Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-10-17
SHE'S A WOMAN.
THE PUGSAcIoUs PARTY WHO
FIGURES ON OLD VAS FLAG.
SEMPER TYRAEHIS."
81 SIC
The Idler Talks of the cld Domin-
ions seal-The Woman with n Dus-
ter-The Speech You Didn't
kakc.

of our dear, old State. You all know
the familiar motto, ''Sic Semper Tyran
MIS-" and can picture TO your minds
eye the PROSTATE monarch and the ram
pant figure wiping its feet on the fellow
that's down. 1t was years before / was
quite certain whether 'Sic Semper Ty-
rannls' really meant Take Your
Foot Off My Neck" or Always
Thus to Tyrants." No sooner had
been positively assured about this
much-vexed question than / found
another difficulty. A thousand times
have asked myself. lis the per-
son on top a lady or gentleman" On
some Of the flags and seals It q use the
neuter for tho presenD has a feminine
air, while on others the triumphant in
dividual indicates a representative OF the
much-intimidated sex. When / stopped
TO argue with myself 1 would say: mo.
1t can't be a lady, for its dresses are too
short. No female ever appears In such
garb, except at the seashore, and
even granting that che wears bathing
suit. we know that no member OF the
dominant sex would appear in such a
garb before Bing-no. not even If she
intended to knock him down and stamp
him the next minute.
And yet, when | decided to consider
the bellicose individual q man, / found
that there was, also, much 10 be argued
against this supposition. In the first
place, no member of my sex would stop
TO slaughter a monarch as long as he
needed haircut as badly as the afore-
IL
pened to be attached to a Wild-West
show or sold patent medicines. And even
granting that a 3elf-respecting man
would allow his hair to run to seed,
would ii not also follow that he would
be equally careless about his face foliage
and lip-hedge? And yet Virgnia's war
rior, despite its waving tresses. has
clean-shaven face, on which one can al
most smell the bay-rum and gum-cam-
phor. And further, to incline me against
the belief that the holder of the cham
pionship belt was man. / observed that
the figure wore a short petticoat, which
barely touched the knees. Men don't
take 70 petticoats for wearing apparel.
but granting again for the sake of ar
gument that they do, what holds that
petticoat up? There are no suspenders,
and q waist-belt is absent. How, then.
could this little skirt have been kept
hosted? In only one Hay-by pins. Men
don't know how to use pins. They are
women's implements.
But the mote has now been removed
from my eve. and L am prepared to as
sert authoritatively that the Triumphant
person Is female, as might have been
expected. But / have no information
that the party with whom the ground
Is being wiped up is her husband. though
persons out OF a hundred
would naturally reach that conclusion.
Section 80 Of the Code of Virginia--that
grand book so universally sought by
lovers of light literature-has much to
say on the subject. and removes all the
mystery. In speaking of the manner IN
which the Great Seal shall be prepared.
II provides that the diverse side shall be
as follows:
"Virtus the genius OF the Common
wealth, dressed as an Amazon. resting
on a spear held in her left hand and
holding a sword in her right hand, her
left foot on the figure of Tyranny, repre-
sented by man Frustrated, his head 10
her left, crown falling from his head.
a broken chain in his left hand. and a
in his right hand. Above the
the word Virginia. and in the exergue
on curved line. the motto, Sic Semper
ryrannis.'
To be candid. I'm sorry I have had my
doubts removed. 1t all goes to prove
what fain would hide and what | am
oath to contestant woman Is tho domi-
nant sex. In the face of the law and
egcnds Of our State, how can man ever
nope for emancipation. Come, gentle
men. let's submissively get the baby
carriages and take the children out for
l stroll. Our wives want TO hold a
meeting on woman's rights
No woman in this world ever gets too
high and mighty for a feather buster.
md there are powerfully few OF tho
mousse hatsrs who miss the opportunity |
n winter time to sifs the ashes from the |
crate and carefully replace them on
he FIRE. But the feather buster is above |
u things their delight, especially, II they |
AVE husbands to nag after and scold |
or their drt-making proclivties. A |
nan who doesn't leave a little pile of !
igar ashes on the parlor doylies. or who |
ails to throw burned matches on the |
loor. is a poor fellow. indeed. and one |
lot worthy of wifely consideration. |
Women naturally look on men as born |
and men never fail to sus-
ain their regulations in this respect. |
They cross the threshold with mud on |
heir feet, and 1t isn't many minutes be- |
ore they have left their earthly trails |
ehind them everywhere. In few
moments the creators OF household dis
rider can dissrrange a whole establish
nent. 70 begin with, they can't be |
appy until they're strewn the daily |
ewspapers all over the floor, and then
0 give artistic effect TO their disorder,
ew business letters are torn In bits and
on the carpets. Then the cigars
nd pipes are produced In order 10 con-
ound confusion. and a lead pencil is
happened In a way calculated to scatter
he shavings over every foot of the first
DOR. The books on the table ars next
and possibly several straws
re stolen from the family broom. In
rider that a mellow pipe may be de-
rived OF its nicotine. These straws, by
he way, are thrown In places where their
resence will be noted though not
40 eye alone. but likewise the nose. de-
acts their existence.
II the baby wants amusement-and no
Ifant ever yet required less than six
ersons to AFFORD IL reoreation-the mag
animous destroyer of wifely tidiness will
estow upon 1t the choicest articles OF
ric-a-brac available. and then serenely
lry himself in the paragraph on the
rizs-fght. About this time the woman
ith the feather buster appears-that is.
roviding she hasn't met the man at the
Dor with her much-needed implement
or a second or so she'll hover about
m, and then, with snort, she'll catch
III .lxxl xr..I~ a. |
ncture the busting brush trayerses every
CHI of the rnnrn One moment IL will |