(a) There are several studies which throw light on the current ideals. Physical Culture magazine lately invited its women readers to send in the specifications of an ideal husband, and the results are worth considering because the readers of that publication are probably less swayed by purely conventional ideas than are most accessible groups of women whom one might question. The ideal husband was held by these women to be made up of the following qualities in the proportions given:
| Per cent. | |
|---|---|
| Health | 20 |
| Financial success | 19 |
| Paternity | 18 |
| Appearance | 11 |
| Disposition | 8 |
| Education | 8 |
| Character | 6 |
| Housekeeping | 7 |
| Dress | 3 |
| — | |
| 100 |
Without laying weight on the exact figures, and recognizing that each woman may have defined the qualities differently, yet one must admit aside from a low concern for mental ability that this is a fairly good eugenic specification. Appearance, it is stated, meant not so much facial beauty as intelligent expression and manly form. Financial success is correlated with intelligence and efficiency, and probably is not rated too high. The importance attached to paternity—which, it is explained, means a clean sex life as well as interest in children—is worth noticing.
For comparison there is another census of the preferences of 115 young women at Brigham Young College, Logan, Utah. This is a "Mormon" institution and the students, mostly farmers' daughters, are probably expressing ideals which have been very little affected by the demoralizing influences of modern city life. The editor of the college paper relates that:
Eighty-six per cent of the girls specifically stated that the young man must be morally pure; 14% did not specifically state.
Ninety-nine per cent specifically stated that he must be mentally and physically strong.
Ninety-three per cent stated that he must absolutely not smoke, chew, or drink; 7% did not state.
Twenty per cent named an occupation they would like the young man to follow, and these fell into three different classes, that of farmer, doctor and business.
Four and seven-tenths per cent of the 20% named farmer; 2.7% named doctor, and 1.7% named business man; 80% did not state any profession.
Thirty-three and one-third per cent specifically stated that he must be ambitious; 66-2/3% did not state.