The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-10-15

S <corner, and who used
~ to be a member of my
fayoffte club. You remember him
/he fussy little man, who always
wears a high hat and sack coat,
and walks with a strut that makes
me think of a turkey gobbler of
which l was the proud possessor IL
my boyhood days. Tommy is gay
old boy, very fond of the fair sex in
general, and the rights of women
used to be one of his favorite topics
for discussion at the club. He would
talk for hours about the poor down.,
trodden wives who are little better
than the slaves of their husbands,
who must grovel on their knees for
actual necessities, and who seldom
have dollar of their own from one
years end to another Tommy's
righteous indignation was something
fair to see. "Girc your wives an al
lowance, boys" he would say. Let
'em have money of their own to
spend. My wife has had an allow
ance ever since our marriage, and I
tell you it pays Well, after a while
We were astonished to hear one day
that Tommy's wife had sued him
for divorce on the ground of nom
maintenance, and In the proceedings
which followed it developed that his
much-boasted allowance was the
sum Of 81 week, out of which Mrs.
Tucker was required to clothe her
self. He doesn't belong to our club
now, but his chest is as obtrusive
and his tile sets at the same angle
as of yore.
This question of an allowance is a
pretty serious one, and the dispose
ton of the woman In the case en-
tiers largely into its consideration.
Some women never get beyond child
hood, mentally, and prefer to be
treated like children all their lives.
They know nothing about their hus-
bands incomes and care less, If they
: keep them literally supplied with
the luxuries their childish natures
demand. With such women there is
only one course practicable, and that
Is the ancient and time-honored one
which Is based on the theory that all
women are irresponsible beings aad
are to be considered property Of a
higher sort, to be fed and clothed
and perhaps regarded with a degree
OF affection, but not to be treated as
mental equals nor to be given any
active part in domestic administra-
ton except as an upper servant. The
great trouble Is that there are so
many wives who are treated in this
manner who do not deserve to be.
The human dolls are, In fact,
mighty small minority Of woman
kind. The supposed limitations of
the sex have been fixed in the mas
culine mind by the customs and
prejudices of centuries, and it is
pretty hard to change its attitude.
but the change is being made and
made more rapidly in this country
than In any other, We have learned
that the average woman has Just
about as much sense as the average
man. and, given the same training
and same conditions, she can accom-
plish equally as much. There seems
TO be a subtle difference in their
mental equipment which enables a
woman TO reach an instant concIu-
sion by means of something we call
Intuition. while man arrives at the
same point after a Iaborious process
OF reasoning, but whether this diff
ference is actually physiological or
curious result OF ages of mental
repression We are unable TO say. But
j am wandering from the main issue,
and that reminds me of a preacher
who used to ride a circuit down In
southern Illinois, and who always
preached from the same text. "I like
to start from point with which I
am familiar" he would say. when
asked for an explanation, but you
notice that / never go over the same
road and one text is as good as an
other IL you lose sight of it as seen
as you get started, as ! and most
other preachers do"
All I have said thus far is beside
the mark. SO far as you are concern
ed. for your wife Is no child. AS a
matter of fact really childish women
are comparatively few In number;
the fault in a great majority of
cases where they are treated as such
is the husbands. who can't or won't
see the wrong they are doing them
selves and their wives by such treat
ment. 1t has always seemed to me
mat the proper view of the marriage
reaatton is one Of actual partnership.