Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1907-07-19
Women, Duty. and Happin IS.
Harper'S Weekly.

Women, Duty. and Happin IS.
Harper's Weekly.
81 wonder" said an Oxford profes
sor one day. eff American women arr
happier, in the end. than English wo'
men," And when he was questioned
as to why he should expect it, be sait
that wherever he went he met Ameri'
can women intent upon self fn'filment
self-development; they we're studying
philosophy in Germany, cathedrals in
France. painting in Italy; tney were
journeying over the world seeking en-
largement of the self; whereas the Eng
Iish woman accepted her given place
in life, did the task that came to hand,
and talked mainly of duty. he was
uncertain whether, in the end, the sum
of the new experiment was greater
happiness. That. however. Is hardly
the question to ask. The real question
il whether the sum is fuller conscious
1
of our studies. of our experience, must
| be translated into consciousness befoIe e
| it becomes power. Which material
translated becomes the best conscious
| Ness is again the matter to decide
Bernard Shaw is particularly severe
upon self-sacrificers. He says Marie
Bashkirtseff was a source of delight to
every one around her by the mere ex-
hilaration and hope giving atmosphere
of her wilfuIness." The seIf-sacrifcer,
be says, lis always a drag, q responsi
bility, reproach, an everlasting and
unnatural trouble with whom no real
ly strong soul can live" Mr.. Shaw is
always giving cold plunges by way of
tonic, and what he SAYS, witty and
crystalline and striking as it is, needs
good deal of shaking down and looking
over before we finally swallow it.
The type of duty-Griven, self sacri
ficing person to whom Mr.. Shaw refers
is we'll known. There are plenty of
them in the world, and they are usual.
ly-not always-of the feminine gen.
der. They fritter away their lives,
d ing little things for other people, en-
couraging those about them in small
acknowledgements and lazy pettlness.-
But is it self sacrifice, or is it kind
of tImidity and shiTkiDg that makes
them adopt these tactics The moth
er who waits upon her child, who. as
we American say, 'spoils' her child,
does SO because it is infinitely easier to
govern ones self in little things, to
exert ones self for small services, and
to accept small sacrifices than it is to
demand the highest ideal from those
around us. 1t requires more strength
of purpose to demand attentions, civil
titles, and service from our subOrdin-
ates than to forego them. There is
nothing so easy to be, nothing that re
uuires less moral stamina and purpose,
than a househ old drudge CT a person
used by others, instead of a person with
objects. interests, pursuits, and de-
finite intentions. On the VIII lie. when
we look around and zee the helpless
and useless people, they are nearly all
folk who, at some time or other, had
the excuse of self sacrifice. They are
the women who did not 60 TO college
because mother would have been lone
lv: or the wives who have no Tesources
or interests because they waited on
their children all day and entertained
their husbands every evening. In the
end. 1T is true that it is the self-helpers
who can help others; those who would
not give of their oil, but industri0usly
burned their lights.
However, there Is danger in self
development. 1t is the danger of for
getting that one is. after all. but lit
tie screw in big machine, and that
whatever purpose the big machine
serves, at any rate it was not created
fer our self Ii one recA-
lessly goes In for seif-deveiopment, it
must always be with ali end i'll view,
and that end must be in helping 9th
ers There is nothing, after all, the
world needs quite so much as kindness;
and if jn the cause of self development
we choose to forego the minor services
and haphazard kindnesses, it must
really be with the larger service and
the greater help in visw. Intellectual
development may be taken in the same
spirit as sanctification: For their sakes
| l sanctified myself"
| A modern essayist, in recent very
interesting book upon death, tells us
that when be thought himself dying
and tried to GO yer bis life, the thing
that distressed him most was remem
bering that once when be was writing
he turned away his sister who came to
him with some papers for criticism
1t reminds one of Trilby, who, when
she was dying, could not forget the lit
tie brother whom she refused to take
with her to the Bois, and she kept see
ling him again as be stood in the DOOR
way crying after her
The moral to be drawn seems to be
that we must react with certain de
gree of caution. We must pursue self
development with sense alert not to
miss the essential services, the vital
Ikindnesses, that bestre " the way. And
when we are too lazy to command ON
children. or too weak to demand the
best of strength anG of service in 9th
ers, we ought not to call our qualities
sself-sacrifices " In the end we know
lbow true is the little prayer of oul