The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-02-01
VIEWS OF
Y "A WOMAN

TT Is my candid opinion, after ma
ture deliberation that we have been
! doing things all wrong for years
Now 1 have had some experience with
kirmesses-a little at least. Sometimes
I've thought that I could manage to
worry along through the remainder of
my days if 7 never saw another kir-
mess and never felt obliged to say to
the public that "Never anything in the
annals Of Scranton has equalled the
entertainment of last night" When the
teachers said they were planning to
have u kirmess 1 groaned in spirit. 1
am not so sure that the groaning was
all in spirit. 1t did seem that this
town had reached the limit of kir-
messes. Somehow it was difficult to
reconcile the meek and lowly and
browbeaten teacher in Scranton with
kicking, and giddy short dresses and
similar frivoity, even by proxy. 1
couldn't see how in the world they
ever had the courage to think of such
Il thing. and wondered that the board
of control did not Immediately begin to
get out plans and specifications for a
series of sasmps at such audacity. and
If the teachers wouldn't find them
selves dOcked when pay day came for
having wickedly wasted a Saturday
morning in discussing trivial matters
unbecoming the dignity of an exalted
and revered profession.
But this kirmess has been a liismet
affair There was no stopping the
thing. 1t was written that the public
school teachers of Scranton should have
one and although some of them are
scarcely aware yet of it's existence,
there really is a kirmess and it is a
phenomenal success.
Somehow / think the chief element
of that success is being let alone. Some
of these affairs i'll the past have been
coddled and committed almost to
death. First there We're committees
appointed. Then there We're other COM
mittees appointed. Then there We're
still other committees appointed to
watch the committees that had already
been appointed. Then everybody who
wasn't already on Il committee was APP
pointed a committee of the whole and
then they stood on each others toes.
No wonder they often fell to scrappinG.
The teachers did things differently.
To be sure they had a few meetings
and appointed few committees, but
in many cases these were understood
as being purely honorary. They We're
very busy people and after they had
let the plans to a competent person
like Miss Stewart, sensibly enough
they went on about their regular busi-
ness and didn't stand around in each
others way. They didn't have the time
to go racing to rehearsals every few
minutes and reverse the orders they
had given half hour before. They
had placed the matter in able hands
and believed that Miss Stewart and the
chaperones, who so kindly gave up their
time during the past few weeks knew
more about running kirmesses than
teachers could be expected to know.
Then they went out and sold
tickets. Apparently their confidence
has not been misplaced. Miss Stew
art has been able to work with less in
terruptions than she has ever expert
enced, and | haven't heard of single
hurt feeling because some committee
lady has snubbed some other Committee
lady. 1t is a blessed good scheme.
wonder that we haven't tried it
before instead of imagining we have to
do the whole thing ourselves, and as
IL result, being obliged to take Il rest
cure afterward and finding ourselves
short of several friends, with whom |
we are not on speaking terms and ner-
Vous strain. (What a happy thought |
it was of the person who devised the |
term nervous strain to enable women |
to excuse themselves for bad temper |
i'll breeding and other frailties which |
do not sound as agreeable as nervous |
strain.'D
Said nice man the other day: II |
am inclined to agree with the person |
who declared that woman is the great |
est conundrum of the age. but we will !
never give her up, no never Now there |
Was last summer and the summer be- |
fore that, The way you women went |
dressed was u caution. You all wore |
about as little clothing as the police |
regulations, even in Scranton. would |
allow, You arrayed yourselves in net
waists-I believe that is what YOU
called them. and didn't the preachers
and moral papers, like the New York |
Journal, interfere? Then YOU wore
other clothes which 1t passeth the
of man to describe but
which revealed all your curves ana
no! What was the use? But what l
want to know is, why you go this WIN
ter all done up like prize packages? |
I'm blessed IL you can tell, from a
birds-eye view, whether woman is a
Sylph of nineteen or dowager of sew
enty. Raglans may be all right, but,
really, this is so sudden, from the reve-
latlons of few months ago"
Sn,,,.