The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-04-24

knows that this is not true. There are
frivolous women in plenty. to be sure, but
there are frivolous mon in equal propor-
tion. and of the two the former is far more
preferable. There is more to be said I'm ia
vor OF the intuitive perceptions of
the majority of women than the
boosted judgment of tho majority of men.
We see this illustrated every day in the
general transactions of society. The lia-
bllity TO mistake IS q common misfortune.
error is on the side of the sex that IS sup
posed to discard logic and trust to instinct.
Masculine vanity stands in the way of the
confession of the fact. but the fact Is easily
discernible all the same.
They set forth. furthermore. that women
are hOpelessly e~xtravagant and careless of
the financial interests of their fathers and
husbands. There is no more familiar char
acter In plays and novels than that of the
heroine whose demands for funds wreck
the fortunes of the hero and drive him to
prison or to suicide. We are asked to
believe that women, as q rule. have no
conscience and no discretion in money
matters, when the truth is that they make
than men do. and are really entitled to
credit for most OF the economy that men
are said to enforce. The number of men
who are ruined by extravaganza wives is
very small In proportion to the number
OF those who ought to be thankful that
they have .provident wives to keep
them out of bankruptcy. Not one woman
in q thousand will deliberately spend more
than her husband can spare. if he Will only
be candid with her and tell her oil about
his business affairs. The masculine habit
of hiding the facts from wives in this re-
gard 10 the cause of much of the alleged
extravaganza of w~omankind.
WOMEN ARE o sPENDTHRIFTs.
Another of the prevailing charges against
the fair six is that it 10 incapable of look
ing at any important matter in an impair
tial way. 1t decides everything, the cy mics
say. according to it's %prejudices. and not
according to the evidence. Granting that
this Is true. can we be quite confident
that these prejudices are oftener wrong
thar right The feminine mind has q Curl
Gus knack of anticipating the evidence. It
may be mistaken. of courses; but. on the
other hand. it is very apt to be correct in
cases where the best judic;ul machinery
cannot be implicitly relied upon. Nor is it
a settled fact. generally speaking, that
women are more at the mercy of their
10 formulate quick Judgments. but
that does nor necessarily signify pref
adics. Their methods of analy-
sis, are direct and penetrating.
that they are. to say the least, fully as
exact as the more labored and p%retentious
processes of the other sex. What we de-
nominate the judicial sense Is responsible
for numerous glazing miscarriages of JUS
tice. The records of the courts are crowded
with proofs of this statement; and in the
face of such evidence, it is we'll to be slow
about condemning the verdicts that women
tender upon questions that touch the
honor and welfare of society, as well as
the regulations of individuals.
Still another count in the indictment Is
the allegation of constitutional fickleness.
Taking a woman at her word. a sneerlpg
critic says, Is like taking an eel by the tail.
But no man who cares to bear honest wit
ness, and TO speak from actual experience,
will indorse such an assertion. The best
friends that o man over gains are not of
his own sex. but of the one that he is
prone to misjudge and deprecIate. In
point of veracity, the testimony of q
woman is always better than that of q
man. They ave resources of deception. il
must be allowed. and it is well that they
are thus blest. since it Is often impossible
for them To hold their own in dealings
with men unless they resort to pretense
and strategy.
The traditions and presidents of lltera-
ture with respect To women are sadly de-
fective; in short. they do not represent the
sex as il has a right TO be represented. IL
has outgrown all the excuses that ever ex-