The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1910-04-01
FEMININE TYPES

An eXaSperatlng person, Dy tne
name of Duffield Osborne, has de-
livered himself of an article in the
February Forum and has called 1t
Roosevelt; A Feminine Type!" Who
would have thought it! OF all the
many things said of Mr.. Roosevelt,
who has thought of mentioning the
word feminine in connection with
him. We wonder what his feelings
would be on such matter.
The fact that on most occasions
Mr.. Roosevelt acts impulsively, but
with such strenuous convictions, that
he gives the impression of having
thought profoundly, we still refuse
to consider a feminine characteristic,
for we believe that impulsive action
with women is usually the result of
a profound emotion, long controlled,
suddenly becoming uncomfortable. In
other words, a woman only acts i'm
pulsively when her personal feelings
have been touched. A man Is often
puzzled by an outburst of extrava-
CANT language or violent action on
the part of a woman, coming appar-
emily out of clear sky. In reality,
it has been preceded by period of
suppressed emotion and dissatisfac-
ton which suddenly manifests itself
in this way. Women are really timid
about expressing themselves in action
and are only capable of doing so
when under the influence of sur
plus of feelings. They can then go
to any lengths. Reason in women is
intensely conservative and never ex-
presses itself violently. There are
women, of course, of limited intelli-
gence and ample leisure, who pick up
an interest one moment only to drop
it the next who are as passionately
for thing one day as they are
against it the next. But that is only
one feminine type
We venture to assert that in any
ten families that might be gathered
together from different social cOndi-
tions, in eight of them the mothers
will be the steadying and conserva-
tive element. That because of their
lack of impulsiveness and their cap
pacity for looking far ahead and
planning for those confided to their
care, families can be kept together
and young natures strengthened and
developed We know there is type
of active intelligence incapable of
giving protracted devotion to any
thing and which only works when
buoyed up with enthusiasm, or in the
early stages of things But that is
not essentially a feminine type; a
restless intelligence belongs more to
the masculine than the feminine
animal
Institutions, we believe, are only
given women for their protection, not
it would seem for their guidance.
Women often have curious instinct
that tells them when to distrust a
man, but not always one that causes
them to have confidence in another
And when woman persists in GER
tain line of conduct with apparently
no reason for doing that she is right
but because she has probably taken
the bit between her teeth and is at
last having her own way in some
thing she has long secretly desired,
or she is paying an old score. Such
action as this on the part of women
would more often prove disastrous,
but that they know they are acting
unreasonably and are ready at any
moment to reconcile themselves to
the unexpected (provided it is their
own faulty and pretend it is what
they have been looking for all the
time and desired above anything in
the world. But it is the heart that
is in control, nothing else.
That is not the Roosevelt type.