The Washington times., 1917-07-02
WGMEN'S PART IN
THE WAR
By Mrs. Wilson Woodrow
Their right to work side by side with the
men is one of the blessings of
the great conflict.

grained in the American
mans mind by tradition and
training and practice that wo-
men must be supported and
provided for and protected and
indulged, that trouble is an un-
desirable acquaintance for wo-
man, and that he is specially
deputed to keep them apart.
Walter is simply expressing the
American husbands attitude to-
ward his wife. His own active
life with all its interests and
work and anxieties, its successes
and defeats, its plans and its
perplexities must be carefully
reserved from his wife. She
must be shielded from the things
that make life hard for him.
It's very fine and generous and
chivalrous. It's what makes the
American man potentially the
best husband, and, in fact, the
most civilized creature in the
world; and we love them for it.
But it's a mistaken attitude to
take with an intelligent woman.
We are not all baby dolls, and we
don't want to be treated as
such"
"Stuff!" exploded Mr.. Nevers.
81 must confess that / have
always rebelled against this
masculine assumption" / re-
marked. ats too much like an
assertion of superiority and is
unfair to US because it underes-
Inmates u.s."
you're mistaken" said Mrs.
Reese animatedly. "It's a per-
fectly natural instinct, just as
much a part of a man as his
hands and feet. The trouble is that
we Americans never take ac-
count of the feminine instinct
which corresponds to the mans
impulse to protect. The deep
seated longing of every woman
is for a share in the life Of her
man. Our French and our He
brew friends understand this
feminine yearning, and they are
the only people on earth who
have had the wisdom to emanci-
pate and utilize it. They know
perfectly well that the joyful
hope with which every young
wife looks forward to sharing
her husbands work is not mere
ly a pretty whim, bit of charm
ing nonsense. They accept it for
what it is, a fundamental in
stinct of the woman's nature
clamoring for the expression
which is as necessary to her life
as the air she breathes.
"The psycho-analysts have q
great deal to say about disor-
ders that come to people whose
desires are suppressed" she
went on. 81 don't pretend to
know how much of what they
say is true. But l do know what
comes to a wife whose desire to
share her husbands whole life
is unsatisfied. I've seen too
many cases of that kind. Dis
appointment is the first conse-
quence; lack of interest and oc-
cupation follow, and the inevi-
table result is discomfort, irrita-
tion and an unhappy house
hold"
"Your theory, then, is that sex
antagonism is due to the lack Of
coordination and cooperation
between the masculine instinct
to protect the feminine instinct
for partnership" l said.
"If you want to put it that
way, yes. Only l object to that
expression, sex antagonism.'
There's no such thing really.
And this war, with all its hor-
rors, is bringing to women an
inestimable blessing in forcing
upon the world the recognition
of her right to work side by side
with men. These war mar
riages' that Walter raves about
are right in line with the work
that women have taken up on
the farms and in the machine
shops and railroads and street
cars and all the rest. And I
honor the good sense and wis
dom Of the young men who have
the courage not only to fight and
die for their country, but before
doing so make wives of their
sweethearts."