Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-02-14

WAS darkened at midday, and al his
fellow -leKisla tors trembIed and were for
praying, rose 70 declare that whether
day Ut judgment or not, tie Lord
should find him in his place, doing his
duty; and moved. therefore, tLat they
bring in the candies and proceed with
the business befere then--Rsmeiy.
IAN act 70 amend an act To regulate the
shad and aIewife fsnerIes -
Ii 10 easisr now--f do NOT say that It
will be easier . hundred years hence
to imagine . man behaving in this
Roman fashion than 70 imagine .
woman.
How many nen. also. devote their
lives to come science where the ma
teriai rewards, wealth or fame, are Tar
below what il promised them elsewhere.
And don't We ell know what their wives
thiak OF their choice
Far better women than Rosamond
Lydgate have raiied and wheedled and
bewept their husbands away frem M
profitable researches that could only
help other peoples suffering.
"My dear" says the doctors vile,
"if You do discover that nasty germ
you spend 80 much time over, will they
pay you anythingF
mo, certainly not"
Then don't see why you want TO
| find it,"
.sBut it may save thousands Of
lives"
swell, anyhow, / think some man
without a family TO support onght to
hunt for it,"
Is such . dialogue untrue 10 life?
And may not the doctors witc have
her needle sticking in some frock for .
poor child ut the same time?
Do you suppose that Mrs. Hunter
had any particular enthusiasm about
the great DIR. Johns anatomical re-
searches? | fancy. sometimes. she
wished that famous private museum vt
tho bottom of the Thames.
But so far as . woman understands
duty. she is no less faithful than man.
Woman martyrs have been as brave a.
the men, from the pagan enperors TO
the days when English Catholics
burned the Protestants and English
logged the Quakers.
There is no need to speak of domes--
TIC life, where there may always he
found saints who know nothing OF their
own halos, and uncrowned martyrs
WIZ Su1ilC ia tVCil p~Sts
There will come weary day
When overcome At length.
Both love and faith beneath
Tho weight give way.
Then with = statues smile. statde's strength.
Patience. nothing loath
And accomplishing. doth
The work Of both.
And patience is always symbolized by
u woman.
Women in general. among civilized
| peoples, are less frank than men. even
when they are not less truthful. For
| the same reason the negroes and weak
er races the world over lie as soon as
they are able to talk. 1.-THE strong
man may lie" says the cruel old In
dian provsrb, "the weak man must"'
There il an xecetic aud hystericai
! type of religion that may be called
essentially feminine; pure hut cruelty
narrow, gentle but intogerant. Eccles-
iastlcs of this type, whether they have
worn the coarse frock of the monk, the
surpllco OF the Anglican, or the Puri-
tanss black gown have all had the same
cosuming ardor of devotion, the same
self -abnegation, the same superstition
and the Same bigotry.
Indeed, ali the so-called femme inn
moralities and weaknesses are dupli-
Gated In weak or ignorant men.
Moreover, it is TO be observed that
masculine and feminine standards of
morality have steadily approached.
Men 1T least assume . decorum today,
which Once-let US say in our great
grandfathers' day-belonged to women
only. And women have notions of
honor and honesty continually expand
ing. Already there is slight archaic
flavor about the very definition that l
have used, that OF an honest woman.
Steadily, honesty 10 growing to be the
same word for beth. There Is large
land ever-incressing class of women
today who, without relaxing the re-
| quirements Ct the conventional stand
| ard of feminine virtues. add to them
the effort to '.see things truly and 70
see them WHOLE" who are In consc-
quence as tolerant, honorable, honest
aud fair. minded ~ men; yet remain
simple, gentle and unsel6sh.
the changed feminine ideal 10 re-
Elected in our literature. How changed
| II is che can see by single instance.
| Take the case of q womRn's betr0thal.
| Something immodest aud disgraceful
attaches TO clandestine love affair in
Our eyes; but half our grandmothsrs'
ronsnces turn on the love passages be-
tween the noble but poor lover, and
the daughter of : proud parent who
| forbjds the noble but poor 10 speak TO
her, Or on the secret marriage between
the beautiful but poor maiden aud the
heir Of Z lordiy house who dares not
! wed her openly. Both these estlmablc
young ladies mortify and deceive and
desert their parents with singular calm
mesa. But the wedding-ring held up at
the end is supposed TO reconcile all the
moralities, and the curtain alwaya de-
scends on the grand tableaux: Virtue
triumphant "Blees you my childrenl"
to imaginary fireworks and slow music.
| Once the best authors could do this;
now it 10 left 10 the sensational school
and the Family Herald. A woman has
some other moral duties than TO count
the world well lost for love- She 10 not
expected TO lie and truckle and be
cruel to please the man that she loves.
| She il even allowed TO cay to him, ms he
has eaid to her: 81 could not love thee,
dear. 20 much, loved I not honor more"
How long and far tire journey that
| woman's morality oas travelled appears
when one considers these things.
The natural conclusion from il all IS,
| that there IL less difference than would
appear IN the sum totals of morality,
masculine and feminine. and tast toe
/ differences IN detail are rather the
result of educatIon and circumstance
than omuirotent. upasteTabie nature.
Therefore the more reason that we
ali. men TO women and weine-s - men.
should follow the apostles command
| meut and he skindiy nEecfsened one
4 n