The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1907-05-31
Copyright by J. B Borles-)

been known as a talented writer Of iic-
ton. Among her many works may be
mentioned "A Law Unto Herself" john
Andross," 'Frances Waideaux" and DR..
Warrick's Daughters" Her home Is il
Philadelphia. She is the mother OF Rich
ard Harding Davis. the author)
Surely we are all familiar by this
time with the claims to admiration
OF the new woman: the beauty and
energy and keen mother wit which,
as Americans believe, set her apart
from the women Of other nations and
make her unique, as was once the
huntress Diana among the gods.
She never tires Of counting over her
recent successes, from the marvellous
costumes that she wears to her
achievements in biology, in cookery
or in founding new religions. The
woman Of the last generation walked
in a narrow path: in her life. as in
a Chinese song, there were but three
notes-love, marriage and motherhood.
But this queen Of the present hour
has a thousand parts to play. You
never know where to find her. She
may be driving a four-in-hand in
way VI oohiuS Ioi II -
pole in the arctic seas or nursing
some poor. beggar in the slums, or,
most likely Of all, she may be set
thing herself comfortably for life as
duchess or princess in some old Eng
lish Or Italian family.
We all look on with pride. and
wonder complacently what she will do
next
The chief difference between her
and her grandmother-and it Is a
very curious differences that the
older woman regarded herself sim
ply a part Of the human race. The
man vas its head. its spokesman.
She thought Of herself as his child.
his wife or his mother.
The woman. Of to-day is not only
his equal but his antagonist. She
talks not Of humanity but womanity.
Every village has it's club of women
who urge each other into new profess
sions. work or studies which have
hitherto been considered tha business
Of men only.
Every newspaper has q woman's de-
partment In which the successes of
! the sex In wrestling trades and handi-
crafts from their brothers and hus-
bands are daily noted.
saw to-day the announcement that
q woman was o filing a place as
brakeman on a western railway. This
fact Is told with a hysterical sob of
triumph, as though when this ener-
getic young person laid her hand on
the brake she had dealt a fatal blow
at the foe Of her sex and had made
for herself q long stride upward In
! the scale of being.
In our national exhibitions. too,
there is always a woman's department
where statues. pictures, soaps. confec-
| tionery, ETC., made by our sex are ex'
hibited. apart to prove that women
are as sklllful with their fingers as
men.
I confess | do not understand this
| belligerent attitude In the modern
woman. nor her vanity. Is she not
human, like the man? Has she not
the same fingers. eyes and tongue!
She is not a monkey nor a freak thai
her cleverness should be trum;atcd
| and paraded as abnormal in the pub
lie eye.
A man when he invents a new pillow
or paints a picture does not shout out:
"A mana man has done this! No,
a woman! See how superior the male
| Of the race Is to the female"
But. we American women of late
years never weary of boasting Of the
doings Of our sex, and especially on
the ground that they are SO much like
the doings OF men!
It is true that at the close Of the
civil war our women were forced to
compete with men for work and
wages in every part OF the field Of
labor. They had to make 3 place fol
themselves then a. ~wage-earners Of
starve. 1t was no wonder that they
were aggressive and sharp during thai
time.
But why squabble and light now
The whole field is open to them. Al
VI Iuc lCuCCS arc uOWu. u0AC II AO'
now, I believe, q single honest uccupa'
ton by which a living can be earned
which is not open to q capable, decent
woman to try for it. Men give hel
. fair field and much favor. Whether
she chooses to drive a garbage cart o,
write q historic novel, they invaria.
bly, are kinder to her endeayors and
applaud her more loudly than II sht
were q man.
Why. then. this incessant, defan,
assertion Of woman's achievement,
and possibilities?
This constant noisy boasting seem,
to be akin to the loud cackling in ~.
barnyard OF . hen over each new-laid
esq. - II N egg never had been laid
before.
Another mistake. it seems to me. 4
made By my energetic young sister
when she sthinks that her chief errant
Into lie Is the work which abe doe