The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-04-16
THE NEW SPIRIT.

THE NEW SPIRIT.
Between d devil and an angel there
is a Medium man." Between all
extremes there are mediums and
these mediums are generally forgot
ten and unmentioned in the statement
Of any contested question. says Annie
p. Grosser in the Humanitarian
In this eternal woman question, for
instance, which, however wearisome,
1t is impossible to ignore, the case of
that growing body of women. who
hold a position between the ''high-
souled and high heeled,' as a witty
writer CLASSIFIED the two extremes of
woman types, is forgotten. Men are
alarmed, and not without cause, when
they contemplate the type of woman
which appears to be impressing itself
as the woman of the future most
forcibly on the imagination of the
day. \ woman who, be it hopefully
said. exists principally on paper, sans
unSelhShneSS, sans love, sans moth
erly instinct. sans grace, sans every
thing which is en- fin womanly, this
creature, clad in garments distin-
guished neither by utility nor beauty,
is the type which has taken hold of
the popular mind as the type of the
coming woman. 1t is no wonder chat
men, and women too, are horror
struck and alarmed at such vision
of the days that shall be. 1t is no
wonder that by ridicule, abuse or dis
dain, they should strive to postpone
the evil day when the coming woman
shall have come.
That there are large numbers of I'M
fortunate persons, who in all serious
ness believe that this or some cog
nate creature is the ideal to which the
so-called advanced woman wishes TO
make her sex conform, cannot be
doubted. They swarm in places where
they would be least expected. The
limp, invertebrate. young man, who
takes one into dinner, mentions in
consequently that of course, you are
not one of those who believe in
women's suffrage, and all that sort of
thing don'tcher-know.' This remark
conceals an implied compliment but
when he learns that you do hunbly
hold the opinion that the parliament
tary suffrage for the women would be
3. good thing for the country and the
women, he Shrinks in, affrignted, or
disguised, to watch for any other
Vagary in the shape Of bifurcated
garments, strong language, or cigars
he may find in his odd neie hbor
Even the serious scholar, the man of
weight and learning. judges by impli-
cation. Should he discover that You
have any single characteristic of the
So-called ''eInancipated woman that
trait is made peg for hanging up the
whole terrible catalogue of crimes
supposed to belong to the coming
woman. If a friend is unwise enough
to advertise her visitor to her rel
atives as strong minded, emancipated,
literary, or any other comprehensive
" damning adjective, that visitors
reception in the average household is
oh 6ap
sons conceive an a priori reason for
avoiding her the father looks on her
in amazement and the hostess leads
the conversation carefully away from
any topic which might induce her 10
obtrude her Objectionable eccentrici-
ties.
And the reasons for this all but uni
versal assumption that the new spirit.
when it has touched a woman. must
lead on to those things which are mas
culine, loud, impure, or unwomanly.
are not far TO seek. They come from
both camps.
There have been, Of course, in this
movement, women who were the
pioneers, whose work was waking their
fellow-women out of sleep and ex-
posing injustice, waste and shame.
For pioneering qualities are necessary
which are not altogether admirable
In any sphere except that of pioneer
ing. A domestic cat would not be the
best leader of a forest forage and
lion would be equally out of nlace in
an Englihs home. A man or a woman
IN the first advocacy of upnonnIar
principles, has TO stand the brunt of
hard knocks, to fight, and fight alone
TO cultivate a belief in himself. Tins
almost Of necessity he grows hard
front and his spirit is the spirit of
war. These qualities are not most adj
mirable in a drawing-room or indeed
in a home, yet it takes a great sonI
indeed to be at once strong and wise
as serpent, and harmless as a dove.
The greatest pioneer of all, who began
a refoT nation which is even now only
beginning TO be understood. did in
oesd succeed in sweeping the temple
OF It's hypocrites. anG denouncing vi
porous iniquities, without losing The
gentleness which loved the children
and gently raised girl from her
'death-sleep with a word But is is
only perfect strength which attains
perfect gentleness.
AGAIN, the pioneer viii accomplish
nothing without intense belief in her
cause and huge enthusiasm Fnsh1,-
.sissm is lot elegant 1t loses sigbt
OF persons in principles 1t does NOT
stop 20 say, rs this view of the case
pleasiag?" 1t states the case in its
EXTREMIST form and cares nothing
and must care nothing that there is
the other side. Audi alterano mar
tenn, ts not in the vocabulary of the !
enthusiast Personal eccentricitias /
are Increased. The question in hand
steps out of its true perspective and |
assumes huge proportions
Now, when in the course of time, |