Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-10-16


hrst shocked gradually acquired al the
gall IF the native New Yorker and kept
their seats with the best or worst q
them. New York nlen have good rea-
sons IN explanation of their conduct
They say truly enough that If they gave
ap seat 10 every woman who comes
into a car Ia New York they would b
boDbing up and d0wE all the time, and
that this would b. impossible in the
crowds that Ill she public conyeyanees
Of the big city. Then there Is another
plea. They say, these New York men,
that since woman Is pushing her way
into all the industries and gong down
town every day, 1T her take her
chances and hustle the same as
the men do. Ii she can't hustle
then let her quit. LII she Is equal 10 a
man, let her prove 1t. 50, since New
York sets the fashion for the rest Of the
country, men OF other cities are falling
into the habit OF keeping their seats and
letting women stand. Well, l for one
do not object. There Is. however,
place 10 draw the line. lt is when
strapping young athlete sits IL his place
and leers mp with look OF infinite iIn-
pertinence into the face OF a feeble
woman old enough TO be his grand
mother, while she stands lettering. |
pity the woman who is his mother and
the woman who Is to be his wife. But
for the rest never mind. Men tell us
that IL we claim TO DO their equals We
must hustle and prove it. Very well,
We accept the gage. In no spirit of
antagonism, but as friendly comrades,
We shall prove TO men that we are their
equals IN learning, IL endurance and
business ability, and their superiors in
the finer spiritual and moral qualities
they have so neglected. Not destroying
our nervous systems with whisky and
tobacco, we shall be receptive 10 all the
finer. more powerful forces of the uni
verse. With souls full of tire, with i'm
mortal patience and determination We
work on, and the kind of women the
glorious Twentieth century viii smile
down upon-you shall see.
The summers fashion of belt and
blouse waist has revealed defects in the
figures of yonng American white women
that one is sorry TO see. The belt is too
often girted in till the girl looks as if
she would break in two. The necessary
effect of this is TO throw the body out of
poise. Below the waist it stands prom
inently forward in an unsightly way.
The back, on the contrary, hollows so far
in that the young woman looks as if she
had been struck in the back and denied
in. Then the shoulders bow out round
again till the expression of the whole
figure is something like the letter S. So
far Is have noticed, the strong, 1.-THE,
graceful young negro women have
much finer figures than the average
white girl. Their strong, splendid
shoulders stand firmly above waist not
too small. and the figure below the waist
is straight and willowy. They seem
somehow to be built for looks and for
wear both. Perhaps the active physical
exercise their mothers have been taking
for generations, with little pampering
and luxury, gives the daughters such
firm, beautiful figures. If today sculp-
tor were TO look in America for the
model of the Venus of Milo, he would be
more apt TO find it among the colored
girls than among the white ones.
Mrs. McGuirk, that able and enthusi-
astic newspaper woman, knew Lizzie
Borden some years ago. Both were as
ISOLATED in the fruit and flower mission
at Fall River. Mrs. McGuirk believes
Lizzie Borden could no more have
murdered her father and stepmother
than an angel could, and she has writ
ten a powerful letter TO the New York
Recorder in the accused girls defense
She paints strongly the injustice of call
ing a woman fiend simply because she
does not ''wave tear stained handker-
chief in public"
Let Us pray to be lifted out of the
commonplace up into the region of great
ideas and great aspirations.
Arlo Bates tells a good story of a
woman who, though she needed work
and had no immediate prospect Of it, re-
fused To take an engagement at very
low wages because of the effect it would
have on the price for such work in gen.
eral. 1t is pity there were not more
women like this. If there were then
wOmen's wages would not be so low.
One Is glad to be able to add that soon
after her refusal TO take the cheap place
this admirable woman who stood up for
her sex got good paying place.
There Is no Disgusting the fact that
long skirt does not look well ON BIZ
cycle. IL mars the appearance of the
prettiest girl, Tapping about and flying
up and down with every motion of the
pedals. For this reason a woman never
looks as graceful as a man ON a bicycle
But women must not on that account
give up the bicycle. They should get
dress more in harmony with the move
ment. This viii be simply gymnasium
dress, as ordinarily worn, with rather
full trousers. covering the knees, and
blouse aud short skirt all in one piece
Long leggings. reaching 10 the knees,
should be worn. This or something near
il Is certainly the coming bicycle suit
for women.
About once year or so l think we
newspaper women ought to publicly
thank our friends. the city policemen, for
their courtesy and helpfulness % our
sex. There are, | know. bad aud brutal
policemen, bat they are so few, and the
rest are SO courteous Whenever in a
city ron are in doubt about street OF
m k.a-~ -. Il.