Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-12-20

closed again with that awesOme, ma
jestic roar which only Gods own clouds
and seas and winds can make. 1t is
the music of the universe very near to
one; that is all. That music and the gil
gantic electric telegraphinG of the skies
fill one with n sense of the glory and
power of God as nothing else can. The
soul that senses this can only stand
and gaze and worship during such n
storm.
But half the women on the earth are
chronic towards. They may think
themselves devoutly pious and religious,
but no woman is Il real Christian who
is afraid of the Almighty's most Glori-
Gus works by land or by sea.
Wasn't that an awful thunderstorm
last night? l never was so scared to
death III my life." said one.
Yes; I was frightened out of my
seven senses too. It was daylight. but
l pulled down all the blinds and lit the
Sas. / thought that would save me.
What did you do?"
"Oh. Lizzie and I were together in
our house all alone. We wanted to
run into Mrs. Smiths. where there's al
ways some man at home, but it was
raining just awful, and we couldn't. So
we closed the shutters and windows.
pulled down the blinds and locked the
door and went into the closet and held
each others hand till it was over"
We'll, l don't think you were fright
ened as bad as mOmmah and / were,
anyhow" said third woman compIa-
Gently, as though the Superlative de
gree of her terror entitled her to more
consideration than the others. She
called her maternal relative ''mom-
mah," though she herself was forty
years old and weighed 40.
''AIOmmah and l were in her room,
and she was telling me how to manage
Tom when the thunder began to crack
and the lightning 70 fash like l don't
know what. We were so frightened
that we ran and jumped into NOM
mains feather bed, she on one side, L
on the other. and we covered up our
heads and lay there just shaking till it
was over. We were SO friShtenedr'
Mommah is lean; her daughter is fat.
What a picture the two must have
made! The lady continued:
The storm was so dreadful that a
washout stopped the trains at the juno
ton, and poppah couldn't get home,
and there mommah and l had to stay
all night without any man in the house,
and we We're just scared to death all
night. We went up to the third story
room and nailed down the windows
and put Il chair under the doorlnob
and kept bright light burning, and
we neither of us slept Il wink
The woman was not so handsome
that any bold. bad man would have
carried her off for her beauty; neither
was she so rich that she was worth rob-
bling along any line of plumber whatSO-
ever. She could lift her own husband
he was Il Smallish man-and swing him
around under her arm, yet she was, oh.
so frightened, She had simply been
brought up to think idiotic timidity was
sweet and womanly; that was all.
When she was a little girl, if she and
her mates saw Il friendly dog or peace
full COW ut the roadside or if two or
three mischievous boys guyed them. it
was their wont to Shrek weep. weep.
yeep"' and run like chickens, thus in
viting the very pursuit they were afraid
Of Little girls cry "Yeep, yeep. yeep"'
and run on such occasions partly for
the sensation of it, partly perhaps be-
cause they really are little frightened,
though not half so much as they pre-
tend If they were jeered and sneered
out of their fears, as boys are, they
would not he such towards.
1t is time to stop this systematic
training CT the feminine sex in cow
ardice woman is not generally so
strong and brave naturally as man.
What then? For that very reason she
should have an education that will
make her body as strong and active.
her soul as fearless and self reliant. as
is possible. JENNIE WADE.