Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-17

Woman's Clubs were given to women the
| idea was accepted that when the girl quit
school she was done with study and had
henceforth nothing more to do but to
get married and settle down. This
| settling down meant that she was to bury
her talents in the kitchen, smother her am
| bitions in the nursery, and kill all her
| hopes and aspirations upon the domestic
altar. If her husband happened to be
smart, well-doing prosperous man and q
| good provider she was pretty well of, and
had nothing to complain of. But II he was
| a Northumberland" it was her bounden
duty to stick in the mud too. If he had no
gumption or ':git-up-and.g git" about him
him she had no option save to struggle
along in the slough of despond.
Her education fitted her for nothing in
the way of making living, save by mar
riage, and when that was a failure the
world became stgulf of dark despair" In
the days of the grandmothers for woman
to read was considered a waste of time. 1t
was consistent with the proprieties and
notable as thrift and good form for her to
have some pickup work always st hand,
in the way of knitting or fancy work to
preserve her from mischief that Satan
might suggest in the line of reading book,
paper or magazine.
Wives No Longer Companions.
The dull, stupid, empty-headed wives of
distinguished men come in for good share
of criticism in these days. They never
have been educated by reading, by contact
with the world, by daily experiences in
wives and find in them no congenial COM
panionship. The domestic infelicity of
Charles Dickens and his wife is a case in
point. She, as accounts go, came up to the
requirements of the model British house.
wife, while he rose to be star IN the
literary world and intolerant of dullness
and inanity. What q tragedy he made of
her lite is we'll known. Had she lived in
these days and been a member of Woman's 8
Club she would have known better than to
have starved her mind and buried her
talents in the service of one, who, when he
became inflated with pride and vanity,
scrupled not TO wreck her life and cast
blighting blot upon her fair fame.
Thomas Carlyle had great contempt for
"scribbling women" Without apprecia-
tion, or apparently comprehension, upon his
part his wife sacrificed herself for him.
Toiling in her kitchen, scrimping, stinting,
removing every stone from his path, meet
ing his constant growing with cheerfulEess,
ccncealing her own trials and troubles with
heroic patience and courage, she stands
now before the world as domestic martyr.
L was not until after her death that Carlyle
discovered her "nobleness of mind and in
tellect" or manifested anv appreciation of
her brilIiancy, penetration, wise discern
ment, just enthusiasm. humor, grace, and
literary talent" which, as shown in her
letters, he sadly says, when too late,
equal and surpassed for genius anything
of that kind known TO e1istS' If Mrs.
CARLYLE had lived in these DAYS, she could
have coined her talents into gold, and made
more money than her husband, who by his
ponderous works rarely made more than
81, 900 a year. Had she not lived so rigidly
up to the standard of the British housewife,
she would have been spared the many years
of pinching poverty and domestic infelicity.
On Criticism of Clubs.
The objection is made to Woman's Clubs
that "fhev tend to separate men and women
who should work together and supplement
each other" That such may seem to be the
case at present is admitted, but the ten
dency is all the other way. The ideal woman
in past ages was an ignorant bigot." Men
had horror of learning in women. Martin
Luther said mo gown or garment worse be-
comes woman than that she will be wise"
John Milton refused to educate his own
daughters. Hypatia was torn to pieces bv
Christian mob because of her learning. The
Church in past ages discouraged the educa-
tion of women, and does to-day. The Puri-
tans, while appreciating the value af educa-
tion for boys refused it to girls. In the
first public schools established in this coun-
try girls were refused admittance. Mary
Somerville was publicly abused and read
out of church by Dean Cockblrn because of
her study of astronomy and mathematics.
Annie Besant was deserted and divorced by
her husband and deprived of her child be-
cause she dared to study the Bible and in
terpret it for herself. Even to-day women
are denied admittance to schools of learn
ing. In every relation of life Abigail
the first lady of the White House,
showed herself 'fa pattern of coniugal, me-
ternal and social virtue, and yet her appeal
setting forth that for the best interests
of men, women should be educated, was
set at naught. ga woman that knoweth
how TO compound o pudding is more de-
sirable than she who skillfully compound
eth poem" says an old writer. 1t does
not seem to have occurred to this pudding
head that plenty of smart women could do
both.
Men Do Not Admire Ignorant BIgots.
Determinedly, however, as men held onto
the Ignorant bigot" as the ideal wife, they
did not enjoy her society. They left her at
home to dig and delve while they found
bAC1I companions IN uen VINO
were their equals in knowledge. Women
were shut out of the conventions, the clubs,
the anniversary dinners where men aired
their wit and displayed their eloquence. If
there is 10 be any blame or responsibility
for the separation of men and women in |
their pleasures and the supplementing of |
each other, it rests wholly with the beloved |
brethren. |
The new club movement among women is |
q force IN modern progress that has scarcely |
been realized as yet. Not quarter of |
century has elapsed since the first woman's |
club was organized, and vet the advance in |
the development of talent, the |
Increase In knowledge and moral power are |
without parallel in the history of the |
world. Neither the cradle nor the kitchen |
suffers Indeed, they gain as the wisdom
Of their controlling power grows. The club |
lakes women out OF their daily groove and |
furnishes rest and refreshment.
Club Work Is Recreation.
The President of far West woman's club |
gave little OF her experience at meeting. |
She said: II do my own work because I |
,an get no help, and have six little children.
When 1 can get to 'the club" it does me
more good than anything else. 1t Itbrightens,
-efreshes and makes me cheerful. When / |
come home talk to the children and tell /
hem all about the club and its doings."
The usefulness of woman's clubs, not
,lone to their members, but to the commu-
1ity. 1snot hard to demonstrate. The in
7estigation and discussion of moral and
social questions of city government, of vii