The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1896-02-07
Written for the Democrat Star.
THOUGHTS BY THE WAY.
OLD HOMESTEAD, January 27, 1886.

OLD HOMESTEAD, January 27, 1886.
Not long since, one cold rain day.
| WIS sitting by my comfortable fire
in my litrle coy, old-lashioned sitting
room. From the condition of the
weather | felt sure | would have no
visitors, and as am very fond Of
reading and studying, concluded |
would have opportunity to indulge to
my hearts content without Interrupt
ton, read some papers, finished my
Ladies Home Journal, dwelling, as |
always do, on the "Talks to the
Kings Daughters" by that good
woman, Mrs. Margaret Bottom Then
took up magazine, and opened at
an article on the "The New Woman"
| won't read any more such stuff, !
said to myself, and turned the pages
over and began upon an article on
advancement in Science" | had
not read far when found the writer
was only setting forth some new sci
entltiic works of woman in science"
From curiosity | read it all through,
and reconsdering read the first. All
yes, | said the poor mised creatures
are talked and written of everywhere.
We old women will soon be unnUticed,
If we stay quietly indoors. l wish
there never had been such a thing
started as New Woman | AN not
an advocate Of the "New Woman" in
any sense. So, as had no one to talk
to l could only sit and think my
little friend May had jokiEgly said,
"Aunty, | am going to come out in
bloomers on nv bicycle, and | had re-
piled, "If you do, May. don't pass my
house, and don't call on me, for l
won't let you in" | was thinking of
all these things, when the sound of
the door bell attracted my attention,
and then my little housc-maid, Cora,
came in, and in mysterious manner,
whispered, "Misscs, theirs somebody
out there askin' for you. Theirs two
of um." "Who are they? ?" said l. 81
don't know, man, they looks funny
an Gurus; they's strange folks"
"Well, are they ladies or gentlemen p
said |. II don't know, man: they
looks jes lax men, but they talks like
ladies; and they dresses like ladies,
'ceptin' ther PANTS" Horror. said
|, its somebody with bloomers on,
and the day is so bad | will have to
ask them in. So when Cora brought
them in | was almost unable to be
polite.
There were the very people that |
said should never 0e entertained in
my house. Then the spokesman said,
81 am Maud Progress, and my friend
is Amanda Onward. We have come,
Mrs. Forester, land here | thought
to myself, how does she know my
name, but oh woman's ways are past
finding out, on this visit in the inter-
est of ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN"
She spoke in a kind of measured way
as though she would be sure of how |
would take the little speech she had
prepared. She went on, ''we are told
you are a woman of fine literary abil-
ity with ideas in advance of the gen.
eral run of the people about" ven
tured to say, I'm not woman's
rights advocate !" "Surely" said she,
"you are in sympathy with our adj
vanced movements "No!" said |,
81 do not believe in woman suffrage y
You think a woman is as good as
man 2" always y | answered. Then
Miss Onward spoke up, And You do
not believe that woman should remain
quietly at ease, and allow the men to
bear off the honors, mentally, intel
lectually and otherwise, do you Z"
Here | felt | would haye to defend
myself, and said, "Oh. no, think
women may have honors that men
cannot attain to-" add to this"
said she quickly, that woman should
attain to all positions In the world at
least on an equality with men. Now,
you haye agreed they can do this, we
want the great army of women IN this
country to come out and assert their
rights They have a right to sit In
the Presidential chair--they have a
right-(''To KNOW THEIR PLACES AND
TO KEEP TnEMp) l interrupted her.
~ never want TO see woman at the
polls, or in Presidential chair"
".Oh " said Progress, with dlsgusted
-