The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1902-11-07
A QUESTION OF SEX.
Which Would You Prefer Were You to
be Born Again-Max O'Relps
Ideas.

If you could be born again. which sex
would you elect to Delong to? Now, this
is question which my readers will find
difficulty in answering, and even in
speaking about with authority, as each
Of them has only had the experiences Of
one sex.
Before answering it we must indeed
talk it over with some very intimate and
trustworthy friends of the other sex. and
compare their sentiments and sensations
with our own. We must recall to our
minds all the observations which we have
made on the lives Of men and women
whom we have knc9*n. let us not fol-
low the example of the woman who
would be man because men are free. !"
and the man who would be woman
because women are admired" for the
reason that all men are not free. and
women are far from being all admired.
have interviewed on the subject
many men and many women, and I have
found an enormous majority of women
who would elect to be men, and only a
very small minority Of men who would
elect: to be women. Conclusions: Most
people would elect to be men.
l am a man, and if I were to be born
again and asked to make a choice l
would elect to be a man, but the reason
may be that 1 possess many failings of
winch am aware, and also a few quail
ties which the most imperfect of us must
necessarily possess who are not absolute.
~ objects of perdition.
For let US say at once that sex suits
character
l love freedom and hate conventional
tiles; am a man of action and must al
ways be up and doing. I do not believe
that l am in any way tyrannical, yet I
IKE to lead and have my own way. II
the position of first fiddle is engaged /
decline to form part Of the orchestra.
Most of these characteristics are failings.
perhaps even faults, but possess them,
and I cannot help possessing them, and
they naturally induce me to prefer beng
man.
I have made my confession; let my
readers make theirs, instead Of taking
me to task. hate to feel protected, to
be petted, but I would love to protect and
pet beloved one, whom l would think
weaker than myself. / was born a
fighter, and don't care for smooth
paths, unless I can make them smooth
myself for my own use and also for the
use Of those who walk through life by
my side.
But, leaving aside personal characteris-
tics, which would lead me to elect to be
man. there are many reasons which
would cause me to make that choice quite
Independent Of my nature. Nature has
given woman beauty of face and figure,
but there she stopped, and to make her
pay for that gift she has handicapped
her in every possible way.
And when consider that there are in
this world more ugly women than beauti.
full ones, and that an ugly woman is the
abomination Of desolation, an anomaly, a
freak, altogether fail to see why 90
women out Of 100 should return thanks
| for being women.
Women have terrible grievances, many
| of which society and legislation that is
| to say, in the second case, NAM ought
te redress. But the greatest grievances
| of women are, to my mind, against ma.
ture. The grievances cannot and will
never be redressed.
In love woman has an unfair position
she gets old when a man of the same age
remains young; in every race she is han.
dicapped out of any chance Of winning OF
even getting dead heat. For these rea.
sons especially should elect to be 8
man.
All, what pity we cannot decide ou1
fate in every phase of life. In which
case would elect to be beautiful WON.
an from 20 to 80; a brilliant officer from
80 to 40; celebrated painter from 40 to
SO; famous poet or novelist from so to
60; prime minister Of France or Presi
dent Of the United States from 60 to 20
and cardinal for the rest Of my life.