The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-01-20

which feelings l have not as yet found
any Justification. Nobody has made ~
clear 90 me why the invasion Of cer-
tain streets. colleges. hotels and lines or
business By Jews should be regarded as
Objectionable. But il seems 10 be true
chat the further one goes East the nearer
he gets 10 kishenef.
Sul harder for me 60 understand II
the treatment accorded to women In the
East ! ind women are regarded some
what as negroes are in the South. as
serous. both weaker and more powerful
than The male sex. II is almost the same
view OF women as WIS held by the church
fathers, but ! do not find that the ante
Nlcene sermons are much read All
sorts OF efforts are made to prevent
women assuming a position of equality
with men. The men regard them as in
ferior IN strength and cleverness. yet
they are afraid to allow them to enter
certain occupations for fear Of their com
petition. They say that women are In
ferlor IN mental capacity, yet refuse
them the opportunity Of developing what
brains they have al the universities Tn
men praise the women for their social
qualities and conversational powers. yet
they exclude them from their clubs The
men talk Of the superior moral character
Of the women and yet deprive them OF
the right to vote.
All these apparent illogicalities are ex-
iremey difhcult for a stranger to com
prehend | have troubled my friends with
many questions about them. but without
getting the clue. None Of them will ex-
plain, simply enough for me TO under
stand, why they allow an ignorant
worthless and wicked man 10 vote, and
exclude an intelligent capable and yir-
tuous woman. For the last three presi-
dental elections my wife and | have
ways for the same candidates, and II
does not seem right 10 me that ! must
now leave her al home when ! go to the
polls, since she has the same education,
reads the same papers and has more
This contempt for women shows itself
In many other ways In getting on the
cars the men push the women 70 one
side or knock them down in a way that
Is quite distressing to one who Is not
used TO II. As nature provides the neces-
sary organs for the struggle Of life. the
women Of Eastern cities have developed
elbows Of extraordinary sharpness, ac-
tuated by powerful muscles. On the cars
the women stand while the men sit. This
masculine habit Is not so hard to acquire
as / thought at FIRST ! can do it now If
months Of practice / think | can sit and
stare al them as they dangle on the
straps In front Of me
a man corning into an Eastern city by
night train Is received In almost any OF
the hotels A wgLan under these cir
cumstances Is admitted 10 only a few
decent hotels, a1d IL she fails TO find one
Of these she Is forced 10 walk the streets
II u were the other way around II would
be equally absurd. but would not work
such hardships, / do not think It is
proper 70 force a woman to choose he
tween spending the night on a park
bench or in a Raines Law hotel. The
paths By which a woman can advance
upward toward fuller and nobler life
are more Or less hedged and barred by
customs and laws; the paths downward
are opened and creased
Then there Is the chaperonage system
which IS very prevalent IN the East. II
Is for women something like the muzzls.
law for dogs, The inevitable fts.iit IS
the double standard Of morals. How can
a Young man have any respect for a girl
when he knows her own mother dare not
trust her out OF her sight? What respect
can a girl have for a young man when
she knows that she must be thus guard
ed from him? And can there be true love
when there is not previously respect? II
seems 20 me that in this Is 10 be found
the root Of much Of the evil see here.
New York people tell me that women
here are OF such character that IL would
be rulnous 10 society to allow them great
er liberty OF course / do not know
enough about the subject yet to con-
tradict them. But there is a saying that
each country has the sort OF Jews which
II deserves by its treatment % them. and
perhaps the same thing Is true OF wom-
en-.
There seems to be a lack in the East
OF that community of interest and public
spirit which Is Characteristic OF the
West There the word public" as ap-
plled to institutions. Offices. buildings.
museums parks assemblies. libraries
schools and the like has noble and at
tractive sound. In the East II is a de-
grading adjective. In the West the pub
iic library is the pride OF the town. In
New York ] find il Is not the proper thing
at all TO know where the circulating
libraries are, IN the West u hoy or
girl does not attend the public schools
plain why. or II would be inferred that
their son or daughter was feeble minded
or incorrigible. The public school Is
usually the largest and handsOmest build
ing in Western towns. In the Eas. tho
country schools are often very poor, and
the city schools do not accommodate
thse who wish to go 10 them. ! am told
that the moral and mental atmosphere OF
the public schools of New York city Is
50 bad that AL respectable parents who
can AFFORD IL send their children to pri-
vate schools. II this Is 70 i seems to
imply that the poorer and less reputable
classes are the better citizens Would Il
not improve the public schools II the
children who have the best home train
ing were sent TO them2 ] wonder what Is
the object Of all these attempts to con-
vert the social creyices into crevasses.
I have put down here merely my pcr-
Sonal Impressions OF Eastern life and in
stitutions, well aware OF the danger Of
generalization from superficial observa-
lions. Therefore | do not wish to be un-
derstood az finding fault with anything,
Very likely there are good reasons for All
that seems 10 me questionable Tout
comprendre c'est tout pardonner One
thing at first puzzled me-that was. why
Eastern people still profess 10 be true 10
our republican ide.sls Of liberty equality
and fraternity while at the same time
working so hard against them. ! see
now 1t Is not hypocrisy. II is merely that
they do not know what any OF these
words mean.-Edwin +. slosson, in the
Independent