The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-14
THB NEW WOMAN.

The new woman" Is O fact to cOnsid'
er and to approve, and not disagree
able one. either. We make all haste
to explain that we do not refer to the
masculine woman, who affects mascu-
line dress and masculine vices, such as
smoking. which she doubtless admires
in her male acQauintances
She does not come at all into the
mind of the writer. In connection with
the term, new woman" as used In the
finer sense Of this article and 1t u de-
voutly to be hoped that she will not lin
ger In the minds Of the readers OF the
"WQman's Paper"
Neither is the new woman" fancy.
A fancy Is usually poetic and aesthetic.
who pose in idle grace who think them
selves far in advance Of those who walk
the dreary round Of practical life. min
istering to Others They do not realize
that real poetry is intense and active
and that the poets who live In the
hearts Of the people are those who write
of sacrifice and struggle. Hands and
heart and head were all given that they
may all be kept busy In this great world
Of neighbors.
To be Of no use Is worse than being
dead. Living pictures would better DO
in frames permanently.
But our new women" for their name
Ia legion, where are theyf
They are in their homes es wives,
mothers, daughters, sisters. They are
In business life. in over i've hundred
occupations. They are In professions
and a new dignity to those professions
is added by them. They have good old
fashioned morals, old-time medesty,
the old grace Of considering others bet
ter or as good as themselves and the
| a ha a
called golden. They have some new
ideas. new notions about health and
dress and women being sensible.
Are you beginning to think that this
article was astray, under the heading
Physical Department." To mislead
was not its intention and this Is not an
advertisement for any cure-all or even
for the gymnasium of the Young
Women's Christian Association, al
patronized by those who would ever
sing its praises after only 'one course
Of treatment"
When 1t became the ambition Of wo-
men and other than women. that there
should be q new raoe, which should be
beautiful because strong, then the
press, physicians and men and women
who could write or speak Joined q great
movement that is still extending. Re
forms were proposed and planned
which should not shock the reasonably
conservative.
It was the old question, to be or not to
be. answered by brains and hearts. So
long as women were expected to be
weak and ailing. even though the caus-
es were for from providential. no great
effort was made to remedy the condi-
ton Of things. except after the mischief
was done.
They could dress in abominable gar
ments, violate every health law. neglect
physical exercise and recreation and
there was not very much fuss made
low the course of events which led to
the multiplication Of gymnasia, the
introduction of tennis and bicycling as
popular sports, and the dress which
does not make q woman hideous while
1t makes her comfortable. The i'm
provements have not come in q day,
neither ore they through coming. The
physically strong and intelligently
healthy women Of the twentieth GEN.
tury will live and learn. and continue to
work out their own salvation. Once in
q while, now, there is a spasm of de-
generation which disturbs our rest for
q few nights. We look askance at the
needle-pointed toes Of women's shoes,
until we find that men are wearing
that kind too. and that there Is room
and to spare. Men never wear an un-
comfortable shoe. not even in the
Flowery Kingdom, where the poor
women hobble around on little more
than stumps.
With the use of electricity, It Is to be
hoped that the dark ages are gone.
Tyranny and the war Of races are
! things Of the past, but the sway Of
hurtful, heathenish fashion over the
noblest creation. the last creation Of
the One. who pronounced His work
rood