Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-04-26

heT own SELFISH domain she declared
Tor all sorts OF humanitarian inter
ests. except. perchance, such as would
bring her into close contact with the
great uhwashed multitude. She Is
still broad enough to make wealth per
BE 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
mieht make her an undesirable add
tion to the arIstocratic club.
Specifically. the cultured women OF
America, In their organized move
ments. are showing the excellent taste
which Is expected of tho American
woman. Movements are enthusiasts
ticaliy 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 tho
study of the home life; and of the
art and science OF lettering condl-
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
vcrsnl peace and good WILL
In Great Britain there Is equal en-
thusiasm and strenuous effort among
tho women OF the nobility. as we'll ns
among tho professional classes and.
tho laborers: but In that country the
lines between classes are very sharp
ly drawn, "Noblesse oblige" Is em
bla2oned on every public or reform
movement The so-called lower
classes--whlch, by the way, are all
tho classes not endowed with titles
are looked upon by tho properly
trained aristocrat as his or her wards
and proteges. The noblor the woman
the better Is her sense of duty toward
all who were not born with preiixes
To their names. With beautiful spir-
!tuality, she devotes herself most un-
selfishly and grandly to the dissipa-
tlon OF tho cloud OF abuses which is
government. IL 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 raln.Boated island which
rules 40 much OF tho world.
1t must bn confessed, too. that rs
long as the professional and work
ing English woman remains In her
own country she is quite content to
accept all the lovely fuvors showered
upon her by her noble patronesses;
but woe to her II she should ven
ture to spend Il few years in the
United States! Ninety-nlne chances
to one she will become more pro-
nounced American than any woman
born under the folds of tho stars and
stripes. The British woman has
grown up with the sentiment Of pat
roni2ing or being patroni2ed inter.
woven with every fiber of her being,
and therefore she shapes all her plans
and all her work to give or to win
fnvors. Headed by a number OF high.
born DANES. the awoman's club idea
has taken solid root In the soil OF the
British isles. BESIDES. there nre num-
berless guilds and unions formed for
every conceivable purpose. but every
one OF them Ia dominated by the
aristocratic idea of ownership. The
English pceress OF to-day counts 1t
very fashionable 10 be cultured and
humanitarian. She gives money and
gifts to humanity; she gives her
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 jealously sacred
TO her own class and It's aristocratic
traditions. and that is her august self
In short. the women of the British
peerage. happy majority of them,
are doing all that is possible for arts.
tocratic women to do for the up.
lifting and betterment of their own
race and their own people. and they
are very senslbly aided by the pro-
fessional women and the higher work.
Ing classes. IL Is not possible for
the British mind to grasp the true
Significance of internationalsm, ex-
oept II be the internationalsm which
strengthens British interests and aug.
ments British power; this sort of in.
ternationaism is the only sort which
Ia really acceptable to the British
mind, male or female
The Italian women are awakening
to sense OF their great possibilities.
Led by an American woman who Mas
married one of the scion OF the noblest
family of Italy, the titled classes are