, 1877-08-18
Tie superiority o. Man.
Ingrained, InaIienabIe and Eternal
BY GAL. HAMILTON

wv VI wv 'N'''''
NIT that the woman suflNgists were right
IN chnrnctrri2ing as heroic the few Wo'
men who stood.st the polls and dlstr'b-
uted votes on election day; hut until
man can be dispossesscd OF his sublime
anil all conQucring selfconridencc--let
Ms not say self-conCeit-or until woman
can he endowed with it, there can be
only play at equality, Woman wiI'reaI'y
continue in that state OF puWIage IN
which she now lives and moves and has
her being. l nm now convinced that
mans superiority may be traced back I"
this selfcOnildencc He does because lie
giycs himself only to the doing, and is
no. troubled by surmises that he may
offend or annoy. 1t is trait by no
means confined to the forward, the un-
thankful and the uuhoy. 1t flowers in
vital vigor all over the very men who
centralizc love and respect. Nor is it
necessarily offensive or Objectionable. 1t
is quite as likely 10 be entertaining and
admirable. 1t consists with perfect
modesty. 1t detracts nothing from un-
selfshness. To it is Inconsistencies
almost inevitable. All you may he sure
of Is that it is simply there, underlying
every thought and act, however invol-
untary; n ground work that may always
be assumed whether or not visible to the
naked eye--but generally visible!
Look at the ridiculous way in which a
man takes for granted that woman will
be interested in his sayings and doings
IT his wife has along story to tell him
she is filled with misgiyings lest it may
tire him, she leaves out many little
picturesque touches that she may not
take up this time, and even on the hand
gallop, she has not arrived within call of
HcT CoHCluslOH, Nlcll hc uohS WIN toH-
fuslng drectness. "Wel, how did it
turn out 2" But the man has never a
misgiving that he will be hurried, or
that life has anything better TO offer than
listening to him. He begin his story at
its earliest morning stages and lopes
leisureiy to its close; or, it be rapid,
he gives it rapid transit, but he never
omits :auything on his wife's account
He tells what he said and what the
other man said, and what the other man
might have said, and what he would
have said had the other man said what
he might have said. And the worst OF it
is-the fatal point is that his confidence
is justified. Tie woman is interested.
The mans talk takes her out of her own
into larger life, and she not only tole-
rates but envies it, and what are you
going TO do about it.
Two women are spending the days of
this long term together, aud both are
young and one is beautiful, and neither
is devoured by selfdepreciation nor
dreams that the evenings are dreary,
They read Deirdae and mark its smooth
flow and the Homeric touches They
read Hamerton and dare to laugh at his
padding and platitudcs. They browes
with Caliban on his island and are alto.
gether tranquil and content, and sudden.
ly the front door filings open to a man,
breezy and blowsy as the northeast wind
that blows him in. Now, if it were a
woman in the case, entering upon the
sanity solitude of two men, what Ian
guage would be humble enough to ex.
press her fears that she was interrupting
them, and in some way de trop and un-
welcome But this royal, rollicking,
selfconfdent creature has hardly filled
the little drawing room with the spray
vigorously and cheerfully shaken from
the storm-besprent shag of his Ulster
before he is cordially congratulating
two forlorn women" on their luck in
having him come down upon them
And re disports himself In lordly fashion
corresponding to his audacious words
walks over the course as if he we're
monarch of all he surveyed, not in the
least conscious of doing anything notice.
able, but because that is his natural
stride; orders up an open fire and be
spreads himself before it comfortably,
while II woman would shiver herself into