THE DOUBLE STANDARD. 339 



The greatest crime of American womanhood 

 is allowing and even fostering in men habits of 

 life and conduct that neither she nor her brother Woman's Great 

 would tolerate in a woman. Men may be actuated 

 by selfish motives in -demanding a pure, temper- 

 ate life of women; women may be impelled by 

 the sense of kindness and forebearance in tolerat- 

 ing intemperance and vice in men ; but man's sel- 

 fishness here becomes a blessing; woman's kind- 

 ness becomes a curse. 



Marriage and parentage are both greatly influ- 

 enced by the double standard. It makes possible 

 the marriage of men who are wholly unfit to be- 

 come husbands or fathers. The statement some- Reformed Men 

 times 'heard that reformed rakes make the best of M Husbands ' 

 husbands is a libel upon manhood. It is abso- 

 lutely false. Every psychologist knows that the 

 brain centers and nerve paths formed by early 

 dissipation will for a time at least largely control 

 the conduct of the man and impell him to dese- 

 crate the sanctity of marriage. 



It is true that many perverted men have in 

 course of time become good husbands; it is 

 equally true there are many erring women who The Union of 

 would make excellent wives, yet they are not** 16 crvertcd * 

 sought by respectable men. Such a union would 

 be no more improper, however, than for the re- 

 spectable woman to marry the perverted man. 

 If dissipated men and women do sometimes be- 

 come excellent companions, it is not because of 

 their dissipation, but in spite of it. 



Children born from reformed men usually in- 

 herit the effects of their 'father's previous dissi- 

 pation. History affords many striking examples 



