Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-05-22
THE LECTURER WAS CHILLY.
F. Hopkinson Smiths caustic TAX before q
Woman's Club.

Smith, the genlai Han VI " l.,
| IN coniure with year VI wv CO.
had an experience with woman
cb,b in Minneapolis which the Women
nj least the New YORK sun says ~
-, rot forgotten. Mr.. Smith was
then doing Il circuit OF Original leau-
incs throughout the west. olup Woiii-
on dearly love to hear lion roar De IL
never so gently. so the painter-Wiltel-
| eneineer-reader was colnpelleu 70
breast a tide of invitations Which as
sailed him as he advanced from date
to date. AT Minneapolis ne was
] scheduled for an afternoon tax 10
| prominent woman's club, the TAX 70
be followed by the inevitable reception
| One of the shining lights of the local
! Woman's Christian Temperance Union
| had offered her house for the moment
! ons occasion, and when the hour set
! for the roaring arrived the drawing
room was crowded. He arrived just as
| the drawing-room became so crowded
| that the late corners were being seated
| by the wide doorway opening from the
! hall to the main apartment. 1t was
! cold day: Il day which struck chill 10
| the marrow Of Mr.. Smith, who was
| bred in old Virginia. or some place as
| far south Of the Minnesotan belt as
that good old state is. The w. {. T. L.
hostess happened to be engaged at the
moment Of the distinguished guest
| arrival. so he was received by the mar
ried daughter of the house, who mad
| been trained in the precepts OF her
mother. She welcomed Mr.. Smith cor
| daily. stood by while he removed his
| great coat, and admitted that it was
| cold day.
| Have YOU any whisky in the house?
asked Mr. Smith, in clear. unmistak-
| able tones. which smote upon the ears
! Of the women BY the doorway, Travelled
/ from tympanum to tympanum in the
| drawing-room, and met another set of
| the same vibrations which had come
around by the other door and had in
! formed everybody in that direction
| that Mr.. Smith was asking for whisky
| Every woman present held her breath
| To hear what the answer would be. The
| ". 4. r. v. daughter looked wildly
about for her mother but that lady
was seeing" somebody on the tele-
phone. or was otherwise occupied. 50
the daughter SPARED a little.
"Oh, Mr.. smith, she said, ARE you
liz"
Not a bit. Not 4 bit" exclaimed
that gentleman, reassuringly. all I'M
conscious Of the gravity Of the situa-
ton. Never felt better i'll my life!
But it's 50 cold | got thoroughly
chilled"
The daughter looked wildly once
more for the approach Of her mother.
but no help was in sight: 50. heroically
assuming an responsibility. she said
! with much emphasis:
Yes, these sudden attacks are alarm
ing. Come with me"
With these words she led Mr.. Smith
to the dining-room where she pro-
duced Key from the hidden rccesses
of a drawer and with this she I'M
locked a small cabinet on the wall
From among certain medicine bottles
and other articles the daughter drew a
small vial, poured out teaspoonful Of
whiskey and gravely offered it to the
expectant visitor. Although somewhat
dazed Mr.. Smith managed to take the
teaspoonful and. observing that the
! lady was watching him expectantly, he
swallowed the whisky. The daughter
received back the spoon with the same
gravity. replaced the bottle in the
cabinet. turned the key in the lock and
restored it to its hiding place.
But that wasn't the end of the mat
ter, by any means. The talk which
all women's clubs expect from their
guests was, in this instance, very brief
but very much to the point. The
speaker was to have talked on art, ac-
cording to the request of the ladies,
but he soon wandered from that topic
to the subject of women's clubs.
Briefly his sentiments appeared
to be that women's clubs didn't
amount to very much, that the
incest women didn't pine to join them,
and as far as he knew neither the
women themselves. nor the world out
! side, was any the better for them
Then he announced that personally he
didn't like to see a woman doing any
| thing outside of her home. and her
church and society. He said that ne
was born in the South, and that South
! ern men were proud to take care of the
women of their families. They did not
approve of a woman going outside of
her home. And he concluded his
talk by saying that woman's place
was with her foot on the rocker of the
cradle.
The reception followed the talk, as
had been promised. and most of the
| women shook hands with Mr.. Smith
and laughed and joked about his re-
marks. But he had fired a bombshell
and echoes are to be heard from it to
| this very day. That afternoon there
| was an OminOus murmur of voices
from the groups which formed in the
| corners
He says a woman ought not to be
| out in the world, but in her own
home. said teacher who has no
relatives except those she helps to sup
port She added wistfully: "Appar-
emily fate doesn't know about Mr.
Smiths ought not"
Nor about the duty of women to be
taken care of by the men of their
/ family said a cashier whose nearest
relative was an old grandfather whose
| last years she was making comfort
| able
But it was the remark about the
cradle which elected the most lively
comments.
I'm afraid" said one jolly matron.
that my big boy Bob wouldn't drop