The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-11
Copyright, 1908.


mans club round the corner demurely
confessed Mrs John Matrimonial Bliss to
Miss Emily Lonely, who comfortably
toasted her cork soles on the fender, while
she trifled with her second cup OF tea.
.sWhat sort Of a club? inquired the
caller.
"The president is the famous Mrs Ber
nice Bowman Bouncer, who has addressed
the state legislature, run for congress,
and believes in woman's rights and the
suppression of polygamy and war and vice
and trusts said Mrs. Bliss. This list.
z of topics for debate this year covers very
nearly all the burning questions OF the
hour. from cosmic star dust to the klnu OF
pictures we can allow the president to
hang in the White House. 1t is federated
ALL right, too, with the Pan American So
ciety for the Superintendent of Purity IN
Literature Art, the Drama, Music ana
Costume; with the Trans Continental La
dies Association; with the lnteroceanlc
Dress Reform League, and dozens more OF
the most powerful combinations OF feml-
nine intellect, influence and progress, not
excluding the Bi-Weekly Lunch Club and
the Unsectarian Tattling Society. Already
there are ntnety-fve members paying dues
and writing papers, more are clamorlng TO
be let in, and the Greek motto on the club
seal signifies, so the president explained,
that woman must wake from her slug
CARDS sleep and grapple with the problems
Of the day n
.tHow nice and purposeful and stimulat-
ing that sounds" commented Miss Emily, y
when Mrs. Bliss stopped for breath. II
hope you Joined"
t.You may think the less of me, but /
didn't replied the hostess. Il confessed
that in my bold bachelor girl days. before
John Bliss persuaded me to resign my
liberty and my latch key, i mao are areamea 11.et
that woman might still be free, but that
] had had experiences to prove that, after
all matrimony was the most Interesting
and preoccupying profession in the. world,
and when a woman did all her duty In that
Zine she really had no time and no need
for the new movements. i>5.. -.
'Of course, the revelation OF so befogged
and semi-barbaric an intellect as mine
closed the incident Evidently was con-
sidered no loss to organized woman, ana
u nobly forebore from saying that was
mot able to see much practical use IN WOn-
ans clubs anyway and that oelleVeu
there were score or two too many III
this town already.
Don't look so cloudy, Miss Emily. Have
another cup Of tea, and let me assure you
that the real questions of the hour TO pc
grappled with are not the privilege or the
discovery Of the Ego, but just the same old
Questions that have been troubling Wom-
ankind since the ark landed.
IT know whereof I speak, for, between
you and me and the gas logs, there mas
been a brief but painful Interval IN my
married life when I, too, was a strong
minded woman; when thought 1t perfect
ly splendid to extend my intellectual hor1-
zon; to have mornings with Aristotle or
Socrates and Thursday afternoon with
Kant; to find that I was part Of the uni
versal consciousness, and that think is a
function. Haven't I sat up far into the
night writing papers on subjects that
would have stunped Lord Bacon, attended
conventions of mothers. spoken lumlnously
on questions Of child study, talked like a
three volume scientific work ON the psy-
chology of goo and dada and sat on
committees, and circulated petitions, and
served as a delegate -at-large, and been
just as ,emancipated as you please and
considerably proud of myself, also?
ITO my disgust and amazement. how
ever, found that a profound knowledge
of the philosophy of the oversoul and the
sancity Of the ballot profteth woman
nothing, when her maid of all work an
nounces that her great grand-aunt has
died on her. with 'bronkittis, without
warming and that weeks holiday with
wages must be devoted to the old woman S
obsequies; when Bobby comes home from
kindergarten with a bad case Of mumps;
when mother-in-law writes to say that she
and her trunks can be expected by the 2:10
train for nice long visit; and when John
telephones up, for the third time in the
week, TO say tnat ne is ODl12eQ TO stop
down town again for dinner and the whole
evening, in order to finish up some press
ing business.
s IF she is a thoroiy emancipated woman,
this state of domestic affairs makes small
difference. She gets in trained nurse
for Bobby, heads off her mother-in-law
with a good strong wire about contagious
, complications in Bobby's case, and let's
John go his own evil ways, while she re-
CARDS it as her highest duty to bundle
off to the other side of the United States.
with four hundred other women delegates.
to the trans Mississippi suffrage conven-
tion. There she forgets her woes in the
joy of wearing one of the most becoming
= ]ace-encrusted foulards at the show and
In being interviewed by reporters, quoted
us Mrs. Flossie Frothingham de la Porte
Bliss and described as the possessor of a
ringing voice. a command of stirring elo-
Auence, and a born leader of women. -
+ & Fortunately tho, found I wasn't so
emancipated as I thought was. At this
crisis it occurred to me that was Civ
ing a good deal of attention to other peo-
pies business while my own affairs were
{, getting into a snarl that threatened a
tragedy I did not go to that convention.
Instead put Bobby to bed with his new
1y arrived grandmother as nurse, and