The San Francisco call., 1896-05-07

relates to domesticity. knowledge is said to taxa
from their personal charm, that charm being
marriage Men drop the tone Of their conversa.
Ilon 70 meet the requirements Of the smaller i'm
mature, unframed, feminine mind.
Women are taught to regard their weakness, and
inability as fascinating powers, recommending
them to the kindly consideration of the stronger
sex. Ihus Il-equpped for her task, when one at
tempts 10 write she cannot in her first fright es-
cape the disadvantages attending her prescribed
To-day our best women writer's, rather than at
tempt 10 portray life as viewed from their re-
strleed standpoint, their powers in the pro-
ouction OF novels with purpose. AS work OF
art novel showing no vestige of its m echanism
and wholly free from the idosyncrasies and indi-
vidualites of the craftsman gives delight to its
readers A book filled with automatic beings
strutting through its pages who at the turning OF
a screw mouth their stiited doctrines and forcing
uhelr etnics at every turn is not a novel, though
IL pear the name. Evadne and Marcella whose
sayings are but the echoes of Mrs Wards views
are tedious beings, neither real nor ideal.
i, ne wome en- in literature who will succeed must
De one with life then forgetting their own person
aty permit their creations to live and act in their
own way Irrespective of ethics as did the men and
transcends environment and his women are veri-
taoie realities to-day they were in the past, and
della, Portia, Jessca, Ophella, RosaIind Desde-
mona Cleopatra, Lady Macbeth and Juliet all
portant part These women are stro9siT vitaIized
ana breathe the breath of life. They are moved
by all the passions which aGitste the human
Dreast. shakespeare drew from life with broad
tbs Sn1 Win broad lines therein differing from
their own preconceived Ideas of womans place in
the fsmiiy, the church 6 nd the state
II have been asked" observed Professor
Napntaly Herr 1mber, the cabalist, open
ing the discussion, ITO state the position
OF woman according to Cabala. Moses ex-
cluued women from active participation in
/ relglous and civil matters. At the time
OF the second temple the rabbis practically
smut out woman from membership in the
| synagogue. The Cabala, on the con-
trary;, stands for equality between them
Miss Severance was the next to discuss
the paper. She said: Truth is often
stranger than fiction and good fiction is
crystallized truth.
"The women of Walter Scott's novels
were Just the women of the frontier
Inc women OF Dickens were very good
sort OF women, but narrow as a rule.
ut seems to me that fiction should have
purpose. Harriet Beecher Stowe mas
| written fiction that has had the greatest
force IN the novel OF TODAY. Fiction
should embeilish truth and make it agree
able and presentable to the.public.'
Mrs. Haight had some thoughts on the
novel. She said:
ne purpose of the novel with a pur.
pose lies In one place, with the author
Men thlnk they can see through a barn
door Ihey do. says one character and that
it," A 81 htue penlhu
MRS. Cooper asking Mrs. Van Pelt 70 the
cnair, also gave her views on the subject
OF the paper.
Old Dame Poyser." she commenced
. rs @ one woman in fiction whom | admire
Lro, t0r notnlng else. for her remark: j
NJ AneW ex women is foolish. but God made em
70 MT tne men, Dinah Morris is another
,oVeiy character, preaching to rough work.
"en irom wagon. George Eliot had q