St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-26
FACILITATING WOMEN.

The tender half or the world has mate
rally changed during the past twenty years.
Among woman's foremost characteristics is
the procliyity to change her mind. She
changes her mind as frequently as she does
her costume, which is just as often as cir
cumstances will permit, and she seems to be
carrying this yacilating trait beyond the
realm of dress and everyday affairs, and
really To be undergoing changes of ideas OF
/ taste and behavior. Without any reference
to women at work. women in the professions
or women in public life. or to the influence
which this rapidly-deyeloped class is having
on society. women of the old-time proper
hmoe and social realm are not at all what
they were few years ago. They are more
chic, more chummish with the opposite sex,
more alive to sports and excitements, than
they were, but whether this is only one of
their changes of mind on a somewhat
brcadened scale it will take probably few
years to determine. No amount of philoso-
phizing or studious consideration for either
the subject or the sex will prove any
thing at ALL for with all the changes
that they may undergo they are per-
sistent IN one thIng-to remain, it seems.
f charming, seductive, unsolvable enigmas to
the end of time. She has grown perhaps a
trifie more self-reliant, little more viva
cious, but not one whit the less loveable; in
fact, who would not admire the girl of to-
day who contributes SO much to the pleasure
OF life by her frightened wit and her activity
more than the posing, sentimental, lack-a-
daisacal female of few years ago. She has
become less plaything aud more com
panion, much to her credit. She has quit
pulling daisies to pieces to see whether the
man she loves loves her or not and utilizes
that wasted time improving herself by one
means or another to make herself the more
worthy of the love and respect of the man
from whose tender care she expects to reap
her greatest harvest of happiness. and it is
devoutly to be hoped that she will never re-
trograde from this advance.
~
While these changes have been taking
place, it is true that q small and dsagreeable
army of heaastrong, would-be masculine
females has arisen, with erratic and iucon-
gruous ideas based principally upon their
personal egotism, and with unusual aptitude
for quarreling with each other and with
everybody else; but it is unlikely that they
VIII ever accomplish very much harm. and L
do not think there is any distinct connection
between them and the changes in the true
woman'S world. To return to the yacillating
tendency of women's minds, as an example
sixteen hundred women have registered to
vote i'll Boston at the coming election. At
the last election, the first opportunity given
them to exercise this franchise there were
some eight thousand female voters regis
tered, though even that was but small per-
centage OF the female population. which is
believe, in the neighborhood of $50, 900. Prob
ably at the elections next year there will not
be as many women's votes cast as you could
get out for the best looking baby at Meth
odist soclable.
The death of Mrs. Allen G. Thurman a few
days since, and the evident keen grief felt by
her illustrious husband, brings to mind
again the thought that back of all the honor,
all the ambition. all the struggle for compe-
tence and distinction, lie ties that are more
binding and more priced than all else that
the world can offer. This should always be
true of every man and woman, but that it
sometimes is not is undeniable and that this
cannot be denied is a great sad pity. How
often do we find great and good and brilliant
men so swallowed up in their ambition. am
bition to amaSS great wealth, to achieve pro-
fessional distinction. to win political prefer
ence, that their wives must remain secondary
considerations. To be sure, occasions are
may be before the public, and we hear that
at certain great demonstration the Hon.
Mrs. James Blank was present. or that Mrs.
Millionaire Broker wore the most superb
diamonds on certain occasion. or that Mrs.
Judge LiDelsuit is dead. And we know by
this that these men whose names they bear
have wives, and these are they. Further
that it is merely matter of circumstance
that we have heard of them, and circum-
Stance which it is doubtful if their respective
husbands would make much effort to affect
one way or another.
dc not think it either pleasing or proiita-
BILE that women should be greatly before the
public, or necessary that they should be
closely allied to the pubic lives of their hus-
bands, but do think that some men. might
say many men, fall into the whirlpool of
their ambitious, and neglect even to draw
their wives in with them. 1t is a pathetic
and beautiful sight to see SO great and grand
man as Hon. Allen G.. Thurman still wor-
Shipping at the shrine of she who, of course,
had little trouble to elicit his tender thoughts
in her youth. 1t is beautiful and inspiring
lesson TO see such a man whose time and
thoughts have Eeen so literally given to his
country, yet keeping ever bright and warm
his great love for the companion of his life,
and that when each had arrived at the ripest
old age. Boz.