Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1892-09-22
THE wIsHINEss OF w~AsHINEss.

A new sort of woman has been un-
earthed by Mr.. Box, of the Ladies Home
Journal, and he occupies nearly a page
of the last issue in describing her and
telling her why she ought not to exist.
"They," he says, "are DOMINIC mascu-
Unity, not only in their garments, but
in their ideas; they want to vote; they
are beginning to believe more in certain
fanciful rights than in their children
they are acquiring mental knowledge
at the expense of heart affection -
Where is the proof of these remarkable
statements? Ordinarily observation
shows that the fashion of wearing vests.
cravats and mannish looking shirts is
as common among weak minded as
among strong minded women. As for
donning masculine ideas, that would
be as difficult a performance as swim
ming in a masculine lake, building a
masculine house, r eating a masculine
pie. Ideas are sexless and free to every
body. They are also capable of being
assimilated in large quantities by the
human mind, whether that mind hap
pens to be encased in q male or female
body.
knowledge is not acquired at the ex-
pense of heart Affection is acquired
in most instances at the expense of
pocket money. 1t would be an insult
to c~ollegebred men to affirm that their
love of families and homes was less
ardent than the love which laboring
men and artisans give to their wives and
children. Nobody asserts that men are
acquiring mental knowledge at the
expense of heart affection" Yet the
rule should work equally well in both
cases.
The entire article appears to be based
upon the apprehension that if woman
takes one single step in the direction of
progress, that step will land her outside
of the sacred sphere of home, the front
door of which she will slam with a
~viciousness that will make every peace
loving husband shake in his shoes. And
this In face of the multitudinous facts
which prove that tle best home makers
in the country are the so called lad
vanced women" Such a woman ap-
plies to domestic difficulties the same
intelligent attention and cultivated rea-
soning power that she formerly brought
to bear upon her studies. She is not
a door mat in her own home, nor is she
a family donkey. Least of all is she a
doll. But by every degree in which her
own mental life has been broadened
and bettercd is the life of her family
broadened and bettered. "When you
educate a man." says the sage, ''you
educate an individual; when you edu-
cate a woman, you educate an entire
family" Genuine womanliness is not
of so frail a texture that it is going to
be destroyed by a cultivated mind, or a
self supporting life, or an abundance of
ideas, or any other creature.
1t is always interesting to observe a
man laboriously stoop down and care
fully chalk out a circle large enough in
his opinion to include more than half
the human race, and then say. There,
all you ladies just step inside of
that, and don't let me hear another
chirp out of any n of you'll" But the
trouble with Mr.. Bok's circle is that il
is too small for ever a single self re-
speeding woman. The average man."
he says, would much rather that his
wife nestle close to him and ask him to
her, than that she should strut
around his house in an assertive man.
ner, and lay down the law to his chill