The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-10-02

naturedly laughed at certain American
ecCentricitics, Americans have laughed
with them, showing not the smallest trace
Of i'll feeling; wher the truth has been
grossly distorted American sentiment has
been aroused, such feeling under such
circun stances being merely human and
nothing more.
But foreigners persist in judging all
Americans from the few and forming
erroneous conclusions as to American
conditions. Here is w. T. Stead, the
London editor, who himself might quite
properly be C3lEed eccentric, back in the
United States and engaged in his famil
lar and no doubt pleasant occupation of
criticising. Mr.. Stead has been here be-
fore and has been very candid and frank
in the expressions Of his opinions, with
out however arousng any feeling other
than mild curiosity. But this time he has
shot so wide of the mark that his criti-
cisms invite contradiction This Londoner
always has expressed himself with the
greatest degree of freedom, and doubtless
believes that he has a mission to perform
in the world. His latest work is plan
whereby he believes American women
may be improved. Mere gallantry would
lead to the answer that there is no room
for Improvement, but the correctness of
suCn an argument might well be ques-
toned There is nothing finite that can
be regarded as altogether perfect, and the
American woman is not an exception to
this rule. Nevertheless the criticism
which Mr.. Stead makes is not in accord
ancc with the facts. In a word, he de-
clares that the American woman is not
cOntradiCted enough and, as a result, she
is in the haLit of talking arrant nonsense.
He regards her as a fascinating child and
not as a factor in the practical world, all
of which is said to be due to the mistaken
gallantry and politeness of the American
man, who listens 10 her silly conversation
with cclm courtesy and 'only when she
ceases and quits the room the expressive
"shrug of the shoulders and sigh of relief
bear testimony to his fOrbearance." Iav-
ing decided to his own satisfaction that
all this is true, Mr. Stead urges that the
men of this county, for the good of the
opposite sex, join in crusade which, by
means of persistent contradiction, will
make the woman more careful of their
thoughts and speech
1t will be very evident to all Americans
invcterate woman-haters excepted, that
Mr.. Stead has based his line of argument
upon false premises. In spite of his visits
to this country he displays his utter
lack of acquaintance with the typical
American woman. He has been wasting
wrongly assuming that they We're typical
of all American woman-kind. Nothing
Is more certain than that the average
American woman does not talk "arrant
nonsense" On the contrary she possess
ses as much practical common sense as
the man, and is not slow to display that
possession. She does not hide her light
under a bushel, but both thinks sense and
talks sense Mr. Stead 10 the contrary
notwithstanding. If Mr.. Stead Is deter
mined to start a crusade he should seek
some other and less favored land, where
the women are indeed butterflies, and
where the ones who do not talk "arrant
nonsense" are the exceptions. His plan
will not succeed here for the very reason
that there is no need Of it.
O.
Another recent writer, VINO is also in
all probability an Englishman, makes a
plea for the American husband, assert
ing that in this country the wife is placed
on a pedestal and made the superior Of
her husband, "a something apart from his
working life, and not the companion of
"his troubles and cares, as she was in
"tended to be-" This writer is quite as
far from being right as Mr.. Stead him
self. The picture he draws is so distorted
as to be almost laughable to Americans
themselves, who fully understand the real
situation. Both Of these writers are fight
ing shadows,