The Washington herald., 1915-10-14
CHANGING PLACES WITH HIS
WIFE

No man would want to change
places with his wife"
Inns was part of the statement
made by Mrs. Emily Putnam, at
foughkeepsie, N. Y, yesterday at
the hftieth anniversary of Vassar
college that caused the alumnae
present to "sit up and take notice. I"
AT lease SO the telegraph DISPATCHES
say. When the many Washington
women who went up to attend the
reunion return we shall probably
hear more of Mrs. Putnam's inter-
Csting speech.
Mrs. Putnam rested her assertion
mat man would never want to
change his lot in life for his wife's
on the grounds of her inferior
physique, her economic inferiority
and her emotional instability"
Well, we are entirely in accord
with Mrs. Putnam in part of her
statement. No normal-minded man
would change places with his wife or
with any other mans wife. But then
no normal-mindcd woman would
change places with her husband. OF
course, she wouldn't, anv more than
one OF the pigeons in the park YOU
see every day would want to be a
biackbIrd or a blackbird a pigeon.
Though, no doubt, the pigeon might
wish sometimes to have as keen eve
sight as the sleek-feathered black
BIRDS, and the blackbirds might wish
to be as large and as tame as nip-
cons.
But when Mrs, Putnam speaks of
woman's inferior physique and emo
tlonai lnstability-she NAV be right
IN a measure when it comes to eco
nomic disadvantagcs-wc do take ex-
ccption.
Isn't it fact that there are things
hat you can do, fcats of physical
strength and endurance that YOU can
accomplish to which the men of YOUR
ainlly would not be equalo
How about fall moving or horse
cleaning: How about the rush and
excitement that comes to mothers of
large families around Christmas time
when there are stockings TO fill
trees to trim, puddings and pies to
make and perhaps raft of relatives
to cntcrtain2
Is there anything in a mans life
that calls for more physical strength
and emotional endurance than moth
crhood2 Is there anything that calls
for greater patience and steadier
nerves than bringing up children.
nursing them through sickness. COR
rcctlng habits that they seem to
acquire in day and that take months
to erase. adapting their diet, amuse-
mcntS and duties to meet their grad
ual growth and development
There arc lots OF things, Mrs. Put
nam, that men can do, and that men
do do, that women cannot do: but
when you look back at your own
childhood don't YOU have to admit
that there were a lot of things that
your mother was able to do. a lot-of
crises which she went through. for
which your father would have had
ncithcr the strength nor the emotion
al stability?
Every man, woman and child ought
to be an ally OF the street cleaning
department..
II there arc papers in the street it
is your fault, or the fault OF your
ncighbor who hasn't the right spirit
OF civic pride.
From a member Of the Street
Cleaning Department yesterday we
learned that much is still to be de-
sired i'll the way OF the cooperation
OF individuals.
at is a misdcmcanor for any one
to throw anything in the Streets"
said an official OF that department,
"and the fine attached to such a mis-
demeanor varies from 81 to $Ioo. OF
course that pertains to the police de-
partmcnt, not to us; but the fact re-
mains that when a private individual
takes care to treat the streets and
sidewalks of the city with the same
respect that he would the floors of
his own house, he is only obeying the
law"