The Press., 1894-02-22

to stay at home. What an incalculable number of dependable" men this fact in wolves, and how it illustrates on splen- race out of chaos into order; out of lying into truth; out of faithlessness into faith. Even as we thus move on in these every day affairs, all of which fpertain to that "common religion" which involves the reign of righteousness upon the dusty highways of our common life, so I have thought we are moving onward in the so- cial world. There is less etiquette and more reality; less veneering and more real grain of the wood. Once the business of well-to-do women was society. What did that mean? That the be-all and end- all was to dress in fashion, dance min- uet with stateliness, preside at dinner of several hours duration with mastership, I and so on. Now, to be sure, there are large circles of women to whom the de- collete dress, whirling waltz, progressive euchre party and box at the theatre are the worlds chief charm. But the spell of | this sort of life is broken. The special | enclosure known as "society" grows smaller and less fascinating to the great many sided world of women. Christiani- | ty is emancipating us, and showing us so many other things to do. Women more | gifted, cultured and rich than those who give themselves wholly to society devote themselves nowadays to things they find so much more worthy of them, that ESQ., ciety women'' have become subdivision, quite clearly marked, of the real woman hood that has a broad, free life and out look on the world. Just as in the early days, one who did not take wine was al most ostracized, but is now respectfully | regarded and even praised, so mot to be in society" is no longer a mark of singu- larity, but a differentiation from the type'' that is clearly recognized and held in high esteem. Perhaps "society" itself will pass away. Who knows? One feels like saying this below ones breath, and yet who knows? There are so many bet ter things to do than to sit for two hours as devotees around the stomachic altar of dinner table, or to spin in waltz, talk ing attitudes elsewhere indecent or intol- erable. But society dissected down to the marrow, yields but these two spectacles, and these two will pass away. Banish wine from the dinner, dancing from the "evening entertainment" and 'society' | with it's late hours and indigestions would collapse. Nothing is surer than that wine | is to be banished, and with the growing | uplift and dignity of womanhood, dancing, and the outrageous mode of dress that goes along with it, will one day be held as a mere relic of barbarian. That was l prophetic innovation at the White House when our gracious Mrs. Hayes replaced the dinner with it's wine glasses by the stately and elegant reception. Perhaps while men rule the state, in their govern ment 'of the minority, by the minority, for the minority,'' it's highest expression will still be the dinner-table with it's clink- ing glasses and plenty of tobacco smoke afteIward, but when men and women both | times that hasten to be here, the gusta- | tory nerve will be dethroned once and for evermOre. For there are so many more worthy and delightful ways of investing (net ''spending'') ones time; "there are so many better things to do." The blos- soming of women into deeds of philan- thropy gives us hint of the truest forms of society that are to come. Emerson said, I've descend to meet" because he claims that we are on higher plane when l alone with God and Nature. But this need not be so. Doubtless in the out. worn and stereotyped forms of society we do "desoend to meet," but when 8 philanthropic purpose determines our com. partnerships and leads to our convenings then we climb together into purer and more vital air. The "coming women''- nay, the women who have come, have learned the loveliest meanings of the word ''society." Indeed some of us like to cal it "comradeship" instead, this interchange
  which the sense of selfhood is diminished and the sense of otherhood increased We make no "formal calls" but the in formal ones are hundred-fold more pleasant. If a new woman's face appear in church we wonder if she won't ''comt with us'' in the w. H. M. s., the w. F M. s., the W. c. T. U., or some othel dear firing around rosy" circle, formed 'sfor others sake" If new children si beside her in the pew, we plan to win then for our Band of Hope or other philan thropic guild where they will learn to fino "society' in nobler forms than this poo old world has ever known before Tn, emptiness of conventional forms of speecl and action is never so patent as whel oontrasted with the 'fullness of life" tha crown those hearts banded together t, bring the day when all mems veal shal be each mans care. Wadsworth write. easily of
 "The greetings where no kindness is,'
 And all the dreary intercourse of dail.
 life."
 Emels son says:
 "Good-bye, proud world, Pm going home.
 "Good-bye to Flattery's fawning face,
 To Grandeur with her proud grimace To upstart Wealth's averted eye,
 To supple office low and high"
 Indeed, the choicest natures, could thei roll be called, have stunned "society because, though it fed them on the mos succulent viands of the real, it was to gross and glaring for the Ideal which wa above all things else dear to them. Bu : One came in Judea, who, while "His SOL was like star and dwelt apart," had