The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1893-03-22
WON ANS ABILITY.

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The Arguments of Mnny Wrltcrs on tho
Subject Disprovcd by Facts.
1t has not been SO very long since a
woman, who had gained some influence
in tho world of letters, sent out tho
rather startling and altogether de-
pressing declaration that women pos
sesscd no business qualifications, that
they can not be expected to either man
age affairs of finance on make any but
sorry clerks Yet every village could
produce its widow crrning q better liy-
& ing for herself and little ones than
y q ...s. !.,a man was doing and tle, wife
$I,vho had Supported an idle md disso-
lutc husband. Women have alnassed
fortunes. One has been mnde president
OF a railroad, aud another, becnuse she
managed her own so we'll, chosen to
others. We remember the wonderful
Bon Marchc of Paris, and its head, Mad
ame lsoucicant; and the extensive pub
fishing interests undcr tho supervision
of Mrs. Frank Leslie, and know that
exception, but the representative of q
class
Interpretations of women are multi
P'J AASt tllNt OuSlIlC5S companies WlCn
the prefix, "Womnn's," seem to be m
order Of the day. AS to their value as
employees, perhaps their knowledge Of
their increasing presence in the treas
my and other departments at Washing
ton, and their appreciated services in
the tabulation Of tho lato census, may
be taken as sufficient truth of trust
worthincss and accuracy.
A,,1 -
strangely enough, treats in recent
Critic" Of tho Absence Of the Creative
Faculty Of Women" "No woman" she
says, 'hns ever done anything in tho
intellectual world which has had tho
germ of Immortality" And there arc
given rs proofs the facts that only
about forty lines remain to lis of the
5 work Of Sappho, and that tho writings
Of Janc Austen are not universally ap-
prccintcd.
But amount does not make quality,
nor does either tho fnme or immortality
of any writer depend on tho extent of
his writings. Pindar was tho only
Greek lyric poct worthy to be compared
to Sappho, md his more numerous
pieces arc neither moro read nor adj
mired than the ono complete poem and
tho various fragments Of the latter
She gave name to stanZn--the Sap
phic-which may last as long as docs
literature. And tho surviving poem is
characterized by an eminent authority
on tho classics, rs, ''thc ono precious
whole production spared to us by time
md chance from the genius of Sappho."
The same writer expresses the beliof
that tho loss Of lcr poems is probably
tho greatest loss that the literature OF
mankind ever suffered
From Snpplio-living $500 years ago,
md holding her place with tho fcw
Crock poets we are pleased to call i'm
mortal-wc turn to Jnnc Austen and
wonder if, because hcr productions nrc
not commonly known and delighted in,
she had no genius. If this were true,
but fcw who are called great are really
so, because the masses know or else care
nothing about their writings Again,
If this test is certain there Is no bool,
better able to endure it than one writ
ten by q womcn-''Unclc TOMS Cabin"
Quito rs many persons know about
tho Mrs. Poyscr who always kept her
clock n little fast that she might keep
her work along, and get TO church in
time, rs any character Of Thncl1cray's.
The Wavcrly novels of Scott arc as a
whole named tho peerless in historical
fiction; yet George Eliot's ''Romoln'
is ono Of tho three considered equal tc
the best Of thcm.
Robert Browning will scarcely be dc.
MED the place Of n master, yet poems
Of Mrs. Browning arc rs worthy as any
of his and ho has less power to make
himself universally understood which
our critic Of tho Critic chooses to de
nominate the mark Of gcnius.
3 VIII IL DO that other hymns shall livc
md "Just rs am without ono plea,
by Charlotte Elliott, Nearer my Got
& Is Thec,n by Mrs. Adams, and pnoobs