Omaha daily bee., 1920-02-22
Choice of Mates I'm
der NeW Conditions
(From the London Times,

CFrom the London Times)
DR.. Alfred T. Scofield read a
paper on "The Psychology of the
Female Mind" at meeting of the
Victoria Institute at the Central
| hall, Westminster, yesterday. Miss
| c. l.. Maynard presided.
The subject, said DR.. Scofield,
presented at the moment dissolv-
ing view of great promise The
woman Of early Victorian days had
nearly disappeared, though she
| might still be found in remote coun-
try places-the gentle, quaint, prim,
yet graceful lady, with her tippet
and poke bonnet, her samplers and
her still room. But the new was
better! The coming picture was on
nobler, grander lines. The gentle
submission and downcast eye might
| not be easy to find nowadays, but
they were replaced by the candid
and clear look Of complete emanci-
patton and the upright figure of the
free born. The marvel was that with
such rapid advance there has not
been more extravagances. Setting
aside exceptions, nothing to him was
more marvellous and delightful than
the quiet, decent, self-respecting
dignity of the modern ia,oh-key
young lady, living in her own rooms
| in London. Very severe structures
mad been placed on her dress in
these last few years, but they must
not confuse the causes. In all times
of war and general upheaval similar
caprice in womans dress had been
observed, but he did not consider
what so many rightly deplored as
in any way the outcome of the
emancipation of womanhood.
| The remarkable lack of women's
| interest in their own minds was a
| very curious point. No doubt this
was a survival of the past bad years.
After careful search in the largest
| libraries. he could find no works on
psychology written by women, save,
| perhaps tentatively by that remark
able Swede, Ellen Key. We still
waited for a true conception of the
| female mind written by woman.
The future Of England largely de-
pended on the quality of woman's
mind today. A good physique was
important to the next generation Of
women, but the quality Of her mind
| "e'o W SNiii SlCIlCI lIilpOl tdIlCe lIldu
her body. In proposed legislation
| which was now being considered
with regard to the prevention of a
certain contagious disease, the ques-
ton really turned on whether the
health or the morals Of a nation
were of greater Importance. In ulti-
mate analysis there was no antagon-
! ism between health and morals.
In earlier times the value Of
mans body was supreme; a wom-
| ans mind was then better cultivated
than mans, and her preponderance
as sex in spiritual matters was
overwhelming. When man, however,
| substituted machinery for manual
labor his bodily powers were heav-
lily discounted, and his success in
| life depended on his intellectual
powers; at the same time, relieved
of constant physical exhaustion his
| spiritual outlook approximated moro
! nearly to that of women. Since then
| the resemblance Of the sexes had in
| creased. The result was nowhere
| more marked than in the typical
| presentment of John Bull. A hun
| dred years and more ago our streets
were filled with portly, rubicund
| men. stern or jovial of visage and
vastly different from the more intel
lectual but slightly anaemic and at
| tenuated individuals who filled their
! role today. He admitted that the
Substitution of tea and coffee for
| beer had been a minor factor in the
| change.
The mothers atmosphere in the
| home was stronger than heredity.
| Every training college for women
should include special instruction
, in the right education of childhood.
| The character of the child, one
| might say Of the nation, depended
mainly, not on heredity, but on en-
vironment or atmosphere, discipline
| or habit, and an ideal or example
| in the parents life. 1t was abso-
| lutely cruel to allow girls to become
wives and mothers without their ac-
qu1ring any knowledge of these
mighty forces, any idea of the value
of their own minds, any insight into
these great but simple powers. or
any skill in their use.
! Man was mainly, in virtue of his
economic position, the principal Sc
lector in matrimony-a fact which,
| to his mind, was detrimental to the
status of women and to her Off
| spring. So long as women were
mostly. dependent on their fathers
until they exchanged that for de-
pendence on their husbands would
| they continue to retain many of the
characteristics peculiar to the
| servile state. The endowment Of
motherhood was one solution of
this financial difficulty, though, by
| no means the best, for all state in
terference in private life was more
| or less of an evil. Once woman's s
| Independent economic position was
assured she would probably select
| her mate in a way that would now,
with our false standards Of conduct,
| be considered positively indecent.
| but seeing she was the mother of
| the resulting race it seemed only
right she should do so. One thing
was certain, that large number
| of degrading unions that now took
! place would at once cease, and the
whole psychology Of marriage would
| be raised to higher level.
Until the economic position Of
women was altered woman was
most unfairly handicapped. It was
undoubtedly for the good of the in
| dividual. of the nation, and of civili-
Zation itself that the financial posi-
ton Of a woman should be as as
| sured as that of man. Already
the freedom Of women had begun;
but it was in vain to strike off the
| prisoners shackles one by one so
long as the most CALLING one of all
was refined in the form of economic
dependence. No doubt professional
and business careers had to some
small extent solved the question, but
much more was required. A radical
change of view as to the provision
| for daughters as compared with
sons seemed to him an essential
step.
Miss Maynard said that she was
brought up in an early Victorian at
| nnnsnhere and she had seen the