The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-10-09
WOMAN AND THE HOME ,.,. , es.ss by Man.
LAWS ARE NOT MADE
FOR AVERAGE MAN
Women Must Be Protected from
Other Sort, Who Have No Sense of
Either ChiyaIry or Justice.
nv FRANCES sHAFFEl

by FRANCES SHAfFEh.
A while ago a few folk in a quiet way
were discussing the question of the pro-
lection of women, by law, and by grace
of that subtle force We call chivaIry.
And as the remarks grew apace, a woman,
who thinks it fair and true that between
men and women there should be a pleas
ant note of equality, made the comment
that in the background of protection. as II
was being worked out in modern ways,
there stood the practical fact that women
were the mothers OF the human race,
rather than the sentimental idea that
would place the special consideration on
the simple ground of their weaker
womanhood and their consequent need Of
protection.
The woman declared that their safe
guarding in factories and in other places
where the work was hard and eXacting
was not much for the sake Of themselves
as for the wider sake OF the State and
for the good of generations to come.
And at this point man broke in TO say
that such remarks were not fair TO the
average man. to whom the first appeal
was the fact that a woman needed and
should have tender care because Of her
womanhood.
As the talk proceeded. the woman went
on TO assert that in the making of wills,
the disposal of property, and even in the
apporuonment of the family income, there
was abundant chance for decided injus-
tice, husband to wife, if the husband
happened to be inclined that way, and
that not even the right of dover was
sufficient to balance that chance.
And again came the mans comment
that in the majority of cases, as shown
by the record of wills probated, the wife's
welfare was the husbands first care. For
the average man wanted to be just, and
more.
Where Trouble Lies.
And then the woman replied.
She declared that right there was the
trouble with the average man. He
looked at himself and he looked at his
friends-and he forgot the rest of the
Crld- He knew that for him the ques-
tion Of wOman's protection had a mean
il Gful ring: that for him there was no
occasion for laws looking for the protec-
ton OF wives in the matter of property,
and that for him, the money he earned
was all in the family interest.
But that was not all. For laws were
not made for the average man; women
diG not suffer from the lack of protec-
ton where the average man was con-
cerned; and the safeguarding Of the
property and the rights of wives was
The trouble came about because there
were some who ingloriously fell away
below the average man.
And for them-the man with neither |
Chivalry nor a sense of justice in his
heart. the husband who cares not flip |
for his wife and spends his money in |
riotOus living, and the other unthinking
husband who lets his wife work as long
and IS hard as he and then, at his death |
leaves her to the UntendeT nfeTcies Of the !
dover riCht-there must be laws. For |
W hen the average man mas done his best
and gone on his fair minded way. there
cUmes the other kind to work what
havoc he may.
And it is not fair, not all that is manly |
q true, for the average man to close |
his eyes. his ears, and his mind to the |
s0rry truth that there are many men |
who are far and away from average.
All Men Do Not Measure Up to the |
Standard.
When the average man. clear Of head !
and sound Of heart. is inclined to feel |
q hit resentful because some women com !
ment upon laws and conditions affecting |
womankind. it would he well if he might |
for a while forget himself his wife, his |
friends and their wives, and look out !
uDon lives where averages fail to prevail, |
and where nothing counts but laws.
For he would know then that it was
MT lust to make conditions and to base
laws upon the superstition that all men
measured up to the average standard. |
And h would realize that if some
women depended for protection, for jus
tice and tender care upon the men with
whom their working-lot or their life-lot
was cast. they would wait in vain, 10 the
end of time.
And just he"ause the average man is
fair and true. once he thinks where
the hard pinch comes. he knows. deep
down in his heart. that it is not always
safe to leave the protection Of wives or
of other women TO the discretion of men
who may OF may not be true who may
OF may not have judgment that is wise.
As to the average woman
II is very comfortable, Very satisfying
and appealing to know that there IS
someone who wants to protect who is
always ready to share and to safeguard
interests
But alas for the woman who is not in
under conditions that give her no hint
of protection and the wife who soon
enough learns that tender care" may
be meaningless words!
And when the average man looks out
upon the world as it is, he knows that
the remarks are not born of cynicism,
knows too. that the average woman is
quite ready, very pleased to acknowledge
him just and true.
But there is another side TO life-and
he knows it. |