St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1907-07-06

In the ulllllUlS oL AcIluAa1 "OAhCAS
in the great reform movements OF
the day.
A woman is woman wherever you
find her When the woman with
club found there were other gates to
progress besides the one that led from
her own selfish domain she declared
for all sorts of humanitarian inter
ests, except, perchance, such as would
bring her into close contact with the
great unwashed multitude. She is
still broad enough to make wealth per
Sc the open sesame into clubdom; but
her little black bali is quite ready
to be dropped at the name of any one
whose religion, social standing or color
might make her an undesirable addi-
ton to the aristocratic club.
Specifically the cultured women of
America, in their organized move
ments, are showing the excellent taste
which is expected of the American
woman. Movements are enthusiasts
tically going forward for the better
ment Of sanitary laws in public and
in home life; for civic reform such as
is possible for women to grapple with
in their present development; for the
study of the home life; and of the
art and science of lettering condt-
lions within those four dear walls;
for reform in temperance; for better
conditions for the pauper and the
prison inmate; for the study OF the
child in it's relation to home life; and,
most aggressive of all, to secure, uni
versally, the ballot for women. These
are the lines along which the cultured
women of America are moving for
ward toward the millennium OF uni
versal peace and good will
In Great Britain there is equal en-
tbusiasm and strenuous effort among
the women of the nobility, as well as
among the professional classes and
the laborers; but in that country the
lines between classes are very sharp
ly drawn. "Noblesse oblige" is en-
blazoned on every public or reform
movement. The so-called lower
classes-which, by the way, are all
the classes not endowed with titles
are looked upon by the properly
trained aristocrat as his or her wards
and proteges The nobler the woman
the better is her sense of duty toward
all who were not born with pref1Xes
to their names. With a beautiful spir-
ituality, she devotes herself most I'M
selfshly and grandly to the dissipa-
ton of the cloud of abuses which is
fostered by a monarchical form OF
government It is nearly impossible
| for the American woman to under
stand the point of view of the English
woman, unless she summers and win
| tiers on the rain-soaked island which
rules so much of the world.
It must be confessed, too, that as
long as the professional and work,
ing English woman remains in her
| own country she is quite content to
accept all the lovely favors showered
upon her by her noble patronesses;
but woe to her if she should ven
ture to spend a few years in the
|
to one she will become a more pro-
nounced American than any woman
born under the folds of the stars and
stripes. The British woman has
grown up with the sentiment of pat
ronizing or being patronized inter
woven with every fiber of her being
and therefore she shapes all her plans
! and all her work to give or to win
favors. Headed by number of high
born danes, the woman's club idea
has taken solid root in the soil of the
British isles. Besides, there are mum
berless guilds and unions formed fol
every conceivable purpose, but every
one of them is dominated by the
aristocratic idea of ownership. The
English peerless Of to-day counts il
very fashionable to be cultured and
humanitarian. She gives money and
gifts to humanity; she gives hel
wealth; she imparts of her strength
and vitality; she devotes her time;
she graces many functions held in the
lower walks of life with the sunshine
of her awe-inspiring presence; she
gives Jewels and decorations, fancy
work and fairs. But there is one
thing which she holds jealousy sacred
to her own class and its aristocratit
traditions, and that is her august self
In short, the women of the British
4 peerage, a happy majority of them
are doing all that is possible for arts
tocratic women to do for the up
lifting and betterment of their owl
race and their own people. and the!
are very sensibly aided by the pro
fessional women and the higher work
ing classes. 1t is not possible TO
the British mind to grasp the tru'
significance of internationalism, ex
cept it be the internationalism whicl
strengthens British interests and aug
ments British power; this sort of in
ternationalism is the only sort whicl
is rNally acceptable to the British
mind, male or female.
The Scandinavian women who ar
moving forward toward the better
ment of the world come from the pre-
fessional classes solely. The so-calle'