Connecticut western news., 1883-01-31
WOMAN AS MANS EQUAL.
Professor Adler on the CO-RelatiOn of the
 Sexes.

Sexes.
 | Professor Felix Adler's discourse Sun- day morning was on the correlation of the sexes. "The mystery of sexes, said the philosopher, lis most elusive, deli cate, difficult to express and tantalizing. It is like phantom that you follow that ever escapes you at the moment when you believe you have grasped it. How meagre are the philosophers them selves when they begin to write upon this subject, and how unsatisfactory are their analyses. And yet, difficult as the theme is, it is worth while for us to en- deavor to obtain at least an outline of comprehension concerning it, and to ob- tain general understanding on the sub- ject.
 | Cha certain sense woman Is undoubt- edly an equal of man. In another sense, in which equality is meant to imply similarity, undoubtedly she is not; for woman is not like to man. Were she like to him sweet love were slain, says the poet.
 ''Let us, then, endeavor to get at least a little clearer idea of those difference that appear in the female sex, and in or der to lead you up to the comprehension of the subject let me suggest to you the question, Why is it that society demands of custom and taste that the intended husband should make the first advance toward the intended wife, and why it should not be the opposite? Why woman should be wooed by man and not him by her? hear it said that man is the pro- tector of woman, and that therefore he who confers the benefit should be the one to make the first advances.
 'But if this were the true explanation of the matter, I, for one, cannot see why 1t should be wrong for one who needs protection to ask for it. Is it not some thing charming for one who needs help to go up to one who. is able to give it., and say: T need your help, confidence and love?' It is said that man is the support of woman. It seems to me if we are to consider who does more for the other, the husband for the wife or the wife for the husband, we are entering on very delicate subject, and that it would be very difficult in justice and impartiality to say which side the scale dips. It appears to me that the real ex- planation of this matter is not to be found in the fact that man is the pro- tector of woman, but rather i'll the fact that he is the admirer of woman.
 ''The bond of admiration is that which makes the first union between the lovers. The first glance of admiration that passes from the eye of the man to the lovliness of woman may be compared to that first wire that was cast from shore to shore, a thin wire hardly visible, and then around this other wires were woven, until at last strong cable was formed to which the bridge was attached, which the people of either shore would pass over and meet each other in unbroken communication.
 eff the bond of admiration is thus be- gun, it makes the first connection that leads to wedlock; then it is plain why it is proper for man and not for woman to propose the union. For admiration, to be genuine, must not be asked for; it must come spontaneously. The woman might go to her protector and say, Pro- tect me- but she cannot go to her ad- mirer and say, Admire me- AS in pol itics, it is the rule that the man must seek the office and not the office the man, so it is true of womans admiration
 that it must not seek, but be sought.
 "There is this distinction between the ! love that man bears to woman and that which woman bears to man: The one is founded on the admiration of loveliness
 and the other on the recognition O strength. It is not beauty. it is strength in the man that works upon the admira , tion of woman and protects her life. mean not only the physical strength.
 mean the strength expressed upward ' mental strength, social strength, mora
 strength, and moral power in the com t munity. It is this element of strengtl ! upon which woman loves to lean. There
 fore it is proper for the man to take tn
 first step toward union. Woman edu
 cates man by her beauty. Man, on tn
 other hand, strengthens and bears III - woman by his greater power.
 0 "The fact that the woman is tn t weaker party necessitates consideratio r on the part of the man. Her infuenc t in the domain of manners is necessary a s it ever was, and the intercourse of re e fined women is still sought by men. w n may be sure that courtesy would die ou @ if were it not for woman. Men learne r. courtesy from women and then the = began to practice it among themselves I will not now speak upon the questio j. whether woman has the same individu, y capacity as man. I do not ask whethe o her brain is as large or elaborate g structure even as these mems brains art n But would caution you against tn e supposition that her capacity is not th n equal of mans in value.
 l. '"The great original philosophical ides T. were given to the world by mans genir l. not woman's. The great discoverie y in science, too, were given to the worl IS by man. In the domain of art men al 'r the leaders, and the thousands of m' 't chanical inventions were produced b D. men. There is hardly single mechan 10 cal invention for which we are indebte IL to womans inventive power. I am vel U well aware how forcible the objection 90 when these points are quoted. Ho lo earnest women will say: Well, we ha, of >.a. 1l Alaa, A.l ,.;al4 IL @