The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-12-06
MANS ANCIENT
EXCUSE.

It was Adam who first placed the
blame for his sin upon a woman.
There, in the Garden of Eden. which
he was soon to leave, he cried. The
woman gave me Of the tree, and l did
eat.
When / was q little girl, l used to
wish that Adam had squared his
shoulders and had said, Lord. it was
my fault I hated to think that our
common ancestor had added to the sin
of disobedience that of cOWardiCe, and
l am perfectly sure that to this day
George Washington stands pre-e emf
nent among the heroes in my mind,
because he cried, I cannot tell lie,
and faced his punishment like d SOL
der and z gentleman,
| believe that l am not different
from the average woman when | say
that the sin l can least forgive in a
man is coWardice, and by this l do
not mean physical cowardice but the
moral weakness which leads q man to
burden the slight shoulders of wom-
an with the weight of his own short
comings.
And l believe that as a rule women
do not deserve such blame. Society
teaches a different code for a man and
for a woman. a girl has the doctrine
of the necessity of self forced
upon her from babyhood. She is
taught to hide her feelings. to know
that if she steps over the conventional
boundary, she will lose caste. She is
taught that it is the man who must
pursue, and that she must be pur-
sued.
The boy, on the other hand. hardly
comes to manhood's estate before he
realizes that there are many things al
which the world winkS. His greatest
sin is not in sowing wild oats, but in
being found out. He learns that there
are opportunities to do things under
the rose and that, especially in his
dealings with women, he is not liable
to exposure, because pride and the
| love of her good name will keep &
girl quiet, even if her heart breaks.
1t is, perhaps, because of this over
confidence that We find so many mer
of high position becoming involved in
| scandals or figuring in trials which
| have to Go with suicide and murder.
Ministers, staid family men, con-
gressmen and those high in office-hoN
often they are ruined by the develop
ment of some affair into which they
entered lightly, carried away by the
fascination of the moment, and have
pursued without a thought of serious
| consequences.
! The trouble with such a man lies in
! the fact that he takes to love as Z
! paStlme ana expects the girl upOT
whom he fixes his affections to be as
shallow as himself. When he finds hel
constant he tires of her and plans tC
| get rid of her; he hardens his heart
and has no pity.
And the girl, who. perhaps. before
| she met him was unawakened. an(
who owes to his masterfulness her re-
Spouse to his love- is blamed by hin
because she cannot give him up easily
and because she cannot turn imme.
diately to some other with q ficklenes!
to match his own!
| These poor little broken hearted
girls. surely they cannot be called
| sirens" For a man to say of sucl
! a one. The woman tempted me-" i
! to lay himself open not only to con
tempt but TO ridicule.
A man may make mistake-f'
may find that he does not love-bu
when he has been eager in the chase
when he has driven other rivals from
| the field, and when at last he ha
won, there are only two courses opel
to him-to tell the girl frankly tina
he fears he cannot make her happ.
and leave her to keep him or let hin
go as she shall elect, or. if he canno
draw back with honor, TO marry he
and make the best OF it.
For just as surely as he wrongs in
nocence his sin will find him out.
know it is old-fashioned 70 quot
scripture. but there is u, verse in Ro
mans which states that the wages q