Omaha daily bee., 1916-05-09
Claim that
|Chiualry isDead
is False
ny DOROTHY DIX.

ascendg 10 the WailinB flhce ana pehtR
upon his or her breast and cries out that
there is no more -sallantry among men
and that chiyalry Is dead.
These prophets of woe base their mel
aneholy prognostieations upon the faet
that men are not M glib at paying
women flowery compliments as they used
10 be nor so supple about jumping TO
pick up handkerchief when lazy
drops 1t and that when tired man gets
a scat In n subway he's mighty apt to
let husky able-bodled woman stand
Therefore, the people who observe these
small fry phenomena affirm that chiy-
airy is dead and II they happen 70 be
nntI-Auffragists they 80 a step farther
and assert that they know who Killed
Cock Robin. II was the women them
selves and they did II by going into
business and wanting rights.
II always makes me mad, through and
through, to hear anybody claim that
chlvalry is dead. on the contrary.
assert that for the first time in tho his
tory Of humanity ehivalry has been born
into the world and that the modern, com
monplace. twced-suited business man
could give Sir Lsuncelot and Sir Gala
had and all other rafting tin pan
knights Of the Table Round points on
real chlvaIry 50 big and fine that they
never even dreamed Of II, much less prae-
ticcd II.
Talk about your chiyalry Of tho past
when It wasn't safe for a woman 10 put
her foot outside Of her own door with
out somebody going along TO protect
herr Talk about your chiyalry Of the
past, when women we're nothing but
slaves to their men folksi
Talk about your chlvalry Of the past
when father left al OF his money q
his sons, when husband didn't hest
tate TO strip his wife Of every cent
she possessed on her wedding day and
when brothers thought It all right 70
take everything and leave the sister
nothingi Talk about your chiyalry OF
the past when women we're denied an
education. and = right 70 exercise the
talents that nature had given them
when they were prevented from even
going out into the world and making an
honest living!
But the chivalry Of today makes II
safe for woman 10 go alone from one
end of tho world TO another because
every man Is her protector. The chiv'
airy OF today secures A. wonan'e own
property 10 her The chiYalry. of today
gives her a chance 10 follow any occu-
patton she desires, and 10 mako just ~
good in II a. a man could. The chivalfY
OF today in some places-snd IL soon VIII
everywhere gives woman an equal
right with men IN government
And believe nn, brethren and sisters
picking up handkerchiefs, and even sub
way seats, are d mighty poor substitute
for property laws and the right to mako
an honest living.
Another way and a very interesting one
and most important one in which the
new chlvalry OF men Is expressing itself
IA the masculine attitude toward woman
and the marriage proposition
In the old gallant days" which 80
many people mourn, o man considered
that he had a. perfect right to love and
ride away II he enjoyed q wofnan's
society he had no hesitation in monop-
ollzing as much Of II as he cared 70. even
n he knew that his attentions were With
out intention and that he was never
going TO let his philandering take him
50 far as the altar.
II was nothing 10 him that he let
girl waste her youth and beauty on him
or that he, who never intended TO ask
her TO marry him. kept away other men
who would nave been glad TO have mar
rIed her or that he let her I'LL her heart
so full with love for him that there
would never be room in II for affection
for some honest man,
That was the way the chvalrous man
Of the past looked At the tender subject
and all OF MS know dozen women who
were The victims Of this selfish and heart
less cruelty. How differently the mas
~ today regards the matter is attested
by hundreds of letters that come 10 me
from girls TO whom this new chivalrl
is so unexpected and novel that they are
hepildered by H.
In these letters girl viii write that
she doesn't know what 10 think NJ the
conduct of certain man-that she knoH1
he likes her and enjoys her society trr
that he has frankly told her that be-
does not want 10 marry her or for some
she must not let him keep her from mar-
rylng somebody else II she wants TO-
one man told girl that he Won
never marry anybody because there wea
insanity In his family Another told Il
girl that he was too poor Ia marry ana
that she must not think Of waiting Tor
him because u would hc years and years
before he could hope % support wifa
IN decent comfort ana that be wouti
never marry any woman and dras hos
down 70 poverty.
suli another man told Eitl that hs
could never marry a. long as hlk molht-
lived because no pbuld never lsave her
she had made the most heroic sacrifices
Tor him IN HE childhood hul that sbs
was Fl to eccentric and dtmarfsahle a
disposition thar l. Weulh De martyniom
~ ans yeNng WnmHn tn live RiN ha
Nnch IN these meu urseA the aiH BE-
liket 81 fsfhsps loved ia rH BIN one
10 Der thoUght aaa to mHrfe same ma7a
fortunately aRastfd swain Smile lhs saa
10 her youth ana beauty staae
4 faHsdst lNa tas highest rsaslhle RraaF
q tH1a aalani0 sht ~ real lhirsHi,
fer lhsss uen protected iha eifls ssam
themselves apt iHsf tacuHtfa thsir oan
HaIfah rltasura far i've feaA a' waws.
Whan a mas haa fssfhtd ths "a >
ehsfs hs scat % glfl waste ihs satsts
nsss aha flaFfaHk af ttr feth ga biet
Shes su1As hH an Wtts Is tasaaRta
rstaFb e. u sHt shEn Ne tefaata a.
mAfHF Ahisas HHawa 81 an mska
tb sf bsrWA haze "a = mstafn
aItis p knIEtfbsi in Toss hat "a
Az. s54 t.t.H f8fEs $500