St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1908-01-04

erary work may be mentioned her trans
lation of Pierre Lofts Iceland Fisner-
man." which was praised by the CRITICS
In 1884 appeared her first novel, The saw
dust DOLL dealing with society in New
port and New York. It went through ten
editions and was republished In England
and India. Her novel, by the Waters OF
Babylon" was also distinct success,
The liberty of American women has
become SO universally accepted fact
that it has passed into byword of
comparison to the older nations.
The puritan idea has become at
last transmitted, through the light and
luxury of wealth and the diffused In.
f1uence of widely scattered location.
into basis of fine responsibility and
a finer courage. From Virginia and
the more southern states we have q
fluent charm, soft womanliness and
grace both lovable and admirable, but
regrettably lessening with the disap-
pearance of the characteristic life of
the south.
1t is too early to attempt an analysis
of the western idea of American Won.
anhood. for the west, from Cleveland
and Chicago outward. is but system
of eastern colonies with only one gen.
eral and determining condition, and
that is liberty. under which individual
traits, traditions and tendencies find
their full opportunity of development.
These various ideas, historical as
well as local, in their origin have pro.
duced the types of women thus largely
indicated in our country. Profoundly
felt and almost universally operative.
beneath these varying influences, re.
mains the old-woyid orientalism that
women should be first charming, again
charming and always charming. Char.
| acter. logic, reason and other stern
requirements of life are for the most
part left to develop in some mysteri-
| Gus way. INTENDED.
The desirability of thorough col
legiate education is as rule not &C.
eepted voluntarily by the solvent por.
ton of our national community. The
| female universities are demanded by
| the future breadwinners among WON
en- and supported by them. This is an
almost universal fact and it has q
| double significance. IT. is at once q
| promise and a reproach. In plain
words, the American girl is superb
cially educated except when she Is
compelled to earn her own living
There is a shallowness OF foresight Sc
universal, a deficiency of logic SO Sc
rious and so ominous ia this certainly
universal inclination on the part Of
| American parents that one may well
stop and inquire its reason.
| In a certain celebrated essay by
Schopenhauer, an essay as acrimoni
Gus as it is profound, he remarks upon
the universal jealousy between all
women as women. Jealousy among
men, he insists, is largely professional
when it is not intensely personal from
particular emotional impulse. The
male will fight for his chosen mate as
! long as the race continues; but watch
a pretty woman, says this philosopher
as she walks the street and see the
| glances cast upon her by the womer
she crosses In her path. They are the
glances Of the Guelph and the Ghibel
line The jealousy Is as universal as
the sex, likewise professional. in The
sense that women's only profession /:
to please the men. their masters. HIS
goes further and with savage bitter
ness declares that the libery of Womer
| is a monstrous idea, Germans Christian
in its origin, which is the curse o
Europe He advises the restoration O
the feminine seclusion of the middle
ages and lauds the institution OF tht
/ harem, which he insists would elimi
nate vice and all the dangers which
beset homogeneous civilizations. Thi!
is indeed a vivid expression of ths
idea of woman and her proper func
ton and limitation, But his idea il
only too prevalent at the presen
time, even In America, the last outpos
of European civilization. The finger
ing proof of this deep-lying prejudfct
Is shown In its application to the edu
cation of American women. The con
clusion derived from the prejudice !.
inevitable-it is dangerous to be clev
err. Such a reputation may be for
midable handicap in the race for hap
piness, If a woman's happiness is IL
the hands of man, Ii is idle to der:
that this is so. And here we have thu
reason why the daughters of the ricl
are guarded from any such peril. VIII.
beauty and charm, gentleness, good
ness and submfsstveness are the quail
tiles which clothe young mans fame!
and dictate the choice of wife.
The question now is pertinent, Doe
q cultivated mind, with its infinitel
various resources, detract froIl
charm? Does trained logic, with 1t
innumerable applications to the prob
lens of life destroy it? 1t is aston
ishing that the reasoning masculine
mind for these centuries should hay'
persisted in the conclusion that the,
| do. The slightest hint of rivalry Il
the male intelligence is destructive t
budding prediction and glimps,
of blue above slipper more periiou
than a whisper of bifurcation.
All this ig true with a solemnft,
profounder than its irony; but tn
weapon is in the hands Of women.
weapon forged by centuries OF subord
nation-the faculty Of meeting cond
lions. In the hands Of a really cleye
woman this is tact; in those OF the To
ept and ignorant, deceit and subteI
fuge. 1t is only ostentatious clever
ness, not cleverness at all in fact
which is deterrent to the exercise Q
any charm or talent There is neve