Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1891-02-05
25
WOMAN's WORLD IN PARAGRAPHS.
What Elizabeth cady Stanton Thinks OF
Annie Bcsant


Elizabeth Cady Stanton writes in The
New York Herald letter about Annie
Besant. ana it il worth while To note
what this clear headed woman and
shrewd observer has to say Of the most
famous woman Radical in England. Mrs.
Besant is one of the busiest persons in
Great Britain, to begin. She Is identi-
fed closely with two classes of move
ments-one the working peoples cause
ia general, the other the progress and
rights of women. Besides this she is a
socialist, theosophist, and a very active
member Of the London School board.
She manages house for poor working
girls where the cost Of living is 80 calcu-
lated that for small sum honest girls
who work for low wages can have u
pretty and comfortable home in re-
spectacle neighborhood. Annie Besant's
history il remarkable. Her radicaIism
was driven into her By process
Of slow torture - driven 70 thor
oughly that now not the rack or
the stake should force it from her; no,
not even wealth and fashion could
tempt her to resign it. She was married
very young to a clergyman of the Church
Of England, man whose violent temper
and gloomy bigotry made her first ques-
ton the saving grace Of the theol ogy be
preached. Bat this questioning was
subversive OF all proper domestic dis
cipline, and the Rev. Frank Besant in
the name Of Christianity turned his free
thinking wife outdoors and took her
children away from her because the laws
OF England did not consider mother
who doubted the creed of the Church of
England a proper person to train the
young mind. So, widowed and desc
late, she went out to work for human
ity. When her children were old
enough to choose they went to her of
their own accord. Mrs. Stanton writes
Of the famous Radical, s'She is one of
those rare characters, purified and ele-
waited by every sorrow, whose learning
has passed from her memory to her
judgment, and made her wiser in an the
practical details Of life"
I have always had a sly suspicion that
there were good many fools in the
world, but at present the most hopeless
fools seem to me to be those superfne
individuals who base their claim to gen
tility on the fact that they wear hand
made underclothing and scorn the ma
chine made underclothing. Let those
wear the hand made gear, Of course, who
prefer clothing which some woman has
darned her fingers of and bored her eyes
out to make, and after she has done it
her seams are neither 90 handsome,
strong nor even as those made by the tire
less little iron fingers. Machine made
clothing IS very nice and very pretty,
and thousands Of lovely women viii con
tinue to wear it. Cranks can wear what
they ike, but let them not presume TO
criticise those who do not agree with
their nonsense. If they must wear hand
made clothing as a mark Of genti1ity, let
them. They probably need it.
The Catholic archbishop Of Santiago
must have drawn very doletul concln-
sions from his observations on the estate
of matrimony in his archdiocese. He
has directed that hereafter all BRIDE
maids shall wear at weddings black
dresses. Marriage is grave business iu
Chill
There is one state in the Union that
has no college for women, and the
thought of a ''co-ed" college would
frighten her out of her Rip Van Wrinkle
sleep Of century. That state j. V1r-
ginia-old Virginia II is easy to under
stald why Virginia is no longer the
mother Of presidents.
A woman, Mrs. Annie Baxter, has
been elected in due form clerk Of Jasper
county, Mo. This is the county of which
the fourishing and growing town Of
Carthage il the county seat.
The Women's union of Boston has
inaugurated a series Of Sunday meetings
exclusively for women. The speakers
are always women. The topics dis
cussed are not necessarily religious, but
are usually of an ethical nature, and dis
tinguished and able women in all the
walks Of life address the meetings, which
are full of interest. Women's societies
ought to have meetings Of this sort in all
the cities and large towns
The voting in the Methodist church
for the admission Of women as delegates
to the general conference amounts to
this: It is simply popular expression
Of the sentiment Of the church members
in general. The church in general has
voted in favor of it. The authoritative
vote-that which will decide the matter
finalIy-will be taken by the ministers
of the church next year The preachers
will vote net only on the admission of
women to the general conference, but
on their eligibility as delegates to the
ordinary conferences of the separate
districts and divisions Of the Methodist
church There is little reason 10 doubt
that the result viii Be III favor Of the
women. however, since among the
Methodist clergy are some Of the most
enlightened and liberal men on the wo-
man question to be found in America
Well they may be, too, for it Is women
who support the church
Bishop Vincent prophecies that women
vii be admitted as delegates To the
Methodist general conference
Professor Lester f. Ward says in The
Forum: Man has displayed more
genius than woman largely because he
has been in possession Of wider range
&c facts. Therefore, oh. womeni get
facts, not about things that happened in
some foreign country 900 years ago. but
facts about the science, history. govern
ment, industries and social and political
economy Of your own time. The wo-
man who understands thoroughly sin
gle one Of the vital questions OF the day
is worth more to mankind than if she
had at her tongues end the history of
all the poets and painters OF past ages
Don't 60 into Sanscrit history. Study
tie United States constitution ana the
tariff and silver questions.
&a4lMs4rA~ 1'...-.>
The year which has just closed viii be