The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-11

ate that he held up and robbed his own
wife of the money he had given her ear
lier in the day"
There was a genuine sensation in the
Senate chamber Thursday, says the
Washington Post. The Senate was pro-
ceeding with business in its usual order
ly and dignifed manner, when
Squash!
Something fell with the genuine dull
sickening thud OF the dime novel.
A man who was seated on sofa under
meath the public gallery gave a jump as
a very large sachel of the kind carried
by ladies when shopping, fell at his feet.
1t must have been filled with custard pie,
so soggily it fell. At any rate, it contain
ed a lunch, for some slices of bread were
plainly visible.
Up in the gallery a pretty young woman
with gay pink ribbons around her neck,
was almost in Mysteries. She threw her
head back on the seat and hid her face in
her hands and blushed and laughed. Long
after a page had rescued her lunch sach-
el and had restored 1t to her, her face
was as red as peony.
The student Of social phenomena, says the
Chicago journal, can find a rich and
almost unexpiored field for study in the
obviously increasing use of stimulants by
women. Among men the use and abuse
of alcoholic liquors Is clearly decreasing.
We no longer have "four-bottle" men, and
a later MIR. Pickwick who should get
drunk on a hunting party and awaken In
the village pound would encounter slings
and arrows of reprobation among his own
people more painful than the decayed
vegetables with which the ribald populace
awoke the benignant victim of cold punch.
But in proportion as men become tenn
perate abstnent women are looking
4
class of unfortunates whom Hogarth
shows us in Gin Lane" and George
Moore powerfully and pitifully describes in
An Actors Wife," nor yet the women of
the smart set" whom society journalists
love to describe drinking innumerable
cocktails from impossible jeweled TASKS.
Between these two extremes lies the great
body of womanhood and there the grow
ing use of alchohol is apparent to every
close observer.
The explanation of this phenomenon is
not difficult. AS life has become more
tense, more strenuous for women, the
need, real or fancied, for stimulants has
come upon her as it did upon men. 1t is
the exceptional woman of to-day who is
not I'm some sense a business woman, for
even the pursuit of society has become
a business. With greater independence,
heavier cares and a lvelier Intellectual life
than her grandmother enjoyed-or suffered
the twentieth century girl may be ex-
pected to seek much the same methods of
securing relief or stimulus as her brother
does.
Doubtless this will be bad for the race
The alcohol faint inherited from one par
eut has wrecked enough lives. If the dam
ger be doubled the gravity of the results
will be enhanced. But it is an irrefutable
proposition that if women are compelled
to do even increasing share of man 5
,11f fr1a oil har
of mans vices, too.
The historical and genealogical socie-
ties, says the Youths Companion, often
bring to light interesting family tales and
traditions. In paper read before a local
society a New England woman recently
related an amusing anecdote of spirited
ancestress of revolutionary days.
The damsel, Abigail by name, was loved
by twin brothers. Asaph and Ashel, but
only Asaph had had the courage to pro-
pose marriage. Although the girl had
been suspected of an inclination for the
shyer brother, she accepted the more VEN
turesome Asaph, perhaps partly through
pique. The wedding day was set, but then
a difficulty arose She was an ardent pa
triot, he d rather lukeWarm one. 1t was
during the very darkest days of the war
and it did not appear to her fitting that
the marriage should be celebrated with
much expedition or display All the mon
'ey that could be spared was wanted to
help the cause, while as to the wedding
dress she would not have dreamed of i'm
ported finery, even if she could have af-
forded it. She vowed she would be mar
ried in homespun or not at all.
Asaph's ideas were different He was
not willing to dispense with either feast
ing or fine clothes, but desired to make
the wedding a grand occasion. "A quarrel
ensued, which ended by his declaring OBJ
stinately that a wife should submit to the
authority of her husband and that he
should expect his bride to stand up be-
fore the parson in a silk gown and moth
ing less.
"A bride, sir, is not yet wife" was
the girls reply, and upon that they part
ed.
1t was but few days before the we'd
ding. During the intervaG Abigail refus-
ed to see her lover sending word that
she was busy with the preparation of
her wedding outfit This Asaph compla-
Gently accepted as evidence of submits
sion to his will. The silk dress was no
doubt in hurried process of preparation,
he thought.
The day arrived and the hour of the
ceremony, but to the groom's anger and
confusion his bride appeared before the
assembled company in a plain cotton
gown, a kitchen apron, her sleeves rolled
up and her hands fioury from the knead-
lilS ilOuSns
will you take me as 1 ann" she asked,
with a curtsey.
''Never! shouted the groom and left
She house Not in the least Disconnected
the fair Abigail smiled invitingly a Ashel
who, plucking up his courage, stepped
without a word into the place vacated by
his brother and they were married there
and then. Moreover, they lived happily
ever after" quite in fairy tale style, des-
pite the dubious promise afforded by the
lady's temper. Asaph remained bachelor
till his death.
1t would probably astonish the majority
of mothers who guard their daughters so
zealously from all household "drudgery"
to DE accused of cruelty, and yet says the
Philadelphia North American, il has been
very justly claimed that there can hard
~ be a more mistaken kindness, in reality
a greater cruelty on the part of a moth
er toward daughter than for her to
relieve the daughter from all active par
tcipaton in home duties.
To keep their hands fair and delicate 70