The Washington herald., 1912-04-16
WOMAN SHOULD CULTIVATE
SPIRIT OF TOLERANCE
If More Forgiveness Were Extended to Women and
Less Charity Shown to Men More Even Bal
ance Would Be the Happy Result

was ordered TO pay judgment or accept
ne alternative Of Imprisonment
she was a mother. with I'VE children.
one an. infant, and. having no funds. she
begged 1he young womAR-to withdraw
her demand that the sentence be carried
out. but there, was no yielding. The
Sheriff pleaded, the lawyer who had won
the case appealed toSthe obdurats young
woman on the ground that Eastertide
was approaching, when ~eqemies should
be forgiven; but she still insisted that
her defamer be sent 10 jail and made to
suffer the penalty. The woman offered
apologies and begged forgiveness In the
name Of her baby, but with a fash OF
triumph at the weeping woman and a
glance Of defiance at the protesting ON
Gals, she swept on her rebellious way.
+ PitIabIe Example of Intolerance.
1t IL a sordid. miserable story, the
kind one likes TO skip, else quickly for
get, because II deals with a side of life
none too beautiful at best. but u is such
cases in the happenings Of a day at
court or in the quieter walks that make
observant. critical felix ask why women
not the few. but the many-do not cul-
tivats q broader spirit Of tolerance In
such instances. more forgiveness toward
women. less charity for men, for the
sake Of striking a real balance.
Indeed, II Is Just because a man point
ed out this story and looked in wonder
ment at the bitterness toward woman.
the forgiveness OF man, that comment
is made upon IT
In the unhappy, revealing recital he
saw the defamer followed with an eye
looking for vengeance while the man in
the background-what Of him?
As this critic views IL. a.goodly meas
ure OF blame should have gone TO the
man. who listened to the SANDER against
a woman he professed to love. believed
II. and then spurned her, instead OF Of
fering defense and protection
The criticism 10 that all the walls Of
womanly wrath were poured upon
woman. and the man went scot free.
but In this connection mere woman ven
lures the prediction that man did not 20
scot free; that there were walls Of wrath
for him. too. differing only In kind and
degree Of publicity.
Ugly and unappealing as a chapter In
the life story Of very commonplace folk.
Il still caused quite a bit OF newspaper
comment in the big city where II hap
pened and the burden OF II all, implied
and otherwise, was woman against
woman" merciless and unforgiving.
Tendency Toward Better Things.
Yet, as the years ron by. II seems that
there is an ever-increasing tendency
among women to get from their hardness
an "eye for an eye judgment Of earlier
days. II Is always beautiful TO see
woman IN high places, whose way IN
life has been made very easy. look out
upon the world OF unfortunate offenders,
note the vast difference, make allow
ance-and forgive.
Morally, the standard OF .romanhood
Is rather high, as standards 20, and the,
whole world has turned a cold shoulder
upon the woman offender. Offering her
no chance to redeem herself. We hope
the standard never may drop by 50 much
as a degree, but there is still room for
growth in the gracious quality of mer-
ry," woman for woman. And the place
to begin is away up.
It was not so long ago that q few
women listeners were nightly shocked
II the sternness and unrelenting atti-
tude of a woman. hedged about with all
he protection OF ideal parentage and
ali the easy way of luxury. toward an
other who had no background OF help
full influence, and whose way in life was
paved by self-effort, not an easy effort
1t that. She dropped below. far below,
he accepted standard Of womanhood,
and the other-well, to her a standard
was just a standard, and the mere fact
hat the offender was a woman was suf-
icient TO make her fall from grace I'M
'orgivable.
oeth as the gentle dew from heaven"