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Show Dorothy Dix Talks Bv DOROTHY DIX. tho World's Highest Paid Woman Writer jV OTHER WOMEN? A woman who Is the heoolne of :t, most unsavory scandul that Is being much discussed in the public prints, and who is suing for a large sum of money the man she accuses of having hav-ing wronged hc; If highly Indignant because women condemn her. In this particular case, there Is scant Justification for the sinner. She be-j longed to a respectaolo family she hnd been brought up by a good mother moth-er In a clean home, and was earning a comfortable living by tho practice of an honest profession In which she was skllleu. eo she had none of the i r u t bad environment or direl poverty to paillato her offense. Also, .-ho was past twenty-one years of age.' old enough and wise enough In the,1 traya of tho world to realize juM what she was doing, and wither her; acts led More than that eho knew, ull the time that her lover wb a mar-) r!ed man. In fact she was person- ally acquainted with his wife. indeed, the only excuse that the girl offers for herself at all Is that the man was handsome and fnsctnit-1 Ing and made love beautifully, and so she threw her cap over the wind' mill, and strolled off with him down tho primrose path And because ihe rond ended, ns it always does for the woman. In the pit. she thinks that all other woinen ought to shed barrels of tejiH over her. nnd clasp her to th' Ir breasts. And n few other maudllnly sympa-, thetlc people agree with her. and have cathlng things to sav about women's Inhumanity to women. I wonder why, when women use their heads Instead of their hearts. In ludglng another woman that wo al-. ways have to listen to this charge that women mo so hard on other women? Nobody accuses a man of being hard on another man when he deals out1 lustlce, Instead of sloshy sentiment to him , When a man commits a crime, we expr-ct decent men to " ondemn him.! but when a woman comlts a crime we expect women to pity her and excuse ex-cuse her. We don't ejEpect a man to. Justify another mah for stealing, or to weep on a murderer's nock, but If a woman doesn't slobber all overi every woman criminal we raise ourj hands in horror over the cruelty oT woman to woman. If women sometimes administer a Spartan Justice In dealing with their erring sisters, no one will eleny that It makes for tho well being of the world It Is the knowledge that other women will ostracizo her. and draw J their fkirt- away from her If shej does no? walk the straight and narrow; path that keeps many and many a; weak sister on the right road. Publb opinion Is the thing thatl ie many a woman the backbone' to resist temptation. She knows that, it will be thumbs down for her wlthi other women If she takes the easiest way, and so she observe the moral!-1 ties nnd the conventions thnt const!-1 tute. tho woman lsw, and which othefi women demand thnt she must practice prac-tice or else put herself beyond the pale. Women do pollc each oiher They! da vit as Judges on each other Tbev do demand a certain standard In each! Other. And It will be a sad day fori society when they take to viewing the women who lead an Irregular life with a lenient eye. Women's condemnation of the Immoral Im-moral woman Is also Instinctive sef-nrcscrv sef-nrcscrv atlon. Because the mother and '.he child have to be protocted mar-' riage was instituted, and It la women who have to safeguard marrlace. anO keep tho home intact Therefore it Is necei iary that women punish the women wo-men who flout marriage and who arc horn-.- wreckers. For their own sakes thev must also hold aloft the Ideals of putltv anu virtue, ami this they can only do by drawing the line sharply and definitely defin-itely between the woman who keepa her garments spotless, and tho ones who be-spatter them with the filth of tho gutter. No sinner Is willing to pay the price Of his sin. No v. ronijdorr wants Jus-lice, Jus-lice, but all history goes to show that as we sow we must reap, and that only by enforcing Justice run we make tho weak observe the law that makes for the common good. This Is he Inexorable In-exorable fiat that none of us can change, and It applies to women and men alike. The Idea obtains that men are more merciful in their attitude towards the Magdalene than women are This Is a mistake. There Is nothing so ruthless, ruth-less, as the cruelty with whi n a man will cast aside the women of whom he is tired, th. plaything he has broken brok-en It Is the prodigal i-n whom n father welcoms lack. not tho prodigal prodi-gal daugrhtor Millions of women forgive for-give and take back the husbands who have betrayed them, but not once In a thousand times does a husband forgive for-give the wlfo who is untrue to him. Many a woman who wants to take an erring filter Into her home has the way barred by her husband. For the woman who Hat sinned .md repented, for the woman who hits taken tak-en a false step and is trying to fight her way back again to a clean life women have Infinite pity and compassion, compas-sion, nnd they are ready to help Y-.r In any way they can. but for tho woman wo-man who flaunts her sharno In the public's face, and who assesses her lost purity In dollar .md cr-.ls tout chf tries to collect from some man, for the husband B'.ealer. and tho home breaker, women have only contempt and a vast horror. And why should they have anvthln? else? Dorothy DLx'.s articles appear in this nnvspcr even Monday, Wedncada) ami Friday. oo |