Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-01-21

oN'N'Nt,C VA WOlldh ~ luc rant
the abundant admonition and exhor-
tation to the effect that all women
should live their own lives, firmly put
ting aside the love which might hin.
der. the ties which might hamper
them. the indutiable fact is TINT mar
riage Is and ought to be the chief
end of woman In general; that her
primary mission in life Is that of wife
and mother. True, It Is not her only
one: there Is much room. and more
work. In the world for women who
have neither husbands nor children.
For only suppose all the women were
married. by whom would supsrfluous
babies be cared? Where would be the
kind aunts who would knit all the
stockings, and nurses to do up rhe
trottings and rockings?"
To be sure, modern science has
abolished the cradle as pernicious TO
infantile health of body and mind
and home-knit hosiery is thing OF
the past, nevertheless the principle
Is the same, and the lines may be
accepted as fitting figure OF speech.
says Helen Oldfield in the Chicago
Tribune.
None the less the tradition of All
nations, corroborated by the stronger
testimony OF sacred history. Is that
the first woman was created as com
panion and wife for the first man.
Woman was an afterthought, so TO
speak, fact which is often quoted
as substantial proof of the saying
that second thoughts are best. 1t is
not TO be denied that Eve was the
| source of much trouble to the Adam
| whom she was intended to bless, be
Ing the cause of mans first DISC
dience and his fall" Still. as the
mother of mankind, she should be
gently Judged of her children. 1t may
safely be asserted that no woman not
| scanned and SCARED by an unfortu-
nate love affair has any serious or
| deep rooted aversion to matrimony in
| itself; any and every woman is ready
and willing to marry when the right
man-alas! sometimes when the
wrong one--comes along. Recently an
| eastern journal stated that a promi
nent merchant was steadily filling all
| his important clerical positions with
men, and for significant reason. He
did not deny that women clerks and
stenographers are mentally equal.
even superior. to men. But, he said,
1t usually happened that when he
got woman trained TO n difficult po-
sition she left him to get married.
The instinct of the race Is more
powerful than the pride of individual
independence. When men marry. on
the other hand. they become better
workers, more ambitious. more intel
ligent." Which brings the matter
down to bedrock. Woman is primari.
! ly intended to be the helpmate OF
man, and the power of women Is felt
most when 1t is the power behind the
| throne.
1t is only natural that marriage
should seem desirable and important
70 a normal woman. 1t means com.
danionship. home of her own. moth.
erhood, and added dignity, with the
respect and interest of her fellow
men, sentiments which frequently are
withheld from single women of great.
er worth and larger usefulness. For
however unjust 1t may be, the fact
remains that there is an indefinahle
courtesy and attention paid to the
most uninteresting woman who pre-.
fixes Mrs. to her name which Is rare
~ accorded to spinster, and that
respect Is doubled and trebled when
the man whose name she bears Is
known In the gates"
The lesson of all the ages is that
woman, however gifted. finds her
most congenial abiding place in "the
sweet, safe corner OF the household
fire. behind the heads of children"
Love makes woman's world.
Mans love is of mans life a
thing apart:
It's woman's whole eistence."
And II. as has been charged. thia
is because that existence is narrow
1t In no degree lessons the fact. There
Is no greater joy for the woman who
loves than to spend and be spent for
the man whom she loves, to feel that
she helps. strengthens and comforts
MIN, that he could not we'll do with
out her. The love OF good man and
true, when that love Is mutual, is the
most precious gift which God bestows
upon woman
| All the same, 1t is many times bet
ter that woman should stand alone
all the days of her life than leap upon
a broken reed which, perchance. will
not only fail her but pierce her to the
heart. 1t Is better not to marry at
all than to marry badly. Moreover.
there are some women for whom mar.
riage Is always more or less of mis-.
take. There are many people In this
world who are incapable of the devot-
ed affection which asks nothing but
| love and can bear all things. hope all
things and endure to the end. More
| OF these are men than women, still
she who belongs to this class will be
wiser to work out her own salvation
and carve for herself the career 70
which she can give her whole soul
L il.pilA. al L ie. ro..o......