The Dickinson press., 1895-08-24


son that she has to decide between two
bundles Of hay, one on either side of
her. II she elects to give up the in
herited profession of domesticity for
another Of choice, it would seem that
she should be more than sure Of her
peculiar fitness for public life. And
yet, as the only possible school for
such equipment lies in public work,
there Is ample reason for pelplexity.
If we fail we fail, is not motto for
women. Though written for a wom-
ans lips, they are mainly words.
While manhood takes failure with
comparative stolidity and tries again
on another tack, womanhood is crush
ed and Inundated. Therefore it is
best that she should choose her
worlds work wisely.
In the selection of u profession there
are of course many questions Of fit-
ness for q woman to consider, but
there Is one universal test which ap-
plies equally to all the professions she
can enter into though 1t seems to be
considered least of all In the weigh
ing of pros and cons. The first Ques-
tion a woman should ask herself when
she thinks of leaving her four walls In
body or on paper or canvas is this:
Gam fitted for the struggle?''
If her answer be only weakness, let
her stay where she is so long as those
walls can possibly continue to shelter
her. For no matter how deep her call
ing for public or semi-public life, tho
work she thinks of doing Is, after all,
the worlds work, and she must take
the worlds buffets in its ACCOMPLISH
ment.
Repeatedly gifted women who have
seemed divinely called to one or an
other profession have failed, and fail
ed utterly and lamentably, simply be-
cause they could not grasp the cold
fact that the distinct profession was
not all they had to learn.
Lack of power to meet the wOrld-to
struggles at the root Of more fail
ures than is unfitness for the specific
work undertaken. How to prepare a
bandage is one thing; the applying it
quite another but equally necessary
part of nurses training.-Harper's
Bazar.
hrs. Palmer and the New Woman.
AS Mrs. Palmer was the fearless
pioneer In the movement for securing
an enlarged sphere for the employ
ment Of woman's capabilities, her
structures upon peculiar type Of the
new woman are invested with more
than common interest. Speaking to a
Times Herald correspondent at Bar
Harbor, she said: If I understand
what Is meant by the new woman, I
do not like her" Mrs. Palmer regrets
the fact that the advanced woman
movement has brought about such a
changed condition in the relations of
the sexes that the girls are now max
ing all the advances.
Mrs. Palmer finds from personal OBJ
servation that the new woman is ex-
pending her mental energies in devils
Ing schemes for seeking out the young
men and getting in their company.
She has been forced to accommodate
herself to the tastes of the men. She
arranges all the parties, dances, pic
MICS, drives, boating and tennis expe.
ditions, and the resourceful young man
at the summer resorts Is put to his
wits ends trying to dodge her. In or.
der to make herself a fit companion
for the young men she has taken to
the bicycle, to tennis, to golf, to boat.
ing-she has, in fact, done everything
she could in decency to be near the
young men. Mrs. Palmer expresses
the fear that it is only question of
time, if this thing continues, when the
women will be compelled to make pro.
posals of marriage or remain forever
single.
This is not the kind of new woman
Mrs. Palmer had in mind when she
blazed the way for woman's enamel.
patton by demonstrating what woman
could do in positions of trust and re.
sponsibility requiring cool judgment
and executive ability. Her ideal was
not q mannish woman, but woman
Of independence and self-respect. who
by her ability to be self-supporting'
could avert many of the unhappy mat.
rimonial alliances that have wrecked
| SO many. human lives.
The best womanhood of the land
will indorse Mrs. Potter Palmer's ides
of what the new woman should be.