Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (March 16, 1895)
VOL. 10, No. 13. PRIGE FIVE CENTS j$vft. M & LINCOLN, NBB., SATURDAY, MARCH 16. IS95. " vfer- kiA K. . C.T !K lS t ft .&- ??? ft 1 3 " j t O . Some people in Lincoln and else where speak with two of the so-called NEW WOMAN or the WOMEN'S MOVEMENT, and they have much to say of the great sweep of tho land slide into the morasses of culture and independence. Women are go ing to emancipate themselves, and the woman of the future is going to bo identified with something else besu'es baby carriages and kitchen concoctions. She is going to take her rightful place by the side of man, and if necessary she will push him away and take his place. Not many months ago when Coxey started with his gang of strag glers from Massilon, O., to march upon Washington predicting that ho would reach tho national capital at tho head of a million men, there were plenty of people who "viewed with alarm" this uprising of ''labor" and who were certain that it portended tho most grave and revolutionary developments. The Coxey movement, in their opinion was the most formidable and serious demonstration ever made in this country on the part of labor, and it would bring about tho most important results. The scare that was felt all over the country was speedily turned into a huge guffaw as the army took on more of the burlesque, and when Coxey finally dragged his handful of dirty and ragged tramps through the streets of Washington everybodj was saying that he was certain all the time that the movement would end in a ridiculous fiasco. When the American Railway Union made criminals of it members by precipitating the destructive strikes and riots at Chicago last summer thero were thousands of people in all parts of the country who were convinced that the great labor uprising so long foretold had come at last, and that the great question of labor vs capital would be se'.tied before the summer was over. Tho strike was to spread to every city and hamlet and involve every industry. The states and tho'general government would bo powerless to cope with the strikers. But tho federal troops in Chicago made tho striko an incident of history in two or three days. Then people have predicted tho universal triumph of populism; the imagination of the people has been excited in the last few years by a dozen chimeras and fads and revolutions of various kinds have seemed imminent. But Coxey's army marched into speedy oblivion; the Chicago strikers struck the United States troops and were quickly subdued, populism had its ground swell and is now rapidly subsiding. Tho fids have their day and then give way to something newer. The women's movement in its transitory character is a good deal like the Coxey army hegira and tho populist movement and other recent but not so conspicuous fads. Its passing is attended with more or less interest and when the excitement is over and women have become rational again, it will bo an interesting incident in the record of nineteenth century (litter day) nervousness. Tho new woman, and she ilourishes in large quantities in Lincoln, is quite harmless and oftentimes amusing. She cannot do any harm, and the movement is doubtless of some real benefit in awakening women who were in a state of coma. But the congestion of clubs and the unnatural and forced activity of women in. tho feverish pursuit of culture and emancipation will givo wav to a more reasonable and deliberate quest. The new woman will find, as her excitement abates a little, that culture and intellectual independence are more readily to be caught up with in places other than the congregations of excited women with mammoth papers on obsolete subjects. Tho Commercial club is distinguishing itself. As a social organ ization it is second to none in tho state. Its receptions and dances are so eagtrly attended that there is always a crush, and to further attest the success of these affairs tho fact that hats and overshoes ard umbrellas and overcoats are stolen in considerable quantities may be cited. There is nothing slow about tho receptions given by the Commercial lub. It fact it is a gay and frisky club, and if it is merged with the Pleasant Hour club, as is now proposed, we predict that the latter organization will bo completely submerged by tho gayety and hilarity anu social enthusiasm of the members of the Commercial club. It is the special function of The Coukier to tell not only the truth, but the whole truth, and in this connection we are under the necessity of recording the fact that there is some dissatisfaction among the old fogies in one dusty corner of the club. There are a few cranks who are disposed to object to this social propensity. They contend that tho club is or was intended to be a commercial club, and that according to the constitution the purpose of the club was to be to promote the commercial and general business interests of the city. They want to know what has been done to promote the commercial and business interests of the city. Nobody seems able to tell them, and they gaze into the open fire places in the club house in silent disgust. Harry Hotchkiss says these cranks will continue to be kindly and considerately treated just as though they were like unto the majority, and when invita tions to the next soiree are sent out tbey will not be forgotten. There was a time when the Sunday State Journal was a readable and interesting paper. That was before the syndicate got in its dead ly work, before ready made matrices of miscellaneous literature and trash from New York crowded out specially prepared local matter. Then there was much special matter of strictly local interest and the Sunday Journal was something more than a journalistic junk shop. Recently a number of careful newspaper readers have com- 1 i A 4 bJL
