Page:Don Coronado through Kansas.djvu/188

177 PRESUMPTUOUS MSN. 177 prone to poke fun at some things done by primitive man. Let us call attention to some fool things done by advanced, educated, smart folks at the beginning of the 20th century. First, take the abuse of the body. Is it out of the way to state that one-fourth of the world's people are addicted to the use of tobacco? And of all the stupid things it is this: no animal is silly enough to chew the nasty stuff. Are there any who wiU gainsay the fact that the male portion of the world must look to their laurels, otherwise they will not in truth be able to designate them- selves the "Baron" in law; as you Imow, formerly married men took this name upon themselves; the wife --Vas "Femme"; these terms really meant of course that the husband and wife were one, but that Mr. Man was the one, and that Mrs. Man had very few rights under the law; "Baron," meaning super- ior, and "Femme," inferior. It appears rather pre- sumptuous for law-makers to arrogate to themselves that men are superior to women. But no doubt the idea was long cherished. "She took of the fruit there- of, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat,"-^this for thousands of years condemned the "weaker sex," (?), considered as part of man, and for him to do with as he Uked. Who would think that a being endowed with thinking faculties could so tenaciously stand by such a proposition; but, hallelu- iah, the men are being shown in true Missouri style, that woman is the equal of man, except perhaps in b"ute force. Bat coming back to some of the various v/Toag- doings by which men are ruining their bodies. Hare