The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-22
Gender or Nature.

What spans of good paper are spoil
ed. what mental energy is expended
and what needed breath is carelessly
wasted in pointing out the gender of
words and actions! How easily and
thoughtlessly women's tongues curl
ABOUT the little phrase: ooh, that's the
man of it." Not only SO, but women
journalists are taking up a good deal
VI piiGe ana space nowadays in argu-
ing that certain faiiings are unfail-
1ngly masculine. In little more stilt-
ed and learned manner, they drill it
into US that an excessively close re-
Iatlon between physical comfort and
an agreeable mood is 1.-The man of if :"
that the way to a mans heart is
through his stomach; that he must
never be approached with a request
just before dinner, and that a general
assumption that things must be adj
Justed TO his pleasure is indisputably
manEHsh. One sees and hears the
story so much that to be rid of the
Ubiquitous argument one is prone to
be convinced, for the tale is very
wearying and the inference is more So
When these volunteer journalists
were collecting instances to prove that
mans mood is made by his meals.
wonder II they didn't stumble onto the
secret OF a Woman's mood! When they
struck the trail running through a
mans stomach to his heart. it would
have been interesting, as well as in
structive. if they had followed femi-
nine trail, which, if it didn't lead them
through like gastric by-ways, would. in
nine cases out Of ten, have conducted
them through the mazes of an Easter
bonnet before it ushered them out upon
the cardiac plains
There is another pet phase-current
among men, magazines and newspapers
whose untruth is as unaffected by
refuting facts as the rock-ribbed hills
and that is ito be personal is the won-
an of it" They tell US that abstract
thinking and collective acting is i'm
possible to women, and perhaps the
verdict is true. But, if some good.
kind, fmpersonaP' man would spell
out to the feminine, cranium-cramped
minds the nature Of his unfaiIing i'm
personality and their persistent per-
sonality, the result would be interest
ing as well as beneficial. well" said
one man-truly gentlemanly and chiv-
alrous. too-''let a lot of women get
together in an organization and SO
sure as there arises any difference of
| opinion as to methods, they will deal
in offensive personalities. When it
| comes to an election of officers, it is
impossible for them to let the private
| affairs of the opposing candidate
| alone" The extensive justice OF this
charge honest women must admit. But
pray tell, impersonal men, is this trait
masculine. feminine or Just human?
| How do you name that trick some
men have Of dragging skeletons out of
the closets Of undesirable candidates ?
On the floors of congress a few weeks
ago there was very impersonaI cues
ton before the, house, but the disput-
ants became strangely attracted to the
persons of some impersonal men, books
! flew around and '1iar," together with
other 'impersonal' epithets, skipped
merrily about. How name you such
conduct?
| But. seriously. to what end are the
eternal stories Of feminine personality
and masculine magnanimity, of WON
anly tenderness and mannish inconsid-
erateness? Kindness and patience.
narrowness and sordidness are not