WOMANISH MAN.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume 1, Issue 5, 2 November 1872, Page 1 (Supplement)

WOMANISH MAN.

0 Precisely because I am a woman and of a very feminine nature, I desire to see men continue to be men and of a masculine nature. I think the sentiment is not reprehensible; I trust the confession is not immodest. What, then, are the qualities which are, according to circumstances, commonly attributed to us as our special virtues or faults? A Martha-like over-care for too many things. A Mary-like devotion to one particular personnel. A proneness to emotionalities ; a belief in sentiment in a fluid state, which we call opinion. A dread of responsibility. A tendency to prevarication, with an enormous potentiality of fibbing. An imperfect sense of justice, and a liability to be seized with ideas equally divine and disastrous. An inability to comprehend argument, so that reiteration is preferred to evidence of facts. A too great adherence to specific means, whereby the end or object is sacrificed. A readiness to be taunted or excited, often accompanied by mclancholly displays of temper. Great faith in scolding, combined with a deficient sense of humour- A love of power, and the inability to use it moderately, equably, and wisely. A fussiness which disquiets itself perpetually with objectionable things, ■and which desires that everyone shall be happy, harmless, and safe, and able to graze at certain hours free from all danger. The inclination to wish that we may be quite sure what everybody is doing at any given time, and that what is being done is good or benevolent. Along with this the desire to prohibit any one indulging in vagaries, whether moral, physical, or intellectual, which would lead to disturbance, divisions, for dangers. A proneness to superstition, so that signs and numbers and words are held as being of an importance which they by no means merit. A confusion of ideas, so that piety and persecution are oddly linked together. In fine, a propensity for a course of action which, originating in benevolence, would end in crushing out all courage and individuality of character. What, again, are the special qualities attributed to men ? The noble carelessness of a Gallio in all small matters. Devotion to a principle rather than to a person. Courage alike either to tell or to hear the truth, to accept responsibility, and to face censure. A certain phlegm which may be brutal or stupid but is never fidgety or fussy. A fixed contempt for personal curiosity, and a masculine tolerance for individuality in difference of opinion. That sense of humour which tells a man when he is making himself ridiculous. A hatred of being over-regulated, of having too many rules, too many prohibitions, too many masters, too many orders, too manv “don’ts” and “must nots.” An inflexibility as to issues, and unscrupulousness as to means, often combined with sincere impenitence for wickedness. The temper which insists on personal and political freedom. A tolerance for vice rather than for crime, and a leaning towards scepticism rather than to superstition. Lastly, a dislike to do anything because and in the same way that everv one else does it.

It is therefore with regret I observe, as it seems to me, the great increase among men —more especially public men —of timidity, emotionality, over-fusei-

i ness, acrimony, aud that kind of scolding ! and nervous anxiety which ought to be I confined to hens in charge of ducklings ' for the first time. 1 remember, for I instance, reading a discussion of the I London School Board wherein, haring i decided that a schoolmaster may read aloud a portion of Scripture, there was evident a strong disposition next to select the portions in question. Mrs. Garrett Anderson remarked : —“ Surely, we are over-regulating the thing ; if we grant that the schoolmaster has any discretion at all—and unless we do so grunt he ought not to be a master—we can trust to that discretion to choose suitable portions,” or words to that effect. Ido not know whether Mrs. Anderson will take it ill of me if I say in this case she represented the masculine thought of that assembly. In a debate on the Prison Ministers Bill a noble duke seemed to attach a miraculous importance to the number 20, so that he would have the souls of twenty Catholics cared for, but not of nineteen. I wondered what was the cause of this, and after much reflection I came to the conclusion that it was because twenty was as much again as ten, aud ten righteous men would have saved Sodom and Gomorrah from destruction. Then there is the fussiness of the Permissive Bill people, who -will shut up all publiehouses, and of other people who would close them all over the kingdom at the same hour, not considering the different habits and occupations of men in town and country, or the difference in climate of north and south. There is also a disposition to invent news sins, multiply penalties, and in every petty way to makelife more burdensome and vexatious than it is to publicans, sinners, and saints alike. If a publican is licensed to sell liquor not to be consumed on the premises, it was proposed that if the buyer consumes it near those premises that publican shall be punished. Yet the unfortunate habit of the maid-of-all-work to lift the jug to her lips when she fetches the lodger’s beer is well known and inveterate. How can the publican prevent it if the lodger cannot ? Manv other odd little propositions in regard to the Licensing Bill have been made, all proceeding from the same fussv spirit of over-carefulness which w'ould provide a byelaw for every possible contingency. Parliament could not even believe that the clergyman or the churchwardens or the parishoners were competent to decide for themselves as to how much law should be given to pew occupiers, and it was gravely debated wffiether if ten minutes would encourage persons to come late, five.minutes only would render them so timid or so wicked that they would stay away altogether. The bill concerning -acrobatic performances was another effort in the same direction; — indeed I might multiply examples, if it were worth while ; but I have said enough to illustrate my meaning.— Pall Mall Budget.