The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1897-03-04
THE EGOTISTIC SEX.
LET US HOPE ALL MEN DO NOT DE.
SERVE THIS LECTURE.

One of the Sisters Who Champions the
Woman Cause Brings Some Very Severe
Counts Against the Self Sufficient Mas
culine Man.
In considering man i'll his relation tc
woman the woman of advanced thought
Is accustomed to speak of his selfishpess,
his tyranny, his injustice, his brutality.
AL these are but different manifestations
of me equality-egotism
The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table de-
fines egotism as salt for the preservation
of society. A human being without ego
tism would inevitably degenerate in the
cial scale. We recognize the necessity for
egotism, but we deplore and shrn the
egotist, for the egotist is one whose sense
of his own greatness has grown to such
enormous proportions that he sees nothing
else in the universe. And this Is the casa
with man in his dealings with woman.
His egotism has been to her napkin IN
which were wrapped her God given talents
and grave deep and wide in which they
were buried-a burial that for centuries
has known no resurrection morn. This
egotism, impalpable as a shadow and i'm
passable as a Chinese wall, erected itself
before her footsteps and prisoned her with
in the narrow limits of four walls called
home. 1t settled down upon her life, de-
qouring every green and pleasant thing,
till the record of her existence might be
summed up in these pathetic words, 1.-The
years that the locusts have eaten" Like
the tabled Minotaur, this egotism has
placed itself ON the heights of life, calling,
not yearly, but daily, hourly, momently,
for its tribute of womanhood. And led by
the high priests of ignorance and supersti-
ton an innumerable throng of sad eyed
victims have walked dumbly through the
ages, yielding themselves up to the mon
ster.
History is full If instances of this ego
tism. In China it is the egotism of man
that binds the feet of women. In India it
is the egotism of man that builds the Ze-
mana. In Turkey it is the egotism of man
that makes the harem. In Persia 1t is tho
egotism of man that brides the mouths of
women. In Russia it is the egotism of
man that says, "Once a woman always Il
beast" In the Jewish notion it was tho
egotism of man that said in the liturgy, Il
thank thee, . God, that thou hast not
made me u woman" In Mohammedan
countries it is the egotism of man that de-
clares woman to be creature without a
soul In America it Is the egotism Of
man that says, 1.-THE home is woman's
sphere ''The higher education units
woman for wifehood and motherhood, =
"Women have nothing to do with politics, ;"
~Wifehood and motherhood are a woman
highest calling and election" and a dozen
similar idiocies that until recently were
held as sacred, unquestionable truth.
When Mime. De Stael, in her day the
most brilliant woman in Europe, asked
Napoleon what woman rendered the great
est service to France, he answered her from
the depths OF his fathonless egotism as
follows:
Madame, she who brings forth the
greatest number of male children"
Here spoke the true Napoleonic brutal
ity. No Acknowledgements of womanly in
tellect, no recognition of womanly geniu US
and diplomacy, no homage even to mother
hood. The greatest general in Europe
wanted soldiers to make flood for pow
der,'' and in his eyes stupid, prolific
peasant woman was more useful than tho
intellectual feminine diplomat whom he
feared, hated and exiled at last from
France.
The spirit that lay behind Napoleon's
words is the "indwelling spirit" of 999 out
of l 900 men. Everywhere men are meas
uring, weighing, judging, condemning or
approving women by the mean, narrow,
petty, miserable standards of their indi-
vidual likes, dislikes and needs. The Ger
man Emperor William expresses his par
ticular egotisn by the dictum that wom-
ans sphere is bounded by the three ks
-kirche, kueche, kinderstube Church,
kitchen and nursery.
When Laura Clay was lecturing in Ken
lucky, Kentucky colonel who, by the
way, was not present at her lecture, re-
marked loftily that he chad no use for
such women" He was evidently of the
opinion that the Almighty Ruler of the
universe had made a great mistake in not
consulting him when Miss Clay was made.
1t was singular fact that, when the AL
mighty sees that the world stands in need
of certain kind of womanhood, he does
not pause TO consider the wishes and tastes
of any kentucky colonel When he sees,
for instance, that the women of a great
commonwealth are classed with "idiots,
lunatics and minors;'' when ne sees that
by the marriage ceremony women are be-
reft of their property rights; when he sees
that in this land of chivalry' a married
mother has no ownership in her little chill
dren; when he sees that the law makes it
safe for any scoundrel to rob girl child
of her purity, and seeing these things and
many more he probably concludes that,
while "suoh women may be offensive to
the delicate tastes of few kentucky col
onels, created by Kentucky governors,
these same women are sadly needed by
thousands of other women whom he has
created. And SO he allows "such women"
to come into being and gives them name
and place in his universe in sublime for.
getfulness of all Kentucky colonies, past
present and to come.
That redoubtable little dress refornel
Mrs. Frank Stuart Parker relates that she
was trying to have a certain kind of wraI
made, embodying an nr1istic idea of hel
own. The tailor failed to carry out bel
conception, and when she took it back tc
him for alteration he exclaimed in egotis
teal disgust, 81 wouldn't marry a woman
who would wear such a cloak" (This
| you will observe, was the very highest
censure he could pass on either the CLOAK
| or the woman.)
"Sir," said the little lady, ga woman
| who would wear snch a cloak wouldn't
marry you
Remember this little story, my conserva
| tive brother, and the next time you arr
tempted to say, II wouldn't marry such 6
| woman" or 81 have no use for such WON
en-" it may dawn on your mind that
| strange and unaccountable as it seems
"such women" wouldn't marry you anG
| that they actually have as little use fol
| you as you have for them. Such thought.
| will prove cooling APPLICATION tn the fer
| yor of your egotism.-Lida Calvert Oben
| chain in Womankind.
Doorsteps.