Page:The Woman Socialist - Snowden - 1907.djvu/71

 more terrible and disastrous way. It exhibits itself in a desire to suffer from the infliction of pain; to be dominated; to enjoy suffering from the exercise of power. Hence the saying that women love strength in men. Punch put the matter in popular but forceful style in a cartoon which appeared in its pages some little time ago, when "Liza" is made to say to 'Arry, "If 'ee love us, 'Arry, why don't 'ee knock us about a bit." A sad experience came into the life of the writer a few months ago. An acquaintance of hers was passing the door of a working-class house in a Lancashire town, when he heard a noise, and a frightful scream from a woman inside the house. "Murder! help!" she shouted, in such terrified tones that he burst open the door and rushed to her aid. A great hulking fellow, half drunk, was savagely kicking his wife as she lay on the floor, struck down by his hand. She was horribly bruised. He rushed at the man and pulled him away, when, to his surprise, the woman started to her feet with yells and curses on his interference. "Kick me, Teddy," she said, "as hard as you like. You're my own husband. You've a right to. Never mind him."