The farmer and mechanic., 1915-07-27
CBy WILLIAM II. ELLiS).

one of the stimulating Kipling
mems is called THE Files and it
uarrates how you may find all the
ncw things Of today in the newspaper
files Of long ago. Just now the world
H. agog over the new woman" and,
,tuortunely the Sunday School lesson
introduces that forceful feminist, the
Queen of Sheba, in quest of the best
Nearly three thousand years have
tasSed since this remarkable woman
travelled fifteen hundred miles from
her home in Arabia, by slow camel
pace. across the desert sands, to take
counsel with wise King Solomon.
Throughout all these ages she has
been a pictorial figure in prOverb and
story. and her single phrase, THE
half has never been told" is one Of
the commonest coins current in uni
versal speech. Legend, among Mos
lens and Christians alike, has been
busy with this wonderful womans
Lame but these fanCiful stories in
tcrest us less than her message to
cur own times upon the woman ques-
ton, which is this:
Problems are not primarily prob
lems Of sex, but of personality. The
strong character makes it's way, re-
gardless OF limitations of sex or con-
ditiOn. The Queen of Sheba ranks
second only to Solomon in the annals
of their time. Even back in the dark
days of Woman's subsection, there
shine brilliant names, like Deborah
and Abigail and Jezebel and ZenObia
and Cleopatra. These women were
personalities. although not all were
good women.
1t would be a mistake to let the
.-fVf.. ,sf .s<>~
that any material change is to bs
effected in womans sphere or fortune
epart from the development Of indi
udual character. There is now, ant
there will continue to be, as tn:
greatest desideratum in the so-callet
woman movement the need TO
preeminent personalities, women wh
can be leaders in the world.
Some American Queens.
IT is pertinent to recall that Nortl
America has been singularly produc
tive of women Of force and enter
prise, who yet held steadfastly alO1
the torch of idealism. These he
roines of faith have some qualitie
greater than their long-agO sister C
Sheba. One OF them, Victoria Nun
deck, of Wichita, was pictured, short
ly after her death, by her son, exCor
gressman Victor Murdock, in tribut
of singular appeal. i quote from 18th
Literary Digest those passages whic
deal particularly with the spiritu;
qualities Of this woman Of affairs:
Beautiful Us her whole life wa
beautiful as she was, she was mos
beautiful in her faith. 1t needed n
sustaining argument. 1t offere
nothing in rebuttal. 1t never veal
ened nor grew suddenly strong.
simply was as strong, as enduring,
unanswerable, and immovable as
granite mountsYin. She made court
out show of gentle patience with tt
occasional or habitual doubters, b
inwardly j imagine that she held tt
doubling intellect to be meager
sappily immature.
Her life was full Of change ar
incident, of activity always. 81
knew joy in its full meaSure-al
sorrow; she had lost five children: 81
had known hardship and ease, ami
ton. realization, disappointment, b
her faith remained a single, stab
itXed point. Nor was it a silent fai
to be cuddled out Of harms way.
was faith as sure and final as Paul
III put the keystone Of the Resurre
ton in the arch, because it knew t
arch would fall without it. This is t
faith not only of the gentle soul w
tut it is the work of the strong sc
who knows"
Queens WOman-way.
'n some degree, there exists
every woman's breast that quail
which led the Queen of Sheba
Jerusalem-the Unsuitable longing
The best. Sometimes with lesser v
men, this noble yearning for high
aood, takes the form of mere soc
emulation. Commonly. it Incl
mothers TO send forth their sons
dare and do greatly. 1t is also
Neaied in the religious instinct, VIII
makes woman the chief supporter
tht church and temple and shrine
all lands. Every woman is nature
priestess at the altar of ideali:
H"d pity the race, if womanhoOd e
'"ses this impulse.
rms dominant motive expressed
sell In several W3yS in the case of