Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-12-01
PROF. SHANNON
OPPOSES DOUBLE
STANDARD LIVING
Continued from Page One)

Continued from Page One)
dressed. AS you near her you hear
her utter an oath. She is smoking
cigar or cigarette, she uses smutty
language. Do you invite her to your
home as your friend? Not much.
You pass her on the street without
notice. You relegate her to the last
end of your friends. She is not fit
for your society or even for you to
converse with on any subject. Now
hasn't the woman just as good right
to do those things and be respected as
has the man? Certainly she has.
Then why the difference? Double
standard of morals. Where has the
change come over society that it
should treat the man who does all
these things as a friend and turn the
woman away? My answer is, back
in the prehistoric ages.
I'VE find back in early times that
the strong subjected the weak to their
wills. Man being the stronger of the
two sexes dominated in all things.
Men bought their wives and demand
ed that they be pure women. They
would choose a woman for a wife and
pay the price required from the faith
en- Before a man would buy a wom-
or not she was pure and virtuous.
Fathers could not find sale for their
hayward daughters and hence they
came to demand of them pure and
clean lives. The same thing is true
in mems manner of selecting their
wives today. 1t makes no difference
how hayward or loose in morals
man has been when he selects wife
he demands that she be pure. Double
standard of morals, don't you see?
"a man will do anything under the
heavens and be respected just the
same. He can be elected to almost
any Office in the land and hold up his
head as a respectable citizen. Every
one will respect him him. He can
take prominent place in the church,
the lodge, in the community or in
society. But let woman step over
the bounds of good moral sentiment,
just once, and she is Stunned for ever
afterwards. The world is shut to her
and she cannot travel far enough to
escape her sin. She will not be re-
ceived with grace in the church, and
if she is received she will be Stunned
and made to feel that she has erred
Yet | say the erring man should be
just as much treated with the same
GOODNESS as the woman.
Nov what is happening to our
modern society regarding this manner
Of living? We have fewer and fewer
marriages. The standard of morals
is becoming so far different for men
and women that the women shun mat
rimony: One of two things must hap
pen to society. Either women must
lift the standard of mems morals to a
level with theirs or man will finally
draw woman down. They must either
rise together or fall together. If they
fall you destroy the home. Destroy
the home and you destroy the COVER
nment. Destroy the government and
you destroy the nation. The only safe
way to preserve the government, the
nation and the home ultimately is to
raise the standard of morals and
make them the same for men as for
women. We must get out of this in
junction to women, DO right and for
men, Do as you please The relic of
savagery must be done away with.
We want and must have men of char
acter as well as women of character"
Every lecture given by Prof. Shan
non was filled with thoughts and ideas
worthy of consideration by every citi-
zen. He was fluent talker and filled
his lectures with witty remarks that
pleased and yet served to impress the |
thoughts he wished to express.
IL 4