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THE SUNNY SOUTH
7
Love'# Way.
Why do I love you, sweetheart, mine?
Jn Booth, I can not say.
Lore came to me so stealthily,
I never saw his way.
His gentle footsteps scarcely pressed
The pathway to my heart.
I only saw him standing there,
And knew he’d ne'er depart.
How can I tell what brought him, when
I know not how he came?
I only knew, and bowed before
The magic of his name.
So many are more beautiful?
Ah, well, perchance ’tis true;
So many are much better, dear?
Sweet, no one .else is “you.”
SOGIflb PROBLEMS.
Discussions bu The “Householders” o!
Questions Pertaining to Love, Mar
riage, Divorces, Dandng, Etc.
EUGENE RUMINATES.
In the distance I hear the moanings of
summer winds; in bush and bough the merry
chirp of the little birds can be heard; the
dogwood is in bloom and the cows will soon
be in clovei; the fish are nibbling at the
hook, and as I lie here by the side of the
brook, listening to its song as it goes warb
ling along, I behold, high in the heavens
soaring all alone a solitary buzzard: a white
cloud passes between us and the bird is lost
from my view; I think of Sally and the days
when we waded in the brook together—when
we sat upon its banks and let the rippling
waters go rippling over our feet—when I
sipped the nectar from her lips as the bee
steals the honey from the flower; and as I lie
here beneatb the oak indulging in dreams,
dreams, sweet dreams, I put my arm about
Scott, and say, “bless his old heart, though,
all else changes, he will not.” No, Scott is
not dead—neither is ma, for even now there
comes to my ears echoes of her melodious
voice.
* * * *
It is now the sweet hour of evening. I
sit upon the front piazza, musing, as 1 was
wont to do in former days. Away off in the
west the suo’fog^fjj^re passing ^ith the de-
as a fleetiitg^Trnmu-iiom cue
storm which angers in the distance, goes
passing along, I fall to thinking—yes, some
thing very strange for me to do, but then,
I do sometimes think—very surprising to
you, no doubt, but behind the cloud from the
distant storm is the sun, and the thoughts
of men sometimes find harbor behind a
lighter and frivolous mien.
Pa is down at the other end of the porch.
He smokes a common cob pipe now, which,
to my notion, is the cleanest and purest of all
tobacco reservoirs. Not a word does he utter.
He, too, is thinking. I must mention this to
convince you that I come by my sedentary
and philosophical ways honestly. You know
—at least, I presume you do—that when a
boy gets in a good way of sowing wild oats,
and reaps the harvest in gutters and county
jails, they say—by “they say” I mean every
body, except you—“Ah well, poor boy, can’t
blame him much—his father before him,
ended badly.” My! my! wonder how his
father behind him would have ended. That’s
where fathers ought to be—behind their boys,
applying caustic remedies to nature’s own.
Don’t you think so? You don’t? Well, I
can’t help it if you are bigger fool than I am.
But, pardon me, I was ruminating. Rumi
nating upon the sunset and the cloud. And
as I sit here I am reminded of the dear, good
old nurse, who told the little girl as they
gazed at the sinking sun, that she was one
day nearer God. Yes, one day nearer God. I
wonder how many of those who read these
lines think of the departing day as did the
nurse. Yes, one day nearer God. Each day
brings us nearer to eternity. As I pen these
words my thoughts turn to the dear woman
who challenged my letter on dancing some
two years ago, and I wonder if at eventide
she takes her precious daughters by the hand,
and pointing them to the sun’s last rays, tells
them that they are cne day nearer God.
And the young man away down in the
capital of sunny Florida, does he, when his
day’s work is ended, go out from the crowded
streets of the city, and gazing upon the set
ting sun, say to himself “one day nearer
God.”
Pa has ceased to smoke. He taps the pipe
upon the banisters and puts it in his pocket,
just as I shall fold this letter and put it in an
envelope—just as the cloud passes from view
and darkness envelopes the day that brings
us one day nearer God.
EUGENE EDWARDS.
She Loves Him.
In answer to the letter of Dolores in Social
Problems, I would say most emphatically
that her best friend does love “dear Jack.”
The idea that love should turn one’s
thoughts to such simple bosh and moonshine
is to say the least very unhealthy.
I should think such love, fed on the songs
of mocking-birds and drinking of the beauties
of the night—could not last long; that “dear
Jack” would soon be minus Dolores’ best
friend.
Now true love, of course, should change
greatly even the common objects of life—but
I do not mean to reflect on the opinion of
friend Dolores.
I am afraid she has never really experienced
the “grande passion” and has drawn her
ideas from one of the novels of the Duchess.
Love ennobles us, ’tis true, and makes us
better, purer creatures, but where can you
find such sentiments in a devotion that
causes one to “see stars” (by night) and feed
on empty air by day.
“Oh, so wildly do I love him,
Paradise itself were dim,
And joy less, if not shared with him !”
ROSETTE.
THE PROGRESS OF WOMEN IN TWO
COUNTRIES.
The Woman Movement in Germany.
Mrs. Bertrand Russell, in the Nineteenth Century, Lon
don, (New York: L. Scott Pub. Co.)
“Associations founded for political objects
may not have women, scholars, or apprentices
as members, nor may women, scholars, or
apprentices be present at any meetings of
such associations.” So runs the Prussian
Coalition law, and the laws of Bavaria,
Brunswick, and some of the smaller States
impose the same limitations on women.
These laws explain, in a large measure, why
there is not in Germany any strong and well
organized woman movement. But besides the
political there is also a social cause. The
incomes of the professional and mercantile
classes are much smaller than in England,
and German women are therefore obliged to
devote a great part of their time and thought
to household work. And just for this very
reason, that the women’s minds are absorbed
in details, German housekeeping is both un
scientific and inartistic, and, although it en
tirely occupies the hausfrau, it seldom at
tains even its own uncomfortable standard.
Aristocratic women in Germany have never,
like the brilliant leaders of French and Eng
lish society, taken any interest in politics, or
influenced leading politicians.
If unmarried girls of the middle class have
revolted to some extent, the cause has been
mainly economic. Self-support rather than
self-development was their aim, and though
it was a narrow aim it had in it the germ of
a larger movement. Their first and most
important question was that of higher educa
tion. German women could not attend the
universities, though, absurdly enough, for
eign women were admitted, and they could
not study or practice law or medicine. At
last women are permitted to practice medi
cine, though the training and degree for it
must still be obtained abroad. German
women may also now attend lectures in most
of the German universities, but without be
ing allowed to matriculate, and generally on
the sufferance of the professors. In the course
of all this agitation,for even these few conces
sions have not been won without very great
efforts, the women of the middle clases began
to realize that no real improvement could be
effected in their position without some
change of the laws. A woman is entirely
under the guardianship of her husband, and
her property and earnings are wholly at his
disposal. After her children are four years
old, she only has as much control over them
as the law allows to those grossly immoral
or inebriate fathers whose control has had to
be supplemented by legally appointed guard
ians. And after the death of the father, his
will or the law may appoint a third person as
guardian, who will have equal control with
the mother over the children. If the mother
marries again, she loses all control over her
children. The leading women, when they found
that their petitions were only thrown into
waste-paper baskets, tried to organize associ
ation for formal protest, but here again the
law was against them, and dissolved their as
sociations as having a “political aim.” And
finally, the younger and more active women,
whose center was in Berlin, were forced to
see that their only weapon lay in the fran
chise,and that they must concentrate all their
power in this one single object, agitating for
it in every legal way.
When we come to the workingwomen we
find a phenomenon that is absolutey unique
in history, that is to say, a woman movement
which has originated with the workingwomen
themselves. Their lot is thrown in with all
other laborers, and they feel that, as the posi
tion of woman rises and falls with labor, so
the woman question is only one side of the
labor question. Theoretically, women are an
integral factor of the Social Democratic party,
practically their active importance has as yet
been very little. This is, of course, largely
owing to the restrictions imposed on them by
law. But the law can not be made altogether
responsible for the small number of women
who, as yet, take an active interest in the
political and labor movements. It seems al
most impossible to rouse the women to take
a real interest in trade unionism. Only 5,251
women are members of trade unions, and
these figures are very discouraging to the
leaders who have been working since the
early eighties to rouse the women of their
class from the apathy bred of a feeling of
helplessness. The leaders themselves are
lamentably few, and most of them, being
obliged to work long hours to support them
selves, are not able to concentrate all their
energies on agitation ; and, though their per
sonal character and hard-working enthusiasm
can not be too highly estimated, their lack of
education hinders them from taking the
large sympathetic view of the movement on
which a leader’s inspiration depends. It is a
great pity that the idea of Klassenkampf, a
principle held rigidly by every Social Demo
crat, rather to the bewilderment of an English
'person, makes it impossible for them to work
with the thoughtful earnest leaders of the
middle class woman’s movement, many of
whom would be only too glad to co-operate
with the workingwomen to bring about cer
tain reforms desired by all women.
For instance, there is at present under dis
cussion before the Reichstag a draft for a
new code of civil law for the empire, which
has been compiled by legal experts with a
view to unifying the last of the different
States. In adopting that form most widely
prevalent and involving the least alteration
of existing conditions, they have made the
position of women in some points worse than
hitherto. The women of the middle classes
and the women of the proletariat have or
ganized meetings of protest, and have sent
in petition after petition, begging that the
new law might be drafted on new principles,
but the lack of unity between them has de
prived the movement of that strength which
only absolutely solid organization can give.
Social Democratic women believe that there
is and must be war between the classes of
society, and that the position of the working-
women, as well as of workingmen, can only
be radically improved when the private
ownership of capital is abolished and the
means of production are owned collectively.
It is very natural that the middle class
women, while sincerely wishing to improve
the economic condition of workingwomen,
can not conscientiously agree with this
revolutionary doctrine, or that, if able, to
accept it, they may dread the far-reaching
consequences to themselves of joining the
Social Democrats. By becoming Social
Democrats they would lose their position in
society, any situation or paid employment
they might have, and, above all, their entire
influence with the woman of their own class,
but the future of the women movement in
Germany undoubtedly lies with the Social
Democratic party, the only strong political
party in the world that demands the full
equality of the sexes. When the middle-class
women make demands, they have no political
party to represent them ; when the working-
women wish to agitate they have forty-seven
members of the Reichstag to push their
claims.
The Women's Rights Movement in France.
The question of religious differences can
not be passed over when treating of the
women’s question in France, because of the
stress laid upon it by the women themselves.
Whatever may be the religious attitude of
political France, the majority of French
women are Catholics; whereas up to January,
1893, the women’s movement in Paris was
ostensibly hostile to Catholicism, and the
tenets of its leaders extreme Republicanism.
Among the more thoughtful, it came to be
pretty generally admitted that there was room
for some association of no special political
or religious tendency: simply groups of men
and women united on one point, namely, the
amendment of laws concerning women, with
perhaps no other point of contact of opinion.
A powerful association was gradually form
ing. Among its earliest members were the
leading journalists of Paris, deputies and
senators of every shade of opinion, celebrated
scientists and jurists and a few of the best
known female authors, among whom was
Mme. Adam, now for the first time taking
part in the women’s movement. Then, as if
to give special significance to the new mode
of action, a few women of the old French
aristocracy, notably the Duchess of Uzes,
joined the movement. With such a staff the
actual work was comparatively easy and I
willingly consented to direct the young afsso-
ciation ; and we started “l’Avant Courriere,”
on January 30, 1893.
Taking into consideration that the civil
code is the one great obstacle to the emanci
pation of women in France, we decided to
attack it. We were not long in coming to
the conclusion that financial freedom being
the root of all liberty, we must first set to
work to obtain for married women the right
to their own earnings. We agreed that each
OH! WHAT A .RELIEF.
“I suffered with terrible pains in my
left ovary and womb. My back ached
all the time.
** I had kidney trouble badly. Doc
tors prescribed for me, and I followed
their advice, but found no relief
until I took Lydia E.
Pinkham’s Vegetable
Compound. Oh! what
a relief it is, not to
have that tired feel
ing day after day, in
the morning as much
as at night after a
hard day’s work, and
to be free from all
pains caused by Ovarian and Womb
troubles. I cannot express my grati
tude. I hope and pray that other suf
fering women will realize the truth
and importance of my statement, and
accept the relief that is sure to attend
the use of the Pinkham Medicine.”—
Mrs. Jamfs Pap.rish, 2501
St.. Nr E.. Minneapolis, Minn
member should be free to choose his or her
mode of action, each one working as occa
sion and situation might permit for the fur
therance of the cause in hand. But, as a
natural consequence of this freedom of action,
each member was to undertake the entire re
sponsibility of his or her acts and pay the
cost thereof. Thus, free scope would be given
for individual initiative ; while the society of
“1’Avant-Ccurriere” only took the responsi
bility of whatever was the common action of
the entire association and accepted as such by
me. Next, in consideration of the social
odium thrown on the women’s rights ques
tion which threatened to deter a great many
women from joining us, we stipulated that no
name but mine should be published unless by
permission. After nearly four years’ exist
ence we have every reason to congratulate
ourselves on having made our rules so elastic.
Each one of us has been able to do the work
best adapted to her means and surroundings,
and we have found help and encouragement
on all sides. When we decided to placard
all Paris and some of the provincial towns,
our great, flaming posters cost us nothing hut
the stamp duty. The artist, A. Lepere, de
signed our emblem, a dreary barren landscape
with the rising sun just visible above the
horizon,—woman’s land, with the glimmer
of hope in the distince,—and one of the best
known printers in Paris printed it for us on
paper given by another friend. A gang of
billposters worked all night, generously giv
ing their help, and on the morning of Jan
uary 18, 1894, the papers told the Parisians
how the walls of their city were covered
with an appeal in favor of women.
In March, M. Leopold Goirand, a member
of the Chamber of Deputies, wrote me ex
pressing sympathy and offering his aid. On
July 7 he laid our Married Women’s Earn
ings bill on the table of the Chamber. On
February 27, 1896, the bill, conferring upon
marrried women the power of free disposition
of their earnings, passed the Chamber of
Deputies without opposition—the first time
in French history that a women’s rights
movement has received support from the
government. It is difficult to predict what
reception we shall get in the Senate, yet even
there we have many friends and, therefore
have the right to be hopeful. This very im
portant modification of the French marriage
laws affects about 4,500,000 workwomen,
not to speak of authors, musicians, painters,
actresses, teachers, shop-assistants, and do
mestic servants,—in all about 6,000,000
women-workers who, if married, have, as the
iaw now stands, no right to their own earn
ings, if that right has not been stipulated for
by a legal agreement made at the time of
their marriage.
As a rule Frenchwomen have a tendency
to avail themselves of exceptional privileges
separately and gradually accorded them rather
than to combine and fight for the principle of
a right. This characteristic, however, should
by no means make us despair of the future of
women in France. The emancipation of
women will be the work of men, and that
some of the finer minds in the University of
France realize whither they are conducting
the rising generation of women, was strik
ingly indicated the other day in a speech
made by M. Arnaud at the Cahors college
for girls. He said :
“The woman’s question is not the least im
portant part of the social question in France,
and our legislators are beginning to realize
that equality of education implies equality
of rights for women. As her place in the
household and in the family becomes more
and more important, so, as a natural conse
quence of progress, must women’s sphere
outside the home circle te widened and rle-
vated.”—Jeanne E. Schmahl, in Forum.