The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-06-06
QUESTIONABLE PURPOSES.
Mans Motives In Lowering tho Intel
Doctual status Of W0mer.

m000 MOttV0S usOWeTiUS tu0 1uSce.
loctual stains Of Womer.
There is something particularly un-
kind in that remark about carrying on
over into eternity the UNDERSTANDS Of
the female" In the sixth volume Of
s.Sir Charles Grandson that ponder
Gus prince Of gentlemen is asked by his
sprightly sister. "Do you think that
there is q natural inferiority in the
faculties Of tho one sex? \ natural
superiority in those Of the other?' He
answers, Generally speaking. l have
no doubt but there is After y pro-
longed discussion. in which the argu-
ments used seemed very familiar, and
show that tho folly Of the last century
bore strong family likeness to tho
folly OF this, Sir Charles comfortingly
assures his lady friends that their in
tcllectual infcriority is only imposed
upon them for temporary purposes:
''When those purposes are at an end,
this difference will b. at an end too -.
and women will certainly be on q foot
with men. rs intellectuals, in Heaven.
The difficulty is to see what good
purpose. either permanent or tempo
rary, could be served by intellectual in
feriority. Tho most prominent char
acteristic Of stupidity is to make trou-
bic. delay things, and get in the way
generally. Even assuming that women
exist solely for the purpose Of being
usuful to men. It is evident that an in
telligcnt wife can be twice as useful to
her husband as stupid one. If she
became too intelligent. however. she
might not care. TO make herself useful
10 him unless he deserved it. A cer-
tain scientist has said that the pcrfcc-
tiOn Of q horse lies in his stupidity,
since il he were as intelligent as his
master. he would not let his master
ride him--unless he did it for love. we
may add, like the black horse in John
Brent" Perhaps that curious saying
that ''the perfection Of character in q
woman Is to be characterless'' had its
origin in similar idea. II q man
wants to be always admired, no matter
whothcr he is admirable or not. then it
is evidently to his interest that the wo-
men Of his family should not be intelfi-
gcnt enough to discriminate. Assome-
body In one OF Oliver Wendell Holmes
books says: Il don't want q woman to
weigh me in balance. The judicial
character isn't captivating in females,
sir. A woman fascinates man quite
rs often by what she overlooks as by
what she secs" This doctrine is likely
to be popular. especially with those who
have a good deal to be overlooked.
It may be questioned whether the
masculine half OF the human race has
not lost something by idealizing and
encouraging that type Of feminine
character.
Meanwhile, from the point Of view OF
the woman suffragist, all these little
| ebullitions Of conceit have distinct
practical value. They serve TO make
feminine readers indignant. and thus
help us to carry out the frequent ex-
hortations Of our opponents to ICON:
] vert the women"
lit is we'll for him that am not
God!' agrim old Puritan says, in Har'
riet Beecher Stoves ..Oldtown Folks. .
referring to the man who has wronged
his sister. When some small potentate
from the petty elevation Of his pulpit
or Of the editorial desk. lays down the
law regarding women in y lofty aud
arrogant manner. we think how fortu
nate it IS for US that he is not the Rulel
OF the universe "a fact Of which h,
does not always seem to be clearl,
aware), and that after all II does no
rest with him to determine the ..statu
! Of the female. Alice Stone Blackwell
In WOman's Journal.