FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   >>  
a great basic requirement which society has learned to demand because it has been proven necessary for human welfare. To the individual restraints is added the conviction of social responsibility and the whole determination of chastity is reinforced by social sanctions. Such a shifting to social grounds is already obviously taking place in regard to the chastity of women. Formerly all that the best woman possessed was a negative chastity which had been carefully guarded by her parents and duennas. The chastity of the modern woman of self-directed activity and of a varied circle of interests, which gives her an acquaintance with many men as well as women, has therefore a new value and importance in the establishment of social standards. There was a certain basis for the belief that if a woman lost her personal virtue, she lost all; when she had no activity outside of domestic life, the situation itself afforded a foundation for the belief that a man might claim praise for his public career even when his domestic life was corrupt. As woman, however, fulfills her civic obligations while still guarding her chastity, she will be in position as never before to uphold the "single standard," demanding that men shall add the personal virtues to their performance of public duties. Women may at last force men to do away with the traditional use of a public record as a cloak for a wretched private character, because society will never permit a woman to make such excuses for herself. Every movement therefore which tends to increase woman's share of civic responsibility undoubtedly forecasts the time when a social control will be extended over men, similar to the historic one so long established over women. As that modern relationship between men and women, which the Romans called "virtue between equals" increases, while it will continue to make women freer and nobler, less timid of reputation and more human, will also inevitably modify the standards of men. On the other hand, there is no doubt that this new freedom from domestic and community control, with the opportunity for escaping observation which the city affords, is often utilized unworthily by women. The report of the Chicago vice commission tells of numerous girls living in small cities and country towns, who come to Chicago from time to time under arrangements made with the landlady of a seemingly respectable apartment. They remain long enough to earn money for a spring
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   >>  



Top keywords:

chastity

 
social
 

domestic

 

public

 

activity

 

modern

 

Chicago

 

belief

 

virtue

 

personal


society

 

responsibility

 

control

 

standards

 

increases

 

Romans

 

continue

 

equals

 

nobler

 

called


similar

 

excuses

 

movement

 

permit

 

wretched

 

private

 

character

 

increase

 

historic

 

established


extended

 

forecasts

 
undoubtedly
 
relationship
 

country

 

cities

 

numerous

 

living

 

arrangements

 

spring


remain

 

landlady

 

seemingly

 

respectable

 

apartment

 

commission

 

record

 

modify

 

reputation

 
inevitably