New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-19
Bv Barbara Bindiey.

-1IA WHEELER WILCOXS name as
L. q poet is a household word in the
IL United States, yet the greatest thing
49,, success has brought her is the worth Of
s., name fer job-hunters, she says.
CT. ;s sixtv-tyvo years old. this poet whose
.L..ts have the soft freshness OF baby skin
hos. spotted brown eyes are tirid and APP
..,I,0 as ohilds. whose golden hair is just
s.e;,nine 70 be shot with gray, and she gave
:. for women the essence Of the philosophy
"a, much living. high thinking, great feeling
and the power 10 express It had brought her
q would rather feel l had achieved some
hing that enabled my name to be valuable in
citing an entfee for young people needing
.,oor,uritv than that I've done something
ma, lot Of people are clapping and clacking
,v.t" she SAYS. although Mrs. Wilcox voiced
=, philosophy OF independence as far as she
vas concerned. and for others too. Many and
nd. are her interests, and in an interview of
hours length she discussed everything from
baphazard human relations to what she thinks
our greatest need-ideal home-naking.
81 have gone my way alone" the little gen
Il, voiced woman began. Il found my road
and walked it alone and am glad I did. And,
looking back. every sorrow, every unfaithful-
ness. has been worth while, because it taught
NE not 10 lean on human appreciation. and
not TO work for gratitude and applause that
III, pleasure Of doing work was its reason.
This. nv philosophy Of life, to make the
very utmost Of myself my possibilities and my
environment as a woman. And I never want
TO be anything else but woman, because it's
glorious thing to be" And yet Mrs Wilcox
sscribes 70 man the great achievements Of the
world and says they belong to his realm
et.rnally.
Women have not really done great thing,
she maintains not even excepting Sappho.
The best milliners. cooks, etc, are men;
women have not the creative gift
q like men 70 do the biggest things, woman
the decorative things. No woman has dis
covered a continent engineered canal, built
bridges or made a ship and I don't want her
10. Woman should do the beautiful things
only. because she was meant to be the ez-
PRESTON Of beauty, man Of strength. No
woman's movement will ever change that-it
Is her purpose in life.
BY THIS 90 nOt mean woman - Hi4CI4Ol
to man. She is different. Nor is it ques-
ton Of advantage in years. Women must per
feet themselves on woman's lines. If l had
daughter I would not want her to be Z great
scholar, rather a linguist or a musician-or all
or any Of the things that make for a beautiful
social life. She could be helpful to many Peo-
PIE so.
And woman doesn't have to be new
woman She wants to realize that she can
b. the best old woman that ever lived"
in other words you want perfect balance?
YES want the weight Of the worlds
beauty and work between men and women, to
be .qualized, though different in kind in each
sex
Woman must be the helpmeet. She may
develop her talents outside the home. If she
chooses to be a wage Garner all right, SO long
as she co-operates and co-ordinates that 10
the life within her four walls. And so with
suffrage too" Mrs. Wilcox believes we will at
tain race betterment only through ideal homes
YET we should have individualsm there. No
two homes should be alike, except in the rush