Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1895-11-20
Who Opened the Door? J.

ssnd circus. The clown was perform
ing some antics in the ring; monarch
ef all he surveyed, when suddenly
locking up he saw the rlngmaster,
who had entered quietly, standing
beside him. To this day | cannot
Tepress smile when | recall the ex-
preston on that clowns face as he
aaxclaimed: "Who opened the door
sand let you out?"
The American woman is out and
The American man looks up, startled
nj finding her by his side and invol-
zntarily exclaims: "Who opened the
deer and let you outs'
The spring of 1861 dawned upon a
prosperous and happy country and
drought with it a terrible scourge.
"A cloud, dark as pail, settled over
the happy country and she knew that
war had invaded her borders. Every
man who loved his country laid down
his shovel, hoe, spade or yard stick,
aeft his Office, bench, or desk and
went to her defense.
These places were vacant. Indus
trial pursuits must cease, traffic must
ae crippled, progress impeded, unless
woman came from her retirement in
the chimney corner and put her hand
ta the helm.
With very few exceptions every
thing outside the home was done by
men; even the public schools were
taught by men. It was not'supposed
u woman could govern country
school. 1t was so with Office work,
clerkships aud everything in fact out
side of home work.
When the men were gone, the best
Of them, to the war, woman, with
heroism equally great, went into the
antried field of public life. And she
went to stay. Experiment demon
-strated her fitness for variety of oc-
Erpations, and men, with admiringl
5salty, admitted her competence and
gave her access to still other posi-
atiens of trust and emolument until
today we find her in almost every oc
eupation.
Contact with the outside world has
sasepened and broadened the woman
aAerself until she is almost another
creature.
The woman of 81 possessing the
capabilities, but with all her powers
dormant from disuse, and the woman
Of IS with her powers brought into
action; her wits sharpened and her
views enlarged can scarcely be recog
nized as belonging to the same spe-
ciss. Just in proportion as the wo-
man has advanced has the home be-
come elevated.
DIR. Parkhurst laments the deca-
dence of the old home idea. I re-
joice in it. We have better homes
to-day than ever before in the worlds
history. The old home was nina
lure despotism where parents reign l
nd supreme and children were the
the most abject subjects; where the
dominant idea was obedience, abso-
aute, unquestioning, unreasoning, in s
Simultaneous, as if parents were in
ia1lable and could not err in issuing q
- behest. c
That sort of home is gone forever.
In its stead we have the happy,
cheerful home of an age of great en- :
lightenment, where father, mother
zaad children live and love and work
together; where their is community
Of interests and obedience is exacted .
Aoniy as means of promoting the
general welfare and then with the
fullest understanding on the part of I
tae child of the reasonableness, JUS
lice and expediency of the behest.
This is the home of '95 and it's CEN I,
trail figure is the bright, sunny moth =
er, confidant and companion Of her l
children. The cheerful wife, friend
and advisor of her husband, because .
her worldly knowledge only little y
less wide in its range than his, enables
her to understand all his trials and
difficulties, and her knowledge of .
affairs gives her something to talk
about with him of equal interest to n
both. E,
So far SO good. Men are content g
with this. They see the improve a
ment in wife and home and are f,
pleased and praise her for what she s.
has accomplished for herself, for d
them and their children. But when +,