The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-09-15
The Women Of Homer.

Although the women of Athens in the
days of it's glory had position which is
today believed to have been not merely
inferior. but servile and debased, yet
the earlier women, both of what may be
called the period of the Homeric singer
and of the Homeric listener, were evil
IDENTIFY very superior order, receiving re-
spect and duty, and giving a high tone
to their social life. There are but two
ignoble women in all the pages of Homer,
Helen and Clytemnestra; and even to
them a certain sort of honor was award
ed by those about them. All the other
women of Homcr's song were dignifed,
gentle, noble, with lofty standards of
morals and behavior, and exerting a wide
ally characterized by sweet courtesy
they have a natural refinement, and in
all the story that is told of them we
recognize a warmth of family feeling, a
lofty elegance of manners, grace which
is hardly excelled by the manners and
habits of the ladies of today.
1t was evidently this feeling about mar
sition of women honorable, lent them an
authority and influence that were force
full and made the tale seem real to those
who heard it sung, because there was
nothing in it contrary to their own eX-
perience. We read Of it all with a great
sense of naturalness and kinship, feeling
that what is right is so the world over,
and realizing that it is with women today
as it was 5000 years ago; their power
and their protection lie in the obedience
and the reverence that are given to the
sanctity of the institution Of marriage.
1t is interesting to find that so many
years ago, when all the people who heard
the Homeric songs first sung are dust
blowing On the four winds of heaven,
this institution Of marriage. which had
its happy exemplitication in the lives, the
singing of which touched all hearts with
a kind and familiar finger, should remain
as fixed and solid as the rock, and that,
indeed, among those of our generation
who think the highest and live the best
it is regarded as sacramental in it's ma
ture, and not to be lightly considered,
rudely spoken of, nor carclessly broken.
-Har9er's Bazaar.
Push the Butt)n
Maj. Putnam Bradlee Strong, son of
ex-Mayor Strong, who is home from the
Philippines OH furlough, has had no
end of experiences out there and he tells
of them in the most interesting way, says
the New York Tribune. One of the best
stories of the ma or was related recently:
When the ma jor went out to the Philip
pines he spoke Spanish to slight extent,
OuL was ullSA1S ISlO1uA VI tue
ments of that polyglot language known
as the Tagal dialect: He has picked up
more or less of it BY now. When lie
first got there, he acquired a servant, Oh
| rather the servant acquired him. Some
how or other the servant who was q
bright-eyed Filipino, attached himself to
the major, and couldn't be shaken off.
He didn't speak a word of English or
Spanish, and his Tagal talk was unin-
toll TNl,nrofnro bO h<,1,, Il
could only surmise what was wanted
The major dressed him up in an impro-
vised livery. The coat Of this livery
| was garnished with half dozen glitter
ing brass buttons. While studying this
impressive array of buttons, an idea came
into the ma ors head, and he Immediate
ly put it into effect. He took the boy
solemnly aside and tied to the topnost
| button of his coat a cigarette. To the
! next button he attached cigar. TIC
another he tied small cup, out of which
coffee was drunk. TO another he tied a
| glass which was used to serve cooling
drinks, and so on. When he had the boy
properly decorated, he stood back and
surveyed him with satisfaction. Then,
by means Of signs, he conveyed the idea
to his newly-acquired servant that each
button meant specifically the article at
tached thereto. Then he removed the
articles ana began experiments. II ulun
take the native long to realize the sys-
TEN, and after that it was plain sailing
It was case of touch the button and the
native did the rest.
Altar of Roses.
The crop of roses from which altar of
| roses is made is worth annually large
sum of money. This years harvest in
Bulgaria alone is said to be worth $780,
600 and it is an unusually small one. The
yield this year of the oil of roses will