The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-11-15

The estimate Of the editor OF the av
erage "woman's page" in the newspaper
is, upon the whole. not fiattering to the
intelligence of the sex. They have. first
of ALL one important fact to learn. and
that is that women nowadays, with few
exceptions. read the entire paper-news,
specials, editorial page and all. The
woman Of ordinary brains may not wade
through long congressional debates. but
i'm this respect she differs little from the
generality of men. She does. however
read the Washington dispatches and is
generally found to have a pretty good
idea Of the attitude Of the leading po-
litical parties upon all leading questions.
This is true not only Of the city woman,
the club woman and the teacher, but
il is equally or still more true OF farm
ers' wives and the women Of the country
towns and villages.
1t has been my good fortune to know
women we'll in nearly every walk Of life
women who work with their hands,
who sew and scrub and wash; women
on the farms and in the schools and
colleges, both as teachers and students,
with many others in the profession-art-
lists, writers, singers and actors. have
had the privilege of hearing them talk
and in talking with them upon these
topics In which they are most interested
An eminent English writer once said
that he gagged the Intelligence OF a
people by the proportion Of generali-
ties to personalities in their conversation.
II is safe test, and, moreover, one of
those rules that work both ways.
With a knowledge of women in the
course of a profession where there are
few distinctions made, / have also had
unusual opportunity to talk with men
under somewhat unusual circumstances.
in their offices, in the excitement Of po-
litica1 campaigns. in their places of bust
ness, where weighty matters Of partisan
interest or craftsmanship were being dis
eussed, and 1 am ready to affirm that it
was difficult to decide in whose CONVEX
sation, that Of men or women, personali-
ties most abound.
Many years ago. while connected with
a country paper, / went one day IN the
week TO the court house to collect news
relating 70 the appointment of guardians
and administrators and similar informa-
ton. 1 recall wildly that upon these
rounds I frequently gathered up more
town gossip than ever heard at all the
church socials and tea-drinkings I man
aged to attend between times. "They
say" was quite as mysterious and au-
thoritative within the stronghold OF jus
tice as it was in the parlors Of my women
friends.
If a wife left her husband. IL a hus-
band deserted his wife, il there were ir-
regularities I'm the conduct Of any man
or woman in the tOwn-particularly OF
any wOman-it was known TO the clerks
and lawyers in that court house for some
time before it became a common topic
for feminine gossip.
I do not intend by this statement TO
reflect upon either men or women, but to
show what / have always believed, be-
cause it has been so unvaryingly Demon
strated-that is, that there is a vast deal
of human nature in both men and women
Taking into account the difference OF
their training Ga vital matter always.
men and women are interested in about
the same things.
1t is also to be borne I'm mind that
within the past twenty years the public
schools have done an immense deal to-
ward broadening womens minds, en-
Tightening them and giving them a ca
pacity for the intelligent consideration OF
questions beyond dress and personalities.
l do not mean that they have lost their
interest in either Of these-the woman
who has no regard for personal appear
ance Is less imam NAN a WOIldn-DuL IneN
are interested quite as deeply in much
beside.
For this reason the conventional page,
in nine cases out of ten, is an insult Tn
both head and heart. Conspicuous in its
columns are hideOus caricatures Of fash
ion, women with wasp waists, attenuated
arms and faces as eXpressionless as a
piece Of paper. With these edifying il
Illustrations are articles dealing with the
insincertty of women's character, with
their uncharitableneSS and cruelty to-
ward each other; their features, their
stupid and senseless blunders, with dis
sertations upon their lack Of honesty,
interspersed with others on some such
edifying theme as "Why Are Women
Afraid Of NIECE
Mrs. Lynn Lynton IS favorite critic
whose bitter and disloyal anathemas
against her own sex only prove nature
warped and soured and therefore in
capable of making a just estimate OF
anything pertaining to women. Marion
Harland, who has almost equaled Mrs
Lynton in her severity, Is another con-
tributor to the average woman's page.
Still other contributions, I regret TO say,
are from the pens Of younger women.
who in abusing and belittling their sis
ter women, whom they do not know
and whose friendship they have never
sought or valued. imagine that they are
proving their own mental superiority
and hope thus TO curry favor with tha
critics Of the other sex.
If these beginners had. the condolences
of women which their own disloyalty
and hostility forbids, they would learn
that a good deal of the common sense
of this world is the heritage Of women
who possibly make no great professions
TO culture or mental superiority. The
farmers wife nowadays discusses the
silver question and the tariff with her
husband. Working women are inter
ested in educational and philanthropic
questions, and it is upon these themes.
quite as much as upon personal topics
and matters pertaining to the toilet, that
they read and talk. It would be well
for those who undertake TO cater intel
lectually for the women Of the country
to cultivate their acquaintance individ-
ually and collectively.-Mary III. krOut
in Chicago Inter Ocean.
The RaindrOp Princess.
The RaindrOn DrincpSS is "A rain maid