The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-08-31

DOMESTIC iNFELICITY OF WO-
MEN WRITER'S.

TorbIddeu Truit-S0me fcssihir'"s
Tho snsss Of Iceland--Notes and Com
ment.
The conviction that out OF one ma
terial cannot be wrought learned or Iit'
erary women, and good wives. mothers,
and housekeepers. may not be OF one
ness with truth, but 1t prevails nor Is
the sentiment confined to the british
illiterate. The conclusion OF the rank
and file of masculine thinkers and I'M
thinking women, that she whose mind
to her kingdom is, must Of need ne
eject the weighter matters OF home at
fections and homely duties, may be as
illogical as TO argue that because wo-
man has a pretty hand she must have
an ugly foot-but the delusion holds its
own, and the unreason i too common
to be ignored.
There is a much-quoted saying OF
college president. that a university
graduate can pillow nearer to stump
without hitting it than an unlearned
laborer. Why, then, does q knowl'
edge of the calculus, or the ability to
write clearly and forcibly, hamper the
woman who must season salads and
sweep roomsp
. Men like their chosen professions.
woman loves hers: iufuses it with her
personality. and holding it to her heart
minimizes everything else. The pro
duction is hers, soul of her soul. The
throes that gave it birth belong to the
mother side of her nature-the side oil
which she never loses consciousness.
The passion of maternity that made
Miss Ferris's Mrs. Fairbairn, after be
coming a mother, cease to be anything
else, accounts for more with the liter-
ary woman than she or her censOrs sus-
pect. The slave of society has not so
much excuse for neglecting household
duties as the pen-wright. In the au-
thor's sight it is more important TO ner
kind that she write the poem which
will elevate other souls, or the essay
that may right wrong, than that the
pie-crust should be fqky or Johns
socks artistically darned.
Yet John likes flaky pastry, and to
have socks and linen looked after in his
mothers way. Still. if the truth were
told. it would appear that a surfeit OF
the monotony of housewife.y homilies
lmpelIed him to admiration OF the
clever woman he afterward learned to
love. But maturer manhood brings a
hankeripg after more sav0ry flesh-pots
than Bridget produces, while Hypatla
nurses a fine frenzy in the locked sane
tum above stairs. Poetry is estima-
ole in its way, and Hypatia glorious
creation in hers, TO whom he feels con-
strained to apologize for naming but
tons. or rip in his pocket, But II
clear consomme and a higher order OF
| intellect were not Incompatible. John
would be a much happier man.
A woman must be not only broad in
mind. but deep and tender III feeling,
before she can content herself to spread
cement as well as TO carve stone. Ii Is
| a horrible surprise to learn that her
husband cannot live by her intellect
alone, whereas as lover he swore that
it was victuals and drink to his whole
beng: and she reads, in his apparent
contempt for the products OF her mind
kingdom, disloyalty TO herself as
his spouse. BY giving diligent
study TO her specimen OF genus
homes. she will learn that her hungry
John is inwardly as savagely impatient
of brilliant epigram and unanswer-
able logic when dinner is late or badly
cooked as Irish Mick, who, IN like cir.
| cumstances, carresses his " woman
| with a club: and her tired John as inca
pable OF approaching a sonnet as If he
| had never learned TO read. More "cas' :
Of incompatbility" grow out OF non
recognition Of these simple facts than
husbands, wives. and divorce courts
| dream OF.
Furthermore. the husband. however
noble, fond. and generous, is fatally apt
to love his wife less when be sees her
tower above and overshadow him. To
him she is a part and a secondary
division Of himself, and her overgrowth
an excresence. Precedent and native
aggressiveness have begOtten in man
| this sort of ASSERTION that is satisfied
with nothing in his wife that he does
not originate, regulate, and pervade;
and vet he may be educated and
refined. and in most things follow JUS
ice. and incline to mercy. The welded
woman author. realizing that the de
velopment of her intellectual powers If
producing envy and spite IN the mind
of her husband, may try to curb her IN
clinations. and shape her tastes 10 his
decree. Perhaps she may succeed, If
gradual lowering of the whole nature
he success: but more often nature and
reason burst bonds, and the nObler OF
the two outstrips the other, until the
term welded pair becomes bitter
sarcasm.
The assertion that literary women
are. as "a class, ill-regulated as to nerve
and temper is not true. In physique
longevity. vivacity, and endurance the
literary workers OF this country com
pare most favorably with their sister;
who confine themselves to the bounds
of authorized feminine pursuits.
There are husbaDds-and not few
of them-strong, true, brave, and good
enough TO be allied to women OF genius
without the risk of heart break to one
and hfe-wreck to th-husbands
whose proud appreciation of the laurel:
won by wives is sweeter far to the VIII
ners than all the far-off praise of the ma
lions.
For such as these, let literary women
bless God, and ask for strength TO show
4 10 the world what manner of wives and
homes these men deserve and have
homes which weaker women. seeing
may take heart again and initiate, fol
the glory Of the sex and the redemp
ton of humanity. Marian Harland IN
August Arena.
Forbidden Fruit.
The short story is having its day
again. There was a time. within the