The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-05-20
WOMEN AND THE M. E. COMPETENCE

A writer on the new woman" in a
| current number of one of the monthly
| magazines, in speaking of her ambition
TO be like man. and TO play a mans
/ part and 10 I'LL his sphere, warningly
advises them to at least stick TO their
to man with her long hair and in her
skirts. if she cares anything for his ad-
| miratiOn and devotion. The woman
1 who plays the part of a man on the
stage fails to please the majority OF
men Notwithstanding the whOOp of the
! gallery gods. There are roles or char
acters in operas in which she can ac-
| ceptably take the character and dress
Of the male, such as for pages and the
Like, but they are few. Still the ambi-
ton of the average actress is TO play
the mans part Many new women
| have been holding that the bicycle
would relegate the skirts Of women
and leaving them in boomers finally
land them in trousers. The wheel viii
fail ere petticoats do. Joan Of Arc
was great in skirts, but lost her power
in breeches and spurs. Mans art
ideals and love of the beautiful have
ever been stimulated if not indeed in
spired by the adorned woman, and the
moment she ceases TO be a woman and
become but the female of her race or
-6. ha,.
Still there Is the present undisguised
effort, seen everywhere, upon the part
of women, TO be different from what
she has been in the past-to play the
mans part, and to supplant him where
it is possible To do SO. That they are
succeeding in many respects none will
deny. In Colorado, Wyoming and
Washington, women having gained the
privilege or duty of voting, are crowd
ing into political conventions and into
public life. Kansas has long since
been selected and sealed by the female
suffragiSts as a possible if not probable
conquest.
When one goes outside Of morals; out
side of mans education, prejudices and
tastes one might ask, ''and why notT'
They are our equals in many respects.
our superiors in others. without whose
consent humanity would cease to be,
demanding every civil and religious
and industrial prerogative claimed by
man. Man can deny nothing that wO-
man demands II Is with woman her
self whether she will or will not. A
large minority already have declared
that she will.
The other day the Methodist general
conference only half way turned down
right 70 membership. The general
conference, unable TO decide as 10 wO-
mans future voice in controlling the
church, remAnded the whole question
back to the annual conferences. IL is
inevitable that the women gain their
point, ana once admitted to all the
rights and prerOgauves OF her brother
she will soon be filing pulpits, and
many OF Us viii live 10 see a woman
bishop.
In this connection we clip from the
proceedings OF the general conference |
an episode, which IS a pointer as 10 !
what IS coming. is reinforced By a !
sarcasm whose logical deductions are /
TOO plain 10 permit Of misinterpreta-
ton or a wpeng answer. The report /
OF the days proceedings read as fOl-
lows:
Rev. Granville LoVTher q southwest
Kansas. raised The woman question
again by Introducing the following ne
zion:
Whereas, Tbs conference has dscl5-
e 10 send 10 TIE annual conferezces
the question as 20 whether ne word
''lsyrnzn'' stall be construed as - IL
cIuSe voms1. ara
Whereas, Il - believed ~ mary ths-
o. scrptural grozo1s E0nea czn1ot
be admitted % The gszerAl Conference.
therefore
Resolved. Tai ne z1<o submi; 70 ne
annual Conferences ths foil0S-zS saes-
iso1s.
Are vozaea inclated IL or articles
ef religion. paragraph sever. Saieh
rraEs, sMz-l = vsry 1z- ESns frDaz org
Lazi rsgateoas1essz
While tbs question - Tszdlng & -
fAe onse- = he general eozfsre-cs IA
tAs omen obey TIE Apostoiio fa5uae-
tsoz. Let your Eozez keep szssn1s a
Ire ehgrchsz-"
1
e-tEe tat cones frozz booEz. pzpsrs.
us&<zz.nsz. iecsares- iyoessEs Ez1 Esz1-
fzS ct-csA sz6 IL Icy seos5c ss<rs