Morris tribune., 1895-10-30
The Recent Progress OF Women.

Cady Stanton, the famous woman
suffragist and orator, has to say upon
the movement which it has been hel
life's work to aid:
There was a time, so many thous-
ands of years ago that history does
reach back to it, when women, instead
of men. dominated the world. Man
was merely d rowing, irresponsible
animal. who hunted and fought with
only the qualification of his own de-
sires and provision for his own wants.
The women provided for the children,
and it was because they did so,--be-
cause they alone made he homes and
cultivated what little there was of
domestic art and agriculture that
they were more intelligent than the
men and were able to hold the upper
hand in the social life of time. To
protect their young they also went to
war, thus giving foundation in fact
to the fables of the Amazons.
The period of women's domination
was called the matriarch age. 1t was
followed by conditions which survive
to the present day. Man slowly grew
more intelligent and appreciative
with his duties and responsibilities.
He became less of wanderer, enter
ing to some extent into the home life
and helping to provide for the chill
dren Finally the family was en-
volved, and man, owing perhaps to
the universal law of action and reac-
ton, became the ruling factor in it.
Thus the patriarch age, or age of the
domination of the father, was evolved.
But the end of this evolution has
not yet been reached. A momement
always rushes to extremes before it
strikes the permanent middle course.
The remarkable advancement woman
has been making in various directions
during the last half century, and
which is particularly pronounced just
now, contains q promise Of the coming
of an age more glorious than the
world has yet seen,-a time when
there will be no domination on either
side, but when men and women, on
equal footing, shall share the duties
and joys of life. Not until then, it
seems to me, shall we be free from all
traces Of the barbarism of our remote
ancestors. -
The approach of this age of equality
when in distinction from the others,
may be called the ambiarcb age,
not of the mothers nor the fathers,
but the age of both, is manifested in
many ways. One of the most pro-
nounced is the very general movement
of women toward athletics and physi-
cal development. They are beginning
to desire, instead of delicacy and fra
gility, the robust health which brings
vitality and vivacity. The present
result of riding the bicycle and swim
ming and rowing and playing tennis
and golf is found in fine-spirited girls
bubbling over with gayety and the
mere joy of living. But the greatest
result will be seen in the next gener-
alton, when the world will realize that
with athletic, large wasted girls we
have large-brained men; and women
themselves will learn, when the exer-
cises which have become fashionable
will have made the wearing Of loose,
sensible clothing general, that the
world is much better and happier
place to live in than it seemed in their
tight-lacing days. To speak person
ally shall be eighty years old in a
few months, and yet am without an
ache or pain, and have as much men
tai vigor and energy as | ever had
The reason is not far to seek. My
father would never let myself or my
sisters put on new dress until be
had examined it to see if it was loose
enough. He always discouraged sew
ing and other sedentary household
work. He preferred to see US sweep
and clean, and work among the flow
ers and vegetables in the garden. We
used to spend whole days on horse
back, and / have ridden with him as
much as fifteen hundred miles on one
journey. Every day of my life | am
reaping the harvest of this early train
ing. And it is because / know what
freedom and exercise means from
personal experience, that | like to see
women ride the bicycle, and wear
boomers, too; and ride horseback
- - 1c&~sNn v,nnsonvor xrIsn1,