The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-07-25
From Sappho to Suspenders.

lib. IoIIEh xALMEnp lOcAuCho Va WIG
Board OF Woman Managers OF the Chicago
Show. is disappointed at tho meagre
amount Of interest which the women Of
America have thus far shown In applying
for space at the show. Mrs. PALMER has
therefore found 1t necessary to appeal to
the women Of America to display greater
anxiety to exhibit themselves as the equals
or the rivals Of men in the arts and the in
dustries. Our esteemed contemporary. the
Chicago Herald. endorses Mrs. PALMER's
note to the women Of America. and its
luculent remarks Increment give us deep
and solemn Joy which we should be churlish
to withhold from our readers:
"The vital question for her tho American woman 10
not whether schoiasts right wrong in their dis
pute over the few lingering lines Of sArrHo nor
whether romance has done moro for q IrrArA than
history warrants, nor whether legendary sAsIsA
sIKEsAcH influenced architecture Tho vital question
10 whether tho Queen Of Italy lnces Navajo
women make bsnksts The question 10 not whethor
women have written books. which IL ~ obvious a.
that they have trimmed bonnets and made pies. is
what they doing Since every door Of employ
open to that sex, what 10 It accomplishing
justify the lowering OF mems of Its nrst ana
mos universal effects Women are engage cd now in
all uetallio plastic, lapidary. gnstis hthc. dermic
textile. and commercial occupations"
We don't entirely understand what our
learned Cook county contemporary means
to denote by "dermic:" in fact we should
suppose that review Of the history OF
woman. II history can be applied with adj
vantage to O theme essentially and init
mately poetical. would show that woman is.
Us she has been. engaged In cardiac rather
than dermic activities: but. Of course. this
is mere matter Of opinion. and feminine
characteristics. as developed and displayed
in Chicago. may be different from those
with which older II not better parts OF tho
world are familiar.
Still. we recognize and revere in the Chi
cago Heralds catalogue Of feminine bust
ncsses or decorative arts. many feminine
distinctions recognized In all attitudes.
Women have always boon in metallic occu-
pations because they are the gilded and re-
fined gold OF this oblate sphcrold. They
are plastic because they are beautiful OF
form and fashion. models and good to be
modelled. and because they can toss and
form the pliable and doltish clay OF man
/. whatever shape they please. He
always does as he is told. though he has
an enlarged opinion OF his pride OF port and
majcsty,i will and unbcnding demcanor.
Women ar. lapidarles because they are con-
nolsseurs IN precious stones. that is to say.
! familiar with. their own jeweled and
flashing perfecto's. They arc "lignistic"
because they can make tho greatest and the
shrewdcst man thatives as helpless and
ridiculous as a wooden man. Our Chicago
contemporary may have meant to say that
women have distinguishes themselves in
Linguistic" or tonguey operations, but we
prefer to accept the misprint. II mlsprint it
Is. The orators OF the world lave been
men. and the great gosslps and inveterate,
incorrigibe takers OF the world havs been
men. Look at old SAM PEPYs. Loor at
MoNTAIGNE and SAINT SIMON. Look at tao
Hon. JAMES CORSICA BOSWELL. Look. as
every Macaulayesque schoolboy knows. at
the linguistic MAoAULAY. who talked I'M
interruptedly for nearly fifty-nine years.
using the pen when his vocal chords
needed oiling.
Woman Is much better known as 1.-The
some than as lithic. yet the lithic capacity
OF woman is no new faculty that needs
illustration at Chicago or anywhere. Tho
lithic lamentations OF Queen ARTEMIsIA Of
Cara became one OF the seven wonders OF
the ancient world. as President HARPER OF
the Chicago University Is trying to make
the llthocephalic populace OF his new
dysosmiapolitan home to understand: but
what does Chicago care for the Seven
Wonders OF tho World" says President
HARPER, when she has Nine under tho
tried and slnewy captaincy OF the Hon.
ADRIAN CoNsrANTIUs ANsoN?" PYRRHA.
too. or Madame DEUoALIoN. was lithic.
"She SHE'D rocks Threw stones) over
her head" says President HARPER
in his lecture on ATHENS. Chicago.
and DEVILS Lake." land 50 recreated
the human race after tho deluge,"
This Is according to the records. but Profess
sor FIELD OF the University OF Chicago AYERS
that PYRRHA was llgnistic. "Shs threw
sticks over her left shoulder" says he. land
SO created the people OF Boston" Be these
things as they may, there can be no doubt
that woman is. has been. and ever shall DO
lignistic. and lithic: and, which Is several
thousand diameters more to the purpose.
lovely. Lovely with Incidental ithic. lg-
nistic. plastic. lapldarian. and dermie