The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1920-03-21

~ Schopenhauer.
Hated Women, Loved Dogs.
A Literary Devilfish.
The "Undersized" Sex.
By ARTHUR BRISBANE.
Copyright. ls2o.)


BY ARTHUR BRISBANE.
Copyright. isso)
} A queer, brilliant, distorted
mind, the German philosopher and
misanthropist, Arthur Schopen-
hauer. is called to your attention
Read some of his essays, including
Studies In Pessimism," few
chapters Of "The Wisdom of Life"
and Of "Counsels and Maxims."
His books you can find ut any
Z. well equipped library-some stores
: Will sell them TO you. A book
worth reading is worth owning.
4 Pulling Schopenhauer from a
Nshelf is as interesting as pulling
q small devilfish from beneath q
shelving rock when you reach in,
rs the fishermen do, in hope OF
pulling out lobster.
Schopenhauer is an interesting
devilfish of literature. You are
compelled TO think, as you look
ut him, wondering how and why
nature created him.
He hated women and loved dogs,
especially one dog. He hated
noise and would have sentenced to
death all the cab drivers in Ber-
lin because they cracked their
! whips when he wanted to think or
sleep. The origin of his hatred
of women is amusing and illus
HrQtnS htC oh ~ and thu hlrnnnr
OCCASIONALLY shown in the work
ing of Providence.
On the landing outside of his
apartment, where the sun shone,
poor sewing women worked in
violation of his rights. He warned
them and. pushed one of them
downstairs. She sued him, the
court condemned him to pay her
a living income for life, because
I of her injury.
Schopenhauer hoped she would
, soon die, but she didn't. He ran
away from the cholera, leaving
her to face it, she was too poor
to, move. She didn't die, even
then; in fact she was alive when
he died. That made him bitter.
His mother, Johanna, we'll
known authoress, wrote "Sidonia,"
"The Aunt" and other successful
Z novels. Schopenhauer, jealous
even of his mother, told her she
f, would be remembered only be-
cause he was her son. That turn
ed out to be true.
Schopenhauer, born 1872 years
! ago, died just before our civil
war started.
| Reading his life impresses on
you the truth of Schamfort's say
ing, published on the first page of
one Of Schopenhauer's volumes,
Happiness is a thing not easily
acquired. It is very difficult to
|. find it within ourselves, and i'm
possible to find it anywhere else"
& Schopenhauer started out with
theory taken from the Greek:
"Not pleasure, but freedom, from
pain, is .0hat tho Uise man s03u
aim dt."
Utterly false it denies the wis
dom of Providence and you can't
do that truthfully. If mere free
dom from pain" were the great
thing, it would be necessary only
to remain unborn or commit sui
eide as soon as possible, and all
problems would be solved.
Schopenhauer's writings "Of
Women" in his "Studies in Pes
simism" will amuse wise women
and enrage the others.
He starts with the assumption
that one woman is not enough for
one man-although the sewing
lady proved too much for him.
Says he:
women, there Is nothing fairer
than to allow him, nay, to make
! It incumbent upon him, to provide
for many women. This will re-
duce woman to her true and nat
uraI position as q subordinate
being; and the lady-that monster
OF European civilization and Teu.
tonico. Christian stupidity will
disappear from the world, leaving
only women, but no more unhappy
women, Of whom Europe Is now
full"
Schopenhauer admires the con-
dition of women in India, where
"No woman is ever independent"
Says he:
at is, to be sure, q revolving
thing that q widow should immO-
late herself upon her husbands
funeral pyre; but It is also revolt
ing that she should spend her hus-
bands money with her paramours
the money for which he toiled
his whole life long, in the consol-
ing belief that he was providing
for his children. Happy are those
who have kept the middle course
--nedtum fenMerc beati."
He declares that all women
since the beginning of time have
lbeen leagued together to compel
every man to support some one
woman. That, says he, is why
women are so cruel and heartless