Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-08-02
INDEPENDENT WOMEN.

Not 30 very long long ago the inde-
pendent woman used to be talked
about" Her independence attracted at
teptlon, created alarm, stirred the So
ciety in which she moved to its depths.
She was independent sometimes at the
expense of her character, and had
to endure the sneer OF scandal.
the jeer of injustice, the blight
ing iIbe Of venom, the sorrow-
sometimes-of mistaken pi ty. She
had to assert, not merely to be, to bat
ter at the doors instead OF quietly
opening them, to trample, when she
only desired to be allowed to tread. In
the old days-a dogs space OF life al
most ago-to be Independent required
an immense amount of character, an
energy almost blatant, strife not grace
full or quite womanly, perhaps, virility
exhausting itself in violent and aggres
sive action. The independent woman
had to be the pushing woman, the SELF
assertive woman, the woman who cried
herself up and others down, like the
man who beats the drum on the booth
steps in the country fair. and after
wards changes his clothes and becomes
the paid-for show inside. The inde-
pendent woman OF old days was not
always, or even generally, attractive.
She had an air of clutching. and to
clutch even at ones rights is to appear
vulgar and to lcok dreadful and undig.
nIfied. But the Independent woman
of to-day Is often a very different be-
ing. She has peculiar, frank charm,
fresh healthiness, an honesty and a
dignity that frequently surround her
with an atmosphere both refreshing
and invigoratirg. For she has won
her position fairly and fully. She is
recognized instead of merely snubbed,
and so she (, els Mt ease, and instead OF
being blatant is often content to be
bright 1t is n mistake, made too
often, both by women and by men, to
fancy that independence and push are
one and the same thing. independence
is the sensible following ont OF ones
own views; push is the vulgar endeavor
| to impress those views--and more es-
pecialIy their holder-upon the untor-
tunate people round. The pushing wo
men is quite one of the most odious
features in modern life. The sensibly
independent woman is one of the most
healthy ami most pleasant. lndepend-
ence does mot necessarily imply con
oeit, but push, at least, implies the as
sumption Of II, and the pushing wo-
man is sort of society town-crier. in
cessantly bawling her own merits III
she writes story she goes about tell
ing her distraugtt acquaintance how
m uch il cost her how tie burning of
genius has devo lred her vitality, how,
like Tha "kernv, she las h id to labor,
anil. Ike Charlotte Bron to endure,
She mentions, in loui voice sleep
less nights of travail, longs for rest
but is driven by her talents TO exertion,
aud explains only that death can soothe
the in 'essant bubbling of that mighty
cauldron, her brain.
| The push uS woman ought to spend
at least one day IN the Palace OF Truth.
She would emerge no doubt in hysterics,
but she would emerge deceut mem
Der of society. But the indepe ndent
woman who is not wildly proud of
her indep, ndence, is often very refresh-
ling. If she ls unmarried she is
often O thor ugh bacl elor, She Is not
afraid to walk alone, nor need she he,
Tor she is thorou div, and rightly,
capable of taking care Of herself. She
thinks less Of eiiquet.e than of good
|
ner. She has certain work to do in the
world, nud she means to do 1t as we'll
as or better than a man would do his
work. s e lets nothing stand in er
ya,, and if she Is brought mp short by
q rIGicu Gus convention she does not
set it hoisiiy at defiance, but merely
brushes it al le. "rhe proprietl s.
do not concern or trouble her, hut
propriety emphaticaly does. She
knows what is wrong and avoids 1t.
She does not always care what Is
thought wrong and avoid that, for she
has mind and she dares to use it. She
| is haiI-lellow-w ll-mct with men, and
if she is with them in her work and
they are polite and helpful to her she
is more prone to treat them as broth
ers than to think of them rs lovers.
She is human, she Is not silly, a1d men
quickly learn to respect au admire
her. She Gays what she means. bat
she is not afflicted wirh disease of
disgusting frankncss, such as polsons
contentment and banishes confidence.
If she spoke OF n spade, she might call
it BY its name, but the chances are
that she would not mention it at all;
that, above all, Ler reticences are MI
tur i and not studied. her hll.ncH ls
the specchless silence. not the silence
that shrieks alou l-"Heavens, behold
nv modestyW She is independent of
men, but she is always ready TO accept
with dignity and gratitude tie natural
assistance that she never demands.
Wherever she goes, she instantly
commands respect, and she is seldom,
if ever, placed in al awkward position.
She is too naturally dignihed 20 know
what dignity means, and threads the
dangers OF the worl.l safely, guided by
the unfaiiing instincts of the sensible.
good woman. The pushing woman has
done her best to bring the rightly IN
dependent woman into contempt and
dislike, but oaly the very blind will
iail to discern the complete difference
there is between the two types, and to
avoid and consemn the one as much as
they seek after and admire the other.
| NJ 20 Eleanor Munger, OF New Ia
ven, who has recently married Philip
IP. Wells, of Boston, wore ut her ar
Iriagc n gown one hundred and twenty.
five years old. 1t had been worn as a