Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-14

~ VI pledburas and the more she
kS&SY gives rein to her imagination
- the more firmly is she con-
Vlnoeo that household cares are the worst
.VeH MIS- mattel Howe, wife OF the ed
nor OF the Atchison Globe Thought ~
she could exchange home responsibnities
FOR a Job in her husbands sbon bor i'm
prisoned soul would take on v,nes ana
life would be worth while. She Iaid The
proposition before the old man" As she
IS a near-Missourian Editor Howe rea-
soned she had to be shown. What hspnened
she herself tells in the Globe.
There used to be a time (about TWENTY
TOUR years ago) when 1 thought men bad
the pest OF 1t in this world. and I often
resented 1t. Row 1 have changed INV
mind and thank the fate that made me a
woman. I no longer wonder that men are
often irritable, nervous and cross. The
men in my family can now come home
raise the roof, smash the furniture. knock
me down and step on me, and I shall only
smile sweetly, and never notice IL Anv
man who can work in a downtown offics
ten or twelve hours a day. and still keep
his reason, has a right 20 do anything
he pleases when he gets home-even 10
tearing down tho house. II a woman
wants a complete conception Of what a
man goes through every day Of his life.
Just let her spend a few days working
downtown. 1t would be a good preparation
for matrimony. Never again would she
complain when her husband was cross.
Last week 1 promised to work in my
tather's office for a few days. Ny idea
was to sail down about 9 o'clock, gossip
a little with the force. dash off an article
or two on the typewriter, have lunch ana
20 home. Instead I vva9 rn,t. - T.
the middle Of the night when IL was sim
dark and when all women are still fast
asleep. l was hurried through breakfast
and out in the cold to run for a car.
II was still almost dark but the car was
fun of men; no women. got to the
otflce and was given a corner with some
? other reporters. 1 sat down and started
a conversation, but they all answered in
monosyllables. In a few moments each
one grabbed his or her haS and rushed
out. They came back at various times.
Z rushed In, rushed to their machines and
began to write at a rate that got on nv
nerves. When they finished their mad race
with the typewriter, they rushed out again.
! tried to write, but the combined noises
OF a half dozen ~typewriters almost drove
me mad. 1 soon found myself trying to
write as fast as they. The clamor was
maddening. ] left my corner and wandered
about. Nobody noticed me, and nobody
recognized me, except with a brief nod.
Always before they had stopped and talked.
Then 1 was the proprietor's daughters; now
/ was one of the force. There was not a
quite place to be found for a moment.
There was not q room where 1 could go
and be alone for a while, and away from
the rush and the noise. The terrible hurry.
hurry, hurry made me want 70 scream.
How any one COuld vJORk - Nb. t.1ct.,
that they all seemed to take as a matter
OF course, was more than / can under
stand. People kept coming In. There was
not a suggestion Of privacy for any one.
whenever l tried to write on my W type
writer, bang went two or three more right
under my nose-and at the same terrific
rate. Outside teams and cars and people
kept passing and passing, and making
more noise And the telephones were al
ways ringing,
I went out for lunch, and ate with about
fifty men all eating at the same rate the
typewrtters seemed to affect. 1 began to
feel that II I could not get away from
noise and confusion and people, I should
have a fit on the spot In the afternoon a
horrible earthquake sort OK NOISE started
from underneath 1t was only the paper
going to press and nobody noticed It But
/ grabbed my hat and ran. I could stand
no more. / tore home. 1 went to my
room and locked the door and laughed
out loud because / was alone. And then
and there 1 decided / was glad to be
a woman. and q woman who cid not have
70 work In an office 1 thought Of my
quiet breakfast I thought OF my leisure
all day, and Of the little work / did and
how l did 1t slowly and as 1 pleased, and
/ thought. too. Of my blessed privacy, and
the nniRt and nnnaa ~ a hlIan "a 49,
when 1 pleased. ate when I pleased, and
loafed when I pleased. When 1 wanted TO
No my friends. I went to see them. II
(ems 20 me the most terrible thing in
the world Is TO be surrounded by noise
and people all day long and never be able
to get away from It. Even the women who
work at home. and work hard, do their
pork In quiet and peace and privacy. No
= woman who has never spent an entire day
Z IN q downtown office can understand the
strain under which her husband works.
30 when 1 write a book on how to be
happy though married. I snail send the
woman down town to an office for at least
q weeks work. I think she Will have a
good deal more sympathy for her husband
end a good deal more patience when he
rs nervous and ready to fly TO pieces II
q door ereaks. 1 never did believe in work.
I believe In It less than ever now.
.
WOmen's RiEht 10 Govern Herself.
In the North American Review. Mrs
oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, leader of the
New York suffragettes, addresses these
remarks to her followersi
Sisters. i ask you to put behind you
these ~fRllacies OF the past; discard vain
dreamsi rely upon yourselves; have val.
liant aims, believing that your rights are
the same as those of man. Encourage at
tAinable possibilities. Believe that moth
srhood should be no greater than father,
hood, that the wife should not be the un,
paid servant OF the husband. but botf
must be equal AS in mans life the idea
OF the father does not predominant, max
ing him subject to Il. even SO must the
idea OF motherhood be In woman's life.
Center not your whole life In the lf,
OF others, for has not this made your pas
nlRvsryR Full Of courage. with faith IL
yourself, so forth as an equal In tn,
race Let the life OF the united home b.