The morning call., 1891-08-09
POOR mrs. GRUMPY.
How She Occupies Herself in Society and in
Politics.

The social Mrs. Grundy is we'll known to
US, and we are all very mindful to her and
very loyal to her. The French have dar-
ing proyerb that they say" is liar. But
whether liar or not we know that they
say is a tyrant The commands of the
moral law are not more imperative than the
edicts of Mrs. Grundy, and what she will
say of our conduct, our manners, our dress,
our conversation, our houses and dinners
and furniture generally concerns US much
more than what the minister will say of our
life Those WHO hold the view of Father Ig-
natius upon church going, when Easter Sun
day arrives and the new bonnet has not been
sent home, have been known to suffer with
such a headache that they could not go
to church. One such sufferer. upon being
pressed by n skeptical friend. con- esse,i
that perhaps 1t was not so much the head
ache that detained her as the dire appre-
tension of what Mrs. Grundy would say to
an ola bonnet. The realm of this ruler is
wider than that of the Semiramis or Cath
crime of Russia, and her sway is hundred
fold more absolute But the political Mrs
Grundy is as absolute as the social You
cannot mention public man who is not in
bondage to Mrs. Grundy. 1t is both painful
and ludlcrouS TO observe him. If lie has n
speech TO deliver, or a letter 10 write, or if
he is accosted by the interviewer, or falls
Into chance conversation, he is evidently in
mortal terror OF the female tyrant. He
fears to say something. OF to imply or in
slnuate something tina: Mrs. Grumpy will not
like. A young man who has enjoyed the
freedom of political independence, who has
spoken his mind plainly, and felt that III an
OF honor Is no more ashamed Of his opinions
than OF ms conntenance, and no more anxious
to conceal them. decides to enter public life
He is told that lie must begin by cor
recting this practice, and that no man who
says frankly what he thinks of public meas
ures and public men, or who does not show
respect to what people generally respect,
whether he thinks it respectable or not, can
nope to succeed IN public life. He must
always ask himself, what will Mrs Grundy
say? The political Mrs. Grundy is equally
invisible with the other. But when you see
generous iight-hearted youth, full of fine
impulses and noble purposes, brought sud
denly into this obseqniOus obedience to an
unseen authority kind of Grand Lama
you say, naturally, as when you hear that
lie Is In love and betrothed, that you hope
1t is to woman worthy of him. some peer
less Una, and not a Gree. The quest of
this supreme woman, the Mrs. Grundy, who
rules so lntieXibly in public and in private
life, Is quite as interesting an exploration as
that OF Stanley for Emin, Or that OF the noble
army OF Arctic heroes for the Northwest
passage, and despite the invisibility in
which she hides, it is not doubted that
she is known, even if not surreptitiOusly
seen. The political Mrs. Grundy is a
phantom conJured by the apprehension Of
politician Of what he supposes to be the
opinion of the people or of party. The
inevitable result of the apprehension is to
regard the general opinion as mean and I'M
intelligent, that the politician is often
trying to conform TO q STANDARD which he
despises. Instead of asking what does the
public advantage require and what ought to
be done, he wonders what he can do that
VIII ALLEVIATE the least votes. Statesman
ship. he says, consists in doing what you
can, not what you would. But the fault of
that apothegm is its vagueneSs. You know
what YOU would, but no man until he tries
knows what he can. 1t is certain that you
can do safely what is generally approved.
But the vital condition of progress is that
somebody shall go first. The forward step
is not generally approved until 1t is taken,
and in arguing that it ought not to be taken
until it is generally approved, you forget
that taking it is the way to secure approval.
The important part is not what Mrs.
GruDdy says, but what she ought to say
Harper'S Weekly.