Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-03
SEEING PICTURES.

an Artistic Sense.
From the Boston Advertiser.
Speaking OF pictures recalls an incident
Of few days ago. A little brownod-haired
girl Of Ave was standing at the window,
looking out with an intense interest that
attracted the notice OF ono In the room.
CHANGING from the window she saw nothing to
account for the child's evident absorption
and she said. "what do you sec, dear?''
The little one answered without turning her
head: Pictures" Somewhat puzzled, the
guest asked the mother what the child meant
and was answered: ''She means that she is
making pictures Of what she secs outdoors.
Like most children she likes to look at pic
lures, and I have often amused her by show
ing her landscapes and then helping her to
trace pictures in the views from the windows.
and you would be surprised to see how quickly
she caught the idea and how often she applies
it, have known her to spend an hour in
standing at one window after another, making
pictures, as she calls il. and when we are out
driving she is continually calling my attention
TO picturesque bits OF scenery"
"You evidently mean TO mako her an
artist" laughed her friend. 81 mean to de-
velop every mental faculty that she pos
sesses," was the reply. az want her to have
so wide o range of interests that when she
becomes q woman she will not be dependent
upon dances and Irritation for amusement.
/ wish her TO have such resources within
herself that like tho spider she can spin her
own web with thousand threads. SO that
II one should break ell would not be lost
have seen 90 much Of the cruelty Of
way tina. 1 will not follow IL The
poet who said love is OF mans life q
thing apart; tits woman's whole exist
need to be true. A womans life is crushed
with her heart because usually she is absorbed
in her heart and has no deep and abiding inter-
est in other things. i believe that q proper de-
velopment Of the woman's circle Of interests
viii make here as independent OF mere emotion
az man is, will make love an incident and not q
climax in her life in his"
your theory has the merit OF lucidity.
at any rate!'' her friend said. "H mothers in
general can be persuaded to begin to so
train their girls in infan:y, as you have, the
question OF woman's boundless sphere will
not have TO wait q half century for settle
ment. Do you know. often have wondered
why the world seemed to awaken almost in
an instant TO the possibility that women
might be the equals and not the slaves or
toys OF men as they had been for centuries.
OF course in every ags there have been
character and intellect but the 'woman's
day, rs our advanced minds delight TO call il,
did not dawn fully until this half Of the nine
teenth century. The question that puzzles me
is: Why has the woman's demand for equal
rights sprung now TO life. like Minerva from
the brain Of Jove, fully armed"
Her hostess was silent a moment then
answered thoughtfully: ''ShGn you laugh IL
tell you my explanation? / do not claim
that II is correct. only say that il seems 10
me to explain il. The other day a friend re-
peated to me with great amusement
remark made to her by one Of Boston's we'll
known women-wen xnown,' that is to say,
for her powerful intellect. not her fashionable
gowns. She said: I suppose that the reason
that find life SO hard is that this is the first
time that l. have been a woman Ny friend
thought that very funny, but to me it expressed
profound truth 1 believe fully In the
probability of reincarnstion and that
brings me to the answer to your question.
believe that this half century has seen the re-
Incarnation in female form Of q tremendous
number OF souls whose previous incarnation
was the masculine and whose masculine love Of
freedom is speaking in the demand for equal
rights"
The most fascinating part OF this fasci-
mating theory is the endless vista opened TO
conjecture, the unlimited range for Imagina-
ton. Accepting it. how many mysteries
may be solved. II it be true. as some
sert, that the purer. higher masculine souls
come back as men and women. while the
lower and bsser sort return as inferior ami
mails, does not that explain the tremendous
increase in the altruistic tendencies Of this age
and at the same time give hope for the ultimate
regeneration of humanity? For il the good
in every generation is reinforced by
the good in every preceding generation
since first the animal soul became human. and
at the same time the base in humanity today
loses iss power by losing its human incarnation
tomorrow. is it not clear as clear can be that
ultimately all humanity win be noble because
everything ignoble has literally gone to the
dogs?