The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-01-06

iica OF or own life time. and the re-
forms inaugurated. We omitted to
,.tntion the establishment of our
free school system, which has be-
come the chief stone of the corner
il, our political fabric.
When the writer was boy there
were no public schools in the south,
and the children of poor and indi-
gent parents. and orphan children,
were compelled to grow up without
the aid of an education.
Now public schools DOT every val
ley and hilltop, and in towns and
cites there are universities. colleges
and high schools. and to many of
which the doors are open alike to
both sexes. and the tuition, If not
free. is merely nominal sum.
The door of opportunity" has
teen flung open wide to woman. and
she is being emancipated from old
traditions which narrowed her scope
CT usefulness, and her opportunities
are now almost on the plane OF man.
We can remember when. fer a wO-
man to have been seen behind a store
counter or at an accountants desk
il was prcsumntive evidence of her
.oss Of womanly mOlesty, and she
cid so at the peril of subjcctin, her
self TO unfricndly and .nsavOr :
criticism. and 10 have ridden horse
Ia |: cross saddle, u to haze done
any OF t.. things that she Goes now
with impunitv. ana oven imnunity
flom criticism, woul,. then have en-
I'D her from our social circles
Then. too. many Of our modern in
ycntions have wiGcncd woman's linn l.
i,atiori and wonderfully added 10
her opportunities of uscfrlnpes.
In tlic oldcn time, except those IA
Norcd ot fortune. woman vas COM
pclled to rely upon her needle as her
only resource, now. Il thousand on
lGrtunitics are IL her hiddin" and in
every instance sh" has shown herself
qEal to them IS the plano of on-
ortunity is lifted higher and higher
she has shown her versatility and
adaptability for her new sphere Of
etion.
les he thousands now seen be-
II nd store counters and at writing
q, SKIS evcr-incrensing numbers arc
seen handling the keys of the tclc-
graph, typewriter and Mcr%enthalrr
r,achines. and they use them with as
much deXterity as do men: and even
al the guiding wheel of the automo-
bile and acropanc they show almost
a. much efficiency and as much cvi-
dent courage as their brothers
IL SOME of the states they have
l.en given the ballot: they hold Of
flee. administer Justice, and. even in
Florida, they are made notarics pub
lie. and in some instances clerks of
courts.
The citizens of the Golden times"
would have been Mortified at such 4
state OF things
Really to womans opening career
OF usefulness there seems to be no
stopping place. Her usefulness has
been enlarged in church work: she
now fills oar pulpls and is made
missionaries, 10 foreign lands.
1t can be- said of her that 81 *
giving Il swccter and holicr ring. 10
spiritual things.
And in places OF usefulness that
she is now occupying she performs
the duties that they entail without
losing her womanly graces.
In her wider field she more and
more commands the admiration arl
the alteration of men. so much SO
that we are erecting monuments to
emphasize her virtues
So We may well ask if be true
that Rome, in her worst days. never
harborcd such conditions of vie, as
;rc prevalent in our highest social
circles at the present timc?'
What was the condition of Rome
in regard to vice and immoralir, in
her worst days?
Draper. in his "lntell"eual Dcrcl-
oi;ment of Europe" sa"s:
No language can describe tn.
state of Rome after her civil wars
The accumulation of power and
wealth gave rise to universal de.
PraNltN Law ceased 10 tie OF any
value. suitor must deposit > hriba
before trial could be had. Tho so-
tial fabric was festcrninc m,ss of
| rottenness. The people had become