The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1891-01-24
AN INTEREs TING SUBJECT.


AN INTERES TING SUBJECT.
a Papsr Read Before the Newman Literary
ana Debating Society by Miss
julia Morrissey.
The following paper was prepared and
read by Miss Julia Morrissey before the
Newman Literary and Debating society
of St. Paul on Thursday evening, Jan. 8.
Miss Morrissey is the president OF the
Ladies Sacred Thirst society.
"THE YOUNG WOMAN OF TO-DAY"
What wide field for active labor is
opened out for the young woman of
to-day. What great power for good or
i'll is concentrated in This portion Of
womankind, for Che age that is just
dawning upon us. 1t is not enough
that the young woman OF to day should
be what the woman Of u hall century ago
was or is. This age of rapid progress
and advancement calls for a higher
order of things, and the requirements on
the woman of the future shall be very
great Who are destined to accomplish
the great designs that are planned out
for the wo,a an of the future? Certainly
it ia not the woman 1t hall q century
ago, for the morning s1n of her life has
already passed its meridian and Is sink
ing fast to it's rest. Ii is no. the child
of yesterday that is TO appear on the
seene and take such an active part In
the drama OF lie. No; it is in she young
woman Of to day that these great ex-
pectatiops shall have to find their real
ization.
Every woman in this world has some
position to fill, some one place to occupy
Have the women # our land, in years
gone by, fulfilled the mission which We
think was theirs, or have they been re-
ereant TO the trusi2 Ii we glance back
ward, can we mot sea like panorama
be- ore us the giant tasks that women
have accompl shed in centuries past, to
assist their fathers, brothers, husbands
and friends 10 build up The grand repu',-
liz Of the United States, Can we not see
ikem, from Inc time The fragile bark of
the Pilgrims landed On the bleak shor
of New England down to the present
at rmy days OH our wild frontier, assist
ing stronger arms to place America on
the high pedestal which she TOW occu-
pies. did she not endure hsrdships end
suff-rlngs Undesirable in carrying OFT
the mission which she Enust have felt
was hers
How is Il that III years gone by
woman acc mp1ished 80 much and
with such limited facilities, and that ia
this age of electricity and invention
SO many women are termed the
philosopher pi y thing? There is a
tide in human affairs as well az tide OF
empire We have seem slat the woman
of the PAST did not have amy supeytanous
time to develop ino this modern
novelty. Ii has been within a few
recent yeas, since machinery supplies
the family with really made clothing and
many o. her Injuries that formerly re-
CURED 80 much time and patient labor,
that this rstrograding has become so
apparent.
Who has been to blame for this bad
State OF affairs, what has been the cause
and what is the remedy? In the FIRST
instance, mau has not been altogether to
blame, bur be h ga been in fault to a
greater nr less extent, How often in the
past have MT The ideas and opinions OF
woman, when they yentured outside OF
the boundary line OF the kitchen, been
received with scorn and contempt by
man. How often in the bright days
that have vanished have not the women
who have had the ,nrage to overcome
the obstacles with which their pathway
was strewn been looked upon by man as
his competitor and consequently often
uni silly and unfairly treated.
Whenever the subject of women en-
gaQing in any active sbor comes up, the
question il alway raised, do they pos
sess sufficient str-ngth7 Will they go
crszy? Will they neglect conventional
ties? Will thy become worse than
wcked-he vulgar? III is str ange how
ever that these grave doubts have never
been expressed concerning the psor
WON IN who g 'es abroad washing dily
and spends her evenings in sarubbing
AMI bak :ng at home. By curious alb
senoe OF mans 'Rsistencv it is only
when W mans labor is directed on til ,se
lines, which O lily few years ago were
entirely mnnnpoiized by man, for in
s ance, journalism law, medicine farm
ing or gen raj Business OF any kind, that
ehivalr us IA almond rises M in arms,
and refuses misguided femininity to put
out it's pretty eyes bordering over
miserable books.
There is nothing that viii urge per-
80. -, 81 r,rsavor .nna IN or cnnd ounrk