The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1893-06-30
sOpHY SPARKLE TACKLES OUIDA.


She Thinks the Novelist Debases IGOm en-
in the Eyes of Men.
So much high-tlown and tlowery rec
tOrich has been written on the subject
uf woman preaching, that the Editor is
very sick i the gorge and | wondered
why he did not head my last article
IA Study in Cheslnuts." Poets of all
ages, the many sided and the merely
slab-sided and long haired, have written
of woman. one says:
oh, Woman, in your hours of ease,
\ On seem TO do lust what you please.
Such profound thought as this brings
mo more and more to the impressive
opinion that woman is essentially femi-
nine aud will remain so.
Linden Editor, says: 81 would not
insert fact CD told by one lady OF
another. | ADMIRE the talr sex, reccg-
II 2e their many excellent qua itiesi but
] never Drlieve what one woman says
OF anOlher-eSpecally if the other be
young and pretty" Thus woman ami
their injustice to each other, has been
the theme of deep thinkers ana close
observers for years.
Ouidas one object in life is TO debase
women i'll the eyes of men. Loving,
generous, self,acriticing, oman is con-
Ceded To Ds; but capaOlG ut luslice in
her dealings with a rival, never! Tor
rents of boiling lava arc poured upon
them, they are buried in The ashes of
humiliation; they are actually ha I con-
WINGED, themselves, that all the gossip
originates with woman, and that men
don't even stOOp to discuss persona =
ties; that fen inine friendship iuve,gles
it. victim iUtO false security, and tnen
unveils the secret and sets honor,
mOdesty, lie icacy before the scrutiny OF
IA censUrious world.
But the Very reverse of all this is
true. Every day women are called
upon to defend other women from
cruel SANDERS, aud every day they gen
erOuSly respond to the call. That there
are empty headed, hard hearted women,
who see evil in anything, every one
knows; but there are others, class as
numerous as 1t is noble, who trOwn down
AL attempts At traducement, who
throw the mantle of their own fair fame
and good name over the woman As
sailed; who put themselves to personal
inconvenience to show the world that
the seed OF SANDER finds in their hearts
no soil suitable for the ug,y growth.
For Que woman who revels in goss p
aud is glad to believe evil of her own
sex, there are many who quietly avoid
discussion of personal topics, and ale
careful to show by greater courtesy To
The victim, greater culduess to the tale
bearer, their dislike of defamation; and
teach the sweetness of those lives,
"Wherein perpetually doth reign,
The summer calm OF golden charity"
AprOpOs of charity, we see it dis
penSeu Oftentimes on this principle.
Not TO satisfy the hunger of my brother,
bu. to fulfill the law. We see so much
cTcumspection with regard to the eX-
ternal prophecies, joined with such au
evident lack of principle, that it seems
To me as it the Zen Commandments hah
been superseded by tho eleventh:
"Thou shalt not be found out" Thele
is more religion in a cup of cold water
and crust of bread gwen by the hand
of Charity to q starving fellow; word
of kind encouragement or gentle re-
proof TO an erring brother, than in all
the iron cTeeds that ever chained
thought in dungeon or burned truth
at the stake.
Beshrew me, Sirrah Sophy, dost thou
not know, that women must not preach,
aud she must not wear criuOline, and
that her brain contains no gray mat-
ter? Yet we hope we may always find
something in thus beautiful world o.
| loving human hearts and birds and
| flowers that VIII make us glad enough
to sing with a trill and a tender thrill
and hearty good will.
SOPHY SPARKLE.