The New Man

Cleary published essays and articles as well as fiction and poetry. This essay, published in Puck, July 10, 1895, exemplifies her strong personality and testifies to her position as one of the progressive New Women of the turn-of-the-century.

"Here," she said, impressively, "I have a book personally descriptive of American female writers and their admirable contributions to literature."

"I shall take it--," he began,[sic]

She beamed, and opened her order-book.

"--if ," he continued, suavely, "it does not say of a certain writer: "She is prouder of her pork pies than of her poems.'"

I--I believe in one biography there is mention of something of the sort."

"Is there an assertion than another author pays attention to every detail of her house-work, and takes particular pains that dust shall never be permitted to gather in her domain?"

"I--I think there is."

"Does one paragraph declare that a well-known novelist makes a boast of darning her table damask with number one hundred fifty thread?"

"I recall a reference to that effect."

"And is it averred of another celebrity that she fashions and remodels her gowns with such skill that her neighbors and associates believe them Parisian-made?"

"That is, indeed, said of a brilliant poetess."

"And is it also asserted in any part that a popular woman of the pen takes more pleasure, in her knowledge that the suppers prepared in the chafing-dish by her own hands are exceedingly successful, than in the popularity of her novels?"

"There"--(faintly--) "is something of the sort."

"So I supposed. When you bring me a book, dealing with what women have done in literature, without any apology for their having presumed to do it, I shall gladly buy the volume. I have not read that Ruskin put his ability for chopping kindling-wood above his brilliant criticism. I never heard that the chief argument in favor of Howells was his deftness in putting up stovepipes. It is yet to be announced that Riley takes less pride in his poems than in whitewashing a cellar. There may be people who think that a compensatory domestic sop should be offered to the Cerberus of mediocrity by every woman who ventures to send her soul beyond the four walls of the kitchen. But such people would not buy the book, anyway. They would borrow it. They shall not borrow it from me. Good morning!"