The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-06

Death Of Cupid-Eua Wheeler Wilcox
"A sound like the rumble of distant thun-
der,
or the swelling tide Of stormy sea;
The dull world halted 20 near ana won
To. woman had risen and sworn to be
Free from oppression and free from evil
From moss-grown custom ana man
And ne Stars looked down on a strange
Ana Inc moon no grew pailid with sights
she saw.
The voice of woman swelled louder and
holder. 1890. ..
Like turbulent river through space II
From the sweet sex bondage to which
Gold sold her,
man.
She rose. and shattered each ume-"orn
fetter ~ -,
And flung them behind her. NJ" an
shall see,
and better, -,,
And life will be broader because OF me!'
She shone like a new star newly risen
Mankind. astonished stood still to gaze
AM she summed, as a freedman shuns
The home and old-time habits and ways.
She looked on romance as fairy story
She flung off the garments that gave ilei
She ontstripped men on the road to glory.
And pushed them back in the market
place.
She cries from the summit Of great
And She seemed not to know of her own
And the whole worlds loss-for Love is
dead -
BATTERED and bruised in the market places
He fled to the home from whence she
And there with his lips pressed close to
And &c cast-off garments. Love breathed
his last.
The practice of some women OF SHOP
ping Just as the minute hand .veers TO the
fulAllment of the hour of freedom may be
categoried as one of woman's inhumanl-
ties to women. Is there any cause Tor
wonder if the clerk is hasty and lmpohte'
Is there not reason?
Our stores are publicly open at In the
warning. and even before that by several
sales-people who are obliged to make a
good start of the day to place the STOCK
IN appraisable position. Through all the
long and confined hours of the day the
sbopper may expect a clerks undivided
service at whatever hour she may enter
q store for lunch-half-h hours and excur-
sions to the ice-cooler are matters which
no one has the faintest interest in. After
5 O'Clock has sounded hope Of liberation
dawns; oh. yes. even in the breast Of the
most conscientious clerk, for there is
something very impersonal in being one
Of the small factors in a great emporium,
and we are all selfish after all The last
hour is always longest l have heard many
a saleswonan say. Her WEAKNESS grows
heavy. vet there is always that inaminence
of relief when she may shake off bondage
and be something like a free being again.
Bv common accord the clerks begin to set
their stocks to rights, rolling ribbon bolts,
skoining laces. stacking parasols, sheetins
the delicate silks and organizes in the
mural repositories. I have seen many
young girls, still fresh and blooming in
souvenir of a freer girlhOod, stand watch
ing the leisurely minute hand Of the store
clock with the look almost Of suspense on
their faces. AT five minutes before a
covert smoothing of the hair and straight
ening of collar; in another moment aprons
are united and slipped out Of sight; hats
are donned, and as the first sonorous
stroke of the angelus rings out the liber-
ated cagelings who may only see the
rise and setting of the great solar-motor
fiutter out Of the doors.
Can you censurs the impotence then of
one of these clerks when detained by
thoughtless customer whose patronage the
shopkeeper will not risk losing? For
Ward"-the foorwalker spies a scurryins
form-"Mss Asterisk-forward, please:
halrpins for this LADY," Oh woman, are
you guilty OF such detentions, such cruel>
ty? You have the day to consider your
wants in, and should you not conform TO
convenient hours for your sister woman
and brother manor are YOU quite In need
Of moral renovation regarding the com
fort OF others?