The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-02-25
TIE OPPOSITE SEX.
some OF the PecuIIarffIes which Charac.
ter1z@ &c.
TK,ondou TaIasranh1

Words and phrases which originate
from some popularity are often perma-
nently adopted into the language. That
Objectionable phrase " the opposite sex, !"
first became familiarized to us in the
police reports, as being used by police
men in giving their evidence. We do
not know whether it is applied indis-
criminately to either sex; the authority
of a policeman would probably be re-
quired to settle the point.
But it is not of the opposite SEX"
whichever it may be, that we would
write, but of the sexes in opposition.
In these times, when there is much
/ clamor for the rights of women, there is
a fear lest the female sex, in seeking
their independence, should set them
selves in opposition to the men. 1t is
! true that a certain number of women
can never be married, and must there
fore find some separate means of exist
| ence; but as most women become wives
/ and mothers, good feeling between tbs
| sexes should be maintained.
| Without counting those clamOrous
for g Women's Rights" who SOW more
dissension between men and women
than any others, there is a large class of
persons who unconsciOusly SET the sexes
in opposition. We received a couple of
letters by the same post-one from 8
! lady and the other from a gentleman.
The lady, after describing the somewhat
doubtful conduct of a male member of
her acquaintance, wound up with say
ing, "But that is just like men, they
are all so abOminably mean and selfish"
The gentleman, after speaking of
want of veracity in a lady, remarked,
"But women are never to be relied on"
Here, then, were a couple of people,
each given to villifving the Opposite
SEX
Just like woman" says a husband
10 his wife, when she has committed
some trifing Offense; and then, of
course, a storm ensues, for a woman
will stand anything rather than being
Eep1Oached for her sex.
just like you men," says termagant
wife to her husband, and then probably
strong words ensue; for the very fact
of reprOaching any one with their sex
makes the person doing it seem to be of
the superior.
If the matter is considered and pulled
to pieces, it is soon reduced to an alb
surdity; for if woman possesses GER
tain faults because she is a woman, or
man certain faults because he is a man,
how can either help it? It is as if a
person were to be reproached for having
q short nose, or a humpback, or
crooked finger.
That there are faults peculiar to each
sex is well known. Women are, as a
rule, made up of smaller parts than
men, but then they have more in num-
Der; they have many minor good quail
tiles and minor faults which men do
not possess. Men are made of fewer
and greater parts. A great vice is more
common with men than women; but
small vices are general with the latter.
1t is the same with other qualities, and
also in intellect. A woman can gen.
orally do many things t0lerably well; a
man turns his attention TO one only. 1t
Is seldom, therefore, that a woman's
name stands among the foremost in art,
literature or science.
This, say some, is only the fault of
their education, and that when they
shall have received equal advantages
with men they will go beyond them.
But this is easily dIsapproved by the
fact that our great poets, the foremost
men in the world, have not depended on
education. When we number up the
really great poets of all ages of whom
there is any record, and then think of
the pOetesses, we must acknowledge
that women are not equal with men.
Can we count off five poetesses on our
right handP We begin with Sappho;
that is soon settled. But who comes
next? Elizabeth Barrett Browning?
There is such long step between them
in point of time. And who next2 It is
Il -
pho and Mrs. Browning, where shall we
place them in the ranks of poets? Not
near the top, it is evident.
Women have not. then, the great
qualities of men ; but it shows a want of
greatness in a man to reprOach woman
for it. The numerous minor virtues Of
the weaker sex make up the compile
ment of a mans character, when Joined
by his. How often may we hear a man
exclaim, " You women have no logic"
1t is true that women are illogical, but
what they lose in reason they make up
in instinct, and a man should remember
that there is often much TO be gained by |
his wife's instinctiveness. !
So a woman who can do many little |
things we'll should not find fault with |
her husband because his mind is devoted |
to one great thing. But it is only by |
continual association that men and wO-
men will learn to fit their respective /
qualities into one another. If women |
only with their own sex they ex-
those small vices which are pc
culiar to them, until they become very
petty characters indeed. Their narrow
their priggishness, their
cautiOusness, their want of veracity,
their love Of scandal all grow larger;
while their good qualities rust for want
Of use. If men live without the COM
paniOnship of women their selishness,
their intolerance and their general bear
ishness of behavior increase. But be-
cause such is the case, let not the whole
of either sex be charged with these
faults; and, above all, let not men aud
women cast the finger of scOrn at each
other for what is an attribute of the
sex. Because a special fault is peculiar
to the sex, there is greater reason that
it should not be made a means of re-
proach. How many husbands and
wives quarrel for the simple reason that
those few words, Gust like the men,"
or Just like women" are continually
used, and how much enmity is created
between the sexes generally by writers
who are always alluding to faults special
to either sex! The women, perhaps, 7
come off worst in this latter respect, as
journalists are mostly male; but, on the
other hand, the novelists are mostly fe-
male, and they certainly have their re-
venge in their novels, for if men were
to be judged thereby they are very
VillainOus lot, with scarcely a gentle
man among them. That the peculiar
qualities of each sex are valuable may
be instanced by the fact that they be-
some Odious when transferred to the OPP
9osite one. WhatmoIe unpleasing than
! mannish woman, or what more dis
gushing than an efeminate man? On
,he other hand how great those char
,ntars ore and zun MOT thnr,a snr.an4;r.ans .