Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-02-15
DOROTHY DIX TALKS
BY DOROTHY DIX
WHICH HAS THE GREATER
INFLUENCE?
Copyright, 1920. by the Wheeler Syndi-
cate, Inc.

~ women there are neld reSpOuSlple lor
the acts of their men, and wives are
being thrown into prison and even executed
because of their husbands political faith.
This is playing up the old theory of the
woman behind the door of every mans life,
with vengeance, but it probably mas as ut
tie foundation as the general TRADITION that
man is a puppet who moves this way or that,
as some feminine hand pulls the strings. Ana
that has always been polite fiction
Of course, Adam started it with his The
woman Thou gavest me, she did persuade
me- stuff, and it proved such a gooo allol
for whatever man wants to do and leave I'M
done, that he has pushed it for all 1t was
worth ever since. The man who succeeds and
the one who fails, the one who runs straight
and the one who goes crooked, the strong
man and the weak one, each shelters hlmselr
behind a petticoat, and says The woman did
its
But it isn't true All that a woman do
for man, either of good evil, is to be an
accelerator. She can hurry his speed up or
down grade, but she can't set him going. For
man is a self-starter.
AS matter of fact, mans influence over
woman is a. million tipaA- greater than wom-
ans influence ov6I man, and if men would
take the trouble to study women as women
study them, and to use this expert knowledge
working them, they could truly mold the
working them, they could truly mould the
feminine sex individually as we'll as collec-
lively TO Cn6lf n6dlIS u0SlIS
1t is curious to note, in this connection,
that while we pirate Of womans influence
over man, AMI how ennobllng 1t is, mans In
fluence over woman is not only greater, but
far more eevating than hers over him. For
woman has nvvAr been able to raise man to
any high moral level, but he has set her feet
in the straight and narrow way, and kept
them there.
Probably there are just as many women
with taste for liquor and prediction for
dallying along the primrose path as there are
men, but mans influence over woman has
been great enough to keep women, as a sex,
sober and VirtuOuS.
Broadly speaking, every woman's life is
spent in trying to please men. She dresses
to try to catch the masculine eye. Because
men are supposed to admire curly locks, mill
lions of women sleep with their hair done up
in steel knobs that render rest impossible.
Because no man loves a fat woman, thou
sands upon thousands of women starve them
selves, and put themselves through tortur-
ing exercises Because men are presumed
to fancy little feet, the whole feminine sex
hobbies around in agony, in shoes two sizes
too small for them, and on jay-bird heels
that make every step discount the suffer-
ings of the early Christian martyrs
No Womans influence over man is great
enough to make him risk pneumonia by the
way he dresses, or even deny himself sim
gle thing that he likes to eat, in order that
he may present a pulchrtNdinous appearance
to her, and find favor with her.
Such influences as the individual woman
may have over the individual man, she at
tains by long and patient study of his char
acter. By means Of that, few women find
out the combination that works their hus-
bands, but you seldom find husband who
thinks it worth while to take the trouble to
study his wife and ascertain how to infu-
ance her to do the things he wishes her to
do.
When you do find such man, you OBJ
serve that his dominance is complete. His
wife is as wax in his hands, and she lives,
nd breathes, and has her being through him,
nd would consider it almost sacriligious to
AVE thought or opinion of her own
IN h"Te made women what they wanted
them to be. Women have even been chame-
leon enough to change to meet the need of
the passing hour with men, as we all wit
messed in the Great War, when, at mo-
ments notice, girls who appeared to be MOTH
ing but silly, useless, painted butterflies be.
came stern heroines, as fit to fight with men
as they had been to dance with men,
,,, But women have no such power over men.
when woman influences man, it is along
the lines he was already going. She seldom
changes his course by a hairs breadth.
An evil woman can drag weak man down.
because he just naturally follows the line
OF least resistance. She can turn him into
thief and a CRATER She can kill his am.
pltlon and make him a loafer and a tramp.
out the best woman in the world cannot
cnange crook into an honest man NOR can
she supply spineless man with a backbone.
Inc most cruel lie in the world is the fic.
t1on about the power of woman's Influence
over man. 1t has wrecked the happiness Of
untold numbers Of generous-hearted women.
VINO mad been taught to believe that thew
couId take any sort of clay of man and
make MIN over into fine porcelain that would
pc lit vessel to hold the incense Of their
love. VI 'noAA
IL mas made ambitious girls marry ne'er.
do-Wells under the illusion that thew infnsa
tnelr own energy into them. 1t has made
plous women marry drunkards, and roues.
ana gamblers, under the fatuous faith that
an they needed was wifes sacred influence
70 MAKE them lead the higher life
ana they found that woman's Influenza
on!y helps the man to do the thing he was
Solhg 10 40 anyway. If he Is ambitious IL
speeds him up, but it doesn't inspire the law
man with the desire to work If he is sober
ana upright, it keeps him that wav. but II
ooeSh prevent the drunkard from thirsting
lot hlghball, nor the philanderer from
ca@slhg pett1coat nor take away the lure
vi cnance from the gambler For the thing
man Will not do for the sake of his own
ndnhiho, ne never does for woman.
=, Ohdenlably the two sexes have great In.
!luence over each other, but mans influenza
is lar greater over woman than woman,s
over man "0Ah"n
'Copyr1ght, 1921, by The Wheeler Syndicate