The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-03-08
SOCIETY WOMEN SCORED
ARE SEVERELY CRITICISED BY
MRS. MAY WRIGHT sEwALL.
She intimate that They Take Too
Little Interest i'm Household
and Domestic Affairs.

Us War "a iOOuN kdNC a W
room lecture yesterday afternoon. inviting
the wives of the legislators and the super
intendents of the city and county institu-
tions to hear a talk on Household Science
by Mrs. May Wright sewalL Mrs. Sew
alrs talk was practically a criticism of So
ciety women. She said the state of society
at the present time is deplorable and the
majority Of women of leisure spend the
greater part of their time in amusements.
which do not amuse. She said that she did
not intend this for a personal criticism,
as she recognized few of the ladies pres
ent. She said as far as she was concerned
she always wanted her friends to invite
her to their entertainments when they
wanted her, and she said they always knew
beforehand that she would send regrets,
only accepting invitations to dinners and
occasionally a simple luncheon, where one
meets congenial people and where one is
sure to hear something said. She said one
meets the same people, perhaps, that one
finds so congenial at simple affairs at fash
ionable dinners or luncheons or receptions.
and they are completely changed, con-
forming to the atmosphere, and the talk is
meaningless or light. Mrs. Sewall con-
tinued:
If 1 accepted the invitations L have re-
ceived this winter. L estimated the other
day, / should have spent three-fourths
of my time at fashionable entertainments,
where there is no result and where they
add neither TO my pleasure nor to any one
else's. The state of society as ii exists in
this country is found in no other. Here
we have two classes of society-the aristo-
cratic or leisure class and the working
class, all belonging 10 one family. TIL
working class consists of the men of the
family and the leisure class of the women.
The women who are spending their time
In social duties and society are the wives
and daughters of men who toll all day
and are in their offices, shops, factories or
stores from Z o'clock in the morning until
o In the evening. There is no pleasant home
life. We often hear women say 1t is so
hard TO keep help, the reason for which is
that society women have a contempt for
household work-a contempt for the work
they hire others to do. II L were to ask
my friends why they disliked household
work they would laugh at the idea and
perhaps say with their lips that they did
not dislike 1t and abstain from saying they
had a contempt for it. However, it is only
the American women that have. L have
studied history since L was a little girl.
and In what little travelling | have done |
have noticed that there is a more general
hold labor among us than in any other
country. One reason is that our educa-
ton has been all intellectual, and as a re-
suit We have an educational system many
features OF which We are very proud OF
and other features of which we are not
mind, and until it recognizes the body also
1t will be IMPERFECT.
Until every school is surrounded by a
big yard and until every school is pro-
Vided with a gymnasium and the outdoor
games are under the direction of the
teacher, just as other studies are, the sys-
TEN of education has not made proper pro-
/ vision for the hOdy which should he taught
as well as the mind. From my
point of view the only thing for m to
1 often have mothers whose daughters at
tend my school say: My daughters will
never have TO do anything meaning. per
this or that branch of education, as they
never would have to work for a livelihood,
ters of the aristocratic class are the ones
who receive the highest education. > . .
When We have a contempt for work we
cannot expect others to have a respect
for it. / have often thought how strange
it is that girls without homes work in
shops and factories for So or 81 a week.
and out of that pay for food and board,
when they might receive the same amount
and have a refined home. Is it the fault
of the girls or is 1t our fault? We have
schooled them TO that preference because
we have made a great barrier. between our
servants and ourselves. In other countries
the servants have an association with the
family and have their rights. Why is it
so many OF our young married people go
boarding or take a fiat, when there used
TO be such family pride in the new home
OF the bridal couple? 1t is one of the signs
of degeneracy and a love of luxury. They
give up independence because a house
thing is provided in the modern fiat. 1t
is a deplOrable condition"
"A COMEDY OF ERRORS"
Mr.. Marshall Dsrrach, of New York,
will present "A Comedy of Errors" at the
Propylaeum tomorrow evening. The pa
tronesses are Mrs. Benjamin Harrison,
Mrs. May Wright Sewall, Mrs. John II.
Holiday, Mrs. Ovid Butler jameson, Mrs.
E. c.. Atkins, Mrs. John S. Harrington,
Mrs. Joseph A. Milburn, Mrs. John Can
dee Dean, Mrs. o. S. Runnels, Mrs. Harry
s. New. Mrs. George G.. Hit. Mrs. Charles
+. Sayles, Mrs. T.. C. Day. Mrs. Ernst
Hobbs Burford, Mrs: f. b.. Martindale,
Bates, jr., Miss Mary Elaine Hussey. Mrs.
Winfield Taylor Durbin, Mrs. job .. Per
rim. Mrs. Edward F. Hodges. Mrs. Court
Miss Louise Garrard. Mrs. Arthur Voor-
hees Brown. Mrs. Addison Bybee. Mrs
Henry Jameson, Mrs. William ]. Mckee,
Mrs. Benjamin Walcott. Mrs. Francis T
Hord. Mrs. John Alfred Barnard. Mrs
Clifton Comfy, Mrs. Henry Lane Wallace
Mrs. Hervey Bates, Mrs; William A
A. Gladding. Mrs. William Scott. Mrs. vii
liam II. Smith, Mrs. Harry Sloan Hicks
Mrs. JOnn N. Hurty, Mrs. Henry COOurn
: Mrs. George T.. Porter. Mrs. Hugh IL
Hanna, Mrs. NJ. l.. Haines. Mrs. John w
Kern, Mrs. Arthur Duel Gates, Mrs. Ed.
ward IL. Dean. Mrs. Il. c. Atkins, Mrs
H. C. Atkins. Mrs. Samuel E. Morss. Mrs
, II. A. Edison, Miss Emily Fletcher. Mrs
Hewitt III. Rowland. Mrs. Lafayette Page
Gowan, Mrs. Franklin Landers. Miss Voss
Mrs. Charles w. Merrill, Mrs. John r
Wilson, Mrs. S. Elliott Perkins, Mrs. Her
man b. Sayles, Mrs. w. II. Hubbard. Mrs
v. NJ. Backus. Mrs. III. c. Martin, Mrs. A
A. Barnes. Mrs. w. E.. Hayward. Mrs
Ferdinand L. Mayer, Mrs John 5. Duncan
Mrs. s. Robert Greer, Mrs. George Tanner
Mrs. Alfred M. Ogle. Mrs. "A. H.. Nordyke
Mrs. I. II. Spann, Mrs. James r. Carna-
han, Mrs. Lydia A. p. Whitcomb, Mrs
Fremont Swain. Mrs. William III. Coleman
Mrs. Herman Pink. Mrs. Thomas s. Hack
er, Mrs. Perle h. Raymond. Mrs. George
Brown, Mrs. Henry Coburn, Mrs. Johr
, IB. Elan.
FOR lis COOPER.
Mrs. ID. A. Chenoweth gave a large and
handsome reception yesterday afternoon in
honor of her visitor. Miss Cooper, OF
Shelbyville, Tenn. at her home on NORTH
Delaware street. The rooms were beauti
fully decorated in a garden effect. The
reception hall had trailing rose vines. eS
tending up the balustrades and forming
an arch above the newell posts. The climb
ing roses were also in the fretwork above
the doors, intermixed with Southern smi