The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1915-03-04
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(Copyrfght, 1914, ~ Newspaper
.---.erprise AssOciatfonJ
When ! saw Mrs. Wellington
Smythe get up to address the club
knew / had made mistake to
even bring Aunt Mary on that
day. What Mother Waverly
would think of her views or OF
me in belonging to a club where
absolutely free speech was allowed
! do not subscribe to many Of
the things that l hear in the Free
Thought and Free Speech club,
but ! do most thoroughly enjoy
hearing what these clever women
say. 1t shows they are striking
out for themselves In new paths
and not walking along in that
trench of convention that has
been worn so deep by many feet
that those who are now following
the old road cannot see out over
into the new country on either
side.
l said something of this to
Aunt Mary when we got home,
and she said: my dear, l may
be old-fashioned, but I really be-
1ieve I'd rather walk to a trench
which l knew was safe than go
wandering all over the land into
Dogs and morasses which l knew
nothing about and which might
swallow me up at last"
But | must get back to the aft
'ernoon. Mrs. Smythe was In her
most brilliant mood. I really be-
, lieve she was more anarchistic in
speech than Emma Goldman. Ac-
cording to her, you would have to
think that society as now ar
ranged was what Sherman called
war and that to women was given
the most malignant of all the dam
nation designed for the human
race by those in authority.
Her greatest denunciations
were directed agaist the new
morals court that had been re-
Gently instituted in town. mo
man or woman has a right to in
terfere in my morals" she almost
shouted. What is right and
-what il wrong are questions that
every being on this globe must
answer for himself and for her.
self"
HAS she gone crazy" asked
Mother Waverly.
"She thinks that all the people
In the world but those that think
as she are a little cracked, and in
this she is not radically different
from the rest of u.s."
Listen" said Aunt Mary, and
q look of horror was ON her placid
face.
You can't legislate morals or
good into people. We don't even
always know what Is good. What
may be right for you may be very
wrong for me. We have yet to
learn that all things in this world,
rightly used, make for better
ment, and that morals are only a
question of geography.
81 do not think anyone has any
more right to tell me whom ]
shall love than they shall tell me
with whom ! shall eat"
Mother Waverly turned pale.
Aunt Mary shuddered, but, after
all, the speech was merely a string
OF words, and, analysed, did not
mean anything at all. Mrs.
Smythe desired to shock us. She
likes to be sensational. In reality
she is devoted wife and q SPLEEN
did mother. but she has just gone
@ little wild on the subject of
.Nietzche and imagines she is the
super-woman. Poor Mr.. Smythe.
"Margie, does Dick know you
are going to that club?" asked
Mother Waverly.
YES; it forms one of my
choicest entertainments of him.
He laughs until he cannot speak
when / initiate Mrs. Smythe and
others of these women"
do you think they are in earn
est and quite sane?" asked Aunt
Mary.
mo, dear" l aswered. "They
only think they are sane and in
earnest, Aunt Mary, but these
clubs and little coteries all over
. the land show that women are
beginning to think for themselves
they will not accept, as did their
grandmothers, or pretend to ac-
cept, as did their mothers"
II don't know what you mean
about pretending" said Mother
Waverly, stiffly. II have never
pretended to anybody In my life."
Poor Mother, is it .possible that
she does OF know her whole life
has been one long story of preten-
tion. She would not even dare to
think radical thought, let alone
to speak it. Her whole rule of
life is, what will people say"
Continued Tomorrow.