Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-15

genius in his preface to her great poem l
quote one line of it here:
No English contemporary poet by pro-
fession has left work so full of living
fire"
For once. and in this particular instance,
accursed Eve in literature has in such a
verdict won her merited literary honors.
But, as a rule, honors are withheld from
her, and the laurel Is filched from her
brows by coward Adam ere she has time
to wear it. One fragrant case is we'll known
of man who, having lived entirely on
womans literary earnings for years. went
about in the clothes her pen had paid for
among the persons to whom, through her
influence he had been introduced, boa ST
ing that he assisted her to write the greater
part of her books. 7 their shame be it
said great many people believed him, and
not until he was dead and the woman went
on writing her books before did they
even begin to see the wrong they had done
her. They would not have dared to calum-
Mate the false boaster as they illuminated
the innocent hard worker. The boaster was
a man, the worker was a woman, there
fore the dshonor of passing off literary
work not ones own must naturally belong
to accursed Eve, so they thought. not to
coward Adam, OF their humiliation when
all the truth was known history sayeth
nothing.
Yet with all the weight of her curse more
or less upon her, and with all her SORROWS,
shattered ideals. wrecked hopes and lost
loves, accused Eve Is still the most beauti-
full the most perfect figure in all creation
Her faiiings. her vanities, her weaknesses
her sins, arise in the first place from love.
even If afterward through coward Adam s
ready encouragement they degenerate into
vice and animaiism Her first impulse In
earliest youth Is a desire to please Adam
the same impulse precisely which led her
to offer him the forbidden apple inthe first
1ar-c % haf~ t,,f.
wishes to charm him, to win his heart to
endear herself to him in a thousand ten
der ways. to wind herself irretrievably
round his life. If she succeeds In this aim
she is invariably happy and virtuous but
IL she is made to feel that she cannot hold
him on whom her thoughts are conferred, IL
his professed love for her only proves weak
and false when put to trial, If he finds it
easy to forget both sentiment and courtesy
and is quick to add insult to injury, then
all the finer and more delicate emotions of
her nature become warped and unstrung
and. though she endured her suffering be-
cause she must, she resents 1t and takes
vengeance when she can. OF resentfulness
against wrong and revenge for Injustice
come what are called bad women" Yet
would humbly venture to maintain that
even these bad were not bad in the first
instance. They were born in the usual
way, with the usual Eve impulse the de-
sire to please, not themselves, but the op-
posite sex. If their instructive efforts have
been met with cruelty, oppression. neglect
desertion and sometimes the most heartless
and cowardly betrayal, they can scarcely
be blamed If they play the same tricks on
the unloving. disloyal churls for whom
they have perhaps sacrificed the best part
OF their lives. For innocent faith and trust
Ing love are the best part of every woman's
life. and when these are destroyed by the
bfutalizing touch of some coward Adam
the woman may well claim compenss ton
for her souls murder.
Accused Eve. Still she loves to find
herself fooled and cheated; still she hopes.
even while hope eludes her; still she waits
for what she may never win; still she
prays prayers that may never be answered !.
still she rears the men of the future won
dering perchance whether any Of them will
ever help to do her justice will ever place
her where she should be as the acknowl-
edged queenly "helpmeet" of her stronger.
but less enduring. partner. Beautiful. fraIl
trusting. loving. accursed Eve, She bends
beneath the curse. but the clouds are lift
ing-there Is light In the sky OF her future
dawn. And II may be that worse male
d1ction than the one pronounced In Eden
viii fall on those who make her burden of
lie heavier to bear. MARIE CORELLI.