The Washington herald., 1908-03-01
By HELEN ROWLAND.

moral responsibility man reefs lot
woman"
The Mere Man raised his eyebrows as
he lit a cigarette.
For instance?" he inquired warily.
For instance, the Bachelor Girl re-
peated. shutting her magazine with lit
tie snap, they're always passing laws 20
make us be good. There's that new one.
declaring women from divorce courts in
Cleveland and that ordinance against
women smoking IN New York city and
and never wanted 20 smoke cigarette
before" She glanced wistfully at the
Mere Mans silver cigarette case lying
open on the taborette.
Before" The Mere Man turned and
gazed at her as if it were the first time
he ever had seen her. at the same mo-
ment hastily recovering his case and
putting Il IN his pocket.
1T makes things so much more attrac-
tive. II there is a law against them"
sighed the Bachelor Girl.
1T doesn't make a woman any more
attractive" retorted the Mere Man sting
tngly. ito have her hair smelling OF stale
tobacco and her lips unfit 10 kiss and her
fingers stained yellow and her reputation
discolored-"
- Her reputation broke in the Bach
elor Birl petulantly. with a contemptuous
wave Of her magazine That's the bogie
you always hurl at US, when you want
US 70 keep off the grass Of your pas
times and 'trespass no further on your
privileges. The moment you find any
thing amusing, you discover that it's
unl2dyllke. Her reputation Is the white
womans burden II takes all the fun
out OF life to have good reputa-
Iion-'
"what?"
that you have got 10 carry around
with YOU ike a dead weight all the time
and that gets between you and all the
things you oughtnt 10 do"
'Oh. don't know" said the Mere Man
soothingly. I've got one and don't find
IL inconvenient."
'Of course you don't rejoued the
Bachelor Girl. ~ mans reputation never
bothers him. All it interferes with Is his
stealing or cheating-and nobody wants
70 steal or cheat. They're not nice but
It's the nice things that a Womans rcr-
utation is always turning up It's nose at
and jerking her away from and telling
her she mustn't touch.
The nice things" Knocked the Mere
Man with a bitter laugh The nice
things like cigarettes. I suppose, and bet
AllAS Oh lllc races. ana going 10 leStaU-
rants alone. and woman's rights and"
''Womans rights The Bachelor Girl
spoke scofingly as she waved the smoke
from the Mere Mans cigarette out OF her
eyes and shook her curly pompadour with
iElpauence. Who wants any rights? It's
a few privileges we want. We have most
Of our rights already. In some States
we can vote. and in all Of them we have
the right 70 so out and work for our
livings. and 20 take in washing 10 support
our husbands and 90 study law and the
old ologies and struggle through colleges
and pay our own way 10 the theaters II
we want 10 go alone and 10 do all the
unpleasant and difficult things: but it's
the pleasant ones that we aren't cOnsid-
cred III for. It's when the hard work is
over and the fun begins that man sud
denly remembers that we are tender. in
capable little creatures. who must be
protected and guarded and-ieft At
home He thinks it's nice and noble and
perfectly adylike for a girl 70 go out and
toll all day IN a smoky dirty. stuffy Office
and bring home her earnings TO the fam
fly. He considers woman his equal when
II comes 20 standing in a street car, or
shouldering her way through crowd.
OF opening n big heavy Office door He
treats her as a bon cOmrade when he
wants to keep on his hat in an elevator
or blow smoke in her face on a surface
car. or fight her in a law suit; but when
IL comes to dining alone at a cafe. or
going TO the races or playing poker. or
watching divorce trials. or doing any
thing he considers amusing. he gets up
on his scruples and stands there and calls
her names
Il beg your pardon.
He declares she's unfeminine and i'm
modest. and too delicate a creature to
be allowed TO do such things" asserted
the Bachelor Girl defiantly 1T isn't her
rights that a man objects TO giving
woman; it's her privileges. II isn't the
important things Of life that he refuses
10 share with her-the responsibilities
and the struggles and the troubles; it's
the fun-the nice wicked things, the temp
tatiOns-"
That's it" broke in the Mere Man des-
perately. "A man knows the tempta-
tons
And wants to keep them all to him
self" finished the Bachelor Girl dryly.
when man talks about saving a wo-
man from temptation. he means that he
wants TO save temptation from the wO-
man. like the small boy who steals the
jam and then won't let his little sister
have any-'for fear il might make her
sick"
tOrted the Mere Man stoutly IF we let
you In on our fun and shared our priv
ieges' with you"
They wouldn't seem Ike privileges
and more" scoffed the Bachelor Girl. with
an airy smile Would they2"
"Oh, WELL" grumbled the Mere Man
rumpling his hair up desperately. Some
body's got TO be good"
And as you won't" agreed the Bach
elor Girl bitterly, we've got TO-"
1T gives us some sort Of claim on
heaven" acquiesced the Mere Man un-
concernedly.
And from appearances" remarked the
Bachelor Girl scathingly. every man ex-
poets 70 get into heaven on his wlfes
reputation. He seems 70 think II she can
only pass In a clean little white check
she'll manage somehow 70 get around St.
Peter and have her men folk admitted
too. His idea is that if he can only keep
his wife and his daughters and his sisters
IN the straight and narrow path he can
go out and zig-zag all over the downward
one without slipping away from grace or
into disgrace. He doesn't feel the least
Qualms himself at tagging after tempta-
ton in a yellow hat and red silk petit
coat, but II he sees his sister speaking to
her his soul Is wrung with shame and in
dignatiOn. Why. l suppose Adam felt
worse about Eve taking that little bite
or the apple than he did about eating the
whole OF the rest OF il himself: and even
Henry VIII was so horribly wrought up
over the way Ann Boleyn had firted
with him before they were married that
he had TO cut off her head to ease his
conscience. That's the perfectly awful
moral responsibility a man feels for a
woman" and the Bachelor Girl crossed
hrv- FEaE 4f,.