The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-03-29
Some SpecuIations About the Woman of the Future--Wnat
the Average Woman Needs.

o,,no woman Joins u certain number of
<las.as and is asked to drop III as 4
visitor at a number more. BENG thaI
very common liking. n busy woman |
do not regularly belong TO any classes
although | 90 to several CARRYING a
bunch cf violets to give the presldehD
as q sort of ticke OF admISSlolt
In this way one learns an iihiiensI
amount. One Learns; how to listen WITH
nno.s nvos shut when tie EgyptoloSlst
talks about the meaning OF the queer
,ric,oolvghics and impresses upon u
nrin md that Cleopatra was d very oinl
mary looking little woman, with lam
le,ir and Il SnIrb nO@e, lilo chlei
charm to the Egyptians was her 2oou
complexion. That lecturer NohueIS
WHY his class Is so small the next week
and does mot realize until afterWard
tl,t becaIsc of this reference to the
skim of Cleopatra woman, 1ckle No-
mrln. lovely woman, ihHS gone III Il eous
of ten or twenty to hear a beauty 1edGli-
or talk about How to Manage th'
Skin"
I1,eu I have learned to stare straqght
into vacancy while the woman OIL lh'
present hangs a gavci and tanks aooul
..tbe woman of the future. ana l can
he quietly enthusiastic on the subject OF
dress REFORM. WIS hot "ih"' -
There was a time when to listen to the
Dress ,.efo,mers made my angry pas
sions Mise and | wanted to 90 up ana
tcH them what l thought. But now,
when some woman who has been nv
ing ON OyerdUne beef. on too mucE
nastrv. on oatmeal eaten in Jumps OF
TOO many preserves gets up ana tells
about q ,wcIl-itting corset beng an III
yention of the devil and Il pretty gown
ann im~possibility as connected Wluil
brains. | simply smile and give myself a
satisfied wrigyle, which means thae
there is comfor i'll properly made cor
sets
4 speaker of this kind invariably
meandprs off and asks with much eN-
,itenmcmt. "NNllat will the coming gen
Grafton be when the woman OF To-day
is satisfied to be merely bcalItIful: ana
sit there and think of DR.. Schemes
and of the fact that beauty is hercdl-
tary, and | remember handsome fam
lies like the Mays and the Cuttings
and the Works and the Carys, and there
come to me visions Of the lovellest,
healthicst babies | have ever seem
babies who inherited their beauty
from their mothers, their bravery from
their fathers, while father and mother
had each contributed toward the tl-
~tellcct. There is untold joy in my heart
when the dress refornlGr talks. She Is
very emphatic. She is usually the
shape OF Il ~slringlc. and she daImnS
with IL ID that lis intense All c%orscts,
while She objects to pretty underwear
and considers us Il special work of the
devil "a wcIl-titting bodice. She is down
on woman's lnips, those curves WlIlch
are so essentially feminine and winch
were made 50 broad and strong for the
PURPOSE Of carrying burdens.
The dress rtfOrmer does not believe
this. She thinks that everything onght
to be strung from the shoulders. You
are to endure nasty, narrow tapes cut
ting your shoulders and making tho
wearing of a low bodice an impossible
ity, so that you can string petticoats an'
everything elise that YOU wear from
them. Ugh. It's awful. / never made
a speech in my life, but every time
hear the dress rcformer speak | WAN
somebody to get UP and say what
think-tlat is. that nature 1.-THE dress re
former prefers TO say nature. as she
counts God old fashioned) would have
made women with marrow hrps ano
broad shoulders if it had been intended
that her burdens be carried from then
but it was mot. Consequently. he,
shoulders are medium and her hips ar
big, while man has no hlps at all-tha
lis. to speak of-and his shoulders IT.
supposed to he broad enough ITO bca
the burden of feminine heads Whcl
feminine hearts are in trouble.
At "a hotel where there WAS an alarm
of fire. when we all ran just as we wer
without the slightest plea, | SAW
dress reformer in her night gown. Oh
but she was a sight. She eel
tainly did Eve up to lher theories. Their
was no pretty nainSook, no frllls, II
bits of lace and bows of ribbon. Oh, nc
That nightgoWn was made out of SOM
medicatee1 material the oflor of Nvhic
is best likcned to sewer gas, and it wa
cut as John Gilpin's buttons Wen
'lstra;ght up and DOWN. With ever
suggestion of utility, but not a hint Q
beauty.
If the dress reformers would dro
dress reforming altogether and take Il
eating, which lis my special fad, thcl
would be a great deal more good done
as far as the coming generation IS COZ
ccrncd. If somebody would have tt
courage of her convictions and say th;
women need less pastry and more mu
ton, fewer fried and more roasted tbEne
less cake and more good bread, an
nothing fried, there would be Il geo
outIOOk 1OE luc people OF the 1utufS.
lhe average woman needs bette
bread and butter, especially butter. avn
less tea-howeyer, l mean less bad to;
Tor good tea, properly made, hurts n
body. Then, too, the average woma
wants to devote Il longer time to Oh
ing and less to re.orming the worl,
Her complexion will he better. her eve
clearer, her hair healthier. and her tcct
Will remain IN her mouth longer If 81
eats good -voA. properly cooked ratht
slowly and chats merrily in betWec
i. myself. believe in reformation. In
every proper thinking person believ,
that reforms, like charity, ought to b
gin AT nome. ne woman who wants
keep l man out of temptation I'm tll4
evening is much apter to succeed |
having d good dinner. beginning at
O'Clock and lasting until 9, than bv /;
the preaching in the world. Aftqr
O'Clock the average man who htls 90
summed a good dinner and is cniovi,
his smoke and Il glass of cordial fre
so comfortable that he doesn't want
go out, and Il woman must be a fc