The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-09-21

any other distinguished figure in the
present? Will they enjoy meditating
on the fact that after all they we're
only hysterical and took such a ques-
tionabe step for reasons which they
had not fully thought out for them
selves?
Their senseless proceeding was more
grotesque than that of the cartoonists
who portrayed our dead president in
way which has made us shudder at
tho mental reproduction many times in
the weary, heartbreaking fortnight just
ended. The cartoonist makes a
living by dipping his pen in
gall and vitriol to please perverted
minds and degrade public taste. GOOD
women of the country, praying against
such a man as William Mckinley. be-
cause some irresponsible idiot suggest
ed the idea and it pleased the dramatic
instincts of unthinking listeners. pre-
sent picture where the lack of dig
nifty and feminine ideals is too OBJ
trusivc To be a credit to an national
galleryof historical portraits. won
der If 1t will be a lesson to the sister
hood that believes whatever is is
wrong. and if they will continue to
have their opinions moulded By such
men as DR.. swallow and others of his
kind
The great difficulty Is with women
that they hear some immature idea
which pleases their emotional nature,
ana off they go at tangent clinging
Violently to their latest fad and add
ing hysterical frills at every revolu-
ton. Sometimes 1t might be so much
better If only they would deliberate
a little. The whole training of women
has not been in line designed TO fit
her to make radical change in the
government by divine aid or the other
kind
Thore Is no more significant evidence
TO my mind that women in the aggre-
gate are unequal to the task of man
aging great affairs OF state than this
same Chain of prayers" proposed by
some who were believed to he among
the strongest minded of their sex
Washington prayed before the battles
which have changed the face of the
world. 1t is recorded that Lincoln,
with his sad heart bending beneath the
weight OF his responsibilities, offered
mp many prayer for guidance. In the
llght OF recent events, where death
bed revelations have shaken the emo
ttons of a great nations, there is no
doubt that Mckinley prayed with all
the devotion of a strong nature, and
| that the serenity, the beautiful polse
| the power which he possessed had in
| 1t some participation of divineneSs."
| 1t would have been difficult for anyone
| to imagine him as issuing a petulant
edict for prayers to defeat some sena-
tor or congressman who was not In
perfect accord with his policy. 1t i-
| in such greatness as this that we wo-
men should fail. We have not been
| trained to a judicial estimate of values
| as far as vast political issues and the
true idea Of statesmanship is concern
| ed. We might be expert politicians,
but II is "A question whether we would
be as consistent in our methods as are
men-and that isn't making any pre-
| tentious claims. We would cling to a
| course for feminine reasons and relin-
quish it for others as illogical That is
| why We are universally so nice AS wo-
men. If person could predict with
any degree of confidence what We
shall do next, We should he shorn of
| much of that charm which, after all,
|
| liam Mckinley would not have lived
and died the strongest, most infinitely
honored character in this coun-
try, had it not been for the
gentle, hower-like life clingiug to
his and bringing out the divin-
ity OF his nature. SGT in a shrine
as the rarest and most precious gift.
before it his heart ever knelt. | won
| ~ %
would choose political fame rol our.
selves rather than TN homage of a
great soul such as William Mckinley
gave to one delicate, fragile personal
ity during all the years Of his man
hood.
What an idiotic thing nd-shaking
is anyway. Perhaps our method of
greeting is a slight Improvement on
the Australian one Of rubbing noses
| Perhaps it is more polite than the
South Sea Island fashion of thrusting
| out ones tongue when meeting a
| friend, but it isn't many degrees better
| than either. We would bc as pleased
| 10 shake hands with a fish as some
| of the people We greet so cordially.
| IT does not add to the hospitality or
| the kindly feeling expressed in a smile
| and flash of the eye 1t is simply
a large, Objectionable imposition. 1t
Woesn't and cannot mean anything A
| glance is more affectionate and in
clination of the head is more kindly.
! Why on earth should We want TO
| squeeze the hand of some person OF
distinction, who doesn't know us from
| the man who plays the cymbals in the
orchestra, passes comprehension. II
We have within our mentality that
strange elusive power which can leap
from the eyes to compel an answering
recognition from his own glance. that
is another matter. If we have mag
nctism of personality it is something
to excel in its possession even in a
| crowd, but most of us have not that
and might better stay in IA secluded
spot To cultivate II or else be content
to stand aside and look at greatness =
rather than push to gain its attention
by hand grasps.
| This Democratic custom Of greeting
has been the source Of agony TO great
men, Including presidents, all down
the line. While none of them until the
last and in many respects the greatest
Of all, has been done to dea n
because of it they have suf-
fcred from the ardent grasps OF the
multitude i'm way that few of the
multitude can appreciate.
our presidents wives have endured
tOrtures because of this fetish Of
AmericaniSm. Mrs. Cleveland, in the
climax of her beauty and grace, was