The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-02-22

There's a Difference

cause they had been caught drinking
booze furnished them by some men
students at the college. OF course
every man in the university caught
drinking will be as summarily dis
missed.-Miami Metropolis.
Everybody will agree, of course, that
educational schools should look
pretty carefully after the morals of
their students and should enforce suit
able discipline. AS to whether or not
the general rules of conduct should
apply exactly alike to boys and girls
there is bound to be a difference of
opinion. Apparently the Metropolis
thinks they should. The Leader
doesn't think so. Many of the best men
that we have did things during their
college days that couldn't have been
done becomingly by their sisters, and
1t cannot be argued with much force
that they did these things merely be-
cause they are countenanced under a
man made standard of morals. AS a
matter of fact, the double standard is
not confined to the human family. 1t
Is common to most species-the male
apparently having been created to
make the big noise and do most of
the cutting up, and the female to oc-
cupy a more dignified and respectable
place in the scheme of existence. A
little has been done, and a great deal
more attempted, by way Of multiplying
the laws Of nature with respect to the
sexes, and there are those who hon
estly believe that men and women
some day will be on the exact level
as to morals and department.
Maybe so; but we trust ii shall not
come to pass in this generation. In
our humble but well-considered view
they are too nearly alike now Not
that men are becoming effeminate. No
man could stand at bargain counter
or before a show window and powder
his nose without losing the respect of
all who saw him do it. A woman,
however, can smoke cigarettes, drink
liquor and commit other acts once re-
garded as shameful debauchery with
out losing caste. 1t is done every day
in what is known as high society and
people who still cling to fashion
ed ideas are distressed to note that
It is becoming pretty general, speak
ing in a comparative sense.
Any effort to make men better than
they are is laudable, but the plan to
set men and women on the same plane
is not good if it means the lowering
of womanly standards in any degree,
and we can't seq how it could be sue
cessful otherwise. We are quite will
ing to admit that many woman suf-
fers injustice under the present moral
code, and we can understand the feel
ing that inspired the following para
graph from the Metropolis of July 81,
1919:
"A pitiful woman Of the underworld
"a "Hardieville" woman-died in Mi
ami Sunday night from a self admin
istered dose of carbolic acid. She was
an outcast-her men friends are not
outcasts. Why?
Such cases as this are not uncom-
mon and never have been since the
dawn of history, which doesn't mean
of course, that they are any the less
deplorable. Unfortunately, there ap-
pears to be no remedy for the situa-
ton so long as people are constituted
as they are. Many good and earn
est people, both men and women, have
dedicated their lives to the work of
uplifting the fallen and have done
great service, but it's a big job and
there's too much interference. The
whole truth is, the fallen woman is an
outcast because she is ostracised by
other women. Her men friends are
not outcasts because they are accord
ed the respect, or at least the toler-
ance of good women who would scorn
to notice their unfortunate sister. AS
to why this is SO we haven't any
answer. Whether it will ever be diff
fererlt remains to be seen.
But, to get back to the school story,
we believe the Metropolis will agree
that girls in college are, and should
be, regarded as a greater responsible
ity than boys. Both, of course, should
be given the best possible training in
the way of honor and virtue, but a girl
is subject to greater disaster and it is
true, we believe, that the average par
ents having a boy and girl in college
would prefer, in case both were
caught drinking liquor that the boy
be punished and the girl sent home
Tarpon Sprinks Leader.
Cure for Propaganda
For half dozen years at least this
country has been over-run with an
epidemic that has caused a lot of trou-
BILE; the malady can be diagnosed as
propaganda, and while there is, pos
sibly a beneficial sort, the great ma
jority of types are harmful, vicious
trouble breeding. Intended to sow dis
cord or create a feeling that is counter
TO healthfulness. Propaganda is spread
in every conceivable way and the
newspapers being the greatest educa-
tors of the present day, afford the
most popular vehicle for anything of
this kind. Often the publishers have
been innocent carriers" Of this plague,
for the instigators are cunning and
constituencies
The st. Petersburg Times is inelin-
ed to think that there is a way to sup
press this nuisance, or at least to
cause it to retire into the background,
though certain to come forward again
In another great emergency. The
Times talks OF labelling the stuff-and
this would be as effective as a few
drops of fornaldehyde in the bottle of
alcohol. The public is practically put
on guard by theword advertisement
on a patent medicine story, so il would
be possible to label the prop. stuff,