The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-04-12

U
Editor OF The Times:
Sir.-Every experience Of life brings
new evidence Of the wisdom OF solomon
and especially of his Oft quoted saying
that there is no new thing under the
sun. As yet there is no evidence that
there were railroads and telephones and
bicycles I'm the days OF old; that the cpl
demic craving for crests and coats OF
aims was wasting the people. or that
there were any Colonial Danes or
Daughters Of the Revolution. Descend
ents' were few, the phases of an in
ferior planet fewer and the waters
had hardly yet passed away everybody
was quick. and nobody dead. for people
lived a thousand years then and had
large experiences and greater observa-
ton But that such things were even
in S0lomons time. and before there can
be little doubt. Deborah was Judge and
there were also Semiramis and Miriam
and the queen Of Sheba indeed, Mother
Eve had her parliament with the serpent
in the Garden of Eden and the previous
question was called on the human race
then and there, and no motion 10 recon-
slider has ever prevailed from that day
10 this. 10 remains the leading case OF
res adjudicata' and stare decisis,' and
the takes the hindmOst' to-day. as I'm
All the masculine part OF the town has
been laughing con the quiet" for some
weeks at the "womans parliament re-
Gently held here. not daring 20 do IL "in
the open." Some daredevil skeptic has
vontured TO whisper that the professor Of
parliamentary law. laid down but one
general principc-"don't all speak az
once a principle as old or even older
than some Of the new women" with
I.f. i Al Ia
that But. as usual. the skeptics are all
wrong. and do not know. what they are
talking about. Leaving out Ewes pri-
waite conference wOmen's parl'aments
arc almost as old as civilization. and max
ing due allowances for changed cOndi-
lions C'tompora mutantur ct nos IN illis')
are about the same as they were nearly
two thousand years ago. when we have
our first account OF one. Read what
Marion Crawford has 10 say I'm his latest
and gravest book. ave Roma lmmOr-
tails" and then determine whether or not
there is, or can be. anything new UNI
der the sun. The quotation begins at
page ll1. volume J.
But before Aurelian erected the splen-
did building 10 record his conquest OF
Palmyra the same spot was the site OF
the Little Senate" instituted by Elaga-
bulus in mirthful humOr. between an at
tack Of sacriilgious folly and q ht Of
cruelty"
The Little Senate" was woman's
senate. In other words. il was a regular
assembly Of the fashionable Roman
matrons Of the day. who met there IN
hours OF idleness under the presidency
OF the EmperOrs mother Semiamira.
Aelius Lamprldlus, quoted by Bassar0ni
has passage about IT, From this SEN
ate. he says, ISSUED the absurd laws for
the matrons. entitled semamiran Sena-
torial DEGREES. which determined for each
matron how she might dress. 10 whom
she must yield precedence by whom she
might be kissed. deciding which ladies
might drive In chari0ts and which IN carts
and whether the latter should be drawn
by caparisoned horses or by asses or by
mules or oxen who should be allowed %
be carried IN a litter or n chair which
might be OF leather or OF bone with fit
tings or ivory or OF silver as the case
might be. and It was even determined
which ladies might wear shoes adorned
only with gold and which might have
gems set in the boots" Considering how
little human nature has changed IN
eighteen hundred years II is easy enough
TO imagine what the debates in the Lit
tie Senate must have been with Semia-
mira in the chair ruling everything "out
OF order" which did not please her ca
PRECIOUS fancy; the shril discussions
about a fashionable headdress. the whis-
pered intrigues for a jewel-studded slip
per. the stormy diversions on the ques-
ton of gold hair pins and the atmos-
phere Of beauty. perfumes. gossip. vanity
and all feminine dissensions.
Few aspire TO kiss the new woman
OF the nineteenth century. so that feature
may be dismissed as absOlete IL IS
moved I'm conclusion. that the Colonial
Danes only may have gems set IN their
boots": that the Daughters" may wear
shoes adorned only with gold" and that
our dear homebred Virginia lasses shall
continue to command our reverence and
affection in sun bonnets or low necks and
short sleeves. pro re nata, as they know
best when and where to wear them, for
these last are the girls that all men love
and adore.
Think about the new woman for a
while and determine i'm your own mind
whether the girl left behind me- could
ever have been said or sung with her as
an inspiration. Surely. the bold soldier
boy who now sings this song so raptu-
rously. would be rapturous az the memory
Of his escape, not at the thought Of his
return.
Professor Gildersleeve, OF Johns Hop
kins University used 10 tell story OF
womans parliament in ancient Athens.
where the rule OF male exclusion was so
rigid that even beau mouse was de-
,ornced as presumptuous intruder.
Ard thus 1t Is humbly submitted that
,here Is nothing new under the sun.
SUN BONNET.
ptohmond. Va. April TO- 1880.