The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-06
THE HUMAN FEMALE.
A PIaintield CynIc As~phyxiates Him.
self In Gas of IRONY.

10 II EDITOR OF TIVE SuN-Sir. Your
correspondent Mr.. William Leo certainly
must he set right in his miscoucept.on
OF the motives which guide women In
their public conduct Women arc M,
selfish. In the female Of our spe .es the
virtue of self-sacrihce finds It's highest
most uncomprnmisinC development,
as every man has been taught from the
cradle up and ought to know.
CONSIDER, Tor example. the wa OF the
woman, the infant and the baby car
rage Has any man. living or dead. In
circumstances, at any time or IN
ans place. been able 10 defect the slight
est deviation of their course TO accom-
modate the passerby ; or. II in a given
block there he a certain number OF
nurses peramhulating their charges, has
n man ever beheld any arrangement
or them other than In a single line ey-
tending without = gap from edge TO edge
OF the sidewalk?
Most assureIly not. But are we Just.
Ned I'm conCeiv'ug these phenomena TO he
an outcome II selnshness ON the part Of
women BY NJ means.
These arc purely manifestations OF
feminine devotion TO the child. In them
we have nothing less admirable than
the human apotheosis of the animal in.
stinCt of rothe'ly self-sacrihce. The
female wildcat. having no moral nature.
nights to the death in defence of her
young, But the female OF our own spe-
cies. possessed OF morality and a susp!-
c!on OF justice. has developed this am
ma instinct into an intellectual attitude
which demands that all men shall recog-
nize the supreme claim Of the infant to
a consideration beyond all other afflirs
OF life. Is not the relation true and the
lesson needed? And to beauty this
trait as the ~lofticst measure OF devotion
tho woman il entirely of the
nobility of her superior instinct, and is
conscious only Of II certain enjoyment
OF nascent feelings Of Justice in the
thought that YOU are likely to bark
your shins' II YOU don't sidestep into
the street. Could ANYTHING he more glo-
rifying than this complete feminine OBJ
liylon to the true sublimity of the fem
iu!ne aspiration"
! speak seriously Rut 7 confess that
my understanding of this matter in the
proper light Of It's supcrlativc merit has
not been achieved without some studious
ANALYSIS of feminine psychology and A
profound consideration of the origin Of
species in the primitive anthropoid,
not to dwell painfully on certain ahra-
sions Of my own person. And If Mr.. Loo
will apply the principle to his " eX-
p%ericnce OF being trapped on an elevated
CAtlN N'N ~ u ~ ldlkfllAfl1 VI
babies. ! feel sure he will recognize the
duty, or at least the advisability. OF A
willing submission to the exalted devo-
ton OF motherhood Of which these oC-
currences are excellent examples.
| have pcndcred deeply mother Of
those marvellous ConformitieS OF femI-
nine conduct An mon rave observed the
habit Of typewriter girls during their
noon hour parade in our most crowded
thoroughfares invariably they mass In
extended line abreast, the breadth Of
the line being limited only by the num-
her of girls available for the commits
sion Of the assault, Mr.. Leo may he
assured that this Is not ar exhibition
OF sclnshness, Undoubtedly II Is An out
growth and expansion of the primitive
mating instinct under the influence Of
business training, and IN II the asp!ra-
ton for the sacrifice OF self realizes
It's highest purely personal expression.
Commercial education imposed on the
fundamental feminine inclinations de-
velops an eminently practical applica-
ton Of the mercantile dogma that II
pays to advertise. FRED MRTcALF.
PLAINFrELp. n j., June 80.