Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-12-09
bpeelal corresrondence Of eiazetle ana lournal

bpecial Correspondence of Gazette and journal
New York, Dec. 3.-She was essentially
clubwoman. Consequently she had no
opinion OF me when she heard that didn't
belong TO any clubs and SO couldn't wear
any badges. In a feminine club the woman
who wears the greatest number Of badges is
most highly esteemed for they show that
her fellow women have kindly feeling
toward her and have never thrown the
offensive blackball at her when she longed
TO enter the doors of any new organization,
A man is satisfied to belong to one or two
clubs. ii he happens to be attached to
more, il is from force of circumstances, for
he seldom uses more than one club, and in
that he feels perfectly at home, The femi-
nine club is not domestic. Its object seems
TO be tGtalk aud to display new gowns, and
whenever there is meeting of the clans
that club which produces the best gowns IS
Invariably referred TO as the most pro-
gressiye. And yet nine times out of ten it
is the badly gowned woman who makes
good speech. From this ! have drawn the
conclusion that the feminine mind can
not compass gown designing and speech
making at the same period of life.
The kind of club that like most is when
two or three women meet together over a
cup of tca--good tea. Then you can speak
your mind without offending the president,
say what you think without making the
treasurer feel that it is personal and wear
what you please without undergoing the
silent criticism of innumerable pars Of
eyes.
In my own place this sort of an affair
was going ON the other day. The tea was
hmbrosai, and thcspoonful of sherry added
&c it did not detract from its flavor, while
the thin lettuce sandwiches made one just
thirsty enough to induce one to keep on
imhibing the amber fluid The question
: was. What has knowledge done for
woman?' The lady who felt equal to speak
ing told how it had made woman great
painter, great writer, a great scientist; how
she had become doctor, a lawyer and a
"A dentist Just here one small voice inter
rnpted and said it was not necessary to teach
her to be a thief. But the lady who mad
the floor went on to explain that the great
libraries were better filed. the great news.
papers made more valuable and the world
at large altogether better because woman
could write a prescription. could give an
opinion as to the law governing the world,
pull Il tooth and stand in the pulpit and
preach and unite people in marriage.
Here young woman in lovely gray
bruadcotL trimmed with chinchlla, who
i had lately been wed to a nice fellow named
Jack, announced that if a woman had mar
ried her she wouldn't feel as if she were
properly bound to her husband either III the
u sight OF the law or OF heaven. She also
M brilliantly remarked What would Jack
M think ii, when he came home at 3 O'Clock
r from working down town all day he didn't
n find me in pretty frock ready to make him
as comfortable as possible and to kiss him
and love him? What would he think If
we're writing books instead OF that? What
would he think if ! were running around
pulling out teeth? What would he think if
3 ] were sitting up on tower in this freezing
N weather, risking cold in my head. looking
a for stars to come out and make scientist of
lss MYSELF"
llN The other women promptly agreed that
ttA lack wuild think she a
Il sort of wife and that he would have a
N right to 40 50; that her place was with Jack,
for Jack, and that he was the first person to
he considered.
was so pleased with this that INDUCED
in a rebel veil of delight and took mouth
tul Of ten that was too hot for me. After
that had my say. Parenthetcally ! may
remark that do not always sneak to the
point However this time took the speech
Of the lady who knew so much about
knowledge and who was logical, and tried
10 answer it in regular order.
said / knowledge OF a certain kind
has done nothing for women SO far as
getting people well goes the woman doctor
does not compare with good old nurse, or,
what is better STILL a mother. My expert.
enCe has taught me that no woman doctor
can cure pain under the apron better than
All old culufed mummy who will give you Q
proper dose of paregoric put hot SAT- bags
ON the place where the pain is. while She
y
yon so to sleep, ! wouldn't let a woman
,Ioctor experiment On my fox terrier
know what suits him, and | can give it to
him myself. Women have always known
that you could rub away pain. They have
always known the advantage Of heat OF
cold for certain conditions. They know OF
mtGy good medicines for simple ailments
and when they have tried all these then
they want man to fall back ON.
There haven't beeu very many grea
l.
of clever women writers, but not many
great ones. Adam Bede will be Forgotten
when Tiny Tim is remembered, and 'Jant
Eyre will be Il thing OF the past. all un
pleasant memory, when Col. Newcombe
is teaching the world what a gentleman is.
never saw but one woman lawyer, but may
mention here, quite casually, that | woulc
allow no woman to run my squad
bes. Those that | couldn't attend to my
sell would refer to u lawyer who had MIR,
before his name.
NO woman need yearn to study to he
preacher. She was born with that instinct
but her pulpit should be an armchair, hel
listeners her immediate family, and if sht
practices as she breaches her congregation
n will be Il great credit TO her. AS for I:
woman preacher marrying people, let tht
"a people who like 1t be Joined in wedloch
after this fashion but for my own part
should feel that it was the preacher herself
y who was married to my young man; tina
don't you know. All, my dears, what ",
women need nowadays is a little Ignorance
& We arc a great deal happier when we dom
know too much Do you remember thai
Wonderful poem in a few words written bS
Owen Meredith and in which he explain;
lfue knowledge? He says:
Z * no thee be all mon heroes: every race, noble
]Ni All women, virgins; every house temple
N ~ Know thou nothing base.
That's my idea of Knowledge. If III,
rest of this band of tea drinkers duesn
agree with me- | am sorry, but / do think il
woman didn't know quite So much it woult
be a great deal better and every individual
woman would be a great deal happier
Every blessed one of you has fashion
of taking it for granted that what mar
says to you isn't true. Now. nine times OH
Of ten il is So the tenth time give hin
the benefit of the doubt. and when he find
you do believe him he will take fancy Il
living up to his reputation and will tell tn,
truth SO that he may not go back OIL you.
"a man is like prophet--he wants to b.
believed IN i'll his own country--and wher
the women OF his household don't show
him that they have faith in him he il
pretty apt to give them cause TO- their un
belief. Just take one of your babies. anC
when it comes and tells you that it love
You suppose you are brute enough to pusl
IL away because you are too busy to lister
to it Gas If woman ought ever to be too
busy to refuse to hear what her own chile
saws. Well, the next time that small boy
feels the same inclination he will work i
out in his baby mind that Won didn't be
lieve him before, that you wont now. ant
pretty soon he will stop giving expression
to his love and in a little while the low
itself will disappear,