The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-07-16


a well conceded fact. Many OF society's
forms and rules are mere false and hol-
low shams. A fair sample in the way
OF some OF Its calls may be seen In the
following lnes
There goes the bell. visitor, guess,
And I'm a fright and haven't time to
dress;
H'm Mrs. Gossip, from across the way,
What put 1t In her head to call today;
TO see what she can see, that's all, no
doubt;
That womaln's nothing but a gadabout.
/ hate her with her supercilious airs.
That horrid girl is bringing her up
stairs.
'ris Mrs. GOSSIP, / declarep Why this
Is quite pleasure, am sure "a klss)
SO kind of you to call, tbs quite a treat,
Let me remove your shawl Pray take
a seat,
We are all upset this morning, It Is true,
But we can always find a seat for YOU.
Pray don't apologize. there is no need,
! l am very glad you have called, I
am, indeed"
| The servitude Is confessed, but how to
throw off this CALLING yoke is still a
question of much interest. It has laid
Its heavy w.therlng hand upon nearly
every vital interest of our modern civiliz-
alton; but for its demands, expensive
] state dinners with the ever accompanying
wine cup, with its fruits of revel and
| debauch would be largely a thing OF
the past. To this tyrant can be traced
not only many a financial but many a
moral wreck; society says II we would
be anything in society we must make
a good appearance, we must live in a
respectable house. we must have at least
a wei Furnished parlor we must be up
with the times, as well as with the latest
cut. We must go into society II we ex-
pect to be recognized as members of
society; but this often proves a heavy
| yes a too heavy drain upon an honest
purse as well as upon valuable time
body, mind and soul. There are thous-
ands OF our American girls who see
nearly every interest of life In the light
OF society. The question constantly
arises in their minds, "How and where
shall make my debut in society? Oh,
that eighteenth year old birthday party,
what shall wear, how shah l appear,
who shall l invite to It and when 1t is
over l wonder what they will think and
say?" Thoughts like these have occupied
the days and nights for months of many
OF the modern wouldbe society girls
and nearly as much time and THOUGHT
OF many doing mother and still more
thoughts of the hard-pushed father who
has TO foot the bills. II we are to Judge
from the movements of some of the
modern city girls Il will be ssen that
their chief aim Of life IS how to appear
well In society, IL nowhere else; how
they may dress well, wear the society
cue, the society smile, how to walk, talk
and laugh, according to societys rules;
to learn to play and sing few little
songs, such as "Oh, how mother dear
mother, will miss me when I'm gone;"
While the poor, silly Old mother at the
same time is drudging her life away
In the kitchen to give dear Lille the
pleasure OF appearing well In society
win scpt white hands, with the hope
OF gettlng her safely offf of her
hands upon the hands of someone else. |
who when first married to such a girl |
feels like eating her up and in after years |
WISHES he had. Against all of these tv- |
ralnnical demands of society the Ideal |
girl will enter strong and positive pro- |
test and refuse to bow to Its calling |
yoke and cruel sceptre To hSr we must |
look for reform. To her we must look
10 LIT her class out of the dreamy play |
or life" into the sublime realm of noble |
useful effort that will take hold of and |
help the world to a better life. / am
not quite certain, beautiful and innocent
as they seem to be, that many OF the
China dolls are the best playthinRs for
little girls. with their painted faces, dill
cate hands and little feet, with crlmped
hair, for many a grown up girl has often
wished she had the face, hands, feet
and hair of the doll she once played
with and she has made many a fruitless
effort to Initiate her china doll. 1t might
nave been better IL some of that
c.ass OF girls had been dolls, for
then they would not only have been
painted to stay and in the market" but
would have stood a good chance OF being |
bought by somebody. 1t Is an open secret
that many socity girl has remained on |
the market because of her 'high notions |
of the demands Of society" She is too
expensive commodity for the average
young man to take upon his hands at all |
times. Its common remark among a |
certain class Of honorable, Industrious
young men, II cannot afford to get mar
ried just now" 1t costs too much these
days to support a wife in the style she
expects me to keep her." for most girls
expect to start where Their parents leave
on after years OF toll and saving. I
had better stay a single man and will.t
SO he does. 1t Is also a conceded fact
that the rigid rules of this tyrant society
IN its style and dress has driven many
deserving girls to ruin. They were made
to feel that they were not wanted be-
cause they could not keep up with the
style OF our set" Or they were given to
understand that they did not belong to
the select -four hundred" and hence
were ruled, dressed, sneered and elbowed
M fIAta o1o
courage honesty and heaven. God. re-
.ig-on and humanity all look to this conn
ing ideal girl as a chief agency in
bringing about much needed reform in
many modern social circles, whsre char
acter and true worth and not dress and
n.ppant style and few surface accom-
pNshments shall be the standard by which
people shall be estimated. This discourse
would be very incomplete were we not
10 give few moments In considering tlle
all important and much discussed ques-
ton OF ''woman's sphere" May we not
appropriately ask 'who dare define with
metes and bounds woman's sphere any
more than he would mans sphere?" and
yet we think we can answer this seeming
Vexatious question In one round sentence.
her sphere Is wherever and in what
ever she is most needed and can be most !
hSiSS.i anu 10 mOSL Tor the uplifting OF
the race. 1 care not Il this sphere finds
her In the home. school room, behind the |
counter, in the counting room, at the
ballot bax, at posts of honor and trust,
In legislative halls In the councils of
nations for peace or war, on judges
benches, or editorial chairs, in prssidents /
seats and in the pulpit, In any and all of
these whenever and wherever she is most
needsd;and to her credit be IL sad when i
and wherever In any Of these she has !
been tried She has done herself the +
credit and the position the honor OF :
being her brothers equal. 1t Will not be /
! question with this ideal girl as to what I
she does, so much as It will be how she i
does 1t. 1t Is Eafe to say she Will let Z
the world know and feel that she is \
lifted for and can and will do something
more than ''primp and dress and fr.z,"
read few light novels and call II liter !.
lture, or copy a few masterpieces and !
,all 1t painting, she will show the world :
hat she can do more than study how TO Z
lpp'sar wen in society, she VIII wake and 7
$ already waking this world up to the !
important fact whether she be rich or !.
that c1aa Il. I