The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-05-13
Candidates for Hpotbeoses.
sss*ssss BY PRUDENCE wINTERGREEN ssxssxx
INTERGREEN. Axxxxxsx


cent to appoint five persons. three being
women. to act az women Pantheon d,rac.
tors, and 1t appropriates 100000 to be ex-
pended In the purchase of land and the
erection of suitable building to con-
tam bronze or marble statues of Illus
trious American women
y \ \
IL you dont find all the above amusing.
I'm afraid there are grave doubts about
your sense of humor.
Chicago was rather severely scored once
upon time about It's woman's building
creditable and interesting structure
though II was, and you would really think
that the impulsive Chicagiennes might
nave learned by this time the lesson
winch was preached at them over and
over again with that building as a text
namely, that no work IL worthy of glor-
ification which cannot carry off the prizes
In open competition with the worlds
workers.
Personally. I should be willing to back
american women in open competition
with anybody for their wisdom and
WORTH" their noble self-sacrihce:" their
generosity and devotion" But these
are not, after ell, the qualities for which
fields in which they are best displayed
are frequently obscure, though none the
less heroic. And the people, men and
women both, who display the largest
share Of these desirable qualities, are not.
usually, working for fame, but for char
acter, and other peoples happiness. And
there are so many of them that punv
little 100000 temple would quickly be
over-run with their images. Their names
are already Inscribed on the roll of the
noble army of martyrs'-and they ask
nothing more.
But-to return to Congressman Fosters
bili-why, In the name of all that is unas-
Stunning and womanly. why a PAN
Theron?
Everybody knows, in these days OF high
school Greek, that n pantheon IL "a tenn
pie for all gods and also that the French
Pantheon, which was begun as a church.
was dedicated In the days of the French
revolution and the Worship of Humanity
as temple to illustrious citizens. But the
worship OF humanity Is not particularly
prevalent cult Just now, and there really
seems no adequate reason for proclaiming
the good and illustrious women of Amer
lea as goddesses and fitting them out with
a Pantheon. At all events. II 1t has to be
done. 1t doesn't seem quite the thing for
them TO be so active about II themselves
II Ii one thing to be deified by somebody
else. and quite another TO sit up nights
drafting bills to defy oneself. To say the
least, 1t isn't tactful.
/ hope there are no American women 80
poor that they have not been told they
were angels a number of times in the
course of their mortal career-that is
every womans inalienable right, and IL the
Chicago lady had proposed a Panan-
gelicon Il can't affirm that that ia the cor
rect way to say 1t, but l trust my mean
ings clear 1t wouldn't have seemed quite
80 cheeky. because, even IL we don't be-
lieve It. we are familiar with the notion OF
angelic femininity. But Pantheon-no,
we aren't up to 1t yet. and l should stnl
continue to hold that view even II the
General Assembly of the Federated Wom-
ems Clubs went TO the length of voting
the unanimous apotheosis OF all American
women, past and present. who have been
good enough to keep out of jail
Just incidentally, Pantheon that was
all goddesses and no gods would be a very
lonesome kind OF place to be left stranded
IN lot tHt rest OF tlfue hnOulunt Do
IA bit surprised. II Congressman Fosters
bill goes through, to hear In the future OF
all the marble and bronze goddesses In
Washington DESERVING their pedestals and
filling their lunch baskets and taking the
Royal Blue mali up to New York to
have picnic In the arcades of the Hall of
Fame with the distinguished occupants
thereof They would have to do some
thing of the kina to keep themselves from
being bored to death. for II the women of
the future are at all like the women OF the
past they are not going to come in great
numbers, even at excursion rates. to wor-
ship in temple from which the tradi-
tlonal object OF their adoraton- Msn--is
so specifically excluded. And II the men
OF the future are like the men OF the past.
they are going to go with the crowd-and
that will leave the Woman's Pantheon a
very lonely place.