Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-30

q TePloly disappearing lfsututlon, ana at
the lead Of homes of today are women
either too busy outside, or too worthless,
to train girls they may press into their
service.
Once begin educating girls as thoroughly
and extensively in various branches of
homework as they are now educated In
various professors and their application
to the actual problem Of labor In the home
will instantly develop the impossiblity of
one woman doing well more than one
branch Of it. 1t will also result in equip
ping domestic labor with tools and labor
saving devices, such as are now provided
as matters of luxury in the homes of
wealth alone.
Egotism of Women.
You frequently hear unkind mention made
of the egotism of man, as if he were the
chief egotist of creation. But for colossal
corrupting and consuming egotism COM
mend me to woman-the good woman who
thanks heaven she can do something of
everything and shifts at the practical hui
mility Of the woman who breaches the
wisdom of aiming to do one thing well.
When these fatal cyclists shall have fall
en- where they now stand before the on
ward march of the true new woman, l have
beautiful day dreams of the Utopia, the rule
OF universal sisterhood that is to follow.
The sister who is a born school teacher
and no kind of breadmaker will assemble
the tots of the neighborhood in her home
and teach them happily, while another wo-
man who Is a genius at breadmakng will
bake her bread. Still another sister who
SeWS eXquisitely, knows how and loves to,
will put her working time in sewing, and
pay another sister who has a genius for
II to do her marketing. Each one will do
her best and utmost, not selfishly for her
and hers, but with broad economy and ever
widening love for all who need the fruits
OF her efforts and who serve her needs in
turn.
Yes, doubtless my Utopia will dawn
Int I 20
believing in it and pointing to it because l
shall not live to see it. l want the little
girl-Who -her-own-sh irtwaist 20 be-
lieve in 1t, too, and before this little girl
gets away from me l want to tell her some
thing else:
l am glad you made a shirt waist and
hope you'll never wear a ribbon collar with
1t. In everything you make and in every
thing you wear, think of II is:
Have it clean. have it suitable, have ii
simple have it serviceable. When all these
moral obligations of Woman's dress are
fulfilled. then, if you can. be beautiful.
The soiied ribbons, the tlimsy stuffs, the
superiiuoUS attachments | see girls and
men wear, and, above all other evils. the
unsuitabeness of what they wear. fills mo
with more despair of my sex than the sight
of boomers on bicycle. or CT the child
less wife who elects life in a boarding
house in preference to home.
The Sin of Geegaws.
l have been trying for some time past to
work out a law that should govern the
manufacture of my own clothes, and I'm
pretty nearly satisfied to make ii this:
Don't get anything to wear that might
not fttingly he given to a poorer woman.
II you do not realize the horrible often
sivfne.s, the sin of gccgaws and dfngy
inery in connection with poverty, visit the
homes in the 1irst alley you come across
ard learn. Here you will doubtless learn
something, too, of the political economy of
dress.
Let me quote man. both an artist and a
poet, on this you need to know
II you are a young lady, and employ
certain number of seamStresSeS for
given time in making given number of
simple and serviceable dresses, suppose
seven, of which you can wear one yourself
Tor half the winter, and give six away to
poor girls who have none, you are spending
your money unSe!tiShly. But if YOU employ
the same number of seamstresses for the
same number of days in making four five
or SIX beautiful LOUNGES for your own bali
dress. the real politico-economical signfica-
ton of your fine toilet is just this-that YOU
have had certain number of people put
for a certain number OF days wholly under
your authority by the Sternest of slave
masters hunger and cold; and you have
said to them: / Will feed you indeed and
clothe you and give you fuel for so many
days. but during those days you shall
work for me only: your little brothers need
clothes, but you shall make none for them.
your sick friend needs Clothes but YOU
snail make none for her; you yourself
need a warmer dress, but you shall make
| none for yourself You shall make nothing
but lace ard roses for me: for this fort
night to come you shall work at the pat
terms and petals, and then will crush and
consume them in an hour You will ucr-
maps answer: 1t may not he particularly
benevolent to do this. we admit hut if W..
pay Iof their work We have a right to it,
Friv"iity in Dress
NO a thousand times no. tn" labor
which VOC have paid for does, indeed, be.
come. by the act of your purchase vorIr
own labor. But have you a right to spend
your own time, to work with your own
hands, only for your own ADVANTAGE? Much
less, when. by purchase. you have invested
your own person with the strength of o. hers
and taken for your own life part of the
life of others. SO long there are cold ard
nakedneSS in the land around YOU so long
fr1VolltE In dress is crime In due tim.
when we have nothing better to set peonI,.
70 work at it may be right to let them make
lace and cut jewels but, as long as thore
are any who have no blankets for their
eds, and no rags for their bodies so long #
is blanket-makinS and tailoring we must
set people to work at-not lace and perish
able firery."
You see, little Observation-Disclosures
shirt-walst, what very serious questions en-
ter into the apparently simple matter of
sewing. VI
m not able to make out the paper Dattern
OF today, and who peacock yourself because
you sew and fix over great MANY thinps''
ana make a pretty gown out of what Won
would be ashamed to take to a dressmaker''
you are absolutely and eternally outside
any nope of reasoning with you so. as ST
Some5ody-or-other advises, l merely preach
ana leave you to your conscience trustinp
miracle may one day inform you that NOT
only economy, but the divine virtue of
charity might be served if you were tn
inquire out intelligently and broadly the COST
OF the pretty gowns you pride yourself on
making. VII
And as for you, the woman who draws q
raVishing picture Of how man loves To
see his wife do her own sewing Won are an
old maid. If you had had any experience
with men you would know that men hato
the sight of sewing much as thew do
spring housekeeping. and any man who
doesn't-well, not the meanest truth 7 can
tell about him is. he does fancy work him
self. PAULINE PRIV
Written for The Evening Star.
You Can't Reverse the Engine, John.
By Hosea Bgelow, Jr
Oh, Yankee Doodle is the tune
That's goin round the world