The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-02-14
WOMEN AND LITERATURE.
WORK WITH ERaTx DOES Not re
FIT THEM FOR DrTy.
Mrs. Jcliyby Not . Type-Some Exam
pies Of Famoss Literary Wom~a
Who Have ExeeiIrd n. housewives

From matrimonial point Of view the
literary woman II - prescribed lrsasvld-
ual- The general public. from Hnase sap
lent decisions there II 70 appeal has long
sgo declared thar good wives cannot le
Manufactured ouS Of IiEsYAFy women. AMI
tho man who daFea 10 disregard this de-
cislon Of the general ptitslse Ia always
LOCKED oH as a reckless. daredevil sort af
person. or else n poor, weak creature sad
~ lacking Ia "the upper story" The gem
sTai public kncws well enough that = hs-
erarF woman Is always aioyenl. sip
sIiod and isk-besgDeaTed. ignorant OF the
first principles 81 descent soaNs sping.
negIeetful Of her children, and utterly
worthless IA ali domestic matters. Her
husbands socks arc never daTned, and
safety pins arss his dspsnda8ce for keep
taE his clothes together. She cannot
maize bread she cannot Enan.pa.aga a
SEWING n.aealEle. and tie mar vino takes
the risk Of marrying her Is absolutely
sure 10 end his oEiei AID wreseaed we'd
dsd life b. a ssat fsF divorce. Thus rssns
The decision OF the general public on this
QUESTION.
There was time waen the general
public said frankly and explicitly thai
the less brain q WOMAN had the better,
The great &apDls0n expressed the sen;i-
ments Of this period when he proposed
u statute entitled "a Plan for q f.aw Pro-
fsoiiing the Alphabet to wonea." We
have eFoutsd past this ztage Of osgiilza-
ton. a woman may learn the alphabet
nowadays. and leach IT. too Sue may
write theses while she Is az e9lia&ss and
sttil net be totally ineligible for wife
hood and motherhood. fsug II size Fsrlszs
& story for the Century. poem FOR Har-
pers or an essay for the Atlantic she IL
utterly lost Her brala power has aassl-
oasd beyond the point Of safety. IN ac-
auifing the AGILITY 70 write poeTna ato-
yles and essays. she has lost the ability
to deal with pots kettles. pans and
brooms, and = forever lneapaeitsEsd
from becoming a good wife and a good
mother
Thia conviction 81 the general public Ia
not founded on facts. but on a FAR mole
lasting material. Facts are said to ba
stubborn things. but ignorance and IRE
5udice are far more stubborn. and on
these IL always based the opinion OF the
general public. II one were 10 assert that
only literary women could be good wives
ard good mothers. he would be much
bearer the truth. for the Biographies OF
literary women are a wonderful record
OF hrainwork. accomplished in many
cases. under a pressure OF drndgery thas
would have paraiyz.d the mental powers
o. ain ordinary woman. and the real IT.
srary woman is, in n.naty-nine out OF a
hundred Cases. a model OF AL the aomes-
4io virtues.
The term literary woman needs definl-
tior. however. III Is the women who ars
not In any sense literary who have
brought reproach on the literary woman
have known women who would slt
down in the midst OF dirt and disorder
and read novels from morn till night.
Such women We're known among their in
siustrsous neighbors AZ literary womas A
woman who belongs 70 sixteen clubs. 10
the detriment of her domestic Affairs. Is
"a Maze ~ IA.
matter how lengthy and learned may hs
her club papers on English Philosophy
from Hohhes 10 Hume" or the "rfie Me-
diaevai Element In kipling's Poetry
Dickens caricatnre. Mrs. Jeliyby. WAS
rot literary woman. yet public opin-
lon makes every literary woman a Mrs.
Jellaby.
\ literary woman In the ssr.c.ezt sense
OF the words Is woman who I.-osuces
literature. and the biographies OF Eng
disappearing women OF letters contain
nothing that viii sustain the Mrs. Jella-
by theory.
some Literary Housewives.
In her Autobiography" Harriet Mar
tineau says of herself and her sisters. II
have mentioned that we were we'll prac-
fieSd In some matters OF domestic, man
agement. We could sew. from. rnAke
sweets. gingerbread and pastry. and keep
order generally throughout g. house.
She also says: Il liked thas seFt OF o.
capatien. snd had great pleasure In do
tng what | could In that way: insonlls1h
that have sometimes felt myself what
Gen +. called his wife~'a good house,
maid Spoiis Ny Guides to Service
written twenty years afterward, may
show something OF this.
The list Of Harriet Martineaux works
u a very lengthy one. bet In spite al 10.
Ton and political ecauomy. We feet sure
h,ar s,s.at
eolleEe friend 81 her brother had eyer
sipened into marriage the husband Of
thls literary woman would hrve had "a
well-oraered household wfl1.star,,,,3
socks, and plenty - buttons on his shirts
teorge kltots girihoad VAS spent nn a
farm, whers She hscomc an exnsrf dairy
wefnSn. ai.d In after HE she VS. pra,,a
70 point "a her right hand. which was
anFser than her ieff "a evidence, ar thr
many poGnas 81 butter that She has
Hsde. She was as zkllIfagi with her rs,.
ole a. Win her pen. and her sewing was
sasa 10 te taiFt-ike in is nneness only
tanty "a hses dfssS made hy the iluefr-, ~
.eoFee Eliot Happy mother Ia have
sacn Ssfti nna hee hlogFapner tells ,ix
that she was foss1 81 lestowinR sss.n -
hens Or Per friends
TIE author - "A Island Garden. Wa
hesatltm combination or the literary
Nua the domestic rlcgnsufS 'FhssS. ,,.bs,
knew her intimately said that sgae ao,,lg
do asueet saytetag In ne
h@tise and out az st she wss r.s,ssl,1. -
sNet}{htas tew beautiful her eknt va
Is . SressfiakSr. the exauiAta ilaes b,
hsF e~A hfaeS or afAv or While s9reasfs
fesilss1 te sNers ose ho ever savx nor
II a4aF sasliN D.. hat} 20 H.4- tt,,f
enc 81 sAe aarst gessanz sas Nue.4rs -ta..s-
n sN0Sht was noi on}y thr yahl. az f.i,,-
bar The Soy 20 as3ng things s.r5l~ a,
tsSfer written during tho easfy re-f -
her married lie she SAYS. I .tA NV
WASHING now and xet fifra 90 Heash ana
hAlt dead SendlgE iae nlanusexff,, IA
SOM laesttS n James T ETaias SIZE a.,...
hrss are senio verses which have feea
evolved AtnesnE tHe naks ana kettles "a
whicn sea are wslcssaa < Ihev are ee.-4
enough Tor yea Nvrees can erssx ~ra.-,
rrs" eaa't. 'WhAe greasy Jean ,fsfh ks.f
TIE ret The rhymes in nav head arr -
that keep NJ aave. ! da heiisvs nssiss
RE IN sz5f 0wcoa scistIs .-,rsFtt.a et.s~
the asssvs heap S0 shat seu't h7fs s.sf-
sEe hcw 1FS ard dNs3Y b. s~t Awafh,r
time SIRE records haytrx '.rr--s.ss=7 .s..
couch wisa nsce. brown Cafsta aart.s 5
also ''tes cid. hana@ssne 4rsns-h ~ ana
made six curtains 81 ga esla celar-f ..,f
.on flannel witn y baad * ts4wt. - 49,,
and hestoFn rsade taeDi WITH hsr a..
svrs. "a she s&4 so sewing ases.5r.,-