Light Readings: If Woman Took the Reins of Government

★ If Woman Took the Reins of Government

An American woman writer, in the pages of one of the women's magazines, put the following question to thirty of the country's prominent men: “Would the world advance or decline if woman took power in it?” The magazine's editor appended this remark to the article: “We realize that this is a very remote possibility, but we thought it would be amusing to learn man's opinion on the matter.”

Here are snippets of some of the amusing answers the questioner received:

One of them said: “Woman's assumption of power would not disturb or frighten me in the least. I have been married for 16 years, and in all that time my wife has not once been mistaken in her opinions. With such an example before me, why should I be afraid?”

Another said: “I believe that woman is more beautiful than man, sounder of judgment, and perhaps better at management. But I also believe that her taking the reins of affairs would inevitably lead to the abyss. For she is a chatterbox: if she talks on the telephone she takes four times as long as necessary, and she loves to carry tales and spread rumors. If she governed, she would spend the vital hours in idle talk.”

A third said: “Woman's rule would be full of dangers — just like man's rule; and no one would notice any difference between the two.”

A fourth contented himself with saying: “May God come to our aid.”

A fifth said: “I believe a civil war would inevitably break out if woman took power. For throughout the ages, since the beginning of time, there has never existed a woman who would consent of her own free choice to submit to the orders of another woman, whoever she might be.”

The complete answer of a sixth was: “God forbid.”

And a seventh said: “This is something that cannot even be contemplated. Woman was created for man to look at and to caress — not for him to listen to her opinions.”