Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-04-14
granted tho quality Of true manliness
In the men.


Q =
And now as TO what makes "a wom-
ans woman" Certainly hero tho case
is different.
Wcaid II ever delight woman and
win from her q warm emotion to hear
another woman proclaim that she had
shi,ered with fright at the approach
OF tramp? She might sympathIze
with the feeling and for the very rca-
son or its comprchensibilIty to her it
would fail TO arouse in her any cspe-
Gal interest. AS a matter of fact,
observation seems to prove that the
woman's woman Is pretty apt to have
certain qualities OF the manly in her.
These, of course. must never be OF the
gtosser sort; indeed, they must be dis
gnised, as II were, and appear only In
their ultimate effect.
But observe closely the women
whom other women seek in conpan-
ionsbip, and ex,ol to others, and see
II there is not something which salts
lies this same feminine desire to lean,
to be led, TO be supported. which is OF
~ EiStt Win LldA W
women. Let woman-sranting her
some personal attractions, OF course
show herself capable TO lead IN
thought, in opinion. in public or pri-
vate action, and see II she will not
have, at once. host of admirers in
her own sex. II she has real powers.
she will have them In the other sex,
also. but see If the quality be not diff.
fcrent. With men, 1t will be an attrac-
ton. tribute to what she does, rath-
er than TO herself, while with women
IL will be more personal matter. They
go to hear her speak, rather than to
hear her speech, and when they como
away they say: Isn't she interesting?
Isn't she wonderful?" while the male
portion of the audience will speak only
Of her subject and the manner of its
treatment.
The truth is the ever womanly"
has little charm for women, perhaps
because familiarity breeds contempt.
BY the same token. 1t delights men. be-
cause nothing is so fascinating as mys-
tery-a quality which seems even more
worthily rendered by the French word
mystere.
=
IN this connection It may be inter
esting to consider what may be the
effect of the present tendency toward
equalizing the attributes of the two
sexes. 1t has been claimed that II,
in becoming voters and bread-winners,
women must needs lose some OF their
femininity, men, on the other hand.
would be gamers, from the fact that
the association of the two sexes at the
polls and in places of business would
tend to impart to them some OF the
gehtleness and modesty which are sup
posed to be the attributes OF woman.
This being SO. the two sexes would
feet, would be the loss and gain from
this?
No doubt. in the sense OF practical
utility. the gain would be great. for
the matter OF sex, and the considera-
ton which is at present demanded for
women, is often a nuisance In the
rough and tumble Of business life, and
any new condition which placed the
sexes more on level would make mat
ters simpler for working purposes. But,
on the other hand, how great would
be the loss to the other side OF mems
and women's natures! The disappear
aDce OF that element of mystery which
constitutes so large part of the pow
OF of attraction between the sexes
would make life a somewhat tame az
fair for each OF them. Unquestion-
ably. IL the mental, the psychic and
the spiritual are to be considered, this
eqnalizing of the sexes is to be 60
piored.
These crude observations would
seem to suggest that behind this elu-
sive. indehnable, seemingly capricIous
subject OF attraction there rests Ger.
tain law, albeit 1t may seem to con-
tradict other postulates which are &C.
cepted as laws We have the axlomat-
ic deductions that birds of a feather
flock together and that like seeks
like.
These, no doubt, are good working
principles, and may be applied in a
general way, but when we come to
anything so subtle and so psychic as
this secret attraction between human
beings it would seem that 1t is regu-
lated by the law OF opposites. The
mans woman. therefore. is she who
has some essential qualities OF woman
illness in her, and the woman's woman