New-York tribune., 1896-05-05
THE NEW WOMAN AGAIN.

A correspondent asks for in1ornalio" '""
corning the New Woman Who Is sne' OF """'
"a she? Where Is she to be found, ana wild. ~
her distinctive characteristics? He Is neither
q backwoods barbarian, nor a cynicai Je''e'
He asks In good faith, and sober earnest que',
tions which have greatly puzzieo niin II.
which have probably puzzled many others lie
,., hoord much of the New Woman and her
wavs He has read of her. He has seen pct
ures or caricatures of her. But never has ne
been able to find her. in her own proper per-
sor nor n discover her habitat And. to adapt
the words of the Sage OF Jaalam we shouioh
greatly wander II there are thousands OF his
mind.
The answer to his questions may, however,
readily be given, and may be given seriously
IN the self-same spirit of his asking. IL is sih-
nIv this. that there Is really no such person
as the New Woman. She Is nothing but sup
nosititious fad q figment Of the masculine imagi-
nation. She has no real existence. unless IN
remotely isolated individual cases. Genericaiy'
she does not exist any more than the ram
paceous mother-in-law. the Fassar-pred mousse
keeper and her deadly cookery. the nirtat'ous
and designing typewriter, and all the otner
items singular and collective OF the prores-
sonal caricaturst's stock In trade. Ihere may
he such creatures There are more thihss ia
heaven and earth Horltio. than are area'i'eo
OF In your philosophy" But for all practcai
rurrosea tbev NAV as we'll be classed with the
iabberwock, the gyascutus and the pooJum
shark.
Our correspondent may, however. gain some
light upon the subject which has lntereSteu
him IL he will turn back to the files OF nearly
q generation ago, and refresh his memory vi
THE Saturday Reviews" famous art'cies y"
"The Girl Of the Period" She was greater
sensation in her day and generatioh was tna'
Girl than Is the New Woman now. when the
century Is running emptylngs. Nor was sue
alone. There quickly followed the woman VI
the Period and the Man OF the Perlou' anu '"e
Bow of the Period. For all we can remef'iper'
there may have been the Baby OF the re'iou'
and the Great-great grandmother OF the ferlou
and the Absolute Fool OF the Perion. nc
mirage was applied TO this and that ana 'he
other. until finally we had Everything OF 'he
Period. And then the fad collapsed through
sheer hypertrophy.
So will II presently be again. A"e .e"
Woman Is merely the successor or the ''ri u
the Period or Is the Girl heraelf grown up Du'
,hors is coming ON. indeed. even now at hand'
the New Man: and we shall have IN li'ne ue
Nev Everything Then We shall realize that
the whole world Is moving on together' i"e
Nsw Woman on her bicycle to-day Is no more
new" than was Di Vernon on her morse oi o'u
The New Woman who now seeks mastery ., "
all the arts and sciences is no more 'adVahceu
than was her great grandmother, whose ihoue''
intellectual aspirations so shocked good Mts'
Malaprop. When the world comes TO see iu''S'
as It will. that all the movements OF 'ne ua'
which so disturb some timorous Souls are no."-
ing but uniform and harmonious sociai e'o'u
ton toward that which Is best ana perfect II
Will wonder how men could ever nave pee" ~
foolish or so unjust as TO make 80 vast "
pother over the burlesque FranKens'e'h Vi '"'
New Woman