Evening star., 1901-12-07

on the other side; hence the name ''nap-
Jacks The children especially enjoyed
witnessing this performance. and claimed q
seat in the kitchen on ali such occasions.
Plain Clothe. Worn
Plain. substantial clothing was the rule
in both country and town The girls US
ually dressed In red and blue flannel a
white RUNE around their necks and black
alpaca aprons. The dresses came a little
above the shoe tops and pantalettes were
unknown. They erearly taught 20 knit
their own stockings. The boys suits were
OF cloth, spun, woven and made at home
and so. for the most part. were the mems
Inc school houses were few and Tar
apart; the children often walking a mile
or two on mud roads through rain sleet
and snow : to their daily lessons The
teachers, who, IL women worked for five
dollars month and boarded around"
from house to house with their employ
ers were by no means adopts being but
little in advance OF their pupils in the
higher classes. Girls always had fewer
privileges than boys. When free schools
were first established they were not al
lowed to enter. Their education was lin
ited to the dame" schools. where they
were taught to patch quilts dress dolls
work a sampler with the alphabet and
nine numerals, and also TO study the
catechism and spelling book. Great ef-
forts were made to keep them in their
appropriate sphere. More advanced classes
were permitted TO study addition. subtrac-
tion, multiplication and division, but frac-
tions and interest were considered too in
tricate for their delicate brains
After many years they were allowed 70
attend the free schools from six to nine
In the morning. before the boys came,
ana all day Saturday, while the latter
were having a holiday. Whether their
being in the same classes would enfeeble
the boys or masculinize the girls is stIl
| an open question. Fifty-five years ago
not a college in the land admitted women
ana even oberlin, the first to open its
doors, did not grant them the same privi-
| leges as TO men students.
Few Divorces Then.
Social relations We're more stable than
in our time. Divorces We're only allowed
for one cause, and the stigma was 50
great that they We're almost unknown
The wife would not apply for one be-
cause, even when she was the innocent
party, the courts gave the children ana
| the property to the husband. Courtships
| We're more natural and serious There
| was not so much flirting and maneuver-
| Ing. The court of love was conducted
| more honestly and simply. The young
| people did not begin their housekeeping
| IN the luxury with which their narents
| ended. They did much Of their own work
| Inc husband made the fire and ground
| the coffee. while the young wife set the
| table ana cooked the breakfast He
| chopped the wood and planted the gar
den while she kept the house IN order
| and did the necessary sewing, which. be-
| lore the invention of the machine. was a
| neNer-ending task. Our grandmothers
would spend three days on an article that
women now make i'm as many hours
| Today many young people live i'm a hotel
or apartment where the wife does as little
as possible and the husband strains every
/ nerve to meet the expenses
| The wife in former DAYS could not own
even the property she inherited. She did
not own herself her children her clothes
| her ornaments She was as essentially
1 HI.aVsW,
| ton Her husband could lock her up at
| his pleasure unless she obeyed his de-
mands. Now the wife controls absolutely
her own property, and wills it as she sees
| fit. In some states she has an equal right
with the father to their children If her
| husband confines her in durauce vile her
| friends can get writ of habeas corpus
ana bring her into court. If she wishes to
| leave him she can have a divorce and If
| he is the transgressor, she can secure ali
| mony and the custody OF her children.
Many self-respecting women now object To
| the present marriage ceremony and will
neither be given away" nor promise to
| obey" and they insist also upon keeping
their family name. For example, the
daughter of Moncure ID. Conway, a distin-
| guished clergyman, who married a. Mr.
Sawyer, issued her wedding cards, Mr.. and
Mrs. Conway Sawyer.
Grew Old Early.
With hard work, many cares and few
| recreations women used to grow old much
earlier than in these days. They were
placed upon the retired list by fifty. Now
| many distinguished women hold their
places in society and are connected with
important public measures at sixty sew
enty and even eighty years of age.
Girls in past times married early and
often had several children before they were
twenty. Now they are in colleges and
business positions up to thirty deferring
matrimony until they have a well-develop-
ed body. brain and bank account.
In such wives highly educated men find
wise mental companions and able business
advisers. Mothers, nowadays, read. think
and reason; they are recognized as the
actual mistresses Of their homes! they not
only preside over the soup tureen. but lead
in brilliant conversation at the table.
Cndeveloped girls of eighteen can fill
none of these relations properly. and hus-
/ bands, instead Of securing congenial.
healthy companions, often find themselves
burdened with incapable invalid wives and
feeble children.
The women of today are better educated
and hence superior in every way as wives
mothers. housekeepers and members of the
community to those Of a century ago. and
they are treated with far more respect by
the men Of the household than formerly
Nomens influence in all directions stead
lily increases with their higher develop
ment. Naturally they are far more con-
tented and happy with all the privileges
they now enjoy than they were under the
old restraints. 1 know nothing that could
be borrowed from the past which would
Improve their present condition.
When woman fully awakes to the beauty
and value of science philosophy and gov
ernment then will the first note of perfect
harmony be touched; then will the great
organ OF humanity be played on all it's
Keys, with every stop rightly adjusted. and
with louder, loftier strains the march OF
civilization Will be immea surably QUICK
ened.
New Ring-Making Machine
From the Scientific American