The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-09
A Wild Book on "WOmen"

pealing languors of the slave 1--WE can
only regret it,, but our appeal is still
considerable.
Following in the footsteps of his mas
tiers, an anonymous disciple has published
in a neat, black, provocative looking
Knopf volume $50 pages Of dissertation
on Women. His ideas are not especially
new except In so far as be has been able
10 discuss the reactions Of women 10 the
recent war. He has, it is evid,nt, read
largely of Havelock Ellis, w. l.. George
and Otto Weininger, particularly the last,
whom he mentions simply as "a German
writer" but he is less insulting than Vein
niger and therefore not so successful. We
should say, for instance, that Weiningers
"Women as have already pointed ont
are not criminals; they are too low in the
moral scale for that designation" sur
passes the expressions II am not a mate
rialist, and SO have yet not fached the
point of regarding women as mre earth"
This author even goes so far as 10 allow
woman a soul, that of the altcr-ego, the
legendary woman, self-invented to deceive
man. He doesn't grant her the possibil-
ity of obtaining one through her lover as
did Undine, but We find more enjoyment
in the idea that women invent their own
souls, particularly as he assures US later
on that they have no Imagination.
"Women love the death sceae. They
morbidly enjoy wakes" we are told. And
so they have by the same token not been
changed bit by the war-they are only
happy in it. "They feel that they are
doing something not to help the coun-
try, but secretly TO crafty the incessant
craving Of their vanity-war has few hor-
rors that are not made worth while" To
state it briefly, the women have been IN
pardonably splendid. This phrase was so
happy In the estimation of ou- author
it rolled so nicely on his tongue-tbat he
named his first chapter in its honor, The
Women Are Splendid. He thinks that
sex hatred will be the most absorbing con-
f1ict of the future. He even gbes SO far
as to predict a fierce sex war. But our
interest In his war is initiated by the in
equality of the opponents as depicted in
these pages. The future would have to be
q Dabby affair indeed to be absorbed by
any conflict that might be waged between
men as seen here, and the "disheveled
children, weak, vicious and despondent,'
that women become when they have dis
pleased them.
"Vanquish foe that is half slain
So mean a triumph I disdain.
Honor and arms scorn such "a foep
There is, however, nothing more d.
verting in this extremely diverting work
than the chapter which has foi its theme
women as novelists and novel readers.
Weininger told US long ago that any ac-
eomplishment on the part of woman even
as regards her own education is simply
for the effect on some lover what if she
has no lover yon may ask. Then, silly, it
will be to pique those who might have
been lovers and are not. Novel writing,
according to this remarkable person, is a
form of hysteria. The majority of fem
mime novels of any individuality have been
tie York of unmarried women. We pause
to consider that among our contemporary
women novelists, married and yet not ut
terly lacking in originality even to the cul-
tured eye Of man, are Margaret Deland,
Edith Wharton, Cora Harris, Gertrude
Anterior, Mary Roberts Rhinehart and
Kathleen Norris We have low and saw
age curiosity which is a legitimate one as
to what noveEsts would be named as the
unmarried possessors Of originality
Unfortunately there will be women who
viii not have time to read this book, and
more men. But even so it will doubtless
prove successful. After all the worst
thing that can be said of it is that it may
have been written by woman. Some day
a clever woman is going TO make a lot of
money doing just this sort of thing. It
would be unpleasant to have to fall back