the wheel
of Time, feels themovement, dimly per-
ceives the progress, and cannot for the
life of him understand what's the power,
or how to control it. Steam he knows
all about; electricity he is graphing with
pretty successfully; the Odic force he
talks about with more or less intelli-
gence, but what sort Of force or power
moves this coach wheel, which he dimly
perceives he does not move, only rides
upon?
Well, giving up the problem, he says
there isn't any power at all, it just goes
nobody knows how, and for his parthe is
not going to attend to any such non
sense; woman is what she always has
been, the adjunct of man, the feebler,
less responsible half of his own existence,
whom he is bound to control, to educate,
to protect and to patronize. While she
is young and pretty he Will make love to
her, and if she resists his pursuit he will
probably want her very much indeed,
and say a great deal about her perfec-
tons and merits; having obtained her
and In parenthesis the man remarks that
she generally IS as glad to be caught as
he is to catch her-the mans duty is to
treat her kindly, but not to let her sup
pose she can manage her own life, much
less his; hasn't she promised to love,
honor and obey, and does she fancy he
isn't going to exact the whole bond?
He doesn't expect her to know or care
about his business; if he is a business
man, she couldn't understand, and her
opinion wouldn't be worth taking; if he
is & lawyer, he takes good care not to
tell her anything about his cases, be-
cause, you know, women can't keep q
secret, and invariably put on their bon
nets and run over to Mrs. So-and-so's to
retail every bit Of gossip they can pick
up; besides, a woman has no idea of law,
logic, equity or precedent. If he is
clergyman, he has a fine time, for he
pelts her with St. Paul, and enunciates,
"WiveS, be obedient to your own hus-
bands" in a fine chest tone.
Altogether man is quite sure that he
knows all about woman and is perfectly
competent to guide and govern her,
along with the children, etc. But this
new departure! What is to be done
about it? First, he peevishly mutters;
"Nonsense! Don't be silly! Go get a
new bonnet If you want it, but don't
talk like a fool!'
This doesn't quite seem to quiet the
commotiOn, and he wakes witty about
"Iong haired men and short haired wo-
men," and asks his wife, or daughter, or
sister, if she is going to order the neither
garments of his tailor or buy them ready
made.
Even this whitening sarcasm doesn't
altogether nip the pestilent growth Of
this stem of rebellion, and then tbs
shrewder kind Of man tries to identify
himself with the new order, and is mag
unanimous and kind and patronizing to
Lilith, and holds out his hand, saying:
Come, then, I'll help you up to the sad
die right in front of me, and you shall
manage the snaffie ring, and I'll hold the
curb and keep the whip"
TO this proposition Lilith replies, in
effect, that man is quite welcome to ride
his own horse after his own fashion, and
she shall not interfere so long as he does
not Obstruct her path, but that she is her
self well mounted, and feels quite ahls
to manage snaffle, curb, whip and spuri
she is very willing and DESTROYS to ride
alongside Of her comrade man in the
most amicable spirit; she sees that they
are both bound to the same goal, and she
grants that each can make the road
pleasanter and more profitable for the
other, but she insists upon it that her
steed Progress is quite as valuable as his
nag Precedent, and if he will not allow
her room to riGs by his side she shall
certainly push for the front, and may
unfortunately crowd him to the wall as
she passes.
At all events, she does not propose to
be crowded to the wall herself, nor does
she intend TO ride any longer upon pre-
cedent, either behind or before men; she
is daughter of Lilith, equal in every way
to Adam, although in a different direc-
ton; she does not claim to govern or
direct him, nor does she mean to let him
govern or direct her. That sort of thing
does very well for the daughter of Eve,
that poor creature who could not resist
the Establishments of Satan nor the de-
sire for forbidden fruit, and who, having
got herself into a scrape, dragged Adam
into it after her. But /, says Lilith, am
quite a match for Satan and his pippins,
end am brave enough TO fight my own
battles and bear my own penalties. All
l ask is that man should treat me as we'll
as l treat him, or as he treats his brother
man.
There lies the question. VIII man,
Fan man see that a new condition Of
affairs obhges him to adopt a new atti-
ude? The good steed Progress is bear
ing woman 10 the front; will he draw
Precedent aside and make room that the
two may ride on together, true and faith
full comrades. or VIII he insist that she
run at his stirrup. sit cozily upon pill
hon at his back, or perch precariously in
front and guide the snatfie rein?
One thing is sure and certain, the old
order of the world is changing and anew
order Is coming in; nor can the will Of
one man or all the men in the world, no,
nor of all the women into the bargain,
retard, or accelerate, or alter the course
of that great change. The only thing
we, both men and women, can do is 10
adapt ourselves to II. Let the women
open wide their eyes to the new sphere
Of action opening before them; let them