Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1889-01-18
American Women.

institutions with IA critical eye. On
his return home he wrote his impress
sions of this country, which he has is
sued in book form with the title of
The American Commonwealth" 1t
contains much that will interest and
please American readers as coming
from a foreigner, and one who is also
trained student of national histories
and social systems. The tone OF the
entire work is so appreciative and
sympathetic as to enhance the value
and gravity of such passages rs are
critical, and as a change from the
many books in which casuafobservcrs
have published flippant or ill-natured
comments upon our social life and in
slit itutions the book is extremely re-
freshing. The New York Herald pub
fishes many extracts from the work,
and the chapter on woman, her posi-
ton. influence, ETC., is 80 highly COM
plimentary in general, not only to the
fair sex but to the men of the nation,
that We copy few paragraphs. The
professor says:
In no country are women and es-
pecially young women, SO much made
of. The world is at their feet. Society
seems organized for the purpose of
providing enjoyment for them. Pa
rents, uncles, aunts, elderly friends,
even brothers, are ready to make their
comfort and convenience bend to the
girls wishes. The wife has fewer op-
portunities for reigning over the world
of amusements, because, except among
the richest people, she has more to do
in household management than in
England, owing to the scarcity of
servants. But she holds in her own
house more prominent, if not more
substantially powerful, position than
in England or even in France. With
the German Hausfrau, who is too often
content to be a mere housewife, there
is of course no comparison. The best
proof of the superior place Ameri-
can ladies ocupy is to be found in the
notions they profess to entertain OF an
English married pair. They talk of
au English wife az little better than a
slave, declaring that when they stay
with English friends or receive an
English couple in America they see
the wife always dcferring to the hus-
band and the husband always assum-
ing that his pleasure and convenience
are to prevail. The European wife,
often gets her own way, but she gets it
by tactful arts, by flattery or wheed-
ling or playing on the mans weakness,
whereas in America the husbands duty
and desires are to crafty the wife and
render to her those services which the
English tyrant exacts from his con-
Sort
"a European cannot spend an even
ing at home in an American drawing
room without perceiving that the atti-
tude of men to women is not that with
which he. is familiar at home. The
average European man has usually
slight sense Of condescension when he
talks to woman on serious subjects.
Even if she is his superior in intellect,
in character, in social rank, he thinks
that as n man he is her superior, and
consciously or unconsciously talks
down to her. She is too much accus-
toned to this to resent it unless it be-
comes tastelessly palpable. Such a
notion does not cross an Americans
mind. He talks to woman just as he
would to o man, Of course with more
difference of manner and with a proper
regard to the topics likely to interest
her, but giving her his intellectual
best, addressing her as a person whose
opinion is understood by both 10 be
worth as much as his own. Similarly
an American lady does not expect to
have conversation made to her. 1t is
just as much her duty or pleasure to
lead it as the mans is, and more often
than not she takes the burden from
him, darting along with gay vivacity
which puts to shame his slower wits.
1t need hardly be said that in all cases
where the two sexes come into compe
tition for comfort the provision is made
first for women"