South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-05-24
The Fourth Sex
BY Ada Patterson

A Frenchman visiting this country
has discovered a third sex. He says
it is the woman who viii not marry.
That she is not a man is apparent.
That she is d woman-he regards as
dubious, for If she be a woman would
it not be the strong desire of her and
fixed aim Of her men persist in think
ing themselves life's chief prizes for
womans life TO marry. SO the
F'renchman reasons and deduces from
his reasoning that in America we
have three sexes, man, woman and
the creature in female form who de-
clines to marry. He quite overloOks
the male bachelor, the man who de-
clines to marry. But men were ever
merciful to their own sex.
I, too, have gone exploring in the
rich fields Of humanity. | too, have
made a discovery. There is a fourth
sex 1t is the female bully.
Do you know one? Think hard. 1
know two of them, perhaps more. but
! hope not. for two are more than it
is desirable to know.
The female bully is what her name
implies, a braggart and q bull0OZer.
Nature has bestowed upon her a loud
voice which she employs chiefly in
arguing. 1t has given her shoulders
pushing her way to what she calls
the front" She has an erratic mind
and accounts for her differing atti-
tudes on some subject by saying she
"acts upon inspiration" She is fierce
Of temper and tickle of purpose, but in
all moods and lenses she is consist
ent in one respect. She is a noise
The female bully is a human drum.
She is a tom tom, that, while an in
Gel ono -rlrn
teed to draw a crowd. She is like a
Autograph, big, gaudy. but inescap-
able
The female bully either never mar
ries or does not stay married. Both
the noise makers whom l know are
twice divorced. In each case the
brace of husbands have the sympathy
of all who know them and the cir
cumstances. Their wives bullying
strained the bonds Of marrimony un-
til they broke.
The only excuse that can be offered
for the female bully is that she has
never grown up. Children are small
savages claiming everything in sight
and their own and Offering armed re-
sistance II anyone denies that right
The bully OF the feminine order is
like a college freshman. with views
about everything and most of them
killed. and may limp because rheuma-
tism hobbies her knees but she never
loses the harsh intolerance Of youth.
Cure herr No, unless we catch her
very young. All we can do is 70 pro-
tect ourselves from her by refusing 10
know her IF she HAPPENS 20 be
within our own family circle woe is
our portion.
Let US not be DULLES ourselves. If
we desire that we cannot discuss the
world war equal suffrage nor re-
ligiOn, without raised voice and flush
ed face, let us go into our closets and
sit for awhile in sack cloth and ashes
and come not forth until Of chastened
spirit. And If child IN our care dis
PLAYS the tokens Of the bully let us
convince her that the little girl across
the street is quite as pretty as she is
and quite as clever more so. in fact
for she has learned one Of lfe's first
and last and greatest lessons, re-
strsint. And impress upon her that
great force is often quiet and that
quiet in itself a force. gathers force
one variety OF Chinese sugar cane