The times., 1898-05-08
"The Inquict Sex"


1.-THE Tnquiet Sex" by Helen Waiter
son Moody. is a specimen of that most
unpleasant type of modern literary effort
"a woman's sneer at women. The book
is completely illogical. and without any
apparent aim except to discredit the
''womans $ movement" so-calied, to mag
Nifty the defects Of the modern woman,
and to misrepresent her virtues. The ar
gument is as hard to find as the tradi-
tional flea. and the author is so indefinite
in her allegations that one feels 2 deli
cacy about attacking her for making any
special statement, for fear OF her rejOin-
der that she didn't mean that at all!'
| For instance, she oracularly makes this
remark:
I fear we are in great danger OF taking
selves and achievements with more serious
ness than their value warrants. No doubt We are
doing we'll q sex il ambition and ambulatiOn
and hcroiSm and hurry count for anything. and
there is certainly no doubt that we are doing
too much But there are stiA few conservatives
left among who by no means sure that
the aspiration Of the leaders among womcn today
coincide with the high interests Of the sex and
/ the greatest general good.
Nov this means, if 1t means anything
al all, that women, as 4 sex, do not know
! what they do want and if they did and
| should get II, Il would be a very bad thing
/ for them. In other words. II means that
ambition and heroism may or may not
count for anything In women, and are,
/ at any rate conjoined with ''ambU!ation
and hurry II may puzzle the average
/ reader To see how, If women are doing
wei as a sex IL can be q matter Of GER
/ tainty that they are doing too much.
| But Il will take the author 10 ex-
| plain that, and good many of her other
statements. In any light, it is a decided
! ly undgnified assertion for a woman to
] ly. al Bar- ysyTg
! Again, she says, ITO be always living
! at the top of ones voice does away
! both with the logic and the distinction Of
/ the performance" Does she intend TO
imply that women in these latter days
are living in that most uncomfortable
| way? 1t has been the impression Of the
| casual observer that there were as many
! womanly, lowvoiced and gentle women
! now as there ever We're. Certainly no
| person, man or woman, would have the
! tenerity to advocate life in which one
| should always be shouting.
Again, this lady with the bewildered
! desire 20 reform reformers makes state
meHts about the college woman. She
says that hero worship is good for boys,
but not good for girls. TO the college
l women who nave known just how good
for an impressionable girl a strong
! friendship for q wise and experienced
woman may be- this statement viii seem
I
the remark that the college woman has
dyspepsia, that she is morbid, and wOr-
ries more than the woman outside the
college. This series Of propositions viii
make the average college woman smile.
As a general thing the steady routine Of
| college work, the large variety of ac-
quaintances and friends, and the regulari-
" Of hours make the college woman a
very healthy creature. Mrs. Moody
must have known some Of those maidens
| whose constitutions break down about
examination time-but not from over
1 study AS a matter OF fact, there is G
good deal Of human nature in girl. Just
as there Is IN a boy. and both are suscep-
tible to the delight OF intellectual work
and recreation. and Of physical exercise
and can find cOnteHtment in these pleas.
Ures for a considerable time without thf
| society Of the opposite sex. The idea
that three or four hundred WON.
! on in college are any more
likely TO exhaust themselves by be
ing together than three or foul
hundred men under Ike circum
stances is nonsense. Under like
conditions YOU VIII have like re
| sults-except exceptions
The author Of this book I'm short has
apparently been attacked by a fit Of th'
discomfort common TO a restless age, anC
not being altogether satisfied with hu
:
her head that the leaders of her sex are
r 10 blame. and that she would like II bet
ter to be an old-fashioned woman witt
a restricted sphere. Most women In thi
day and generation understand that the,
! | are better off than their grandmother
, were. and accept that betterment con
| tentedly. with due respect for the mel
and women who helped effect It. Her
and there. however. is a woman wh
e thinks 70 is smart to ridicule her own sex
o to depict them as inconsequent, friyOlou
I | and conccited, fond OF assuming su
? periority which they do not possess
] | Some of these women contribute thing
n TO the "wuman's column OF newspapers
< and some Of item figure in the fashion
Z ! magazines The sooner they learn tha
( they have 10 respect themselves and thei
sex If they wish To be respected, IN
. better IL will be and If the lady who ha
just written a book about her own kin
and labeled il The Unquiet Sex viii <
through that book and try to straignte
out the logic and weed out the eXJrava
CANT remarks and look seriously al tn
G figure whiCa she has held up as Woma
l. il may be q good thing for any futur
10 writing sIse sees fl 10 do.
J. IL may also De we'll for her TO conside