Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-28
Flntfered Into Insanity.


Flntfered Into Insanity.
The strong minded, masculine woman I
have in view is to be found in many places.
If it happens to be in the church, while it
may not be the pastors duty to pray that
the Lord will take her out, such an event
| could hardly be looked upon in the light OF
| a serious calamity. 1t is not my misfortune
at this time to be thus afflicted, but I have
| known cases Of this kind, and can to some
| extent sympathze with those who have this
| to endure. The masculine woman presumes
| upon her Intuition" and without logic or
thought decides all questions irrespective OF
other peoples experience. A great deal of
| this nonsense is the result of what we men
call "gallantry." The average male speak
er, seeking to gain the favor of the opposite
sex by 1attery, makes extravagant state
ments with regard to her ''perceptive facul-
| ties, until she thinks it is really SO, and
acts accordingly.
would accord to woman Just as high
| sphere in the intellectual world as it is pos
sible for her to fill. Not for a moment
should sex stand in the way of mental supe-
rioriIy having its need of honor. On the
| other hand, it is only equitable that sex
should not be allowed to claim superiority
d.,
called axiom about Intuition" Granted
that woman has fine intuition, does it not,
as matter of course, depreciate with every
stride she takes toward masculinity? If
emininlty is the source of this mysterious
flow OF perceptibility, surely it loses its
power in proportion as she becomes manly.
Three Kinda of Egotists.
An anonymous writer says: 'There are
three sorts of egotists. Those who live them
selves and let others live; those who live
themselves and don't let others live, and
those who neither live themselves nor let
others live" Save me from the two latter.
An egotistical man is sad sight, but
woman who can thus be justly catalogued is
almost past REDEEM ption. Argument is to her
like water on a ducks back. Logic is an
absurdity. You cannot convince her. She
has thought 1t all out, has in fact done all
the thinking. and it is very little use for
anybody else to trouble himself She is one
of those of whom it may justly be said:
When she will. she will, you may depend ont,
And when she won't. she won't, and there's An
end ont.
Happily this kind Of woman is a COM
parative rarity, but our boasted advance
ment may produce her with more luxuriance
than is desirable.
Time was when the American society
woman kept herself comparatively secluded.
The sun was not allowed to shine upon her.
Her sole aim in life seemed to be to preserve
a complexion of face delicate in tint and
contour, and this she did by taxing the
system in all other respects. This was
wrong, morally and physically. OF course
it was followed by a revolution and as all
revolutions are apt by their very imp mpetuosity
to gain too much momentum, Of course this
did. The rosy-cheeked English woman,
with her pink and white face was pointed
10 as an example of what American women
should be. And then our American women
accepted the delusion that all that was nec-
essary to gain this English omplexion was
to walk so many miles a day, and spend
goodly portion OF their time in the open air.
In moderation this is all very proper, but
our climate is not suitable for such delicate
tints, if too much of it be used. 1t is too
dry, too full of something which irritates
the nerves and makes them do double duty.
1t is easier to walk ten miles in England
than five miles in the United States. Car
ried to extremes, physical exercise has
tendency to unhinge a frail woman and
masculinize strong one, and we men don't
want it, so therel
With the last two words woman, that Is
some women, would consider the question
settled, and that further argument was un-
necessary, but I have not done with the
woman am after yet, What with the
craze for semi.nudity at the seaside, and
nudity without much "semi" in the ball
room, coupled with the fact that some of the
fair sex are anticipating riding horseback
a la masculine, is it not about time halt
was called?
The vigorous and heroic words on this
subject from a noble woman's pen, in a
popular magazine, are very timely. No
man in the lower or middle walks of life
would care to see his mother, wife or sister
in such positions as those mentioned. Why
should aristocratic people presume to do
things that are immodest, vulgar and sug-
gestive? don't believe in mock modesty
or, puritanio prudery, but anything which
unsexes woman should be condemned, and
is discountenanced mentally, if not morally.
by all thinking men. Mans better nature
revolts against such exhibitions as have pre-
vailed along the seashore the past summer.
His baser nature may possibly have appre-
ciated them, but it seems to me that iair
woman's mission should be to stimulate the
better and seek to minimize the baser.
xx
Sad spectacI..
The Lord pity the man with a masculine
wife. I once married couple in New
Jersey. and if ever sympathized with any
poor fellow it was this one The woman
made the arrangements, and the poor idiot
came up to the scratch like game chicken
with broken wing and an eye missing.
When Iasked him if he wanted to be mar
ried he said, "Yees, reckon so," and then
vows in the humblest possible manner. He
promised to Glove. cherish and support her
in sickness and health" She promised to
"honor, love, etc." The fee was so small
that forget whether he or she paid it, but
l think it was she. remember it was
accompanied by promise that 1t would be