The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 29, 1903, Page 6

THE (% AN E tind among the \ = other cxcellent traits X i of the ideal woman as pictured by Solo- mon in the Book of Proverbs her spirit of industry—*She eateth not the vread of idieness.” lvery young woman should have a work to do, as s implied in this scrip- reference. She should more f or be permitted to eat the bread of idieness than the young man. The life of woman is subject to the same beneil- laws of God concerning labor as is es were true s were brought work and to be indusirious. In ays one of the qualities of a vir- iliarity with “the d,” and that her ¥s of her househc ad be mot that of . ness seems to be sor pular in this day than in wise man who gives us this tch of a rtuous wom: bre eness” appears i of d of 1 our > be the ambition of a ss of young 2 who are thus encouraged by their isguided parents. What Christ said of lilies is true of them: ““They toil not, r do they spin; and yet I say unto even Solomon in rayed like one ¢ ven us of God for a ho >0 sacred and b is our one sublime and gracious opportunity that is speeding swiftly by, to return. Says Aubrey de rmore ¢ life was Jent HE persistent and pathetic struggle the colored Tace made to be ranked a level h whites futile not be we sh ever given the just consideration that for so long a time cht on n the scems to me cne. 1 do that be lieve we have sou white people persist in regarding ke. It would be just as fair y think of it if we were robbers and rob- are he “Yes, he was have no sense of honor— If one is found to be ! ant it is the same thing 1 colored peo; e vulgar, and ave no intell ce.” It is all so the struggle we make honorable lives, thoughts and feel- ) study and acquire knowledge— s no difference. “They cannot be e and re and intelligent be la ,” is the ver- ined - | By Kate Thyson Marr, the Famous Critic. - — F the clever women this wide world are as varied as the hues of the rainbow the child who, is born clever and whose sayings are quoted from the fime she dons pina- fores is wretchedly 8 bed for life. Every one expects ber to say something “smart” and when she grows a little older she is not so apt to be thought clever as she is to be dubbed—pert. The Born clever woman is a terror. Hav- ing a reputation to sustain she considers it a sacred obligation to comply, regard- less of the feelings of any one who may b# concerned, and the chances are that che will make gigantic efforts to uphold the reputation despite the sacrifices of £00d breeding or the best attributes of her womanhood. The woman who achieves cleverness through study in her desire to appear to better advantage than nature intended is the greatest bore of all. The clever woman who seeks to figure where women most do congregate and who by her influence endeavors to sway the minds of others is the most agsres- sive. The cblld who Is born clever and who O be identified with a sport as gen- cially popular as ping pong has been is to guarantee one's .being brought Into contact with all of society. The game was played to such a marvelous extent in home circles, where each family may be sald to kave had its own champion, and there was so little op- portunity of publicly gauging any one's ~merit, that when the first tournament was inaugurated at the Aquarium in Decem- ber, 1901, an immense entry from all sorts and conditions of people was obtained, all For lofty duties, not for selfishness; Not to be wiled away for aimiess dreams, But to improve ourselves and serve mankind. That Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do is just as true of a woman's hands as of a man's hands. Idleness is a curse to any one regaraless of sex. It is only the useful life that is the true and honored life. Therefore, every young woman should discover her place in life and In God's promised strength and light fill it well. She should have a holy purpose and shrink from a purposeless, aimless, drifting life. Her ambition should be to be industrious and useful rather than merely ornamental, for, as Rev. Dr. Bonar has well sald: ifves, but only one have we, ne; Not many One, only How sacred that one life ever be, span! filled up with blessed toll, Hour after hour still bringing In new spoil, Without a controlling purpose young women are like a vessel in midocean without anchor or compass. Having a purpose in life is said to be the dif- ference between success and fallure. And the measure of success depepds largely upon the time of life the purpose takes possession of the soul. An earnest and discerning womun, speaking of the need of a life of Industry to develop the powers and enlarge the influence of voung women, says that each of the brothers of ‘these idle sisters “has had it knocked into him from school days that he is to do something. Countins- hcuse, shop or college afford him a clear future on which to concentrate all his en- ergies and aims. He has got the grand pabulum of the human soul—occu- pation. If any inherent want in his char- acter and unlucky combination of cir- cumst pullifes this, what a poor nees H\NC It is a prejudice implanted in the white race—one that there seems to be no way of eradicating. They are determined to believe nothing else. They will not look at us from an unprejudiced standpoint and judge us as individuals, according io our achievements. They set us all down at once as “colored.” That settles it. It is entirely discouraging. I have nev- er felt this so keenly as since the affair between the Twentleth Century Club and me members of San Francisco's white clubs. The whole matter was largely re- ported in the papers at the time, and the stand of both sides in the matter was well understood. We were first invited to hear our own race brother, Booker Washington, lecture before the white clubs, and then, when our color was dis- covered, the invitation was withdrawn. All kinds of feeble excuses were offered, but the long and the short of the matter was that our skins were not white, there- fore the white women did not wish to be assoclated with us in listening to the lec- ture of the colored man. The whole affair brought it home to me with renewed keenness. 1 realized more plainly than ever that it was no use. We may keep on forever improving ourselves, but the attitude will In no way change. Many of our people are well educated. Plenty of the colored race hereabouts have gone through the entire public school course. Some have done advanced studying even beyond that. But I am obliged to feel in considering the matter is simply offensive and priggish is much in the nature of a worrving fly that you long to kill, but which successfuliy eludes you while vou are obliged to submit to the flow of the child’s small talk that has little wit and less originality in the sum ming up. To essay to correct such a young one s to offer the deadliest possi- ble insult to the irresponsible parents. Foolish, doting parents who encourage the clever child and repeat its smart say- fugs in its presence by Keeping up a con- tinuous performance of every trifie it may say or do are to blame if it grows up so opinionated and offensive as to be dreaded. The child who has a reputation for clever ness to carry through life has a contract on hand that will prove an awful uphill climb. The woman who achieves cleverness through study or through association with bright people is rather like a phonograph tlat gives out records and set phrases, though meanwhile she may regard her- self in a highly superior light, consider- ing herself somewhat benevolent in con- descending to incline to the level of ordinary, everyday mortals. She s abnormally self-satisfied and self- complacent and the husband of such a woman is reminded on ev- ery available occasion that he is a sort of nonenity whom the wife is favoring by aliowing him to claim her fealty with the blessed privilege of paying her bills, The really graclous clever woman f8 the most charming of her sex, but she is not so prone to travel on her cleverness as she is to smooth life's jagged edges by her supreme tact. The clever tactful woman can always avert a contrctemps, eager to see if their reputations in cluo and home circles were justified when meeting in public other players of un- known form. There is generally a dispo- sition, where one’s form at some game in comparison with others is an absolutely unknown quantity, to rather keep in the background, and not to give a display of one’s proficiency in public until assured that one’s standard of play Is at any rate up to average merit, if not above it. The organizer of the above tournament was, however, surprised to recelve entries in shoals from both ladies and gentlemen, in a very great many cases from people who had never done anything like playing a game in public before, and who were to- tally unused’to the procedure of a tourna- ment, and quite in the dark as to the AN I YOUNG WOMANBUS creature the man becomes! What a dwad- ling, moping, sitting-over-the-fire, thumb- twiddling, lazy, ill-tempered animal.”” All this simply because the poor fellow has nothing to do. This she says is preciscly the condition of many women. *That previdence ordained it so,” says sshe, “made men to work and women tc be idle, is a doctrine that few will be bold enough to assert openly. ng’xy they do, when they preach up lovely uselessness, fascinating frivolity, delicious helpless- ness—all those polite impertinences and poetical degradations to which the fool'sh, lezy or selfish of our sex are prone to incline an ear, but which any woman of common sense must repudlate as insult- ing not only her womanhood, but her Creator.” The world of industry is willing that voung women should have in it a place and that they fill it well. Unjust discrim- fration and favoritism.is growing less, end appreciation of merit Is increasing. Soclety s growing more rational and just in its consideration of the rights and priv- fleges of voung women; it is coming to be recognized that they as well as their brothers may and ought to learn to be self-supporting. It is becoming unpop- ular among the better classes of young woemen to simply sit {dle all the day long, starving the mind with the polson of sick- ening, sentimental novels, doing a little FUNDAY CALL. 3 The fact is that never before in the history of the world have young women had such privileges for education, for independence in thought and utterance and for position in the industrial and pro- fesstonal flelds. Victor Hugo's prophecy that this was to be woman's era is being realized not only in our own but in most all civilized and Christian lands. During the last fifty years the extending of wo- man's opportunities have been wonderful. Colleges and unlversities have thrown open their doors to her and in the indus- trial and professional world any position of which she Is capable is open to her. ‘When the future historian shall attempt to characterize the nineteenth century ue certalnly will state that it was also re- markable for the development of new op- portunities for womanhood. To-day the industrial world witnesses women in im- mense numbers earning their living there- in. In the professional world avenues of congenial and profitable employment are open. It is a good thing that such oppor- tunitles are constantly increasing, for there is a growing need of young women becoming self-supporting. But with these larger liberties and opportunities 1t should ever be kept in mind that woman has her limitations as well as her possibilities. There are some things which she can’t do and which were never intended for her to do. It is well said that it is not always untangling silks and worsteds, and waiting a question of rights, but of fitness, as to fancy work, gossiping idly with others who have nothing else to do, tangling and her entering some occupations. It is then not a guestion of opportunity for scme unfortunate young man to come but of inspiration to be and to do one's along and take her off her ewn hands as best. an added burden to his own life. The ideal young woman of this century Is one who is capable of caring for herself, even preparation. Mrs. Margaret E. Sangster, though circumstances do not require her to do so. TOR JHL being so keenly alert to every incident that might make or mar the success of any projected scheme of pleasure or duty. Having Jess regard for herself and her ance, just as you cannot escape , persvnal comfort than she entertains for he comfort of others she is the woman $whom all delight to honor. Men dread a clever woman as they would the pligue and the surest way for such a on® to divorce herself absolutely trom & man's homage is to acquire a rep- utatior for cleverness. The pverage man fancies that a clever woman will be sure to take advantage of her superiority to further scme scheme that he is sure she i= nursing, whether she may be or not. The consequence is that he avolds her, and her reputed clev- erness stands in the way of any regard he might be inclined to entertain for her. A man likes to be looked up to by the woman he loves. He likes to feel him- self her superior, and if he cannot enjoy this potential stimulant to his love he fancies himself abused, if not actually henpecked. A woman who thinks herself, superior to her husband is rarely magnanimo: enough to refrain from ‘‘rubbing it in to use slang, whenever and wherever chance may favor the exhibition. She rather enjoys his writhings under her ministrations of the squelching treatment that reduces him to a state of milld Im- becility absurdly pitiable. It is this fear that keeps a man on the off side of anything I'ke serious admira- tion for the clever woman, whom he fears with a more abject fear than that in- spired by the dread old-fashioned slipper of his childhood. And the other clever woman who alms methous uf playing oue off. Kortunates, the organizer was familiar with lawn ten- nis tournaments, and the manner of con- ducting them, and applied his experience in these to pIng pong; otherwise on the opening day, when crowds of excited la- dles besleged him, and, later on, the men, the great majority having no idea of how a tournament Is conducted, and all want- ing to play at once, the confusion would probably have sent him Into Bedlam. All kinds of racquets were brought along, including many strung with gut— these have quite died out now. In regard to the costumes, a good deal of curiosity was manifested at first as to what style of dress the ladies would wear. Nothing at all startling was, however, seen, short skirts, similar to those in vogue at lawn tennls, being generally adopted. Among Whatever her position in the busi- ness world, she should bring her best self to it. To succeed demands the best of in her “Winsome Womanhood.” says: “One of the first things to be nated in to shine among her sisters and who as- sumes an air of haughty condescension fthat simply strikes terror. This specimen sits bolt upright with a mein =0 awe-Inspiring as to fairly shoot out hysterical quivers among her satel- lites. She generally uses a lorgnette, and nothing makes a woman look so supercil- fous'y Important as the use of this in- strument of torture that makes her friends feel creepy when directed against them. She is chesty; that is, she throws out her chest, and the bolt upright posi- tion sends her head up, which is ‘caught at an angle that is a perfect incubator for the horrible double chin that every woman abhors. but for which she can more often blame herseif and her airs of importance rather than the Almighty for the Infliction. Such a woman is nearly always filled with ideas for the betterment of her sex, or she has a few canaries In her belfry that sing a song of woman's mission un- til she becomes inflated with the thought and grows full of grievances against her- self in particular and mankind in gen- eral, while the worry of it all robs her of her beauty sleep, and her fancies of her own Importance and the desire to look the part make her old and dis- agreeable looking long before her times Such a woman thinks herself, awfully clever, and the yearning to inoculate oth- ers with her views proves an anxiety that plants furrows in ner face). while the haughtiness with which she regards her kind proves an Infallible beauty Kkiller. If any ®woman doubts this let her sit bolt upright before her mirror, throw out her chest, stiffen her neck and hold her head back at the woman’'s rights angle, e mew ub the opening days of the tour- nament one or two appeared in white flannels, evidently under the impression they were going to have some severe ex- ercise, and also possibly with the idea that a ping pong ball would be lost sight of by their opponents against their white clothes. For probably the same reason several men appeared in evening dress, their white expanse of shirt front giving them a declded advantage over an oppo- nent in morning dress. It was Indeed eventually found necessary to veto white or light costumes, as giving an undue ad- vantage to the wearers. In connection with the tournament com- mittee, the writer had the pleasure of meeting Mr. ‘'W. Harrison. The latter gentleman was one of the earliest players of table tennis, and one of its keenest ad- = & business life is its imperialism. Business is exacting, engrossing and inelastic. The young woman who accepts a business po- sition, let it be in factory, shop, library or private house, pledges herself, if she would be successful, to accuracy, fidelity and diligence, to the punctual perform- ance of every duty, and to an unstinted devotion to the interests of her employer.”™ “The business world,” says she, “is a erowded one, and women in Immense numbers are earning their living therein. The slipshod, dilettante worker must sur- render her foothold to some one more worthy."” The young woman should remember that she is man's competitor in the world's market. If she would recelve the same wages as man she must show the same efficlency in her work. I belleve when her work is in every way equal to that of man she should be paid the same wages as man. It is well claimed that there is so much to be done as cive {lization opens up new industries to wo- men that “there is room for all without conflict, without friction, and the question of the best places and the best payment must always finally resolve itself into one of fitness, of excellence and of honesty."” The success of any one in any line of work depends upon the spirit in which the work is taken up. It takes heart interest to make anything succeed. To have no other motive than the mercenary one is to belittle one’s employment. There are temptations peculiar to cer- tain occupations, but the one great dan- ger young women must guard against in pubiic life is the losing of their self-re- spect, thefr womanly dignity. Much de- pends upon how a young woman starts out in her new work; If she be discreet and soberminded. she will be safe. How COLORED RA that any advance we make must be for our own satisfaction: it would be folly % believe that it is going to give us equal ccnslderation with the whites. Our lives must be separate, rendered so by the bar- rier that they have erected. Of course, I do not believe that for this reason we shall cease to improve our- selves or that we ought to. No one can ever acquire too much knowledge, no mat- ter what his walk in life, and we should be ambitious for the sake of our own self-respect. I want to see not only the men but the women of our race pro- gress far beyond the point that they have already reached. I hope that in time the Twentleth Century Club will take up many branches of study, so that the young women who belong to it may be broader and more intelligent. A woman is a’better home maker when she !s well educated. She Is a better companion for her husband, a better mother for her children. Woman's influence must always be through man. Her place is not at the polls, but in the home. She has plenty to do there, and she had better leave the voting to her husband, and father, and brothers. There is no doubt that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world, but it is not ruled by woman's taking up man’'s duties. Her Influence is a potent but a subtle thing and must be achieved through others who go forth and face the world. 1 should like to see many subjects of and she will be astonished to see the embryo double chin which perhaps she never suspected. (And I am no beauty ex- pert, either.) This is the pose adopted by the woman who wishes to impress others with a bal- loon-like idea of her mental adipose, and who is prone to seek the presiding’ office of clubs or soclal committees, where, by assuming the most ccnspicuous position, she has the €hance of ventilating her opinions and of impressing her foilowers with all that she knows, or thinks she knows. This is the truest exponent of the aggressively clever woman. There is yet another type of the clever woman who is a pleasure to every one because of her gifts and her unconscious mode of dispensing them. Such a woman is usually talented beyond the average, but wears her honors so gracefully that she is aiways welcome and her socieiy sought by those capable of appreciating her. She has no desire to discuss knotty problems, although she may be abundant- ly able to do so. She has no desire to inflict her views upon others; she has no love for notorlety nor craving for the first place. If she is honored, the honor comes to her without being sought by her. She is attractive because it Is natural for her to be so, she does not have to cultivate it. The real danger to such a woman Is, however, that being too great a favorite with all, she is rarely loved by one. This Is an undisputed fact, that holds good with efther men or wothen. To be loved by too many Is to be loved by none. herents. He is a member of the Caven- dish Club, which is the pioneer club of the many that are now to be found all over England. Mr. Harrison plays a good, straightforward game at table tennis, and will not on any consideration allow himself to be beguiled into the stonewall variety. He is, or was, connected with one of the most flourishing businesses that have sprung up for supplying the best implements in connection with the game. Mr. Harrison has probably done as much, if not more, than any one to further the popularity of table tenni: and it was only on account’of hig connec- tion with the business mentioned' that he declined becoming chairman of the Asso- clation Council. In traveling on the Continent playing lawn tennis the writer visited Stockholm S T .A‘s::\%§:,&“ g L g I REV.FRANK K. 8> BAKER . | many have lived to regret the way they started upon their work. A certain young woman said: “I've started out wrong and can't get right. I thought when I began ‘that I could be on friendly, sociable terms with the men in the office, and have nice easy times with them, as we worked together day by day. But oh, ft hasn't turned out as I thought it would at all! They treat me in a familiar, slap- you-on-the-back kind of a way that hu- millates me constantly. And when I try to resent it they only laugh at me. I am fairly degraded In my own eves, and can't help it, because I've started out wrong.” It should be borne in mind thae the moral and social atmosphere of the home does not prevail in a public office, and that young woman must guard s: credly the charmed circle of their woman- ly manctity, lest it be trodden down by l{w thoughtless and disrespectful, and their state of life become monstrous and humiliating. It is possible for young wo- men to become so preoccupied with their work that they will become so impersonal in its exercise as to repel those who would offer insult. Then find something to do and do it th best you can. As Mrs. Browning says ve to work: tis the best you can get at all . Get In this’ world— Be true to God whatever your position and wherever your work may place you. “Whatsoever thy hand finds to do, do it with thy might. ‘Whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God, do it heartily as to the Lord.” It is said “Our life with Christ is not a thing apart, it belongs to our very breathing.”” Live and work tn the light of this truth and you will honor any position. BY MRS, GEO. INGRAHAM : PRES. 20™" CENTURY cLuB study introduced into the club.- Ancient and modern history both should be stud- fed. Literature should be taken up, and sclences and current toplcs. Thé branches might be increased in number with the growth of the club. In the East there are more colored clubs than there are here, and I think it would be a good plan to write to them for the outlines of work that they have so successfully followed. Lecturers and teachers might be employ- ed from outside. Nothing would be too much trouble if it served to help and ad- vance the people of our race. ‘We must go into the work with the un- derstanding that it is for its own sake. It can be of no benefit to us in giving us a worldly standing equal to that of the whites. The world will not have it. Our progress will not be acknowledged. There are colored men here who are oc- cupying positions that call for intelligence and education; but, although they are al- lowed to do the work of a white man, they are In no way recognized publicly as his ecual. There are those in our midst who are eloquent speakers, even as much so as Booker Washington him- self, but who knows of them? They are given no chance to show thelr ability. ‘We are always snubbed and treated as children. We are talked to as if we were not capable of thinking for ourselves. So much as one drop of colored blood con- demns us. I fear that the strugsle will ever be a hopeless one. -— “The Etiquette’ of Divorce” | Next Sunday. +* . Ladies, take my advice. Don't aim to be gle\'er if you would enjoy the soclety of mien, because it is true that men hate a clever woman, having a Instinctive fear of her. They prefer the woman who, without beilng deep, is entertaining and interesting. A brilllant man finds re- laxation in the soclety of the simpering little fool, and will more likely marry such a one than court the talented woman who, while he admires her attalnments, tires him when he wants to relieve the strain of his intellect after the worries of the day. The clever woman is too anxious to impress others with the fact and to shine, thus she overreaches herself. Don’t aim to be clever, girls; it is a losing game as far as men are concerned; fhey want a woman who is natural, not one overbalanced with brains. In fact, a man would rather have one who knows nothing further than how to look pretty and how to get herself up in a fetching costume than one who is able to discuss all the learned isms and ologies that were ever advanced. Be anything rather than clever. ‘Women will envy you and men will fear and avoid you, and your learned theories will be but stepping stones to that acidi- fled state of old-maldism that is not even redeemed by the outer wiles and fads of the modernized and self-assertive bachelor girl. and was surprised to find ping pong well established as a game among the upper classes. The Crown Prince of Sweden Is indead quite an enthusiast and the writer, who had the honor of dining with that august personage several times at the houses of mutual friends, was frequently his opponent in the after-dinner tourna- ments inaugurated for the entertainment of the guests, and it must be admitted was not always victorlous. His Royal Highness is distinctly a strong player and would have an excellent chance at some of the English table tennis tournaments. Herr Vallenbergis is considered the best Swedish player and is certainly quite the equal of some of our cracks. (The End.) (Copyrighted, 1%2, by D. T. Pierce.)