New-York tribune., 1905-08-23
WOMEN NO BETTER THAN MEN
lhey Are Not More Moral, Unselfisb or Re.
Hglous, Says Mrs Gilman


4dsdzlne Under the title of .Irslsa -do1s,,
sne attacks the conventional sssu,,r+tor ~
, e'1 are DETER than men. She endeavors to
'-ia0 "hile in certain sex characteristics
60 - 44"iiily from motherhood. women are bet
''-ah men IN those human attributes which rise
14Onl association on terms of equality with ones
KIND they inferior 10 men because ~ tho So
cIuslon and narrowness of their lives in the mast
11a' as III purely sex attribute like devotion TO
OiSfiIns' mothers are superior to fathers because
N+'ute makes them SO; but in a purely human
a'tIiOute' ike sense OF justice, for instance or
1e4o"shp, men superior to- women because
me training Of intercourse with their fellows has
made them So
women she says ARE frankly admitted to be
the more moral sex. One OF the stock arguments
"a Ihs advocates Of equal suffrage is that our
women form the majority OF church members
and but a small percentage Of our criminals Even
physlo4osy seems to bear the belief; for girl
army Of detectives and degenerates-deaf. @ dumb
oIlna crippled, crazy and feeble minded-is meinly
recruited from men. OF the last two varieties in
SANITY which requires some intellect TO begin with
Is more frequent among women, and sheer idocy-
men On many lines Of research we are proving
fore Iora 0ri5 s - tie s.rohseT out is II tere-
the moral standards Of a civilized Christian world.
women stand higher than men?
IT IS TO THEIR INTEREST.
Patent superiority in one virtue we may readily
grant them-that Of chastity This is genuinely
theirs by nature, as well being carefully fos-
tered artihcially by man. Man did not invent it.
He found it in state OF nature Admitting that
they are thus morally superior by nature there
remains damaging quanhcation-that it Is to their
interest TO be Where a certain virtue is de-
manded as the condition to a recent livelihood
and all higher rewards OF love and honor the
moraF Suality Of this virtue is somewhat i'm
paired.
10 fS-Sk. chow the moral superiority of women
they seH1'a pc measured on equal terms with men.
ETuLeDI haIia
measurement would result In the same standard
now now upheld among US. II happy marriage and
Gus men, and all decent society, advancement and
tjI, iTds o. ilvenhood closed TO the vicious,
De as moral as they wish women to be
to fall back on Mother Nature and cIarn oTiy
that the female sex originally more virtuous
the second great virtue commonly allotted to wom
are noTe nses How HOW often we hear itwomen
me- tne encr3aching other half and dub him selfish
world, and selhshness IS common to aIi@inciuding
the human. As the human animal progresses IN
learns TO love and serve his fellows. and we find
every shade Of higher feeling from simple neigh
This sentiment of fellowship. amounting at times
TO heroism. is quite common among men. Every
trade has its heroes; the more dangerous the work
Sailors and miners and railroad men risk their
nyes Tor each other as quite common occurrence
sometimes even an enemy.
AS TO UNSELFTSENESS.
Has woman gone so far? Is the average woman
more unselfsh IN her relations with other women
than men are with men? The trouble is here that
we cannot tell. The average woman has reIa-
tions with other women, except as servants or in
what is called society Are women more unselish
with servants than men? Are women more un-
selfish IN society than are men? Is not the un-
selhshness we talk about in women two-thiris mere
maternal instinct and the other third the sub
serylence expected Of q wife?
We have not yet outgrown our long period OF
o woman f saTeFy; 10 serve to toll to work to wait
serviiitys Only in our higher classes, where a
women sered and wated on 6f 6v oGT e are
But the highest level of unselhshness, to give
whole field OF history brsties thick with noble
names, and mostly names OF men. To deeply love
is far more common among men than among
The reason for this says Mrs Gilman lies in
the long secluson Of women-her eternal setting
aside TO the narrow interests of the Individual
The slave woman. the harem woman, even the
the needs Of the world. She is confined wholly to
duty. Civic service, national service world service
service?"
As for that most common of feminine virtues
patience. Mrs Gilman declares that ii Is
"Impatience, resistance rebellion the demand
for something better. lifts and carries the world"
Patience is virtue for chronic invads slaves
and prisoners. not for free and women thinks
Mrs. Gilman. In relation of life alone does
she acknowledge. that patience is an absolute
necessity in dealing with children, who be
taught and trained with patience until their in
tellects mature. Here again. in another at
tribute OF motherhood. she considers the woman
superior
Mrs Gilman denies that women are more
gious than men. as often claimed. She says they
are more ready to accept doctrine-any doctrine
they taught-but they do forgive their
enemies more or love their neighbors more than
men They accept injuries more meekly and sub
nissiVely, because woman is almost always a
PENDENT. q servant, under upper"
But active not a passive Christianity is
And the greatest virtues an active Christianity
are courage. truth and justice all virtues that can