The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-01-26
Woman and Her World
HER INFLUENCE ON MEN.

Miss Agnes Reppliers very clever es-
| say on the Eternal Feminine" is un-
ioue contribution to the philosophical dis
! cusion of the qualifications of women as
distinctly intended to make her mentally
correIative and never synonymous with
man. In these days our daughters are
| launched into the world much as profess
sional men would be did their outfit con-
sist of text books of which they had not
learned the use. Every establishment
| every accomplishment, every mental ed
| uipment, every bodily skill OF atnleuc
! play, is sedulously made familiar to them;
| they are indeed "splendidly furnished;
| but to now few is it taught that they are
| to be the strongest restraining and purl-
| flying power Of the social world.
No one can shut out from young
girls consciousness that she is beautlful
| if the wondrous gift is really hers. Why
| should she not be made to understand
! that having it she has been intrusted with
that which has had power to move even
| the rulers and kingdoms Of the earth,
| and that in the lowest estimate possible
of her influence she has "a government
upon her shoulders?'
We Of a generation passing out Of sight
say constantly that the world is richer IN
art and splendor, in luxury and resource
than when we were young; we know that
life is fuller, that the things that we
never dreamed of gladden. and make life
easier materially and more worth living
Intellectually. Yes, these are truths, but
no thoughtful woman belives that the
general aim is as eleva ting, as conserva-
tive, that the influence against dissipa-
ton and the coarser grain Of life's con-
verse and action is as large, or as strong,
as it was in their young days. There is no
desire to bring back the formality and
stilted stiffness of Miss Austen's heroes
and heroines; it takes all her charm OF
gffenius and humor to make them real
men and women TO us. But between these
and the the unfortunate freedom of today
there was a time when the homage paid
to liveliness and youth and beauty meant
that man should come with clean lips
chivalric Difference and restrained speech
into the society Of women he admired.
Can there be a doubt that if it were a
part Of every girls preparation for her
life in the world to understand that she
could help men TO lead better lives, to
have higher aims, to think nobler
thoughts. she would not respond to her
calling, and be proud of her possibilities?
Continually girls are warned that this is
not customary and that is not good form,
and that chaperones and various conven-
tional properties are Indispensable; but
is it installed into them that far above
conventions of every sort there is an I'M
written law to which they are bound to
be obedient, a law that is to link the bet
ter life with their regard?
Benovolence and philanthropy are at
high water mark; humanitarian activity
is really astonishing among women. Their
work is a marvel of unselfshness, and,
for he major part, of steadfastness to self
imposed duty. Tenement house darkness
and dirt. danger of infection or rudeness,
fatigue of body, or tax upon sympathy,
do not disturb them at their work.
What the girls are doing is indeed an
astonishing record, but it is all directed
toward lower stratum, and in large part
to the relief of poverty and its attendant
distresses.
That because she is a woman, and more
especially because she is either a very
beautiful or charming woman, she has a
mission attached to her endowment does
not seem to b one of the actively accepted
beliefs of the new era. All sorts of
schemes, some of them built on most I'M
tenabIe and baseless grounds, are aired in
every varying atmosphere by which wo-
men are to help each other to power, to
recognition" (word of truly nineteenth |
century growth every day brings to light |
new combinations by which, shoulder to
shoulder, women are to fight for rights"
or wrangle for privilege and make end |
less endeavor to come linton the arena |
with men and flight it out"
All this time, lying neglected and for !
gotten alike by those whom we call the |
butterfly class" and by the women who |
are too deadly in earnest to pause to |
take breath lies that great purpose of the
God who created them, that their mail |
enable power should be used for the help |
of men of their own rank and sphere.
Eternal indeed is that other some |
thing not of intellect, or fascination. or
beauty. which is the feminine element in |
her nature, and toward which man turns |
for inspiration of better things. Chaff !
about lack of reasoning and reasonable |
ness, about the eXaltation of trifes and |
rivals interests. about the soothing of 4 |
grief with new bonnet, and the putting
out ef wrathful fires with a check, has its |
basis of truth; there is enough such fire |
in human homes to account for the smoke |
But let evidence of puerility and untrain- |
ed impulse pile up as they may, mans |
heart turns to woman for rest. counsel, |
uplifting appeal and stirring incentive to |
come out of the mire and walk in ways
made firm by truth and clean by purity |
and single heartedness.
Words may multiply concerning the !
exactions. the bassed judgments, the I'M
seeing persistence of wives and mothers, !
ana much bitterness may point their ana |
lysis of feminine character among young |
men wounded by coquetry or manned by !
the falseness of a firt; but in the end, as |
surely as the sea obeys its ordained ebb |
and flow and comes back true to the |
beach il has some time left bare, mans |
heart rests not until. in some of its vary |
ing relations. as mother. wife or love. he |
finds the strongest influence of his nature |
through d woman's help.
GENERAL STEAM SHIP AGENCY. /
NO. PAC. TICKET OFFICE,
ia North Main Street,
Wichita, Kansas.
We can sell you through Railway and /