The herald., 1897-11-26

- 49, &ssSS VI 8CttlhS every OhC
W1ehes Tor constitutes cause for thanks
giving, then the American girl should be
the most contentetd of mortals. The
emancipation of woman. that hackneyed
slogan of those who declare the sex to
be fettered by the tyrant man, falls fiat
In America for want Of suitable foil.
Thanksgiving day '97 will find the Amer
lean girl, as other Thanksgivings have
found her, not emancipated, for she new
er was enslaved, but free as the bright,
frosty air that wooes her athletic frame,
sending the blood coursing swiftly
through her veins and imprinting the
charming tinge of robust health on her
cheeks. If any one thinks there is room
to doubt this, let the doubter watch the
passing show when the American Girl
takes the center of the stage on Thurs
day next competing for supremacy as
queen Of the festival with that other
glorious institution Of Thanksgiving
the turkey gobbler.
good place to view her ht her best
will be from the sidewalk of any smooth
paved street of our cities, or from the
pathways Of macadamized country
roads. Here, in the nattiest and newest
OF bicycle rigs, she will be seen, with her
cheeks aglow, her bright eyes sparkling,
her pretty hair dancing merrily In the
wind, bowling along awheel at a pace
that surely has nothing in common with
chains or fetters, unless 1t be the BIZ
cycle chain that enables her to chal-
lenge the wind to trial of speed and
beat the old fiirt in canter The man
ner in which the American girl has taken
Q6VantQ nf rIo
ample testimony to the fact that when
she wants thing she will have 1t and
knows how to take the fullest advantage
of what is hers by right. If the shades
Of the dear old grandmothers Of the days
of wheel and distaff could return to
earth next Thursday and gather along
the highways and byways where laugh
ing, chatting, free and happy columns
Of wheelwomen fly by, they will surely
return to the land of shadows with feel
ings of regret that their lot was not cast
In an era when women find more health
full means of employing their time than
the laborious and confining duties of the
Iold-fashioned home life. That the
change is vastly for the better even the
most disgruntled and cross-g grained
critic OF the up-to-date womanhood will
admit. Instead of the pale faced, mar
| row. -chested woman of the wheel and
distaff era, the spectator who chooses q
front seat to view the passing show of
Thanksgiving day '97 will see long pro-
cession of rosy-cheeked, lithe-limbed,
happy, healthy and wholesome speci-
mems Of femininity that speak content
ment in every action.
Vying for honors with the bicycle girl
of Thanksgiving day '97 is that sport
loving sister Of hers who dotes on the
touzle-headed heroes Of the football field.
Wherever the muscular giants of the
gridiron meet to fight inch by inch to-
ward the coveted goal, bruising and bat
tering each other in the interests Of the
famous game whose season ends next
Thursday, there will be heard the music
of shrill cheers from fair throats; there
will be seen the waving of flags held ir
neatly-gloved hands, and the enthus.
iastic applause of the hosts of feminine
admirers that will pack the grandstands
and shout for the glory Of the American
sport. No football scene in the country
will be complete without the American
girl to cheer the contending heroes on
to victory. What matters it how the
game goes. Is 1t not recompense enough
for those who must swallow the bitter
dose Of defeat that sweethearts and
sisters who have watched them strain
ing every nerve and muscle for hours in
| vain effort to win, stand ready to SYM
pathize with and cheer the broken-s spir-
tied losers as we'll as to congratulate the
winners. For the sake of the bright eyes
that watch the struggling and mud-be-
grimed contestants on the football fields
of Thanksgiving day '97, each man will
summon up every ounce Of reserve force
in his muscular frame and fight for the
mastery with the same spirit that
prompted the knights Of old to couch
lance, clap spurs to steed and dash on
for fame and his lady's guerdon. 1t is
for the sake of the American girl that
bruises will be counted as naught and
blood-flowing gloried in on the football
| field next Thursday. True, there are
some who entertain the mistaken notion
that the honor of college or club Is the
foremost incentive to victory. but those
who don the padded suit and fight for
glory on the football field know better
A point gained on the gridiron means
a point gained in the anxious heart of the
bright-eyed spectator on the grand
stand; a run down the field in the face
of fierce opposition is made because the
athlete who carries the ball to the goal
knows that he carries with 1t the hopes
and fears of one Of the fur-clad onlook-
ers who has eyes in the game for him
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