Proponents of the art suggested from the first that jûdô would be use-
ful for women. One early book advocating this was A. Cherpillod’s Meine
Selbsthilfe Jiu Jitsu für Damen (My Self-Help Jiu Jitsu for Ladies) (Nurem-
burg: Attinger, 1901). Another was Irving Hancock’s Physical Training for
Women by Japanese Methods(New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1904). And
two years later, Physical Training for Womenwas followed by The Fine Art
of Jujutsuby Mrs. Roger (Emily) Watts (London: Heinemann, 1906).
Male reactions to women’s involvement in such activities varied. A
few men thought it wonderful, Sam Hill of Seattle even suggesting that all
white women living in the South learn jûjutsu for self-defense. Others were
appalled, seeing it as contrary to God’s will. Most, however, were simply
amused until, during the late 1930s, women’s self-defense was made ac-
ceptable by militarization.
Women’s reactions varied, too. Suffragettes and rich women often
viewed participation in combative sports as empowering. Working-class
women sometimes viewed them as a means toward getting a paying job in
vaudeville. Working women and actresses also thought that some method
of physical retaliation useful against men who reached under their skirts
was handy. On the other hand, many parents had strong misgivings re-
Women in the Martial Arts: Britain and North America 685Seattle police officer Sven J. Jorgensen teaches Florence Clark jûjutsu, July 10, 1928. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Collection, Museum of History & Industry)