The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-01-26
GENTLE WOMAN.

Very few require statistics to prove |
that women are better than men. Still !
there are those of the male sex who are
very self complacent, and doubt the
obvious fact. Moreover there are those
who remember Eve, and Adams, 1.-THE
women beguiled me-" and who on that
statement regard woman as the root of
all evil, next to the principle of evil
itself.
In Europe they have been preparing
statistics relative to the criminal ten
denotes of men and women, and the
proportion Of cases of particular crime
according to each sex. Such a study
has not been made on the mainland,
and no one has devoted any attention
to the subject on the Islands though
there is material at hand which might
he worked up. However it may be pre-
dicated that the proportions do not
vary much from the European stand
ard. Indeed it is almost safe to say
that there is a less proportion of fe-
male crime in the United States than
there is in Europe, the position of wo-
men being better.
Professor Mantegazza, who has been
investigating the criminal tendencies OF
the sexes finds that for false witness
men commit the crime 100 times to wo-
mans II. For forgery and counter
feiting men were convicted 100 times to
II for women In France men are sum-
moned before the tribunals four times
as often as women; in 1880 there were
IA female delinquents to every 100 male
delinquents. In Italy in the same year
they were only per cent, and in AL
geria there were SO male criminals and
only four women.
In England and Wales between 1884
and 1912 there were "a women offenders
to 100 men, while from DR.. Nicholson's
statistics in 1871, there were S21S men
in prison against 1917 women. In Bava-
ria, from 1862 to 1868 in a population
consisting solely of peasants, the fe-
male culprits were 20 to every hun
dred male culprits. Taking the Who'll,
Of Europe men are five time worse
than women.
Ihese statistics, moreover, are for
countries where the females are equal
in number to and often largely in ex-
cess of the males so that there is quite
as much chance, if not more for wo-
men to commit crimes, except that
their own innate goodness prevents
them.
On these Islands the same story
proves true. In 1896 there were twice
as many men as women. Turning to
the Attorney Generals report for that
year there We're 10 times as MANY men
arrested throughout the Islands as
women, and one might go through the
lists Of various crimes and find similar
figures. From the mere showing of
charges it is evident that the women
OF the Islands stand on a higher pIane
than their sisters in Europe, for while
in the latter women are five times less
guilty than men, in our Islands they
are eight and a half times less fire.
quently even charged with crime, let
alone being found guilty
But while Mantegazza has been inves-
tigating woman's evil tendencies, and
finding them less than those of the
male, the London Spectator has been
investigating her good qualities, and
has found that her charities exceed
those of men in the proportion of
little over two to one. Thus out of $780,
OOO'OOO which given number of wo-
men have controlled in their wills dur
ing the last eight years, twenty-five per
cent went to charitable objects, while
the proportion bequeathed by men in
the same time was eleven and a quar-
ter per cent. There can b. little doubt
that were similar investigation made
here, it would be found that the women
of Hawaii have been quite as consider
ate Of the poor as their European sis
ters.
The crusty old bachelor who in Weighs
against woman had better devote him
self to a study of her good qualities and
he will be convinced that though wo-
man may be uncertain, coy and hard
to please, still as thepoet puts it,
20 womanl lovely 'womanl nature
made thee
To temper man."