New-York tribune., 1902-05-15
WOMAN.
AN HISTORICAL STUDY OF HER PLACE
IN SOCIETY.

In OOC414
WOMAN IN THE GOLDEN AGES BY Amelia
Gere Mason Octave. pp. xiii. 1896 The Century
Company
Mrs. Mason's good opinion of the woman Of
to-day. and her appreciation Of the many ser
vices she is rendering to society along new lines
cannot blind her to the deep significance too
often forgotten. of what woman has been and
has done in the past She remembers that If
women have always been in subjection, and on
the whole very much oppressed and trampled
upon. especially in the early ages" they have
also left many striking examples of wisdom and
intelligence and of the highest executive power
'ever since Deborah sat a judge in Israel,
Miriam sang immortal songs of heroic deeds
and Semiramis conquered Asia" That the new
woman" has her prototypes in the past, who
have thought, written, lectured, ruled asserted
themselves and been honored as we'll as talked
about in their day she demonstrates in a Sc
ries of chapters in which she traverses with a
light touch the feminine types Of ancient Greece
and Rome and of the Renaissance.
She emphasizes at the outset the interesting
fact that while the Greeks surpassed even the
Jews in their cynical abuse Of women, the Hell
lenic poets present in their works some of the
finest types in literature. Homer she notes, never
Joined in the popular chorus of abuse His
women are not permitted forget their subjec-
n.
ed with gentle courtesy. and he INDUCES in no
superfuoUs filings at their inferority or general
worthlessness." Observing that the women of
Homer were mostly wives and daughters of
kings, Mrs Mason wonders whether it was be
cause he had been greeted with gentle words
and caressing smiles by the fair patricians to
whom he recited his verses that he painted them
in such glowing cOlors, or because the women
Of the heroic age really had the unstudied grace
and simple dignity that spring from conscious
freedom" Sappho is. of course, conspicuous
figure in this volume. the author not simply
sl1etchiug her for her own sake. but the leader
of an intellectual movement among the women
Of her time and the founder of the first WON
ans club" Mrs. Mason likewise treats Of As
pasta as individuality and as the leader of
the earliest known salon The pages devoted
10 Roman women are especially animated and
anecdotic. They describe the difficulties against
which women struggled for recognition of their
higher qualities in the imperial city, the sue
cesses which were nevertheless frequently
achieved by members of the sex, and give in
clear outline a number of representative por-
traits. The quality of the book, which shows
careful reading if not any very deep scholar
ship, and is ia its modest way, very entertain
ing. may be thus illustrated:
There were strong and wise women. who had
great power; rule, il held wisely. Many
OF them, indeed most OF them, brought moral
questions TO bear upon state problems, with d
keen discriminating insight into conditions that
troubled the hearts Of wise men. Among
those was PIotina, the able and accom-
plished wife of Trajan. Trained in the philoso-
ply of the Stoics, her head was turned neither
'py prosperity nor llsho ole eiiteltu Tue
palace, on her husbands elevation to the throne,
with serene dignity, and said that she could
leave IL with equal calmness. With less amb-
tion than the first empress she had d finer moral
sense. also the gravity and firmness Of a matron
of the old school She loved truth and justice
better than the pageantTy of courts and lg-
nored the claims of artificial society
woman of brilliant intellect, noble character and
exalted aims, she led q simple life in the midst
OF luxury, and used her power not only to raise
the tone Of morals and to foster taste for let
tiers, but expose political cOrruptions, sup
press abuses. diminish unjust taxes and promote
financial reforms. 1t was through her influence
that. Hadrian was adopted, a favor which he
recognized by extending her authority in his
reign and writing hymns in her praise. The
trace OF asceticism in her character and man
ners did not please the idlers who liked to bask
in the sunshine Of a gay and luxurious court
She was censured and talked about, with little
enough reason, as II seems as no RECORDS nave
left a shadow her reputation. Her fault, in
the eyes of bad men. lay in her moral force.
To frown upon vice, to oppose corruption in high
places, was an unwarranted Interference with
their natural rights. But good men sustained
her. At her death she was placed in the ranks
OF the gods and honored with temple dedi-
Gated to the Mother of the People"
A more conspicuous example Of the ability Of
the women who figured in the public life of
Rome is found in Julia Donna, the Syrian wife
Of Septinius Severus. who is said to have owed
his success 10 her wise counsels She was not
simply an ambitious woman who schemed for
place and power. To a genius for diplomacy
She added the fascinations of a beauty, wit and
aagination. She had a knowledge of history.
philosophy. geometry and the sciences Of her
time. a patron of art, and made her court a
centre of all lhat was left Of literature and cult
ure in an age of decadence Her husband evil
IDENTIFY did not object to learned woman, as he
had special admiration for ARIA because she
read Plato" Then this clever wife-who was
called Julia the philosopher" surrounded her
self with savans. and loved 10 discuss great
subjects-put her versatile intellect to his ser
vice and advancement Her youth was not free
from rumors Of follies. but no woman OF note
escaped these, even if she were pure as Diana
Her father was priest Of the sun" and she
was always A student with tendency toward
Oriental mysticism. She ruled wisely and made
the fortune of her family. In her last years she
sought refuge from many sorrows In the re
sources Of her intellect but these failed to bring
her happiness. The wicked Caracalla. who did
not profit by his mothers wisdom. killed his
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