The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1925-07-21
Sex Changes.

Sex Changes.
A professor Of philosophy in New York
university. DR.. Charles Gray Shaw by name,
discovers that as the femininity Of women is
declining corresponding decline in the mas
culinity OF men is observable. In other words,
the women are becoming more masculine and
the men are becoming more feminine; or, TO
state it in still another way, the sexes are
merging, or interchanging. Each sex, Dr.
Shaw affirms, has borrowed from the others
characteristics to such an extent as to have
upset the normal equilibrium between the
sexes. For some time we have been acutely
conscious OF the change that women have
been undergoing, and perhaps it is true, as the
professor suggests, that we have been so
busy watching that transformation that we
have failed to observe a parallel transforma-
ton in men.
1t must be conceded that DR.. Shaw makes
a plausible case and supports it by facts and
arguments that are persuasive il not convlnc-
ing. He points out that while women are be-
coming less fond of domesticity men are be-
coming more fond of it, the result being the
duplex marriages wherein both love each 9th
er and stick to business. The men, he asserts,
are becoming womanish as fast as the women
are becoming mannish. This trend is shown,
he continues, by mans adoption OF such fem
inized attire as purple bath robes lilac paJa-
mas. silk slippers, soft collars, silk shirts, the
slp-on coat, the soft hat, silk hosiery and
pearl coored spats, all OF which woman quick
ly borrowed and made her own. DR.. Shaw is
OF the opinion that if man had stuck to his
old clothes woman would not have strayed
from her wardrobe.
Furthermore, sex changes are revealed in
deeper forms OF economics. Woman having
entered business and politics and other fields
of activity man has been compelled to sur
render his position as the money getter and
bread winner He is no longer expected to
pay the car fare and the restaurant check.
Woman does part OF mans work, and gets
part OF mans pay. She has her own nickels
and dollars in her handbag along with her
powder puff and lipstick. In this particular,
indeed, man seems in way to be relegated to
secondary place.
Even the ancient institution of marriage, an
institution devised by man and hitherto pure
" masculine, has been feminized or made over
to accord with feminine natures. To be more
accurate, woman is adopting mans view Of
that institution and is regarding marriage
more like a way station where the train
stops and less like the grand terminal Of
woman's ambition.
Perhaps other things might be cited to in
dictate the trend OF Insecurity in women and
feminnity in men, but DR.. Shaw does not
attempt to do more than to suggest. What
the ultimate result of this process may be
no one, of course, can foresee He would be
a rash prophet who would predict that all
sex differences will finally disappear or that
time will come when men will be feminine
or women masculine. That is what DR.. Shaw
seems to fear however, and he declares that
science will have to prescribe the cure. Hav-
ing said so much he stops short, and wisely.
Science is able to do great things but it
scarcely seems equal to such an undertaking
as this.
Meanwhile, evolution will take its own
course and work out its purpose in its own
way The best and the most we will be able
to do will be to observe closely its processes
and its transformations The situation may
not be nearly so serious as Dr. Shaw fears.
Nevertheless, suggestively they are exceed
ingly interesting.