Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1897-11-19


lately her letters had taken 8 tons q
treat seriousness, with many allusions
to her duty as q woman"
IN her latest letter she begged that
ner father would take her more serious.
y; she could not be butterfly" and
she spoke Of "woman's sphere being
broad and far-reaching." Mckenzie
only laughed and said. "Poor child! she
- signing for the mountain air" He
wrote her Of the beautiful oily he had
trained and made ready for her use.
and she would soon see for herself how
very long and broad her woman's
sphere could be.
At last letter came telling that she
was surely coming home. and telling
how anxious she was to be with him On
Thanksgiving Day. She Complained
ever 30 gently that she feared lie had
not taken her exactly dis she wished,
that she was no longer d child. and
that her mind was quite occupied with
the problem Of "Woman's Mission" In
TACT, she had lately been made president
OF the Woman's Emancipation Circle,
which organization had originated in
her school with every promise Of be-
coming power for great good among
women. Il subjoin," she added, "the
principal maxims for which we pledge
Ourselves to labor without ceasing:
I'VE claim equal rights before the
law. Il
I'VE ask equal pay for equal work.
We ask that men cease to impose
upon Us by their empty flattery, and
That we be recognized as reasonable
human beings with eyes to see for our
selves; hands to work as we will"
This time even Mckenzie could not
fail to, catch her meaning; he looked
puzzled and troubled, and finally said:
I'm the morning she will be half way
home and / shall 60 to meet her. I
think" he added slowly, II think Mary
needs her father. Yes, I'm sure dead
sure she needs her father"
Meanwhile I had registered a solemn
wow that every claim and every asser-
ton Of this New Woman should be dis
proved and contradicted by Mary in her
own sweet self. When closed my eyes
that night it was to dream OF Thanks
giving Day and Mary and | really be-
lieve that in my sleep heard the sweet
sound Of wedding bells.
| ,@152$. 4 Va q 4s . .E .trse"
For some time the next day McKen-
lie was shyly making his daughters
acquaintance. He could not for the life
Of him see the slightest trace Of the
dread phantom her last letter had Gre
ated. He thanked God that she was
womanly and gentle; that her heart was
right, whatever error Of fancy had got
ten into her head.
why, dear Mary!" he answered her,
"you don't want to work like a man.
You can't do 1t. When I was your age
/ could handle a pick all day; could
do it now. A woman's work cannot be
equal to mans; so it Is hardly fair for
her to ask equal pay-besides, it was
to Adam the command was given to
earn his bread by the sweat of his
brow" 35: s$ l.
Poor Mary! She could not help be-
inR disconcerted. Her fathers opin-
ions, she knew. were always based on
common sense. So it was some time
before she spoke again; and then It
was to ask why 1t was that women did
not have equal rights with men before
the law. He answered that women
surely do have equal rights before the
law. You see." my dear, he went on.
their rights are really identical, their
interests the same; and it is, a mans
frst notion Of duty to see that these
rights are respected. I would like to
see any person interfere with your
r4hts or hear Of any law that would
be unjust to you. BY George! l would
soon show that your rights were my
rights, and that the law exists solely
for the benefit Of mankind, which you
know, my dear, includes woman kind;
even the New Woman too.
Poor Mary was COMPOUNDED. After
all, were men and women really equal
before the law? II that were so, what
became Of the enormous injustices and
.iga 1t'c abuses that women had silent
ly and patiently borne all these years?
It all seemed SO confusing, so difficult,
go very puzzling; she could not doubt