The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-03-15
Dr.. Maria M. Dean Talks About the
Matter to the Helena
Ladies.
Right Of Self Cannot Overthrow
the Idea Of True Woman
hood.
what thu world Demands OF the Weaker
Sex 1t should Demand of he
Stronger.

xaaterdav afternoon at the request OF
the managers of the Working Women's
home. II was the second OF a
series of talks for the benefit of the home,
and was we'll attended. DR.. Dean ais
claimed all p~retense to delivering a iecsole'
It was, she declared, simply a talk On gen
eral principles, in which she hoped 70 oe
able to convey to the minds OF her auoience
rome ideas that had grown to be conSlc-
tions with her. DR.. Dean salo: ~
~omnn and OF her position with reference
to the general advancement OF soclety. We
hava orr champions in prominent novellsts
and dramists. 1t is almost Impossible 70
nick up a magazine which does not contain
some article on woman. II she entelpIi ~
ing journalist wants TO 60. up an e'p wo,aaS
taking article he writes one aoout women
as a class or some individual OF the class.
What r. the meaning of this prominence
.ccnrded to women and the woman ques-
t;on? p, This manifestation of interest and
chnmpioninp of causes, is this all a iao!
Have we, after all, a cause .pa' neoue "
champion, or any cause At AIR
Have we women as a class any occasion
"a tnrn our thoughts seriously toward lie
to discover whether we have all the oppor,
%tunities we might have ana shoulu
have to enable us to help solve the propleMs
of existence tru'nAuA'J BAN
n order to answer these questions fairly
want to state what to me seems the maj
purpose OF livlnR. ocroe to.
ward an end and that end Is lnuivlauaI
perfection. It means wo1sing aus ,o 20 the
Individual. All progress then must CON-
eide with truth, and the first requisite Tor
Growth is fidelity to self.
Nov If in any stage OF the sworid,s
Growth any individual or class OF lnolvlo-
nnals is obliged to live under sucn ciroum s
stances hat this cardinal law OF growth,
v;z fdelitv to self, can not be reallzea,
than that individual or class IS living under
Inconvenience upfavorable to complete de-
velopment. s;.r
that every day society is cognlzin more
clearly the fact thai the integrity OF all Its
mamhers must be secured in order to rem
der actnaI progress possible, and that
nrooress consists in the advance made by
the majority of the masses, not In the sSFioes
which the few leaders make.
Having stated what seems TO me
an essential condition to progressive
life. please look fairly at woman's position
and see if these essentials of growth are
nar,ritted to her. Has woman as fair 6
chanca IA man to answer the problems OF
life and does sine sustain no relation IN hft
That ia ineonsistant with true womanhood!
lis she true to her own self. nfst OF az!
Let MS consider woman's position from NJ
economic and political standpoint. 1t Il
tha rioht of every individual to be self
snnnortinp or to have i'll his power tn
means of ~self-support, and TO prepare MN
self. to the best of his ability, for mat puf
pose. Woman, too, should ave tnat T1gn
and shonld be prepared to sustain it.. Ina
MEANS That woman should have the right t.
EQUIP herself as fully as possible for tn
nnrnose of self support. Is 1t true tina
woman has this opportunity? l must an
aver this decidedly in the negative. Fo
while avenues of activity, are opening ~
is at a great disadvantage that she enter
upon them and at all immense sacrihc'
that she struggles for Il livelihood. THIS
is true of the entire range OF her actlVlty
whether she be a Phillipa Fawcet
taking a college examination, a youni
artist struggling for an education or
woman occupied in the lowest OF menla
labor. Miss Woodbridge, secretary OF tn
Working Woman's society, of New York II
her report on the condition OF women EN-
ployed in mercantile establishments, says
ut is simply impossible for any woman U
live, without assistance, on the low salary
saleswoman earns, without depriving her
self of real necessities" This Is but 10
true an example Of the state of things l
many other iiel4s of labor. Politically 1t
a ~trayesty to speak of woman's existence
for she has none, save as a contributor t
the tax lists.
But aside from these relations as a mem
ber of society what is woman's absolute re
latlOn to man. and is not that relation tn
key note of the value of woman's economi
and political position? In the ages whe
might was right, in the age of the superior
ity Of physical strength, man was maste
Woman was not the possessor of her ow
body or soul. That right of ownership ws
then pre-empted by man by virtue of h
superior physical strength, and that rigt
has never been wrestea from the pr
emptor. Here, upon this very point, (tf
right to the possession of self rests tt
secret of the entire question of the relate
of man and woman to each other and
society. and in the adjustment of this poll
will be found the solution of the emit
problem of woman's course. Grant to WON;
absolute individual freedom, restore to h
that right without which no character C,
attain it's highest development, nameI
absolute sovereignty of body and soul, tn
and not till then, will woman be in a pc
ton to work out her own destity. W
should this primal condition, necessary
any character for its development, not
list for woman? 1t certainly would
rather presumptious on the part of men
argue, as is often done when women col
in competition with their brothers in SOL
puI5ulI, lt II IA IA " IL WoIhJ
certainly If the creator saw fit to make
of his created beings sovereigns of tn
own soul man need not try to improve
that plan by assuming that responsible
for women. Nor can it be urged hat
will ruin woman, render her unWoman
for how can greater development of char
ter be injurious to the design of that CHI
acter? No, this right to self can never ov
throw the idea of true womanhood.
There is no denying the fact, howev
that woman's position economically, poll
cally and individually is that of the infe
or of man. Their relation is tina of D
SCISSOR and possessed. Now we nave Sc
that there can be no gain to society coll
lively or individually where the integr:
of any class is sacrificed. 1t is as false
claim that it is beneficial as
say that bondage is broader than freedc
liberty broader than slavery. It lea
in q two-fold way, it is detrimental both
woman and to man. For whenever
surrenders the control of soul and BOD,
the will and judgment of another,
result is the sacrifice of the strength
character of the one who yields and the
%velopment of selfshness and arrogance
the one to whom surrender is made. Z
do we find this exempllhed in the relat
of man and woman to each other?
what the world demands of woman
what it gives her in return.
The world says, "We demand of vol
woman, purity, integrity, innocence,
we repay those virtues with their cor
ponding vices" The value OF anything
the price it will bring in the mar
Since purity in the wife is repaid with
purity in the husband, and her integ
with his deficiency, n innocence leas
all demanded in him, there must be s