The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-20
IL the New Woman New?

Maurice Thompson, clergyman and lit
terateur, gives his decided views on the
new woman question in the Chicago Chap
Book. He answers in the negative the
question, sis the new woman new 2"
and takes for his text Louise Labe
of Lyons, who as Captain Logs cut great
figure at the siege of Perpignan in 1912,
and later distinguished and eclipsed her
self as writer of exotic verse. In his incl
dental comment the writer has good deal
to say. Here are few extracts:
1t is impossible to resist the new woman,
mainly, perhaps, on account OF her moral fas-
cination; but somewhat is due in this behalf
to certain perspective which, reaching into
the enchantment of remote times, connects her
with picturesque succession of new women.
The question might be raised to decide, even
at this late hour, between Eve and Lilith :
which Of them was the progressive, representa-
tive female?
There have been notable personages all along
the line of the centuries who have added grace
or disgrace to their sex by vigorous assertion of
new-womanhood. From the Hebrew woman
who drove the nail into her enemy's head,
along down by way of the Greek philosophers
wife to Queen Elizabeth as thoroughly au-
thentic records seem to establish, an unproken
strain of man-harrying amaZons march through
history. And side by side with it another
procession is composed of the intellectual
p-odigies of various female types who have as
saulted the masculine stronghold of science
and art, from the days OF Sappho TO this good
hour.
Good mothers, faithful wives and healthy
minded sweethearts are not to be crowded out
OF the army OF progress and reform; they are in
to stay; but the Louise Labes are also per-
sistent element and unfortunately the noisiest
and apparently most influential, especially in
the field of literature.
Woman must come to her own; she must
have full freedom; would that tomorrow were
the day of it; but not ii she is to be like the
wife in the Heavenly Twins" not if she must
take pattern by q "Yellow Aster' heroine, 8
key Notes. woman a Daughter OF Music" OF
any of the still worse models set up by the
latest female propagandists OF social and do
nestle reform, These writer's OF polemical fic-
| ton fayoring the new order of social license
| are at present more IN evidence than the rest
OF them: Man, brutal Man, would be quite
justified in appealing to his superior muscle to
prevent the arrival OF this New Woman, or to
hale her to prison, as an enemy of the race,
should she prove clever enough to break
through the masculine guard
| You see God built US for different tasks: and
| the true new woman knows it. Yet somehow
these yellow book girls make all the noise, lead
the van and get most of the attention.
There Is our weak point" said noble
woman to me; she is one of the fine, strong
spirits In the work of lifting her sex to true
freedom; "there is our chief obstacle. The
divorced women, or grass widows the drunk
ards wives, and the disappointed old maids
are assuming leadership, taking it by vulgar
force. This sets the men against US and gives
1hem that irresistible weapon, ridicule
Inc women we most need for leaders
| and followers are the happy wives
and mothers. We want the women who have
not lost faith In men, marriage and maternity
the three great Ms. Not that we have no sym
| pathy with our unfortunate and unhappy sis
tiers; but the woman with a grievance moan
| OF woe IN her throat and score to settle with
Fate is not a vote-maker. She irritates the
men and they tell her that she should have
had better luck. She seems to forget that it il
| from the men that our boon must come, and
| that they will never grant it while our dyspep
| tics are to the fore. Who, indeed, cares a straw
| possess?"
| After ell, it may be that the New Woman is q