The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-01-25


fornia professor of zoology has recent
ly aroused considerable indignation
among New York feminists by writing
a book in which he declares that the
new woman is a traitor TO her race
because she refuses to marry and have
children. The blame for this he places
largely upon college education which,
he asserts, tends to develop the fem
mine mentality and inspire it with the
ambition to have-not babies-but a
career"
Professor Holmes-for that is the
name of the brave gentleman-has de-
veloyed his theme in a most discreet
and dispassionate manner. 1t is OBJ
vious that he is entirely sympathetic
toward the new woman's aims and de-
sires, and is merely interested in set
ting forth their biological significance.
Nevertheless, the new women do not
like it. Nearly every day one of their
resentful number bursts forth in the
readers columns of the daily press
with a stern rebuke for the professor,
and a defense of the feminist's noble
| character. The college girls seem to
| feel particularly insulted, and are TAX
| ing great pains to explain in elaborate
detail just why they do not marry. 1t
| is not, in their judgment, because of
their own liberal education, but the
| lack of it in most men.
| The reasons for this widespread
spinsterhood among intelligent, we'll
| educated females are doubtless many
and varied, but Professor Holmes is
chiefly concerned with its effect upon
the race. His greatest alarm is over
the fact that women of the lower
tclasses continue to produce husky off
spring at a mid-Victorian rate, while
those of superior stock are limiting
their families to one or two, or declin-
ing to go in for motherhood at all.
College Women Stay Single
at may be said that about so per
cent of college women remain unmar-
ried,'' he writes in his recent book. 1T
,, is apparently true that women of SUI
perior intellect and force of character
are those who, whether college women
, or not, are pretty apt to be selected for
spinsterhood. They are more likely to
win positions which permit them to
enjoy the comforts and many luXuries
of life; they develop other interests
} which often detract from The appeal OF
matrimony. IN some cases they lose
certain feminine charm, a misfor
l tune that arouses a deep-seated, in
stinctive recoil in the opposite sex
There can be no doubt that the race
, | is losing a vast wealth of material fol
l motherhood of the best and most eff
y cient type. Many of the women who
= are nowadays most prone to sacrifice
motherhood to a career are just the
ones upon whom the obligation o
! motherhood should rest with the great
est weight 1t may be seriously doubt
ed if the growing independence o
women, despite its many advantages
is an unmiXed blessing. Thus far i
> has worked to deteriorate the race IL
y the interests of social advancement, ;
), process which is bound to be disas
trous in the long run"
Yet Professor Holmes evidentl!
thinks that the new woman's PREACHER.
to the race is more involuntary than i
] is deliberate. She is, he shows, large
l. Iy a victim of her own environment
t. merely the product of an industrial
# age which is devoted to the accumu
n lation and guarding of property-no
q children. AS many other students o
the problem have pointed out, womel
are simply being absorbed by industr.
as everything else is being absorbed
by industry. which is like a hug
e sponge that will some day absorb tn
n race itself
Every year an increasing humble
Y of young women enter sedentary Occu
2. pations in business offices and shop
IS which, Professor Holmes thinks, cor
e tribute to their physical debility an
y multiply the hardships of chldbirtl
There is no doubt. he says, that eth
1t conditions of present-day civilization
have in the last few generations ser
st ously weakened the physique of tn
n modern civilized woman" For on
thing, both her willingness and abilit
m to nurse her children has decrease
IS very considerably an unquestione
disadvantage to her offspring, as it ha
S. been found, according to medic;
n authority quoted by Holmes, thu
"breast-fed children are superior j
lie later life to those artificially fed,
n weight, character of teeth. intelligence
and general physical development"
ID Only a few years ago. the majOrit
m of girls of American uppermiddl
Of class families of refinement and ed
2. cation were not dashing madly arour
h in theindustrial world They stage
Ig home and married and had babies an
lie did very little else. 1t was doubles
ID less exciting than directing a perso
e. mel department of a large industri;
t. concern or selling bonds, but it wa
it seems, better for the race in ge