The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-08-05

Efficiency Of Men
and Women

Almost every one has heard men
who were neither brutes nor fools
solemnly declare to their wives and
grownup daughters that every opera
tion in the world, even housekeeping
and cooking, is better performed by
men than women. The man would,
of course, illustrate his polite theory
by pointing out that housekeeping
on a great scale, in a big hotel, for
example, is entrusted to men and that
the cooks who have made gastronom-
is history have been male.
What is interesting in this declara-
ton is not the argument, but the at
titude of mind Of the man who made
1t and the women who received It.
There are probably few households in
this year Of grace which would or
could take it seriously. The most
pompous old gentlemen have moved
with the times, wheeling and grum-
bling perhaps, but nevertheless the
meekest of devoted women are hard
ly able to believe that all their sex
Is doomed to mental inferiority. Such
things are still said, of course, but
nobody marks them. From tine to
time earnest theorists try to demon
strate to us that In the very highest
achievements of the human intellect
women cannot rival men. There has
been, they superfuously remind us,
no woman Shakespeare, no woman
Michelangelo, no woman Napoleon.
no woman Newton. Such marvellous
discoveries do not much interest
practical persons, who fail to find in
them any light upon the problem of
the relative ability Of the ord nary
woman and the ordinary man.
The rival theorists who claim that
women can do everything that man
can do deserve no more attention.
Physical strength and endurance
weight the scales. Even in trades
not demanding the strongest physi-
que this difference is still of import
ance. The other day there was ho-
tel manager who. while admitting the
capacity of women to take the places
of many walters, doubted IL they
could satisfactorily do a seven course
dinner when there is a rush on"
But there Is here no suggestion of a
lower standard of skill. and, indeed,
the graces of "a neat handed Phyllis"
as a minister to the solemn ceremo-
MES of your table are proverbial.
The ultimate truth of the matter
Is that apart from the handicap of
phys cal strength the differences in
the capacity OF women and men are
differences in the capacity OF train
ing and of individuals, not of sex at
all. 1t is obviously absurd to sup.
pose that any woman who would lie
to can perform the duties of n man
who has laboriously fitted himself for
his position. Skill In a trade or
profession is not instructive.
But it is equally absurd to assume
that the deficiencies of a woman Who
has had no professional training are
due to her sex. Some of the mental
qualities which we commonly talk
about as II they were innate are very
largely or entirely matters Of educa.
ton. For example, we often hear
that women are comparatively unfit
for positions of responsibility be.
cause they cannot manage large stats
as well as men. But very few WON.
en- have had the chance to it them.
selves for such positions. The edu.
cation of boy at school is, above
almost everything else, designated 20
produce men who have the qualities
of Leadership