91

IN DEFENSE OF HER OWN SEX

Mrs. Peattie Writes a Reply to the Communication of A. M. M.

She Maintains That Women Are Not Light Minded, but Are Frequently the Family Strength.

Some Sharp Arrows Which Are Shot Without Rancor in This Joust Over the "New Woman."

A. M. M. has a bitter and somewhat excited article in the Public Pulse columns of a recent issue of this journal concerning women's rights-as she is fair enough to term them. One does not, of course know what should have caused A. M. M. to wrtie so earnestly upon a question which at the present time appears to be abeyance. Very likely it was some private discussion which stirred her and impelled her to give voice in public to the personal indignation which she felt. At any rate as her ideas represent those of a large class of women and as they are set forth with the most evident sincerity, they are entitled to the condideration of women who are willing to bear with some pride the epithets heaped upon them by thos of shallow wit-epithels which were intended to be opprobrious. As "Yankee" was a term of contempt, yet came to be born with honest bride by those whom it was appiled so "the new woman," which was meant for a slur, has come to be a shiboleth, and the women who work in eclence, in art, in the professions, in the trades, in the home, the church and the school have come to accept with dignity that application and to fraternize under it.

The arguments which A. M. M. advances aginst the political enfranchisement of women are very old. Though really that is nothing aginst them. Almost all good things ate old, as well as most bad things. Nothing is older than injustice. F w things are older than sophistry. And without injustice we should not have had the heroic trimphs of justice. Without sophistry we could not have had the background over against which in place the fair figure of truth. One does not mind that what A. M. M. says is very old and lacking in originality. One could hardly ecpect, indeed, that a member of the"light minded foolish and frivolous" sec should be anything but a plaglarist. How could a creature so abject create anything-save children like any other mammal? It is A.M.M. who after talking about all for which the Creator intended us, says that we are "light minded, frivolous and foolish." Perhaps she knows. But indeed, could she look in the hearts that however foolish we may be, however frivolous we might have been long ago, we are not light minded! Perhaps if we could be for a while the world might not seem so old Perhaps if we could let the hundresds drop and the durucs fall, and the awful of what we owe to out children and in others who live us be forgotten for a while life would seem very day and wonderful to some of us. No, really believe me A. M. M., we are not light minded. We cannot conduct homes with all the fine economies necessary, we cannot [trust?] our children with all the hopes and prayers and fear [?] upon that sacred task , we cannot muc in a world so filled with injustice and sorrow and be light minded. Perhaps you are, dear A. M. M. But there are many, many of us who are not, and who never can be again, though we may have been so once when we were little girls and ran over the meadows of our youth, where the butterflies were. But that was such a very long time ago!

We cannot even retain out "light mindedness, A. M. M., and contemplate the awful erros made by "our wisest men," of whom you speak with such abject revrence that it remind me of the "Japanese grovel" with which good Mr. Gilbert had the subjects of the mikado approach his most illumunated majesty. You are indeed under the thrall of sex. I congratuales you upon tour masculine axqaintance. I have know many faily good men and two remarkably good ones: I have enjoyed the acquaintance of hundreds of interesting men, and thousands of comparatively inoffensive ones. But the wisdom of which I speak I have not seen, neither in the mwn whom I have been permitted to shake the hands at public levees-such as Mr. Cleveland, for instance. I have often perveived that men became famous by a mere trick of fate, over which they had no control. I have seen men as heroic as the most successful men as heroic as the most successful fall because of another trick of fate. And as for wisdom-merciful heavens: is not this country bewildered by the errors of men? Is not this state in abject trepidation- are not men regarding one another with oitable eyes, conscious past words of their own fallinility and of the wreck in whch they have precipitated themselves? Have you not seen many and many at time, families dragged to ruin bythe mistaken judgement of good men, and the selfish vices of bad ones? Have you not observed pretenders everywhere? Have you not learned it is often greed which triumphs coarseness which succeds, tyranny which wins respoect, and does not the wole world bow before a shining yellow metal, which will make the possessor of snowwhite swan in the wyese of those who erstwhile, before they came into possession of that metal, though him or her a goose? The "wisdom" of men! Truely they are as wise as women-but what a little thing is that. And do not women know how weak these men are-how the beat of them must be carred for, pettied, cajoled, encouraged! The world is a very vruel place, and there never was a man yet who did not now and then falter before the strige of it, and shrink form it, hurt and afraid. It is easy to believe that Josephine may have seen Napoleon weep; quite easy to think that Martha may have kissed courage into the lops of Washington-lips which men thought so implacable.

IN DEFENSE OF HER OWN SEX

Mrs. Peattie Writes a Reply to the Communication of A. M. M.

She Maintains That Women Are Not Light Minded, but Are Frequently the Family Strength.

Some Sharp Arrows Which Are Shot Without Rancor in This Joust Over the "New Woman."

A. M. M. has a bitter and somewhat excited article in the Public Pulse columns of a recent issue of this journal concerning women's rights-as she is fair enough to term them. One does not, of course know what should have caused A. M. M. to wrtie so earnestly upon a question which at the present time appears to be abeyance. Very likely it was some private discussion which stirred her and impelled her to give voice in public to the personal indignation which she felt. At any rate as her ideas represent those of a large class of women and as they are set forth with the most evident sincerity, they are entitled to the condideration of women who are willing to bear with some pride the epithets heaped upon them by thos of shallow wit-epithels which were intended to be opprobrious. As "Yankee" was a term of contempt, yet came to be born with honest bride by those whom it was appiled so "the new woman," which was meant for a slur, has come to be a shiboleth, and the women who work in eclence, in art, in the professions, in the trades, in the home, the church and the school have come to accept with dignity that application and to fraternize under it.

The arguments which A. M. M. advances aginst the political enfranchisement of women are very old. Though really that is nothing aginst them. Almost all good things ate old, as well as most bad things. Nothing is older than injustice. F w things are older than sophistry. And without injustice we should not have had the heroic trimphs of justice. Without sophistry we could not have had the background over against which in place the fair figure of truth. One does not mind that what A. M. M. says is very old and lacking in originality. One could hardly ecpect, indeed, that a member of the"light minded foolish and frivolous" sec should be anything but a plaglarist. How could a creature so abject create anything-save children like any other mammal? It is A.M.M. who after talking about all for which the Creator intended us, says that we are "light minded, frivolous and foolish." Perhaps she knows. But indeed, could she look in the hearts that however foolish we may be, however frivolous we might have been long ago, we are not light minded! Perhaps if we could be for a while the world might not seem so old Perhaps if we could let the hundresds drop and the durucs fall, and the awful of what we owe to out children and in others who live us be forgotten for a while life would seem very day and wonderful to some of us. No, really believe me A. M. M., we are not light minded. We cannot conduct homes with all the fine economies necessary, we cannot [trust?] our children with all the hopes and prayers and fear [?] upon that sacred task , we cannot muc in a world so filled with injustice and sorrow and be light minded. Perhaps you are, dear A. M. M. But there are manu, many of us who are not, and who never can be again, though we may have been so once when we were little girls and ran over the meadows of our youth, where the butterflies were. But that was such a very long time ago!