Page:Satire in the Victorian novel (IA satireinvictoria00russrich).pdf/208

 impatient question why women would "make such fools of themselves with clergymen":

"They are quite right. They always like the strong men—the fighters and the workers. In Voltaire's time they all ran after the philosophers. In the middle ages, books tell us, they worshipped the knights errant. They are always on the winning side, the cunning little beauties. In the war-time, when the soldiers had to play the world's game, the ladies all caught the red-coat fever; now, in these talking and thinking days (and be hanged to them for bores), they have the black-coat fever for the same reason."

Thackeray also is guilty of the generalization not at his time discovered to be fallacious:

"Women won't see matters-of-fact in a matter-of-fact point of view, and justice, unless it is tinged with a little romance, gets no respect from them."

The generosity of "Little Sister" in condoning young Firmin's unwise passiveness is based on "that admirable injustice which belongs to all good women, and for which let us be daily thankful." At this point the undevout votary burns considerable medieval incense at the feminine shrine,—not caring much if a little smoke should blow into his idols' eyes: *