Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-02-14
WHICH HAS THE
GREATER INFLUENCE7

women there, are held responsible for 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
womsn n behind the door of every man S
life, with vengeance, but 1t probably
has as little foundation as the general
tradition that man Is puppct who moves
this way or that, as some feminine hand
pulls the strings. And that has always
been polite fiction.
Of course. Adam started il with his
~The Woman Thou gavcSt MT. she did
persuade me- stuff, and it proved such a
good alibi for whatever man wants todo
and leave undone that he has pushed in
for all il was worth ever since The man
who sueCeeds 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 himself behind petit
coat, and saws The woman did II"
But it ism t true All that a woman can
do for man, either of good or evil. is to be
an accclcrator. She can hurry his speed
an or down grade, but she can't SGT him
going. For man is a sclf-Startcr
As a matter of fact, mans influence
over woman is million times greater
shan woman $ Influence over man. and if
men would take the trouble to study
women aS women study them, 3nd to use
this expert knowledge in working them
as women use theirs in working them
they could truly mould the feminine sex
Individually as well ms collectively, to
their hearts desire
1t Is curious to note in this connection
that We pirate Of woman's Influence
over man. and how ennobhng il is. man $
influence over woman is not only greater
but far more elevating than hers over
bIm. For woman has never been able
to raise man 10 any high moral level, hut
be has set her feet In he straight and naI-
row way, and kept them there
Probably there are Just as MANY women
with taste for liquor, and a prediction
for dalying along the primrose path rs
shere are men, but man's influence over
woman has been great enoughous keep
women as a sex. sober and virtu's
Broadly speaking every woman 5 life is
Epcnt IN TRYING To please mon. She
/ dresses TO try 10 catch the masculine cNc.
Because men are supposed to admin,
curly locks. millions Of women sleep with
thelr hair done up IN steel knobs that
render rest impossible Because no man
loves fat woman thousands upon thou
sands of women starve themselves. and put
eahtAii1NAfNH tiAAONElA tbfA 4tlE t-NtAS'tNt~
Because men are presumed 70 fancy little
feet, the whole feminine sex hobbies around
n agony, in shoes two sizes TOO small for
them, and on jay-bird heels that make
every step discount the sufferings Of the
early Christians martyrs.
No woman influence over man is great
enough TO make HIM risk pneumonia bv
The way he dresses, or even deny himself
single thing that he likes 10 eat. in orier
that he may present pulchritudinouS
appearance 10 her, and find favor with her.
Such influence as the individual woman
nlay have over the individual man. she
tttalns by long and patient study 81 hs
rharacter. BY means of that, a ft,v women
hnd out the combination that works Their
husbands, but YOU seldom find 8 husband
Fho thinks 1t worth while TO take the
trouble 70 study his wife and ascertain
bow TO influence her To do the things he
wishes her TO do.
When you do find such man. Won
observe that hIs dominance is complete
His wife is as wax In his hands. and she
lives, and breathes, and has her being
through him. and would consider it almost
sacreliglous 10 have thought or opinion
pi her own.
Men have made women what they
wanted them to be- Women have even
been chameleon enough to change to meet
The need of the passing hour with men.
sS we all witnessed III the Great War.
when, at moments notice. girls who
appeared 70 he nothing bur silly. useless.
painted butterflies, became stern hcrafres.
Bs fit to fight with men is they had been
70 dance with men.
But women have no such power over
men. When woman influences 2 asnan.
II IS along the lines he was already COR
She seldom changes his course by q haIrs
breadth
An evil woman can drag q weak man
Iown, because he just naturally follows
the line Of least resistance. She can turn
him into thief and a CRATER She cen
! Kill his ambition and make hin a loafer
and tramp. but the best woman in the
world cannot charge a crook into au
honest man. nor car She supply 2 spine
less man with backbone
The most cruel lie in the world Is the
fiction about the power Of woInan's IN
Huence over man. II has wrecked the
happiness OF untold numbers Of generous
hearted women, who had been taught II
believe that they could rtakc any sort IF
rlav Of man and make him over ii 70 hne
porcelain that W ould be a fit ycsselot hold
the incense Of their love
i has made ambitious girls marry rc. .cr-
do-wells under the illusion that thew IN
fuse their own energy into them L has
made plous women marry drunkards and
rogues. and gamblers, under the fatuous
faith that all thev needed Was wifo.s
eacred influence 70 make them lead tie
higher life
And they found that woman Influence
only helps the man . do the tim Z h. wa
gong TO do anyway If he is ambitious Il
speeds him up, but il doesn't inspire tie
lazy man with the desire to work II lie IS
sober and upright, II keeps HIM that way
but II doesn't prevent the drunkaTd from
thlrsting for d high-bali. llor he philau-
dered from chasing petticoat nor 10 take
away the lure Of chance from tie gambler
For the thing man viii not do for the
sake of his own manhood be never does for
& woman.
Undeniably the two sexes have great
influence over each other. but mans IN
influence isfar create over woman than
woman's over man.
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