第5章

VII

THEMODERNSURRENDEROFWOMAN

ButinthiscornercalledEngland,atthisendofthecentury,therehashappenedastrangeandstartlingthing。Openlyandtoallappearance,thisancestralconflicthassilentlyandabruptlyended;

oneofthetwosexeshassuddenlysurrenderedtotheother。

Bythebeginningofthetwentiethcentury,withinthelastfewyears,thewomanhasinpublicsurrenderedtotheman。

Shehasseriouslyandofficiallyownedthatthemanhasbeenrightallalong;thatthepublichouse(orParliament)isreallymoreimportantthantheprivatehouse;thatpoliticsarenot(aswomanhadalwaysmaintained)anexcuseforpotsofbeer,butareasacredsolemnitytowhichnewfemaleworshipersmaykneel;

thatthetalkativepatriotsinthetavernarenotonlyadmirablebutenviable;thattalkisnotawasteoftime,andtherefore(asaconsequence,surely)thattavernsarenotawasteofmoney。

Allwemenhadgrownusedtoourwivesandmothers,andgrandmothers,andgreatauntsallpouringachorusofcontemptuponourhobbiesofsport,drinkandpartypolitics。

AndnowcomesMissPankhurstwithtearsinhereyes,owningthatallthewomenwerewrongandallthemenwereright;

humblyimploringtobeadmittedintosomuchasanoutercourt,fromwhichshemaycatchaglimpseofthosemasculinemeritswhichhererringsistershadsothoughtlesslyscorned。

Nowthisdevelopmentnaturallyperturbsandevenparalyzesus。

Males,likefemales,inthecourseofthatoldfightbetweenthepublicandprivatehouse,hadindulgedinoverstatementandextravagance,feelingthattheymustkeepuptheirendofthesee-saw。WetoldourwivesthatParliamenthadsatlateonmostessentialbusiness;

butitnevercrossedourmindsthatourwiveswouldbelieveit。

Wesaidthateveryonemusthaveavoteinthecountry;similarlyourwivessaidthatnoonemusthaveapipeinthedrawingroom。

Inbothcasestheideawasthesame。\"Itdoesnotmattermuch,butifyouletthosethingsslidethereischaos。\"WesaidthatLordHugginsorMr。Bugginswasabsolutelynecessarytothecountry。

Weknewquitewellthatnothingisnecessarytothecountryexceptthatthemenshouldbemenandthewomenwomen。

Weknewthis;wethoughtthewomenknewitevenmoreclearly;

andwethoughtthewomenwouldsayit。Suddenly,withoutwarning,thewomenhavebeguntosayallthenonsensethatweourselveshardlybelievedwhenwesaidit。Thesolemnityofpolitics;

thenecessityofvotes;thenecessityofHuggins;thenecessityofBuggins;alltheseflowinapellucidstreamfromthelipsofallthesuffragettespeakers。Isupposeineveryfight,howeverold,onehasavagueaspirationtoconquer;butweneverwantedtoconquerwomensocompletelyasthis。Weonlyexpectedthattheymightleaveusalittlemoremarginforournonsense;

weneverexpectedthattheywouldacceptitseriouslyassense。

ThereforeIamallatseaabouttheexistingsituation;

Iscarcelyknowwhethertoberelievedorenragedbythissubstitutionofthefeebleplatformlecturefortheforciblecurtain-lecture。IamlostwithoutthetrenchantandcandidMrs。Caudle。IreallydonotknowwhattodowiththeprostrateandpenitentMissPankhurst。Thissurrenderofthemodemwomanhastakenusallsomuchbysurprisethatitisdesirabletopauseamoment,andcollectourwitsaboutwhatsheisreallysaying。

AsIhavealreadyremarked,thereisoneverysimpleanswertoallthis;

thesearenotthemodernwomen,butaboutoneintwothousandofthemodernwomen。Thisfactisimportanttoademocrat;

butitisofverylittleimportancetothetypicallymodernmind。

Boththecharacteristicmodernpartiesbelievedinagovernmentbythefew;theonlydifferenceiswhetheritistheConservativefeworProgressivefew。Itmightbeput,somewhatcoarselyperhaps,bysayingthatonebelievesinanyminoritythatisrichandtheotherinanyminoritythatismad。Butinthisstateofthingsthedemocraticargumentobviouslyfallsoutforthemoment;andweareboundtotaketheprominentminority,merelybecauseitisprominent。

Letuseliminatealtogetherfromourmindsthethousandsofwomenwhodetestthiscause,andthemillionsofwomenwhohavehardlyheardofit。

LetusconcedethattheEnglishpeopleitselfisnotandwillnotbeforaverylongtimewithinthesphereofpracticalpolitics。

Letusconfineourselvestosayingthattheseparticularwomenwantavoteandtoaskingthemselveswhatavoteis。Ifweasktheseladiesourselveswhatavoteis,weshallgetaveryvaguereply。

Itistheonlyquestion,asarule,forwhichtheyarenotprepared。

Forthetruthisthattheygomainlybyprecedent;bythemerefactthatmenhavevotesalready。Sofarfrombeingamutinousmovement,itisreallyaveryConservativeone;itisinthenarrowestrutoftheBritishConstitution。Letustakealittlewiderandfreersweepofthoughtandaskourselveswhatistheultimatepointandmeaningofthisoddbusinesscalledvoting。

***

VIII

THEBRANDOFTHEFLEUR-DE-LIS

Seeminglyfromthedawnofmanallnationshavehadgovernments;

andallnationshavebeenashamedofthem。Nothingismoreopenlyfallaciousthantofancythatinruderorsimpleragesruling,judgingandpunishingappearedperfectlyinnocentanddignified。

ThesethingswerealwaysregardedasthepenaltiesoftheFall;

aspartofthehumiliationofmankind,asbadinthemselves。

Thatthekingcandonowrongwasneveranythingbutalegalfiction;

anditisalegalfictionstill。ThedoctrineofDivineRightwasnotapieceofidealism,butratherapieceofrealism,apracticalwayofrulingamidtheruinofhumanity;averypragmatistpieceoffaith。

Thereligiousbasisofgovernmentwasnotsomuchthatpeopleputtheirtrustinprinces,asthattheydidnotputtheirtrustinanychildofman。Itwassowithalltheuglyinstitutionswhichdisfigurehumanhistory。Tortureandslaverywerenevertalkedofasgoodthings;theywerealwaystalkedofasnecessaryevils。

Apaganspokeofonemanowningtenslavesjustasamodernbusinessmanspeaksofonemerchantsackingtenclerks:\"It\'sveryhorrible;

buthowelsecansocietybeconducted?\"Amediaevalscholasticregardedthepossibilityofamanbeingburnedtodeathjustasamodernbusinessmanregardsthepossibilityofamanbeingstarvedtodeath:

\"Itisashockingtorture;butcanyouorganizeapainlessworld?\"

Itispossiblethatafuturesocietymayfindawayofdoingwithoutthequestionbyhungeraswehavedonewithoutthequestionbyfire。

Itisequallypossible,forthematterofthat,thatafuturesocietymayreestablishlegaltorturewiththewholeapparatusofrackandfagot。

Themostmodernofcountries,America,hasintroducedwithavaguesavorofscience,amethodwhichitcalls\"thethirddegree。\"

Thisissimplytheextortionofsecretsbynervousfatigue;

whichissurelyuncommonlyclosetotheirextortionbybodilypain。

AndthisislegalandscientificinAmerica。AmateurordinaryAmerica,ofcourse,simplyburnspeoplealiveinbroaddaylight,astheydidintheReformationWars。Butthoughsomepunishmentsaremoreinhumanthanothersthereisnosuchthingashumanepunishment。

Aslongasnineteenmenclaimtherightinanysenseorshapetotakeholdofthetwentiethmanandmakehimevenmildlyuncomfortable,solongthewholeproceedingmustbeahumiliatingoneforallconcerned。

Andtheproofofhowpoignantlymenhavealwaysfeltthisliesinthefactthattheheadsmanandthehangman,thejailorsandthetorturers,werealwaysregardednotmerelywithfearbutwithcontempt;

whileallkindsofcarelesssmiters,bankruptknightsandswashbucklersandoutlaws,wereregardedwithindulgenceorevenadmiration。Tokillamanlawlesslywaspardoned。Tokillamanlawfullywasunpardonable。

Themostbare-facedduelistmightalmostbrandishhisweapon。

Buttheexecutionerwasalwaysmasked。

Thisisthefirstessentialelementingovernment,coercion;anecessarybutnotanobleelement。Imayremarkinpassingthatwhenpeoplesaythatgovernmentrestsonforcetheygiveanadmirableinstanceofthefoggyandmuddledcynicismofmodernity。Governmentdoesnotrestonforce。Governmentisforce;itrestsonconsentoraconceptionofjustice。Akingoracommunityholdingacertainthingtobeabnormal,evil,usesthegeneralstrengthtocrushitout;

thestrengthishistool,butthebeliefishisonlysanction。

Youmightaswellsaythatglassistherealreasonfortelescopes。

Butarisingfromwhateverreasontheactofgovernmentiscoerciveandisburdenedwithallthecoarseandpainfulqualitiesofcoercion。

Andifanyoneaskswhatistheuseofinsistingontheuglinessofthistaskofstateviolencesinceallmankindiscondemnedtoemployit,Ihaveasimpleanswertothat。Itwouldbeuselesstoinsistonitifallhumanitywerecondemnedtoit。

ButitisnotirrelevanttoinsistonitsuglinesssolongashalfofhumanityiskeptoutofitAllgovernmenttheniscoercive;wehappentohavecreatedagovernmentwhichisnotonlycoercive;butcollective。

Thereareonlytwokindsofgovernment,asIhavealreadysaid,thedespoticandthedemocratic。Aristocracyisnotagovernment,itisariot;thatmosteffectivekindofriot,ariotoftherich。Themostintelligentapologistsofaristocracy,sophistslikeBurkeandNietzsche,haveneverclaimedforaristocracyanyvirtuesbutthevirtuesofariot,theaccidentalvirtues,courage,varietyandadventure。

Thereisnocaseanywhereofaristocracyhavingestablishedauniversalandapplicableorder,asdespotsanddemocracieshaveoftendone;

asthelastCaesarscreatedtheRomanlaw,asthelastJacobinscreatedtheCodeNapoleon。Withthefirstoftheseelementaryformsofgovernment,thatofthekingorchieftain,wearenotinthismatterofthesexesimmediatelyconcerned。Weshallreturntoitlaterwhenweremarkhowdifferentlymankindhasdealtwithfemaleclaimsinthedespoticasagainstthedemocraticfield。

Butforthemomenttheessentialpointisthatinself-governingcountriesthiscoercionofcriminalsisacollectivecoercion。

Theabnormalpersonistheoreticallythumpedbyamillionfistsandkickedbyamillionfeet。Ifamanisfloggedweallfloggedhim;ifamanishanged,weallhangedhim。

Thatistheonlypossiblemeaningofdemocracy,whichcangiveanymeaningtothefirsttwosyllablesandalsotothelasttwo。

Inthissenseeachcitizenhasthehighresponsibilityofarioter。

Everystatuteisadeclarationofwar,tobebackedbyarms。

Everytribunalisarevolutionarytribunal。Inarepublicallpunishmentisassacredandsolemnaslynching。

***

IX

SINCERITYANDTHEGALLOWS

When,therefore,itissaidthatthetraditionagainstFemaleSuffragekeepswomenoutofactivity,socialinfluenceandcitizenship,letusalittlemoresoberlyandstrictlyaskourselveswhatitactuallydoeskeepheroutof。Itdoesdefinitelykeepheroutofthecollectiveactofcoercion;theactofpunishmentbyamob。

Thehumantraditiondoessaythat,iftwentymenhangamanfromatreeorlamp-post,theyshallbetwentymenandnotwomen。

NowIdonotthinkanyreasonableSuffragistwilldenythatexclusionfromthisfunction,tosaytheleastofit,mightbemaintainedtobeaprotectionaswellasaveto。

NocandidpersonwillwhollydismissthepropositionthattheideaofhavingaLordChancellorbutnotaLadyChancellormayatleastbeconnectedwiththeideaofhavingaheadsmanbutnotaheadswoman,ahangmanbutnotahangwoman。Norwillitbeadequatetoanswer(asissooftenansweredtothiscontention)thatinmoderncivilizationwomenwouldnotreallyberequiredtocapture,tosentence,ortoslay;thatallthisisdoneindirectly,thatspecialistskillourcriminalsastheykillourcattle。

Tourgethisisnottourgetherealityofthevote,buttourgeitsunreality。Democracywasmeanttobeamoredirectwayofruling,notamoreindirectway;andifwedonotfeelthatwearealljailers,somuchtheworseforus,andfortheprisoners。

Ifitisreallyanunwomanlythingtolockuparobberoratyrant,itoughttobenosofteningofthesituationthatthewomandoesnotfeelasifsheweredoingthethingthatshecertainlyisdoing。Itisbadenoughthatmencanonlyassociateonpaperwhocouldonceassociateinthestreet;

itisbadenoughthatmenhavemadeavoteverymuchofafiction。

Itismuchworsethatagreatclassshouldclaimthevotebecauseitisafiction,whowouldbesickenedbyitifitwereafact。

Ifvotesforwomendonotmeanmobsforwomentheydonotmeanwhattheyweremeanttomean。Awomancanmakeacrossonapaperaswellasaman;achildcoulddoitaswellasawoman;

andachimpanzeeafterafewlessonscoulddoitaswellasachild。

Butnobodyoughttoregarditmerelyasmakingacrossonpaper;

everyoneoughttoregarditaswhatitultimatelyis,brandingthefleur-de-lis,markingthebroadarrow,signingthedeathwarrant。

Bothmenandwomenoughttofacemorefullythethingstheydoorcausetobedone;facethemorleaveoffdoingthem。

Onthatdisastrousdaywhenpublicexecutionswereabolished,privateexecutionswererenewedandratified,perhapsforever。

Thingsgrosslyunsuitedtothemoralsentimentofasocietycannotbesafelydoneinbroaddaylight;butIseenoreasonwhyweshouldnotstillberoastinghereticsalive,inaprivateroom。

Itisverylikely(tospeakinthemannerfoolishlycalledIrish)

thatiftherewerepublicexecutionstherewouldbenoexecutions。

Theoldopen-airpunishments,thepilloryandthegibbet,atleastfixedresponsibilityuponthelaw;andinactualpracticetheygavethemobanopportunityofthrowingrosesaswellasrotteneggs;

ofcrying\"Hosannah\"aswellas\"Crucify。\"ButIdonotlikethepublicexecutionerbeingturnedintotheprivateexecutioner。

Ithinkitisacrookedoriental,sinistersortofbusiness,andsmellsoftheharemandthedivanratherthanoftheforumandthemarketplace。Inmoderntimestheofficialhaslostallthesocialhonoranddignityofthecommonhangman。

Heisonlythebearerofthebowstring。

Here,however,Isuggestapleaforabrutalpublicityonlyinordertoemphasizethefactthatitisthisbrutalpublicityandnothingelsefromwhichwomenhavebeenexcluded。

Ialsosayittoemphasizethefactthatthemeremodernveilingofthebrutalitydoesnotmakethesituationdifferent,unlessweopenlysaythatwearegivingthesuffrage,notonlybecauseitispowerbutbecauseitisnot,orinotherwords,thatwomenarenotsomuchtovoteastoplayvoting。

Nosuffragist,Isuppose,willtakeupthatposition;andafewsuffragistswillwhollydenythatthishumannecessityofpainsandpenaltiesisanugly,humiliatingbusiness,andthatgoodmotivesaswellasbadmayhavehelpedtokeepwomenoutofit。

MorethanonceIhaveremarkedinthesepagesthatfemalelimitationsmaybethelimitsofatempleaswellasofaprison,thedisabilitiesofapriestandnotofapariah。

Inotedit,Ithink,inthecaseofthepontificalfemininedress。

Inthesamewayitisnotevidentlyirrational,ifmendecidedthatawoman,likeapriest,mustnotbeashedderofblood。

***

X

THEHIGHERANARCHY

Butthereisafurtherfact;forgottenalsobecausewemodernsforgetthatthereisafemalepointofview。

Thewoman\'swisdomstandspartly,notonlyforawholesomehesitationaboutpunishment,butevenforawholesomehesitationaboutabsoluterules。TherewassomethingfeminineandperverselytrueinthatphraseofWilde\'s,thatpeopleshouldnotbetreatedastherule,butallofthemasexceptions。

Madebyamantheremarkwasalittleeffeminate;forWildedidlackthemasculinepowerofdogmaandofdemocraticcooperation。

Butifawomanhadsaidititwouldhavebeensimplytrue;

awomandoestreateachpersonasapeculiarperson。

Inotherwords,shestandsforAnarchy;averyancientandarguablephilosophy;notanarchyinthesenseofhavingnocustomsinone\'slife(whichisinconceivable),butanarchyinthesenseofhavingnorulesforone\'smind。

Toher,almostcertainly,aredueallthoseworkingtraditionsthatcannotbefoundinbooks,especiallythoseofeducation;

itwasshewhofirstgaveachildastuffedstockingforbeinggoodorstoodhiminthecornerforbeingnaughty。

Thisunclassifiedknowledgeissometimescalledruleofthumbandsometimesmotherwit。Thelastphrasesuggeststhewholetruth,fornoneevercalleditfatherwit。

Nowanarchyisonlytactwhenitworksbadly。Tactisonlyanarchywhenitworkswell。Andweoughttorealizethatinonehalfoftheworld——theprivatehouse——itdoesworkwell。Wemodernmenareperpetuallyforgettingthatthecaseforclearrulesandcrudepenaltiesisnotself-evident,thatthereisagreatdealtobesaidforthebenevolentlawlessnessoftheautocrat,especiallyonasmallscale;inshort,thatgovernmentisonlyonesideoflife。

TheotherhalfiscalledSociety,inwhichwomenareadmittedlydominant。

Andtheyhavealwaysbeenreadytomaintainthattheirkingdomisbettergovernedthanours,because(inthelogicalandlegalsense)

itisnotgovernedatall。\"Wheneveryouhavearealdifficulty,\"

theysay,\"whenaboyisbumptiousoranauntisstingy,whenasillygirlwillmarrysomebody,orawickedmanwon\'tmarrysomebody,allyourlumberingRomanLawandBritishConstitutioncometoastandstill。

Asnubfromaduchessoraslangingfromafish-wifearemuchmorelikelytoputthingsstraight。\"So,atleast,rangtheancientfemalechallengedowntheagesuntiltherecentfemalecapitulation。

SostreamedtheredstandardofthehigheranarchyuntilMissPankhursthoistedthewhiteflag。

Itmustberememberedthatthemodernworldhasdonedeeptreasontotheeternalintellectbybelievingintheswingofthependulum。

Amanmustbedeadbeforeheswings。Ithassubstitutedanideaoffatalisticalternationforthemediaevalfreedomofthesoulseekingtruth。Allmodernthinkersarereactionaries;fortheirthoughtisalwaysareactionfromwhatwentbefore。Whenyoumeetamodernmanheisalwayscomingfromaplace,notgoingtoit。

Thus,mankindhasinnearlyallplacesandperiodsseenthatthereisasoulandabodyasplainlyasthatthereisasunandmoon。

ButbecauseanarrowProtestantsectcalledMaterialistsdeclaredforashorttimethattherewasnosoul,anothernarrowProtestantsectcalledChristianScienceisnowmaintainingthatthereisnobody。

NowjustinthesamewaytheunreasonableneglectofgovernmentbytheManchesterSchoolhasproduced,notareasonableregardforgovernment,butanunreasonableneglectofeverythingelse。

Sothattohearpeopletalkto-dayonewouldfancythateveryimportanthumanfunctionmustbeorganizedandavengedbylaw;

thatalleducationmustbestateeducation,andallemploymentstateemployment;thateverybodyandeverythingmustbebroughttothefootoftheaugustandprehistoricgibbet。

Butasomewhatmoreliberalandsympatheticexaminationofmankindwillconvinceusthatthecrossisevenolderthanthegibbet,thatvoluntarysufferingwasbeforeandindependentofcompulsory;

andinshortthatinmostimportantmattersamanhasalwaysbeenfreetoruinhimselfifhechose。Thehugefundamentalfunctionuponwhichallanthropologyturns,thatofsexandchildbirth,hasneverbeeninsidethepoliticalstate,butalwaysoutsideofit。

Thestateconcerneditselfwiththetrivialquestionofkillingpeople,butwiselyleftalonethewholebusinessofgettingthemborn。

AEugenistmightindeedplausiblysaythatthegovernmentisanabsent-mindedandinconsistentpersonwhooccupieshimselfwithprovidingfortheoldageofpeoplewhohaveneverbeeninfants。

IwillnotdealhereinanydetailwiththefactthatsomeEugenistshaveinourtimemadethemaniacalanswerthatthepoliceoughttocontrolmarriageandbirthastheycontrollaboranddeath。

Exceptforthisinhumanhandful(withwhomIregrettosayIshallhavetodealwithlater)alltheEugenistsIknowdividethemselvesintotwosections:ingeniouspeoplewhooncemeantthis,andratherbewilderedpeoplewhosweartheynevermeantit——noranythingelse。

Butifitbeconceded(byabreezierestimateofmen)thattheydomostlydesiremarriagetoremainfreefromgovernment,itdoesnotfollowthattheydesireittoremainfreefromeverything。Ifmandoesnotcontrolthemarriagemarketbylaw,isitcontrolledatall?

Surelytheanswerisbroadlythatmandoesnotcontrolthemarriagemarketbylaw,butthewomandoescontrolitbysympathyandprejudice。

Therewasuntillatelyalawforbiddingamantomarryhisdeceasedwife\'ssister;yetthethinghappenedconstantly。Therewasnolawforbiddingamantomarryhisdeceasedwife\'sscullery-maid;yetitdidnothappennearlysooften。Itdidnothappenbecausethemarriagemarketismanagedinthespiritandbytheauthorityofwomen;

andwomenaregenerallyconservativewhereclassesareconcerned。

Itisthesamewiththatsystemofexclusivenessbywhichladieshavesooftencontrived(asbyaprocessofelimination)

topreventmarriagesthattheydidnotwantandevensometimesprocurethosetheydid。Thereisnoneedofthebroadarrowandthefleur-delis,theturnkey\'schainsorthehangman\'shalter。

Youneednotstrangleamanifyoucansilencehim。Thebrandedshoulderislesseffectiveandfinalthanthecoldshoulder;

andyouneednottroubletolockamaninwhenyoucanlockhimout。

Thesame,ofcourse,istrueofthecolossalarchitecturewhichwecallinfanteducation:anarchitecturerearedwhollybywomen。

Nothingcaneverovercomethatoneenormoussexsuperiority,thateventhemalechildisbornclosertohismotherthantohisfather。

Noone,staringatthatfrightfulfemaleprivilege,canquitebelieveintheequalityofthesexes。Hereandtherewereadofagirlbroughtuplikeatom-boy;buteveryboyisbroughtuplikeatamegirl。Thefleshandspiritoffemininitysurroundhimfromthefirstlikethefourwallsofahouse;andeventhevaguestormostbrutalmanhasbeenwomanizedbybeingborn。

Manthatisbornofawomanhasshortdaysandfullofmisery;

butnobodycanpicturetheobscenityandbestialtragedythatwouldbelongtosuchamonsterasmanthatwasbornofaman。

***

XI

THEQUEENANDTHESUFFRAGETTES

But,indeed,withthiseducationalmatterImustofnecessityembroilmyselflater。Thefourthsectionofdiscussionissupposedtobeaboutthechild,butIthinkitwillbemostlyaboutthemother。

InthisplaceIhavesystematicallyinsistedonthelargepartoflifethatisgoverned,notbymanwithhisvote,butbywomanwithhervoice,ormoreoften,withherhorriblesilence。

Onlyonethingremainstobeadded。Inasprawlingandexplanatorystylehasbeentracedouttheideathatgovernmentisultimatelycoercion,thatcoercionmustmeancolddefinitionsaswellascruelconsequences,andthatthereforethereissomethingtobesaidfortheoldhumanhabitofkeepingone-halfofhumanityoutofsoharshanddirtyabusiness。

Butthecaseisstrongerstill。

Votingisnotonlycoercion,butcollectivecoercion。

IthinkQueenVictoriawouldhavebeenyetmorepopularandsatisfyingifshehadneversignedadeathwarrant。IthinkQueenElizabethwouldhavestoodoutasmoresolidandsplendidinhistoryifshehadnotearned(amongthosewhohappentoknowherhistory)

thenicknameofBloodyBess。Ithink,inshort,thatthegreathistoricwomanismoreherselfwhensheispersuasiveratherthancoercive。

ButIfeelallmankindbehindmewhenIsaythatifawomanhasthispoweritshouldbedespoticpower——notdemocraticpower。

ThereisamuchstrongerhistoricargumentforgivingMissPankhurstathronethanforgivingheravote。Shemighthaveacrown,oratleastacoronet,likesomanyofhersupporters;

fortheseoldpowersarepurelypersonalandthereforefemale。

MissPankhurstasadespotmightbeasvirtuousasQueenVictoria,andshecertainlywouldfinditdifficulttobeaswickedasQueenBess,butthepointisthat,goodorbad,shewouldbeirresponsible——

shewouldnotbegovernedbyaruleandbyaruler。

Thereareonlytwowaysofgoverning:byaruleandbyaruler。

Anditisseriouslytruetosayofawoman,ineducationanddomesticity,thatthefreedomoftheautocratappearstobenecessarytoher。

Sheisneverresponsibleuntilsheisirresponsible。

Incasethissoundslikeanidlecontradiction,Iconfidentlyappealtothecoldfactsofhistory。Almosteverydespoticoroligarchicstatehasadmittedwomentoitsprivileges。

ScarcelyonedemocraticstatehaseveradmittedthemtoitsrightsThereasonisverysimple:thatsomethingfemaleisendangeredmuchmorebytheviolenceofthecrowd。Inshort,onePankhurstisanexception,butathousandPankhurstsareanightmare,aBacchicorgie,aWitchesSabbath。Forinalllegendsmenhavethoughtofwomenassublimeseparatelybuthorribleinaherd。

***

XII

THEMODERNSLAVE

NowIhaveonlytakenthetestcaseofFemaleSuffragebecauseitistopicalandconcrete;itisnotofgreatmomentformeasapoliticalproposal。Icanquiteimagineanyonesubstantiallyagreeingwithmyviewofwomanasuniversalistandautocratinalimitedarea;andstillthinkingthatshewouldbenonetheworseforaballotpaper。Therealquestioniswhetherthisoldidealofwomanasthegreatamateurisadmittedornot。

Therearemanymodernthingswhichthreatenitmuchmorethansuffragism;notablytheincreaseofself-supportingwomen,eveninthemostsevereorthemostsqualidemployments。

Iftherebesomethingagainstnatureintheideaofahordeofwildwomengoverning,thereissomethingtrulyintolerableintheideaofaherdoftamewomenbeinggoverned。

Andthereareelementsinhumanpsychologythatmakethissituationparticularlypoignantorignominous。

Theuglyexactitudesofbusiness,thebellsandclocksthefixedhoursandrigiddepartments,wereallmeantforthemale:

who,asarule,canonlydoonethingandcanonlywiththegreatestdifficultybeinducedtodothat。Ifclerksdonottrytoshirktheirwork,ourwholegreatcommercialsystembreaksdown。

Itisbreakingdown,undertheinroadofwomenwhoareadoptingtheunprecedentedandimpossiblecourseoftakingthesystemseriouslyanddoingitwell。Theirveryefficiencyisthedefinitionoftheirslavery。Itisgenerallyaverybadsignwhenoneistrustedverymuchbyone\'semployers。

Andiftheevasiveclerkshavealookofbeingblackguards,theearnestladiesareoftensomethingverylikeblacklegs。

Butthemoreimmediatepointisthatthemodernworkingwomanbearsadoubleburden,forsheenduresboththegrindingofficialismofthenewofficeandthedistractingscrupulosityoftheoldhome。

Fewmenunderstandwhatconscientiousnessis。Theyunderstandduty,whichgenerallymeansoneduty;butconscientiousnessisthedutyoftheuniversalist。Itislimitedbynoworkdaysorholidays;itisalawless,limitless,devouringdecorum。

Ifwomenaretobesubjectedtothedullruleofcommerce,wemustfindsomewayofemancipatingthemfromthewildruleofconscience。ButIratherfancyyouwillfinditeasiertoleavetheconscienceandknockoffthecommerce。

Asitis,themodernclerkorsecretaryexhaustsherselftoputonethingstraightintheledgerandthengoeshometoputeverythingstraightinthehouse。

Thiscondition(describedbysomeasemancipated)isatleastthereverseofmyideal。Iwouldgivewoman,notmorerights,butmoreprivileges。Insteadofsendinghertoseeksuchfreedomasnotoriouslyprevailsinbanksandfactories,Iwoulddesignspeciallyahouseinwhichshecanbefree。

Andwiththatwecometothelastpointofall;thepointatwhichwecanperceivetheneedsofwomen,liketherightsofmen,stoppedandfalsifiedbysomethingwhichitistheobjectofthisbooktoexpose。

TheFeminist(whichmeans,Ithink,onewhodislikesthechieffemininecharacteristics)hasheardmyloosemonologue,burstingallthetimewithonepent-upprotest。

Atthispointhewillbreakoutandsay,\"Butwhatarewetodo?

Thereismoderncommerceanditsclerks;thereisthemodernfamilywithitsunmarrieddaughters;specialismisexpectedeverywhere;

femalethriftandconscientiousnessaredemandedandsupplied。

Whatdoesitmatterwhetherweshouldintheabstractprefertheoldhumanandhousekeepingwoman;wemightprefertheGardenofEden。Butsincewomenhavetradestheyoughttohavetradesunions。

Sincewomenworkinfactories,theyoughttovoteonfactory-acts。Iftheyareunmarriedtheymustbecommercial;iftheyarecommercialtheymustbepolitical。Wemusthavenewrulesforanewworld——

evenifitbenotabetterone。\"IsaidtoaFeministonce:

\"Thequestionisnotwhetherwomenaregoodenoughforvotes:

itiswhethervotesaregoodenoughforwomen。\"Heonlyanswered:

\"Ah,yougoandsaythattothewomenchain-makersonCradleyHeath。\"

NowthisistheattitudewhichIattack。ItisthehugeheresyofPrecedent。Itistheviewthatbecausewehavegotintoamesswemustgrowmessiertosuitit;thatbecausewehavetakenawrongturnsometimeagowemustgoforwardandnotbackwards;

thatbecausewehavelostourwaywemustloseourmapalso;

andbecausewehavemissedourideal,wemustforgetit。

\"Therearenumbersofexcellentpeoplewhodonotthinkvotesunfeminine;

andtheremaybeenthusiastsforourbeautifulmodernindustrywhodonotthinkfactoriesunfeminine。Butifthesethingsareunfeminineitisnoanswertosaythattheyfitintoeachother。

Iamnotsatisfiedwiththestatementthatmydaughtermusthaveunwomanlypowersbecauseshehasunwomanlywrongs。

Industrialsootandpoliticalprinter\'sinkaretwoblackswhichdonotmakeawhite。MostoftheFeministswouldprobablyagreewithmethatwomanhoodisundershamefultyrannyintheshopsandmills。

ButIwanttodestroythetyranny。Theywanttodestroywomanhood。

Thatistheonlydifference。

Whetherwecanrecovertheclearvisionofwomanasatowerwithmanywindows,thefixedeternalfemininefromwhichhersons,thespecialists,goforth;whetherwecanpreservethetraditionofacentralthingwhichisevenmorehumanthandemocracyandevenmorepracticalthanpolitics;whether,inword,itispossibletore-establishthefamily,freedfromthefilthycynicismandcrueltyofthecommercialepoch,Ishalldiscussinthelastsectionofthisbook。Butmeanwhiledonottalktomeaboutthepoorchain-makersonCradleyHeath。Iknowallaboutthemandwhattheyaredoing。Theyareengagedinaverywide-spreadandflourishingindustryofthepresentage。

Theyaremakingchains。

***

PARTFOUR

EDUCATION:ORTHEMISTAKEABOUTTHECHILD

***

I

THECALVINISMOFTO-DAY

WhenIwrotealittlevolumeonmyfriendMr。BernardShaw,itisneedlesstosaythathereviewedit。InaturallyfelttemptedtoanswerandtocriticisethebookfromthesamedisinterestedandimpartialstandpointfromwhichMr。Shawhadcriticisedthesubjectofit。

Iwasnotwithheldbyanyfeelingthatthejokewasgettingalittleobvious;foranobviousjokeisonlyasuccessfuljoke;itisonlytheunsuccessfulclownswhocomfortthemselveswithbeingsubtle。

TherealreasonwhyIdidnotanswerMr。Shaw\'samusingattackwasthis:

thatonesimplephraseinitsurrenderedtomeallthatI

haveeverwanted,orcouldwantfromhimtoalleternity。

ItoldMr。Shaw(insubstance)thathewasacharmingandcleverfellow,butacommonCalvinist。Headmittedthatthiswastrue,andthere(sofarasIamconcerned)isanendofthematter。

Hesaidthat,ofcourse,Calvinwasquiterightinholdingthat\"ifonceamanisbornitistoolatetodamnorsavehim。\"

Thatisthefundamentalandsubterraneansecret;thatisthelastlieinhell。

ThedifferencebetweenPuritanismandCatholicismisnotaboutwhethersomepriestlywordorgestureissignificantandsacred。

Itisaboutwhetheranywordorgestureissignificantandsacred。

TotheCatholiceveryotherdailyactisdramaticdedicationtotheserviceofgoodorofevil。TotheCalvinistnoactcanhavethatsortofsolemnity,becausethepersondoingithasbeendedicatedfrometernity,andismerelyfillinguphistimeuntilthecrackofdoom。Thedifferenceissomethingsubtlerthanplum-puddingsorprivatetheatricals;

thedifferenceisthattoaChristianofmykindthisshortearthlylifeisintenselythrillingandprecious;toaCalvinistlikeMr。Shawitisconfessedlyautomaticanduninteresting。

Tomethesethreescoreyearsandtenarethebattle。

TotheFabianCalvinist(byhisownconfession)theyareonlyalongprocessionofthevictorsinlaurelsandthevanquishedinchains。

Tomeearthlylifeisthedrama;tohimitistheepilogue。

Shaviansthinkabouttheembryo;Spiritualistsabouttheghost;

Christiansabouttheman。Itisaswelltohavethesethingsclear。

NowalloursociologyandeugenicsandtherestofitarenotsomuchmaterialistasconfusedlyCalvinist,theyarechieflyoccupiedineducatingthechildbeforeheexists。

Thewholemovementisfullofasingulardepressionaboutwhatonecandowiththepopulace,combinedwithastrangedisembodiedgayetyaboutwhatmaybedonewithposterity。

TheseessentialCalvinistshave,indeed,abolishedsomeofthemoreliberalanduniversalpartsofCalvinism,suchasthebeliefinanintellectualdesignoraneverlastinghappiness。

ButthoughMr。Shawandhisfriendsadmititisasuperstitionthatamanisjudgedafterdeath,theysticktotheircentraldoctrine,thatheisjudgedbeforeheisborn。

InconsequenceofthisatmosphereofCalvinismintheculturedworldofto-day,itisapparentlynecessarytobeginallargumentsoneducationwithsomementionofobstetricsandtheunknownworldoftheprenatal。

AllIshallhavetosay,however,onhereditywillbeverybrief,becauseIshallconfinemyselftowhatisknownaboutit,andthatisverynearlynothing。Itisbynomeansself-evident,butitisacurrentmoderndogma,thatnothingactuallyentersthebodyatbirthexceptalifederivedandcompoundedfromtheparents。ThereisatleastquiteasmuchtobesaidfortheChristiantheorythatanelementcomesfromGod,ortheBuddhisttheorythatsuchanelementcomesfrompreviousexistences。

Butthisisnotareligiouswork,andImustsubmittothoseverynarrowintellectuallimitswhichtheabsenceoftheologyalwaysimposes。

Leavingthesoulononeside,letussupposeforthesakeofargumentthatthehumancharacterinthefirstcasecomeswhollyfromparents;

andthenletuscurtlystateourknowledgeratherthanourignorance。

***

II

THETRIBALTERROR

Popularscience,likethatofMr。Blatchford,isinthismatterasmildasoldwives\'tales。Mr。Blatchford,withcolossalsimplicity,explainedtomillionsofclerksandworkingmenthatthemotherislikeabottleofbluebeadsandthefatherislikeabottleofyellowbeads;

andsothechildislikeabottleofmixedbluebeadsandyellow。

Hemightjustaswellhavesaidthatifthefatherhastwolegsandthemotherhastwolegs,thechildwillhavefourlegs。

Obviouslyitisnotaquestionofsimpleadditionorsimpledivisionofanumberofharddetached\"qualities,\"likebeads。

Itisanorganiccrisisandtransformationofthemostmysterioussort;

sothateveniftheresultisunavoidable,itwillstillbeunexpected。

Itisnotlikebluebeadsmixedwithyellowbeads;itislikebluemixedwithyellow;theresultofwhichisgreen,atotallynovelanduniqueexperience,anewemotion。Amanmightliveinacompletecosmosofblueandyellow,likethe\"EdinburghReview\";amanmightneverhaveseenanythingbutagoldencornfieldandasapphiresky;

andstillhemightneverhavehadsowildafancyasgreen。

Ifyoupaidasovereignforabluebell;ifyouspilledthemustardontheblue-books;ifyoumarriedacanarytoabluebaboon;

thereisnothinginanyofthesewildweddingsthatcontainsevenahintofgreen。Greenisnotamentalcombination,likeaddition;

itisaphysicalresultlikebirth。So,apartfromthefactthatnobodyeverreallyunderstandsparentsorchildreneither,yetevenifwecouldunderstandtheparents,wecouldnotmakeanyconjectureaboutthechildren。Eachtimetheforceworksinadifferentway;

eachtimetheconstituentcolorscombineintoadifferentspectacle。

Agirlmayactuallyinheritheruglinessfromhermother\'sgoodlooks。

Aboymayactuallygethisweaknessfromhisfather\'sstrength。

Evenifweadmititisreallyafate,forusitmustremainafairytale。

Consideredinregardtoitscauses,theCalvinistsandmaterialistsmayberightorwrong;weleavethemtheirdrearydebate。

Butconsideredinregardtoitsresultsthereisnodoubtaboutit。

Thethingisalwaysanewcolor;astrangestar。Everybirthisaslonelyasamiracle。Everychildisasuninvitedasamonstrosity。

Onallsuchsubjectsthereisnoscience,butonlyasortofardentignorance;andnobodyhaseverbeenabletoofferanytheoriesofmoralhereditywhichjustifiedthemselvesintheonlyscientificsense;

thatisthatonecouldcalculateonthembeforehand。Therearesixcases,say,ofagrandsonhavingthesametwitchofmouthorviceofcharacterashisgrandfather;orperhapstherearesixteencases,orperhapssixty。Buttherearenottwocases,thereisnotonecase,therearenocasesatall,ofanybodybettinghalfacrownthatthegrandfatherwillhaveagrandsonwiththetwitchorthevice。

Inshort,wedealwithheredityaswedealwithomens,affinitiesandthefulfillmentofdreams。Thethingsdohappen,andwhentheyhappenwerecordthem;butnotevenalunaticeverreckonsonthem。

Indeed,heredity,likedreamsandomens,isabarbaricnotion;thatis,notnecessarilyanuntrue,butadim,gropingandunsystematizednotion。

Acivilizedmanfeelshimselfalittlemorefreefromhisfamily。

BeforeChristianitythesetalesoftribaldoomoccupiedthesavagenorth;

andsincetheReformationandtherevoltagainstChristianity(whichisthereligionofacivilizedfreedom)savageryisslowlycreepingbackintheformofrealisticnovelsandproblemplays。

ThecurseofRougon-MacquartisasheathenandsuperstitiousasthecurseofRavenswood;onlynotsowellwritten。Butinthistwilightbarbaricsensethefeelingofaracialfateisnotirrational,andmaybeallowedlikeahundredotherhalfemotionsthatmakelifewhole。

Theonlyessentialoftragedyisthatoneshouldtakeitlightly。

ButevenwhenthebarbariandelugerosetoitshighestinthemaddernovelsofZola(suchasthatcalled\"TheHumanBeast\",agrosslibelonbeastsaswellashumanity),eventhentheapplicationofthehereditaryideatopracticeisavowedlytimidandfumbling。

Thestudentsofheredityaresavagesinthisvitalsense;thattheystarebackatmarvels,buttheydarenotstareforwardtoschemes。

Inpracticenooneismadenoughtolegislateoreducateupondogmasofphysicalinheritance;andeventhelanguageofthethingisrarelyusedexceptforspecialmodernpurposes,suchastheendowmentofresearchortheoppressionofthepoor。

***

III

THETRICKSOFENVIRONMENT

AfterallthemodernclatterofCalvinism,therefore,itisonlywiththebornchildthatanybodydarestodeal;

andthequestionisnoteugenicsbuteducation。Oragain,toadoptthatrathertiresometerminologyofpopularscience,itisnotaquestionofhereditybutofenvironment。

Iwillnotneedlesslycomplicatethisquestionbyurgingatlengththatenvironmentalsoisopentosomeoftheobjectionsandhesitationswhichparalyzetheemploymentofheredity。

Iwillmerelysuggestinpassingthatevenabouttheeffectofenvironmentmodernpeopletalkmuchtoocheerfullyandcheaply。

Theideathatsurroundingswillmoldamanisalwaysmixedupwiththetotallydifferentideathattheywillmoldhiminoneparticularway。Totakethebroadestcase,landscapenodoubtaffectsthesoul;buthowitaffectsitisquiteanothermatter。

Tobebornamongpine-treesmightmeanlovingpine-trees。

Itmightmeanloathingpine-trees。Itmightquiteseriouslymeanneverhavingseenapine-tree。Oritmightmeananymixtureoftheseoranydegreeofanyofthem。

Sothatthescientificmethodherelacksalittleinprecision。

Iamnotspeakingwithoutthebook;onthecontrary,Iamspeakingwiththebluebook,withtheguide-bookandtheatlas。

ItmaybethattheHighlandersarepoeticalbecausetheyinhabitmountains;butaretheSwissprosaicbecausetheyinhabitmountains?ItmaybetheSwisshavefoughtforfreedombecausetheyhadhills;didtheDutchfightforfreedombecausetheyhadn\'t?PersonallyIshouldthinkitquitelikely。

Environmentmightworknegativelyaswellaspositively。

TheSwissmaybesensible,notinspiteoftheirwildskyline,butbecauseoftheirwildskyline。TheFlemingsmaybefantasticartists,notinspiteoftheirdullskyline,butbecauseofit。

Ionlypauseonthisparenthesistoshowthat,eveninmattersadmittedlywithinitsrange,popularsciencegoesagreatdealtoofast,anddropsenormouslinksoflogic。

Nevertheless,itremainstheworkingrealitythatwhatwehavetodealwithinthecaseofchildrenis,forallpracticalpurposes,environment;or,tousetheolderword,education。

Whenallsuchdeductionsaremade,educationisatleastaformofwill-worship;notofcowardlyfact-worship;

itdealswithadepartmentthatwecancontrol;itdoesnotmerelydarkenuswiththebarbarianpessimismofZolaandtheheredity-hunt。Weshallcertainlymakefoolsofourselves;

thatiswhatismeantbyphilosophy。Butweshallnotmerelymakebeastsofourselves;whichisthenearestpopulardefinitionformerelyfollowingthelawsofNatureandcoweringunderthevengeanceofthefleshEducationcontainsmuchmoonshine;

butnotofthesortthatmakesmeremooncalvesandidiotstheslavesofasilvermagnet,theoneeyeoftheworld。

Inthisdecentarenatherearefads,butnotfrenzies。

Doubtlessweshalloftenfindamare\'snest;butitwillnotalwaysbethenightmare\'s。