Sentence:  At first sight it may seem odd that the character-reader should in any case declare himself incapable of distinguishing sex in writing. ... The most prevalent reason for this probably lies in the so-called "emancipation of women," who, on aping the masculine pursuits and propensities, really acquire the virile tone of character. In a similar way the "<WSD>dude</WSD>" of the day becomes androgynous; and the result in one case is a masculine soul in a woman's shape, and in the other a feminine soul in the degraded form of the so-called "<WSD>dude</WSD>". 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A man, generally a younger man.