The Washington herald., 1921-08-12
WOMAN TO WOMAN.

The attorney for woman. who
Is being tried for the murder of
her husband. refused to let any
Nwoman serve on the jury ON. the
ground that women are hard In
their Judgments OF other women.
Strange how tenaciously that old
myth about woman's inhumanity
to woman persists. Nine out of
ten people believe 1t. yet not one
of the nine, il put to the test, could
bring forward a single instance, in
their personal knowledge, of where
woman has turned a deaf ear to
another woman's cry for help, or
refused to hold out a hand to an
other woman in trouble. :.
The very woman who repeats the
liberal on her sex knows that she
herself is filled with a perfect pas
sion of pity for all other women.
The very man who talks cynically
about how hard owmen are on each
other. excepts his wife and mother
who often bore him to tears with
their women pensioners, and their
poor Marys," and poor Elizas"
whom they are always having to
dinner. and dragging around in the
automobile because they are so old.
and ugly, and frumpy. and unat-
tractive that nobody else will bother
to try to bring a little brightness
into their forlorn lives.
Certainly the women who are al
ways clawing at their sister women.
and trying to pull them down are
Mesdames X. None of us know
them personally. and the amazing
thing Is that we should 60 on pass,
ing along this silly and hoary
csnard. II simply goes to show that
the world is ruled. as Stephenson
said. by catch phrases.
Once people have got a nice little
! convenient catch phrase for any
thing they cease to consider whether
II is true or false. applicable or not.
! They go on using il because il saves
them the trouble of thinking.
/ That Is the way with the theory
that women are hard on other wom-
en-. and the amusing side light on Il
is that IL Is only women who are
condemned for not being in a state
OF perpetual stopping over with
maudlin sentimentality about their
| sex.
Nobody expects a man to think
that every other man in the world
is perfect darling and dear. and
to be ready to introduce him into
his clubs and take him into the
bosom of his family. no matter who
or what he is. Nobody expects an
honest and honorable man to con-
sort with thieves and Jail birIs. And
nobody says how hard men are on
other men when he refuses to meet
such socially. or even to give them
| employment in his store or factory.
Nobody thinks Of refusing to let a
man serve on jury because the av-
erage man is not likely to be over
come with sympathy when he is
called upon TO try a man for mur-
dering his wife to get her money.
Men feel that they have a right TO
criticize their fellow men, and when
they fai one who is rotten. or who
Is liar, or who is dishonest or who
has broken the code that prevails
among gentlemen. they have no hes
itation cutting him dead. and refus-
ing to associate with him. It's all
right for man to draw the line
among men. but when a woman
draws it among women-oh, la la
la. What dreadful thing, and how
cruel women are to women,
\ woman must be mush of
| sympathy. She mustn't use any in
telligenCe in judging other women
, She mustn't have any standards of
| decency. She must think that every
| murderesS should get of free, sim
ply because she is woman She
must hold out the glad hand to
| every woman OF the street and well
! come her to her home. She must
believe that every hard-eyed little
gold digger is an angel child, and
willing for her son to marry her
And IL woman. like a man has her
standard Of conduct and morals and
| refuses to mingle with those not of
her lodge. why, we have to listen
once more to how hard women are
on other women.
As long as women keep within the
bounds OF respectability and lead
upright lives they never have cause
to complain Of the attitude of other
women toward them. There isn't
an honest poor woman in the world
who isn't helped daily by other
women. often as poor as herself
who divide their little with her. or
! work overtime to nurse her when
she is sick, or lend a hand with
the children. There isn't a woman