her
being a woman did not prevent her doing the work. But if she had been
only a careless or an ignorant woman she could not have done it. It was
_mind_, you see, and cultured mind at that, which was the master power.
If she had not been working with him in making the plans, she could not
have worked for him in carrying them out. Instead of lamenting over your
sex, you would better rejoice in the fact that you are a _spirit_, and
realize that your power in all spheres of activity will be measured by
the cultivation of your mental and spiritual powers."

"But, father, even if I do cultivate my mind, I shall probably never
have an opportunity to do such a grand thing as help to build a Brooklyn
bridge."

"Probably not, but you can do a greater thing. You can fit yourself to
work on finer material than insensate stones. You can mould plastic
minds. It is a far greater thing to wield spiritual forces than to
manipulate inorganic matter."

"But, all men do not merely make _things_. There are great statesmen,
great soldiers, great writers."

"True, but you would not want to be a soldier, I am sure. To kill is not
a glorious profession. And to be a great statesman or writer is not
merely a question of sex; it is a question of mind."

"Do you think women have as much ability as men? Aren't men really
smarter than women?"

Mr. Wayne smiled at the girl's eagerness. "I do not compare men and
women to decide their relative ability," he answered. "I believe their
minds differ, but that does not imply that one is superior and the other
inferior. Each is superior in its own place."

"But men's minds are so much stronger, father. Women never can be on the
same level as men."

"Bring me two needles of different sizes from your work basket. Now,
tell me, which is superior to the other."

"That depends on what you want to do with them," replied Helen. "If you
were going to sew on shoe buttons, you'd use this big one. If you wanted
to hem a cambric handkerchief, you'd take this fine one."

"Just so. Each is superior in its special place, and both are necessary.
This is just as it seems to me in regard to the ability of men and
women. They are both minds; one strong, robust, enduring rough usage;
the other fine, delicate, going where the first cannot go, and therefore
supplementing it, and increasing the range of work that can be
accomplished. The fine needle might complain that it could not do hard
work, but do you think the c