The San Francisco call., 1896-05-07

with her name, for which neither .she nor her
creator IS IN any way responsible. Men have
worked for ages at this picture; painters poets,
dramatists and especially novelisis have success
lvely deepened the lines and heigh the colors
as suited their inner consciousness, with appar-
emily no reference whatever to the living Maries
aud Jennies under their eyes.
Indeed, the imagination works on deductive
not on inductive, lines; so, when a man wants a
heroine, instead of looking for her in his daily
walks he retires to his back-brain, where are pre-
served number of archaic feminine images as
lifelike as those poor old scarecrows In West
funeral professions These ladies of the mind
are labeled IA good woman" "a bad woman "a
Chooses one, shakes out its moth eaten garments.
redresses It, and, with the help OF fresh coat of
woman though it is often merely foil TO some
msn-hsure that the author has really studied
But how about the women writer's who are now
among us in such overpoweriug numbers?' Do
they not understand their sex? They do
naturally, but for long time they, too were SUBJ
1eCt TO the example OF false art given by the men,
who occupied the field largely. Hear Frau
Hansen keen critic from scandinavia. She saws:
"tormerly womens writings were. for the most
par 20 NelIer uliecely or lhdrecty) the expression
OF great talsehood. They were so desirous to be
lmpersonal that IL was quite comical TO see how
they initiated mems models. bo tn in form and con-
tent. Others (who wrote as women) had no con-
nectlon with literature at all; they merely KNITTED
literary stockings Besides, the nerves have bet
yer memory than the brain, and women mostly
wrote with their nerves"
But reading writing man really loved the
Ideal he portrayed and recognized This concen-
tion was formed when the romances of chiya Irv
hrst snatched woman from the unblushing brri-
tallty OF the dark ages, and each budding mascn-
line reader hoped to find the old beautiful suscen
tloie, dependent uatrnthful creature among his
female acquaintances.
When 1 child my elder brother had one
period when he was absorbed by Miss Susan War
ner sexraordlnarly unreal productions, especially
the one called "Qpeechy.S The Fieda of that
novel WAS temporarily his Idol, and whenever /
declined TO subordinate my plans his he would
remark plaintively, why can't you be more liz .
F1eda" Publicly secuted the suggestion, pri-
vately studied Fleda- found that she had III rec
salient characteristics: First, she dissoIved I'm
floods of tears on the slightest provocation-as sam
Weller remarks THAT tap was alters turned on'i.
second, although mere child she held FORTH in
season and out of season, upon the doctrines OF
that form of the Christian church favored bv Miss
Warner; third whenever she was not either CRYING
or preaching she was concoctng the most entra nc.
ing biscuits and coffee particularly when tbe hero
going TO drop in unexpectedly 20 tea Now
how could / be Fieda? /. who never cried unIess
j was hurt, whose notions aoout doctrines we're nj
the Vaguest and who not allowed In the
Kitchen, partly because my appearance there had
a tendency 10 eXasperate the cook and partly be-
cause the result OF my culinary efforts did not
arouse in my family that awe-struck gratitude
which Fleda never failed TO elicit from hers.
Afterward Thackeray's herones were tried on
me- one after another (all the patient, longsuffer-
Pendennis and the rest, and | came 10 resent the
great noyelist's notion of good women and,
MINK, Win reason His pattern of perfect and
sure-to- beloved wife and mother is she who en-.
tirely effaces her own personality before that OF
tne male members OF her household: who makes
her husband believe that she considers him the
pest and wsest OF men, though in reality she is
sohSS-ouS VI LIS iauttS ana fall1ngS hO
burns the incense OF attery necessarily refore his
Shrine ana 30 manages him as she pleases; who
laughs with fresh delight each repetition OF The
ola Joke she Knows well, and above all who
keeps a smiling face TO the world with no matter
what heartsche. All this complnsance until her
jealousy Is aroused or her affections Threatened. !.
ana the sweetest woman becomes, according 10
Thackeray, cruel and relentless fury ..adorably
unjust as he says. and Incredibly nnreasonable
IL she has both sous and daughters ana is poor
she teaches her female children that they shonId
rejoice TO eat the bread OF aiflictiye nrivsrson
gladly, SO that their brothers may eat and arink
and Idle their way through school and college and