Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1905-10-12
THoRoFARE.

Round and round like dance of snow
In dazzling drift, as its guardians, go
Floating the women faded for ages,
Sculptured in stone the poets pages,
Then follow women fresh and gay;
What is far conquers that of to-day;
What shall arrive with the cycles changer
A novel grace and beauty strange
The speeches made by women at National
Park on w. G. T. y day and in other places
where the phiIanthropic loye to gather,
some Of which where really fine, has inn
pressed upon my mind the fact that we have
the fashion Of thinking our civilization the
greatest the world has known, and OF con-
graduating ourselves upon the privileges
accorded the women Of to-day as being
more and greater than those enjoyed by
women in any past age, or in any other
country: but little peep into ancient his
tory will undeceive US. Margaret Fuller,
of whom is has been said that her opinion
upon this subject was worth more than that
OF any other woman in America, or than
that of most men, wrote: Certainly the
Greeks knew more Of real home intercourse
and more Of women than the Americans.
1t is in vain to tell one of outward obser-
vances. The poets and the sculptors al
ways tell the truth It was Corinna, you
will remember, who defeated Pindar in
competing for the poetic prize; and Helen
of Alexandria who painted the great his
toric picture, consecrated i'll the Temple
of Peace;;' and the daughter Of Thucydi-
DIES aided or completed her fathers great
literary work. The Anthenian Agnodice
studied medicine disguised as man, and
afterward was prosecuted for her deception,
when the chief women of Athens appeared
in her behalf, and secured for their sex the
right to be physicians. And there was
Sappho:-
''Yiolet-crowned, pure, sweetly, smiling
Sappho.o Strabo, who wrote little before
our era, said Of her. There hourished in
those days between five and six hundred
years before Christi Sappho, wondrous
creature; for we know not any woman to
have appeared within recorded time, who
was in the least to be compared with her in
respect to poesy. And it has generally
been admitted by modern critics that the
loss OF her poems is the greatest over which
we have to mourn in the whole range OF
Greek literature, at least of the imaginative
species.p We remember Helen, the divine
one among women of whom Homer
wrote, at least thousand years before
Christ, as the cause of the Trojan war, but
we do not think of her in domestic sense
as the queen of her own home; and so this
little scene, translated from the Odyssey,
comes to us with peculiar force, / think.
In the fourth book we are tod that the
young Telemachus visits King Menelaus,
to inquire as to the fate of his own father
0dysseus. While they are conversing
Helen enters, che beauty of the world and
the source Of it's greatest Ills She comes
dignified, graceful, honored--shall | say,
like modern wife ?-and joins in the con
versation. Forth from the fragrant and
lofty chamber came Helen. For her,
Adrasta Immediately placed well-made
seat and Alcippe brought tapestry of soft
wool, and Phylo brought silver basket,
the lips finished with gold, filed with we'll
dressed thread; and upon it the distaf was
stretched, containing yiolet-colored wool.
And she sat on the seat, and the foot-stool
was beneath her feet, and she straightway
inquired everything of her husband with
words. DO we know, O thou heavenly
nurtured Menelaus, what men these are
who take refuge in our house Shall / be
saying falsely or speak the truth Yet my
mind exhorts me. | say that / have never
seen any man so like as he is like unto
Telemaehus, the son of Magnanimouse
Odyssens, whom that man left an infant in
his house, when ye Grecians came to Troy
on account Of me, imm0dest, Yaging fierce
war Her answering, said authenticated
Menelaus, SO now [ too am thinking, my
wife, as thou dost conjecture ~ Where can
position of greater refinement, aud more
accustomed equality be found The same
stateliness Of tone, with finer spiritual
touches, may be found throughout the
Greek tragedies. Iphigenia, you remem-
Der, refuses TO be saved from the sacrifice,
and insists on dying for her country; and
Achilles who would fain have saved and
wed her, says; I deem Greece happy in
thee, and thee in Greece; nobly hast thou
spoken 1t has been said, the final re-
suit Of Greek worship was this In its
temples the sexes stood equal; goddess was
as sublime as god prestess the peer of
priests; there was every influence to emo
BILE woman, and recognize her equality
with man. In the religion of the present
day all are mascnliIe God, the Godhead,
the Intercessor, the Priests or Ministers, if
You prefer, are all masculine. There is no
recognition Of women except among the
worshipers, and there she stands pre-emi-
nent-ten to one.
The Grange. on Monday night of last
week, after the usual business meeting,
gave an entertainment in honor of Pomona,
goddess Of the autumn and of fruits. Mrs.
VIM. Platt is the Pomona of the Grange,
but as she was not able to be present Mrs.
Mary r. Low took charge. The children
of the Changers were present and other
invited guests. Mrs. Low read a very at
tractive paper upon Pomona which Mrs.
Platt had sent in. There was a great deal
of very good music some very sweet solos
Some excellent Rotations, and interesting
readings were given. The hall was beau
tifully decorated and the table was loaded
with fruit and flowers. The ladies and
children were for the most part dressed in
white and this added greatly to the beauty
of the scene. Fruits of all the kinds to be
obtained were served, and all found the
occasion an unusually enjoyable one.
At the Gloucester Couaty Pomona Grange
which will be.held at Wenonah, on Monday,