New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-09-01
BOOKS
A Review of Publications Of
Special Interest to Women.
THE VALUE OF DIFFERENCES.

IHe VALUE Of UitteHENCES
WOMAN IN MODERN SOCIETY. .Rx
Earl Barnes. Pp. 257. 3. W. Huebech
New York.
To point out clearly that one sex. In
it's cooperation with the other, is hand.
capped in its endeavors at large. ana 10
try 10 accentuate the fact that only bv
equal opportunities for both sexes ia
each sex glorified, and also that one ser
suffers by the suppre sion of the other
is fundamentally the thesis of this book
Contrary to the opinion OF most super.
fetal dabblers In the so-called woman
question" men and women do not claim
the same qualities of mind and hear,
as they are different. and it is these
differences that make IL necc ssary FIR
both their contributions to life. as 4,
must be planned and lived. All this Pro.
fessor Barnes points out carefully, briefly,
and this Is no small undertaking
He says In his first chapter C"What n
Means To BE q Woman"D: ~fI
Women have evolved a morality on
the person and family, while men havs
evolved morality of the group ana
property" ri
The fact that woman more often An
peals to emotion than to reason as 4
cause for action In no way makes hes
inferior to man, but simply different.
After which he quotes from Ellen K,r.
There Is nothing more futile than "a
try to prove the fnferiortty Of woman
10 man, unless IL be TO try and prove he,
equality" 4
The chapter on what Il means 20 hi
woman sums up very we'll for the ana,
teur in this feminine renascencs more
differences which lead men and vornss
10 complement each others' capacitiea
Professor Barnes in order to pave thsI
way for future gives a resume OF WON.
ans past up through the prehistoric Ia
modern times. He covers necessarily
the period In which the economic valu~
OF woman declined In equal ratio With
the increase Of sex over-value" unti
woman came face TO face with problems
such as intemperance, child labor, whits
slavery, actual war, etc, when the 90
CURED hypo-sex qualities were forcibly
put aside to do things comparatively O
well as singIe-handed. He cites thA
practical training and feeling for organ
ization inculcated by the Civil War.
In the other chapers-"Women In Edu,
cation The. Terminating Of Culture
The Economic Independence Of Woni-
en-" Women in Industry" THE Mean
ing OF Political Life" The Modern
Family and Family Life as a VOca.
tion"-aTe taken up the pith and sub
stance OF what IS the why and where
fore and the meaning Of woman in life
to-day.
The conclusion. too, is interesting:
From the point of view OF this book
an the efforts TO open the doors OF op,
portunity through which women can pass
into the mans world are but prepa.a-
tons for the beginning OF journey
The sooner all such doors are opcnei tie
better, for then great source Of dan
gerous sex antagonism VIII pass away,
and the energy Of reformcrs will he sci
free 10 rk out tie difficult problem OF
supplementary sex adjustments.
And. meantime sex remain the great
est mystery and the mos powerful N z
IN human life. It's deeDer val e. are 10 (
sight OF when men ard women. are war.
ring over work, wages and votes. iust
as the meaning of religion has been ipsT
when priests and laity sought 20 advance
their meanly selfish interests.
when great ship founders in mid
ocean, and but third OF the people can
be saved. there IS then no quest OF
woman's rights. In the darkness OF early
morning, eager uleIl HdlltS place. Mohlfh
In the lifebOats and push them on. Tna
poorest peasant woman takes precedcnc"
over any man. =. most every woman
there would prefer 10 stay and die vi
her man-would glo~y in staying and dy-
ing II he might thus be saved but IN her
keeping. are the generations OF the future
and she Is weak. therefore the strong
gladly stand back and 60 down 20 death.
The solution OF womsn's place In the
society Of the future rnrs' be- based on
recognition of the supplementary forces
that send women 10 undesired SAFETY
while men die"
The book is printed in the clearest and
largest OF book type, and should be COM
fo~tably read by the tired as well as the
alert reader.