The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-12-27
MISS HELEN GouLD'S PLACE IN
AMERICAN WOMANHOOD

feel IN FRANCES FOISOIn CleNelduu S
a personal interest, sort of family
feeling, the feeling which family
has when a specially beloved member
is about to enter the state of matri-
mony. A family is solicitous about
the happiness of such an one; hope
a wise choice has been made, ard is
ready (after the critical family man
ner) to take into their very warm re-
gard the chosen, if the chosen meas
ures up in any reasonable degree to
the great good fortune of being chos-
en-.
are in a peculiar sense, Daughters
of the Nation" Our country has en-
tertained pride in them as represent
alive women. Under that fierce light
that beats upon throne" Frances
Cleveland sotod forth, white as light
itself, and, in her girlhood and bride
hood, Sweet as the roses of our
land" in the wisdom and gracious
ness of her wifehood and motherhood,
and in the dignity with which she
wore the ermine of our republic, we
felt that our daughter honored us;
and all the more that we accepted
her not as the unique possessor of
the virtues and graces that fortune
blaZed forth in her, but as type Of
the American woman. She was mar
ried in our White House. Perhaps
We have had some such feeling for
her as the Dutch had for their young
Queen Wilhelmina. whom they raised.
With social honors and distractions
inviting Helen Gould, heiress of mil
lions, turned from these to enter the
army of services. She had been in
its ranks for some time before the era
of the Spanish-American war, when
her name began to be household
word in America. My work threw me
into association with her then, and ]
know how hard it was for reporters to
get in sight of her face or sound of
her voice-(not, think, that she had
any grudge against this devoted pub
licity Siranch OF the army of service)
Yet there are hundreds of men scat
tered al lover this country who saw
her face and heard her voice; there
was no difficulty of access to her for
fnI- nd Ind oh a
went to them, ministered to them and
gave them of her worldly goods, and
used in their behalf her rare business
ability and training. Thousands OF
men in our army of daily service have
seen her face and heard her voice in
halls which she has built or helped to
build for Young Mems Christian AS
sociations. Like Frances Cleveland,
she has stood forth sin the fierce
light that beats upon throne" white
as light ITSELF and in the charm and
grace of her womanhood, sweet as
the roses of our land" We have felt
that this, our daughter honored us,
not as the unique possessor of the
virtues and graces which fortune
blazed forth in her, but as a type
of American womanhood.
"A womans name ought to appear
in print but twice-when she marries
and when she dies" a gentleman of
the old school declared some fifty
years ago. A terrible ordeal for a
woman's name it was-and maybe is
yet in some degree-to come into
print. But consider the white track
of glory and sweetness these wo-
mems hands have blazed through the
press. Consider how many thousands
of women's names are fairly irradiat-
ing the columns of all our daily pa
pers with deeds of helpfulness, meas
ures for civic reform and civic beau.
ty, and efforts to convert the world
itself into a safe and happy home for
youth and age. Why, woman of
any social standing is ashamed of it
IL uST udLuO Is not COuu0CIeO Will
some altruistic measure! BY our
present standard, woman must be
a blessing to her own home and to
other homes. Public service is de-
manded of her, and she renders it
and does not lose thereby, as multi.
tudes of conspicuous instances prove
in private virtue or domestic charm
We were not expecting marriage
of these two women. That they are
to marry but proves anew-what can
never be disproved-that the natural
bent of woman is toward domesticity
toward the companionship of her own
mate beside their natural hearth.
stone. Human sentiment commends
this.
1t may be that human sentiment is
beginning to get new vision of mar
rage through its larger vision OF