The advocate., 1894-03-14


us scattered about the city are SINH
larly situated, and we are all eager to
study socialism. Don't think, Mr..
COtterell, that we are of that foolish
class Of women who take up some such
thing as a mere fad. We are in
earnest. We belieUe in socialism with
our whole hearts; and we feel for the
working people just as you feel for
them. We are weary of the empty fol
lies of the fashionable life we are
doomed to undergo, and feel criminal
every time we are forced to waste in the
foolish OStentation of some reception or
so-called social entertainment money
so sOrely needed by people in actual
want. What is worse for us, we keenly
feel that every dollar thus wasted has
been eXtorted by our husbands from
working people who have to live hard
in consequence of this robbery. When
| heard you last night, felt indignant
as l saw all about me weak, unmanly
men who live easy lives and on whom
education is simply wasted and thought
what good you might do were you not
by wicked social system obliged to re-
press your bright mind and stife your
noble aspirations for good, in order to
give your life to monOtOnOus drudgery
that such beings as these may waste
what you earn while they Vaunt them
selves your social superiOrs."
Her eyes flashed with honest indig.
nation as she said all this, and John
was aStounded at the revelation that
such thoughts and feelings were posi-
bic to a society woman-a capitalists
wife. She noted his look of astonish-
ment, and smilingly said:
"YOu are surprised, Mr.. COtterell, to
hear such sentiments from woman of
my utterly worthless class? Let me
assure you there are others who feel
thus, as when you meet our club you
will discover. We are idle, Mr.. Cot
terrell. Our husbands are immersed in
business-that is, they are busy op-
pressing industrious people and in
Scheming to destroy each other. They
have no time for elevated thought nor
lofty sentiment. They are like Bun
yan's man with the muck-rake. 1t
seems utterly hopeless to seek to win
them to new and inspiring conceptions
of life. But you must not despair of
the lCOme1 Of our class Mr.. Cotterell.
How / detest that Word-'claSs. Yet
it expresses very tangible fact, never
theless. We, as l said, are forced to
do nothing in the way of work; and so
some women take to the church or to
charity as some men take to drink,
simply to get rid of themselves. But
we have time and opportunity to read
and think and feel, as our husbands
have not, and number of us are using
our opportunities and becoming edu-
Gated in the stirring ideas of our time.
Don't let your workingmen misjudge
fashionable women, Mr.. Cotterell, nor
despair of us. We are slaves of an en-
yironment as infexible and almost as
cruel as yours. Were we to act as some
of us wish to act, and become on all
occasions the public allies of the work
ing peoples champions, we should
simply oStraciZe ourselves; and without
doing any good now, would deprive
ourselves Of the power to do substan-
tial good bye and bye"
John was not getting much opportu-
nifty to say anything, if, indeed, there
had been ANYTHING for him to say. But
this was a new, undreamed-of phase of
life to him, and he was content to lis
ten and wonder.
81 know this to be true, Mr.. Cotter-
ell, she continued; "that the palace is
as ripe as the hovel for revolt against
what last night you so aptly called our
internal social system. But / must
come to the point, and explain what /
wished to see you about. spoke of
our club a moment ago. We meet
Tuesday afternoons at our respective
homes in succession, and next Tuesday
we meet here. We have been reading
books and discussing them. Last meet