Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-12-17
GALLANTRY OF
KNIGHTS OF OLD
NOLONGER SAFE
Modern Feminists Say Hat
Lifting Means Man Regards
Woman Weak, Helpless.
SOME OPINIONS GIVEN
BY FREDERIC j. uAsKIN.

These questions are just now the
subject Of a good deal of debate among
advanced femininists. and it is even
possible that some pronouncement on the
subject may be made by a leading WON
ans organization.
No longer Is It safe for a man indis-
criminatingly to lift his hat to a woman.
That is, not If she happens to be a
feminist of the most advanced school.
These radicals say that Multiplying, far
from signifying respect, means simply
that the man regards woman as a weak
and helpless creature. They dig back
into the romantic days of chivalry and
produce data showing that the bold,
brave knights used to remove their
weighty helmets in the presence Of any
one who was to be trusted or harmless
Women came in this second group. There
may have been other reasons why the
knights made lady's presence a regular
excuse to dispense with their head cages.
Probably the weight made their heads
ache. Probably, too they liked thior
feminine friends to see their noble fea-
lures. But the big idea, whether they
were conscious Of it at all times or not.
was that woman was a thing apart and
not to be taken seriously.
The same principle, according TO the
feminists, has come down to Us in other
bits Of gallantry which in their true
meaning proclaim woman's inferiority.
This is true Of q man walking on the
outside Of the pavement to guard a
woman companion against any danger
from the street, and also Of 4 man rising
to give a woman a seat in a street car.
The first is obviously an act Of pro-
lection. based on the idea OF woman's
fragility. Regarding street car conduct
there is some controversy. The advance
guard OF feminism finds that when a
man rises In a public place to resign his
seat to a woman be Is making a special
concession to her sex, especially her
frailty. If the woman Is able bodied, the
irsinuation Is not exactly a compliment.
Therefore, they say, the pantomime of
exchanging positions on a street car can
be eliminated and social intercourse will
be one step nearer an honest, sensible
basis.
OLD IDEAS STILL GUIDE
IN SENSIBLE FORMALITIEs.
Most Of the women, however, even
those who prefer not TO accept favors
from men when offered on a basis Of
special consideration for their sex, agree
that very often a man is TO be spplauded
for giving up his seat TO someone else.
Common politeness-not offensive chiv-
alry-demands that an old person Of
either sex. a woman with 4 baby, q
cripple, or q sick person, should be
seated In 4 street car or waiting room.
Some cOncede that a man can even sur
render his seat to a tired looking woman
Of any age without implying that she Is
a mere doll to be handled with care.
And of course, some women say that
fssrH Ia 70 wa gh a.
ton for them, whatever It implies.
Ancient ideas Of woman's place In So
ciety still guide Us when 1t comes to
many social formailties. In some places
It is stu held the correct thing for a
man to precede a woman upstairs and
deceud after her. The origin OF this is
obscure. but we have been told that it
probably could be traced TO the time
when women wore hoop skirts. This
fashion. combined with the polite idea Of
the time that 81 woman had no legs, would
make IL proper for a man to conduct
himself so that the illusion might remain
unshattered. IL he descended first, and
stood awaiting his fair companion be-
low, either the styles in clothing or in
decorum would have had to change. Now
adays when wOmens skirts are knee
length and street car steps two feet high,
the precautlon OF a man preceding
woman up a flight OF steps is obviously
out OF date. Recently convention has
changed somewhat to allow the man to
follow the woman both up and down
stairs
Another threadbare convention is for
the women at dinner party To adjourn
TO the parlors, leaving the men 10 smoke
and talk in the dining room. This pro
oA al bn vrN 10 n
every body. men and women alike,
crammed to the neck on as many kinds Of
food rs the host could pile on an over
laden board. After dinner the damsels
retired and their lords preceded to
drink themselves to sleep under the table.
This dinner party etiquette, which was
still justified until recently by the fact
that women were supposed to object to
cigar smoke is now a mere hollow form.
Certainly few modern women object to
the scent of tobacco smoke, and many
feel sighted if not invited to help
make 1t.
The women do not intend to keep their
theories in the conversation stage. There
is talk here pro and con OF public de
claration to SETTLE these matters Of what
is desirable in the way Of courtesy from
men. 1t is in this connection that the
Woman's party is considering a bill of
rights to be drafted by the national con-
yentiOn OF women voters when Il meets
at the capital next February. This would
certainly simplify the situation for per-
picked man. Before such a declaration
could be made, however, there would have
TO be Il concensus Of opinion obtained.
So far, there has been no organized at
tempt to find out where women voters
stand on the question, though there is
no doubt every woman has her own def
mite ideas on the subject.
We give here three sample opinions
by women who are representative, and
we predict that the convention will have
some trouble in reconciling the different
factions which Will rise to show that lift
ing a hat is an act Of scorn or a ges-
ture of reverence.
Margaret Hatfield, who is a strong be-
lever in woman's equality with man,
and who retains her maiden name. though
married, expressed the following view:
There always has been. and I suppose
always will be. the .chivalry which Is
founded on women being the mothers
of the race. Mans willingness to carry
the heavier physical burden is founded
on this factual basis. But the chivaIry
which divides women into two classes,
the protected and the unprotected wom-
an, is intolerable, and the quicker 1t is