The herald., 1894-04-08
WOMAN's WORLD.
Or. ELLEN KENYON ON ARRESTED
DEVELOPMENT,

Late Occurrences In Society and the Busi-
ness World Of Interest TO WemeA.
Timely Hints as to Spring Noveltiss-In-
tercstlng Personal Gossip.
The Science Sermons society meets
every Sunday evening in the lecture
room of Robert Collyer's church for the
announced object Of presenting the
most advanced views and encouraging
their practical application. The soci'
ETY. ia called a new departure, and the
platform is said to be broad enough for
all, Tho programme in general reads,
Scholarly and interesting lectures BY
acknowledged leaders, discussion after
ward, instrumental and vocal music.
On a recent evening q discussion fol-
lowed a lecture on 'The Evolution Of
True Wemanhood, by Dr., Ellen =,
Kenyon, associate editor OF Phe School
Journal. DR.. Kenyon has an attractive
face and a modest and pleasing manner.
She is dress reformer, but does not
wear the garments of her moro radical
sisters, She said in part:
Woman rs stirring uneasily in tho
narrow confines of her average thought
world, only half awake as yet TO the fact
that she is victim of arrested develop
ment; that tradition has her in its clam
my grasp SO tightly that much Of her
ethical power is benumbed and nine
tenths of her potential usefulness de-
priyed of its right to be actualized.
About quarter of a century ago the
voice of woman piped ont its first shrill
note of determination in this war for
elbow room in which to BECOME freely
developed ethical being. Society lis
tened and turned away, pronouneing
the note discordant, but the female
'rahtersn were listened to again and
again, and gradually truth got foot
hold in public opinion:
Woman is trained from her cradle up
by orthodoxy. 70 have opinions is not
dutiful and feminine; therefore she is
trained TO believe ps she is told to be-
lieve. To dress freely and conveniently
is not stylish; therefore her arms are
bound down to her sides by sleeves cut
by the straight jacket pattern. 70 have
intellectual tastes and to select occupa-
tions is vain, for her destiny is to whee-
die men, direct servants and dress ba-
hies. She must spend laberious years at
the piano, though she may be stupid in
music, because a husband is not easily
caught without some form Of fash, and
home Is nothing without music. Man,
on the other hand, is trained more or
less as an individual. If he tries to bull
doze his sisters, he shows evidence of fu-
ture capacity to rule. He will be any
thing from band leader to a two term
president OF the United States.
But woman is finding out that her
dignity demands an uprising against
the cardinal doctrine of licentious men,
and that the veal OF future generations
which she holds in sacred keeping de-
mands of her participation in the law
making of this alleged government by
the people in order that certain dastard-
ly laws making prey of the young and
ignorant may be swiftly and indignant
! ly repealed. She is learning to reason
about the wonderful gift of intuition
that man ascribes to her in poems, but
scorns in the prose- of real life, and to
ask if this intuition is such fine thing
in theory is it not worth something in
praoticeY England is ahead of as in eK-
tending the educational facilities of the
land to women. The idea OF education
is that it should reveal to the student his
own higher nature and train him to
conform his life to its law. Such is the
progress that woman has been making,
New York Sun.