The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1892-06-01
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| ballots and receiving delicate attentions
from the man in the moon at election
time, the nineteenth century woman is
recognized as the finest, most subtle and
most delightful product of our advanced
civilization. No one understands this bet
ter than herself, and she makes good use
Of the knowledge. She is a thorough
student of human nature, and what she
does not know about humanity in general
and herself in particular is not worth
knowing. The best blood of all races and
chimes commingles in her veins, and she
combines in herself all that is brightest
and noblest. best and most beautiful In
womanhood of all ages. In short, the
combination is perfection.
There is no God but Jehovah, and the
nineteenth century woman is his master
piece. He had practiced on woman of a
thousand races; had constructed Miriams
and Judiths, Zenobias, Cornelias, Cleopa-
tras, GATHERINGS, Elizabeths and Marie
Antionettes; had turned out Grecian
maidens and Roman mothers, sirens.
hours, heroines and goddesses for nearly
! 5000 years of recorded time, before He
tried His hand on the nineteenth century
woman-and then creation welcomed its
peerless crowned jewel.
In these days of infinite progress, when
the very lightning is harnessed to the
chariot wheels of progress, there is
scarcely a province in the limited sched-
ules of service which is not permeated
with some phase OF practical feminine
! hal nft,in Hho
competent women, and rare fields of lit
erature, science and journalism are
equally full OF brilliant, well-equipped
devotees.
In society woman is omnipotent. 1t is
doubtful whether the occult feminine
government is not mightier than the open
masculine government; at the same time
it is not matter Of doubt, but OF assured
fact that society Is not ruled by lords of
creation, but by ladies of creation.
Women's clubs are a great educator and
developer OF women's powers for the new
positions they are called to occupy. They
inspire high aims, broaden information,
teach women to think and express thought
clearly on paper or in extemporaneous adj
dress. They are teachers in parliamentary
usage they are schools for post-graduates
and they held women to know themselves
and their own capabilities.
The nineteenth century woman in edu-
cational work is so lar ahead that her
position has ceased to excite comment or
criticism. In the religious world she has
only recently come 10 the front, although
she has ALWAYS been the power behind
the throne. This is an age of intellect
and of critical investigation. Every ques-
ton is being analysed and resolved into
Its elements. The ak is at the root of
every tree. Theology. civil government,
questions IN sociology, all OF vast practical
moment, are under investigation as I'M
solved problems. In this search for new
truth and readjustment of human rela-
tions. woman comes to the front and ia
an important factor. That august and
benign creature, man, has found it to his
advantage to openly recognize her as an
important factor in the social and political,
as we'll as domestic economy of our life.
Men claim that woman has always been
a weakling by request. The one thing
that men do with comparative ease is to
generalize regarding women. They forget
that mind is a unit and entirely unaffected
| by the accident called sex Woman now
comes to us as a complete human being.
The terms man and woman must be sunk
in the one word human. Now that
woman has come, what good can she do?
She will improve society in quality. If
woman continues to draw nearer the liber-
ties of man she must not hesitate to imi-
tate his vices. Woman must come as a re-
former, and as an eloquent protest From
disputing theologians she must save the
faith of Christ as simple model of conduct
and hope of heaven. In St. Pauls day all
women were married. This was their
final destiny, but the scenes have all
changed. There is no longer any guaran-
tee that woman shall possess husband
or that marriage 10 any longer the destiny
of womanhood. In the new advent the
soul OF woman is expected foreman beau
tiful. She is expected to remain pure and
yet to know the spirit of the age, and to
take the place and do the work the new
civilization thrusts upon her. She must be
the synonym of light. life and love. She
must grow and not crystalline. She must
live and not die.
The aspirations of the nineteenth CEN
fury woman have no limit She says to
the powers that be- as did Demosthenes,
"Give me place to stand and I'll move
the earth"
Notwithstanding all this, the assertion
is often made that all the abstract intellect
in the world is in possession of the mas
culine sex. Can woman reason ?" is even
asked. VI similar absurdlty with the
question, Can woman reason ?" is the
question. should woman voter" 1t
might as we'll be asked, Should red
headed persons hold property?" With
regard to her wish to aspire to these liber-
ties her study of man might almost kill
the desire-on man as a mass is written
moral failure.
Home, to the nineteenth century
woman, is the blossom of which heaven
is the fruit. She makes it the cosiest,
kindlieet, sweetest place in all the world
working model of paradise, with real
angels in the forms of mothers and wives.
Woman has less than eight years to
complete the nineteenth century. These
will be great years in the history of her
existence, Over the redoubts of the past,
bearing the flag OF the highest civilization,
women will he the first to scale the nights
and enter the gates of the twentieth GEN.
tury, announcing to the world, "This is
woman's century.