The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-06-21
WOMAN'S' SPHERE
by LAURA KINGSTON.

Tho hand nan w that rocks the cradle rulos
How meekly. we obeyed this man.
Till step. by step we fought DER stony
TO widen out the sphere for those to
come.
l wonder what great thcr
W. WOULD ia have as, said NIFTY years ago if one
nounced her intention Of becoming a
useful member OF society. or course,
@e can N only ISOnjcGture but 1t is pretty
and irrevocable condemnation OF any
such idea.
Nor would this be surprising. In
grandmother's day. when embroiderins
time indulged I'm by the fair sex. when
blushing tiinidity was cXtolled to the
skies and small hands and feet were
the necessary attributes of gentle
woman., one could very easily Imagine
a horriiled lifting Of mittcned hands. u
doleful shaking. Of sleek heads and
mother OF such 4 peculiar creature. But
SO many, things have happened since
.nTn nnH the face Of HES map has so
sirl who Tolls around at home. de-
pending upon her fathers bounty. Is
pitted and not admired,
SO IL was with mingled feelings OF
amazement and amusement that J lis
tened to the tale of woo poured into
\
old time friend. 1t appeared that she
had become thoroughly tired of being
mothers companion in her round of
teas and social obligations. Since her
big brother Dan had left to tako
position on one of the big new liners s.
wireless operator life had been very
humdrum and embarrassing for Mabel
SO she had decided to do something"
And mother was duly incensed.
"Mo,her ; says If / had only chosen
she might not object so Strcnuously,
but she positively puts her FOO, down
OH this"
"A lady is a lady always. Mabel.
dear" l answered. waiting breauhless
ly to hear which OF the many new oc-
decade Mabel had chosen. None OF them.
to my mind. could be called unladylike
| day.
she continued. I'VE always had such
sport puttering around with his wire
less apparatus. Dan said I'd make
4. pity I was not IA boy. This set me
! thinking In earnest. and it's not going
10 be a pity was my resolve. So | at
| tended school where they taught
telegraph and wireless operating, pacs-
| ing tho examinations with honor. and
| have landed Il real Job on a big news
paper
Far from being conservative wo-
man myself. ! WAS somewhat taken
aback at the turn my friends fancy
had taken. To my best knowledge
woman telegraph operator was rara
avis none of the newspaper offices I
| knew could boast woman einploye In
| their telegraph department, and the
men were not as circu!nspect In their
| language or actions NJ In other lines
OF work. told her all this, not with
n view toward Encouragement. merely
| as information. She knew all about II
and was ready to start TO work the
| following week
Three years later the United States
was involved In international conflict
and | read with thrill that Miss
Mabel ABEL Lee; the expert isesraph and
man tho only wire out of the scene
of action.
Womans sphere Is broading every
| day. There are very few who would
confine her to the four walls OF her
home and say. Here, this is your do
main; here you rule with a temporal
power. Outside In the busy world you
are nonetity." Woman has found
tho nockery behind the empty compli-
ment and has made herself figure in
lpcttitoEcrs, the calamity-howlers who
are decryinG the advance OF woman
hood. are, trying to sweep back the
Of the fixed natural laws Of life. and
| IT Is rank idiocy to cry back to the
days of our grandmothers;" back to the
sweet, gentle woman who raised q
| brood OF children and was worshipfully
silent when her men folks d!scoursed
Her day was passed. Why try TO bring
| II back? Why not accept the woman
| of to-day and the future? She Is here
| and here to stay. She has taken her
place alongside of the men in ali tho
professions, and she IL making good
She is making good without the sac
tributes. She has merely gained. in
asmuch as today she Is the helpmate.
the intelligent companion OF man
where formerly she was Just his play
mate.
All hail to the woman OF to-day"
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