The Detroit times., 1910-11-14

given me was. "Woman's Part I'm the
civilization OF the World" The only
excuse FOR my temerity n attempting Ia
discuss such theme, 80 tremendous
IN It's sweep and significance, Ia the
fact that IL comes as special request
-GiNiitkattori-N INIT n rrtTuspact' And
the CIVILIZATION OF the world What a
circumference BY civilization. we
mean the reclamation of the race from
saNagerN instruction I'm the rules aud
customs of refinement. ia q word. the
refining culture OF the world. May
nvitC YOU To- listen 10 the words OF
solomon, as recorded in Proverbs 1881.
Let her own works praise her In the
gates. ana then give heed TO an all
too brief recital 81 some OF her mighty
works as touching the welfare OF hu-
mankind!
At the outset permit me- To say that
our purpose is not 10 deal in odious
comparisons. hut To rOuiinc ourselves
10 womAns sphere. By sphere" I mea n
that world 81 influence and labor which
belongs uniquely 10 women, And II Is
a sphere, not segment but circle.
And this world OF unique possibility she
1 shares with no man or men. for IL Is
! peculiarly her own. Filling her sphere.
she Is occupied In definite and different
works from any ana all other agents
or agencies combined
What the thermometer Is 20 the at
| mosphere. that woman Is To civilization,
. fOi IL never rises higher ia the scale
i of character than its women Woman
1 has had 10 battle for existence In q
standards and prejudictd judgments. but
she Is slowly and surely winning her
. fight IL h night or brain against
f. Drawn. Virtu" against wee. passion
/ Of soul against passion OF flesh. As
truth must ultimately triumph, so brain
and virtue and soul must surely gain
the conquest.
History reveals the story Of the bat
tie. Man, with club and stone. and
arrow ana spear and battle-ax and
. gunpowdcr and dynamite. has asserted
. himself Hut woman has met club with
n courage. stone with silence, arrow
with assurance. spear with sweetness.
battle-aN with blessing gunpowder
with grace, and dynamite with devo-
ton. Her very gentleness hath made
. her gioat, Hy her irresistible persua-
sion she has transformed Ignorance
into culture. rebellion into submission,
rudeness into respect ornaments INTO
arbitration.
Archbishop whcatlcy's definition Ia
aaricature when he SAYS. Woman Is
'rcature that does not reason. and
pokes tho fire from the top. Prof.
Maria Mitchell. while travelling. met Il
noted educator with whom she fcll into
conversation, and. during the Inter
view. he told her Of a dream OF his Ire
to sec great national university, en-
Il dowed not with tens, but hundreds Of
millions NJ dollars She listened pa
tiently until lie ran down, and then
quietly asked, WIN IL be for boys and
. girls alike" lie paused a moment and
then said half-aloud. II had not
thought OF the girls" In rho study o.
the world problems il would seem ms
. " most writer's had not thought OF the
girls But no review of the wonderful
evolution OF human society can claim
tn he at all comprehensive which does
not deal largely with the worth and
work OF woman.
Let w cast foug look backward
into the remote. dim shadow ~ an
uduity. so obscure We're tho begin
nings OF tho race that much IL left for
fancy. The first association was that
Of horde. The physical appetencies
prevailed over the psychic faculties. .
the first was natural afterwards that
which was spiritual. Awakened facul-
ties brought forth ingenuity. with the
result that bark became coarse -rfoth
friction produced fire, scratching the
soil helped fertility. the shelter Of trees
gave way to crude huts OF leaves We
talk much OF the patriarchal times. hut
let us not overlook the matriarchai
timeararssll. Scot ologtets point out that
our feavnge ancestry passed through
such periods. hen the line OF descent
was traced almost exclusively 10 wo-
man. in which lineage she was really
the dominant sex.
After the forest -hordes the elm and
cave dwellers there came IN the hunt
Ing period. Rude nuts were built along
the coasts and the people spent their
time In hunting and fishing. Then there
emerged the pastoral period when ami
mails were domestiCatcd, and life began
To take on q more permanent form.
From this. logically. there grew the
agricultural period. While husbands
. and CONS were away hunting and fish
Ing. the women began the cultivation
of the soil Cereals and vegetables had
to take the place OF FISH and meat for
them until the men returned Thus was
laid the foundation for the home. the
Rbidin place, and the more peaceful
occupations
WomRn Taught World Its Love.
This most important epoch of the
evolution was the peculiar work OF
woman. Civilization IS composed OF
two essential elements: ca Permanent
occupation and definite territory. (2)
active exploitation Of resources. There
fore. when you ask for n discussion OF
the part woman has played In the civil
izatiOn Of the world the answer comes
from the early dawn OF being; from
the sowing OF seeds 10 the saving OF
souls. she has been an essential factor
In every step 80 the process"
Neither the discoveries or science
great az they are, nor the inventions
that make life comfortable and pleas
ant. nor the enlarged scope or thought
and sentiment represented In our
vast systems OF education nor the re-
sources that have enriched our treas
uries beyond the power OF man to com
pute, nor any other material benefit
this world has so far forth yielded to
the touch OF mans almost magic wand
make a civilization. To Greece we are
Indebted for the discipline OF law hut
to Christianity we are Indebted for tho
enrolling spirit. The world empires
nf Persia and Macedonia ana Rome
helped to prepare the way. but after
Greece had brought forth mind. and
Rome had wrought out force. n re-
NAMED for Christianity the most tre-
mendous force I'm history, to 1ll II all
with SOUL
Civilization. in it's last analysis. Is a
spirit And this spirit found It's most
subtle agent In the personality or wo-
manhood. Her gentle touch. her tender
tone her sa"rihcial cloqucnce taught
ha a - l4Kr md ira Oh flff
zenship for patriotic service. Let her
own works praise her ia the gates"
Dare | say it? ! viii The world Is
what woman has made it. II has its
dark side. IL is true hut never did the
old world have so much wealth OF true
pure. sweet. beautiful God fearing
Christ-likc womanhood rs IL has today
She is helning 20 change vice into vir-
tue. self shness into generosity fear
Into faith. nero power into principle
nomnds INTO nations.
Woman's INTEL gcnCc and skill her
devotion and sacrifice. have placed her
IN the van 81 every NOV cment that has
made for liberty and life. In all parts
~ the world In edrcation she has
stood on the firing line for these weary
years sometimes lighting AN unequal
battle. when even Christian men
thought IL - sin 10 attempt the train
lnE Of the female mind She has led I'm
every avenue she has been permitted
10 enter. Madame De Stacl takes second
place TO none In her vigorous discern
Ing treatma nt Of tho subject OF poltti-
cal economy No brighter flowers grow
IN tho gardens ~ poetry than the works
Of Mrs. Hemnns, or Miss Baillie