第1章

I。

ASTOHUMANNESS。

Letusbegin,inoffensively,withsheep。Thesheepisabeastwithwhichweareallfamiliar,beingmuchusedinreligiousimagery;thecommonstockofpainters;astaplearticleofdiet;oneofourmainsourcesofclothing;andaneverydaysymbolofbashfulnessandstupidity。

Insomegrazingregionsthesheepisanobjectofterror,destroyinggrass,bushandforestbyomnipresentnibbling;onthegreatplains,sheep—keepingfrequentlyresultsininsanity,owingtothelonelinessoftheshepherd,andthemonotonousappearanceandbehaviorofthesheep。

Bythepoet,youngsheeparepreferred,thelambgambollinggaily;

unlessitbeinhymns,where\"allwelikesheep\"arerepeatedlydescribed,andmuchstressislaiduponthestrayingpropensitiesoftheanimal。

Tothescientificmindthereisspecialinterestinthesequacityofsheep,theirhabitoffollowingoneanotherwithautomaticimitation。

Thisinstinct,wearetold,hasbeendevelopedbyagesofwildcrowdedracingonnarrowledges,alongprecipices,chasms,aroundsuddenspursandcorners,onlytheleaderseeingwhen,whereandhowtojump。Ifthosebehindjumpedexactlyashedid,theylived。Iftheystoppedtoexerciseindependentjudgment,theywerepushedoffandperished;theyandtheirjudgmentwiththem。

Allthesethings,andmanythataresimilar,occurtouswhenwethinkofsheep。Theyarealsoewesandrams。Yes,truly;butwhatofit?

Allthathasbeensaidwassaidofsheep,_genusovis,_thatblandbeast,compoundofmutton,wool,andfoolishness。sowidelyknown。Ifwethinkofthesheep—dog(anddog—ess),theshepherd(andshepherd—ess),oftheferocioussheep—eatingbirdofNewZealand,theKea(andKea—ess),alltheseherd,guard,orkillthesheep,bothramsandewesalike。Inregardtomutton,towool,togeneralcharacter,wethinkonlyoftheirsheepishness,notatalloftheirramishnessoreweishness。Thatwhichisovineorbovine,canine,felineorequine,iseasilyrecognizedasdistinguishingthatparticularspeciesofanimal,andhasnorelationwhatevertothesexthereof。

Returningtoourmuttons,letusconsidertheram,andwhereinhischaracterdiffersfromthesheep。Wefindhehasamorequarrelsomedisposition。Hepawstheearthandmakesanoise。Hehasatendencytobutt。Sohasagoat——Mr。Goat。SohasMr。Buffalo,andMr。Moose,andMr。Antelope。Thistendencytoplungeheadforemostatanadversary——andtofindanyothergentlemananadversaryonsight——evidentlydoesnotpertaintosheep,to_genusovis;_buttoanymalecreaturewithhorns。

As\"functioncomesbeforeorgan,\"wemayevengiveareminiscentglancedownthelongpathofevolution,andseehowthemereactofbutting——passionatelyandperpetuallyrepeated——bornofthebeliggerentspiritofthemale——producedhorns!

Theewe,ontheotherhand,exhibitsloveandcareforherlittleones,givesthemmilkandtriestoguardthem。Butsodoesagoat——Mrs。Goat。

SodoesMrs。Buffaloandtherest。Evidentlythismotherinstinctisnopeculiarityof_genusovis,_butofanyfemalecreature。

Eventhebird,thoughnotamammal,showsthesamemother—loveandmother—care,whilethefatherbird,thoughnotabutter,fightswithbeakandwingandspur。Hiscompetitionismoreeffectivethroughdisplay。Thewishtoplease,theneedtoplease,theovermasteringnecessityuponhimthathesecurethefavorofthefemale,hasmadethemalebirdblossomlikeabutterfly。Heblazesingorgeousplumage,rearshaughtycrestsandcombs,showsdroopingwattlesanddanglingblobssuchastheturkey—cockaffords;longsplendidfeathersforpureornamentappearuponhim;whatinherisameretail—effectbecomesinhimamassofglitteringdrapery。

Partridge—cock,farmyard—cock,peacock,fromsparrowtoostrich,observehismien!Tostrutandlanguish;toexhibiteverybeauteouslure;tosacrificeease,comfort,speed,everything——tobeauty——forhersake——thisisthenatureofthehe—birdofanyspecies;thecharacteristic,notoftheturkey,butofthecock!Withdrummingofloudwings,withcrowandquackandburstsofglorioussong,hewooshismate;displayshissplendorsbeforeher;fightsfiercelywithhisrivals。Tobutt——tostrut——tomakeanoise——allforlove’ssake;theseactsarecommontothemale。

Wemaynowgeneralizeandclearlystate:Thatismasculinewhichbelongstothemale——toanyorallmales,irrespectiveofspecies。Thatisfemininewhichbelongstothefemale,toanyorallfemales,irrespectiveofspecies。Thatisovine,bovine,feline,canine,equineorasininewhichbelongstothatspecies,irrespectiveofsex。

Inourownspeciesallthisischanged。Wehavebeensotakenupwiththephenomenaofmasculinityandfemininity,thatourcommonhumanityhaslargelyescapednotice。Weknowwearehuman,naturally,andareveryproudofit;butwedonotconsiderinwhatourhumannessconsists;

norhowmenandwomenmayfallshortofit,oroverstepitsbounds,incontinualinsistenceupontheirspecialdifferences。Itis\"manly\"todothis;itis\"womanly\"todothat;butwhatahumanbeingshoulddounderthecircumstancesisnotthoughtof。

Theonlytimewhenwedorecognizewhatwecall\"commonhumanity\"isinextremecases,mattersoflifeanddeath;wheneithermanorwomanisexpectedtobehaveasiftheywerealsohumancreatures。Sincetherangeoffeelingandactionpropertohumanity,assuch,isfarwiderthanthatpropertoeithersex,itseemsatfirstsomewhatremarkablethatwehavegivenitsolittlerecognition。

Alittleclassificationwillhelpushere。Wehavecertainqualitiesincommonwithinanimatematter,suchasweight,opacity,resilience。Itisclearthatthesearenothuman。Wehaveotherqualitiesincommonwithallformsoflife;cellularconstruction,forinstance,thereproductionofcellsandtheneedofnutrition。Theseagainarenothuman。Wehaveothers,manyothers,commontothehighermammals;whicharenotexclusivelyours——arenotdistinctively\"human。\"Whatthenaretruehumancharacteristics?Inwhatwayisthehumanspeciesdistinguishedfromallotherspecies?

Ourhuman—nessisseenmostclearlyinthreemainlines:itismechanical,psychicalandsocial。Ourpowertomakeandusethingsisessentiallyhuman;wealonehaveextra—physicaltools。Wehaveaddedtoourteeththeknife,sword,scissors,mowingmachine;toourclawsthespade,harrow,plough,drill,dredge。Weareaproteancreature,usingthelargerbrainpowerthroughawidevarietyofchangingweapons。Thisisoneofourmainandvitaldistinctions。Ancientanimalracesaretracedandknownbymerebonesandshells,ancienthumanracesbytheirbuildings,toolsandutensils。

Thatdegreeofdevelopmentwhichgivesusthehumanmindisacleardistinctionofrace。Thesavagewhocancountahundredismorehumanthanthesavagewhocancountten。

Moreprominentthaneitheroftheseisthesocialnatureofhumanity。

Wearebynomeanstheonlygroup—animal;thatancienttypeofindustrytheant,andeventhewell—wornbee,aresocialcreatures。Butinsectsoftheirkindarefoundlivingalone。Humanbeingsnever。Ourhuman—nessbeginswithsomelowformofsocialrelationandincreasesasthatrelationdevelops。

HumanlifeofanysortisdependentuponwhatKropotkincalls\"mutualaid,\"andhumanprogresskeepsstepabsolutelywiththatinterchangeofspecializedserviceswhichmakessocietyorganic。Thenomad,livingoncattleasantsliveontheirs,islesshumanthanthefarmer,raisingfoodbyintelligentlyappliedlabor;andtheextensionoftradeandcommerce,frommerevillagemarket—placestotheworld—exchangesofto—day,isextensionofhuman—nessaswell。

Humanity,thusconsidered,isnotathingmadeatonceandunchangeable,butastageofdevelopment;andisstill,asWellsdescribesit,\"inthemaking。\"Ourhuman—nessisseentolienotsomuchinwhatweareindividually,asinourrelationstooneanother;andeventhatindividualityisbuttheresultofourrelationstooneanother。Itisinwhatwedoandhowwedoit,ratherthaninwhatweare。Some,philosophicallyinclined,exalt\"being\"over\"doing。\"Tothemthisquestionmaybeput:\"Canyoumentionanyformoflifethatmerely’is,’

withoutdoinganything?\"

Takenseparatelyandphysically,weareanimals,_genushomo_;takensociallyandpsychically,weare,invaryingdegree,human;andourrealhistoryliesinthedevelopmentofthishuman—ness。

Ourhistoricperiodisnotverylong。Realwrittenhistoryonlygoesbackafewthousandyears,beginningwiththestonerecordsofancientEgypt。DuringthisperiodwehavehadalmostuniversallywhatisherecalledanAndrocentricCulture。Thehistory,suchasitwas,wasmadeandwrittenbymen。

Themental,themechanical,thesocialdevelopment,wasalmostwhollytheirs。Wehave,sofar,livedandsufferedanddiedinaman—madeworld。Sogeneral,sounbroken,hasbeenthiscondition,thattomentionitarousesnomoreremarkthanthestatementofanaturallaw。

Wehavetakenitforgranted,sincethedawnofcivilization,that\"mankind\"meantmen—kind,andtheworldwastheirs。

Womenwehavesharplydelimited。Womenwereasex,\"thesex,\"accordingtochivalroustoasts;theyweresetapartforspecialservicespeculiartofemininity。AsoneEnglishscientistputit,in1888,\"Womenarenotonlynottherace——theyarenotevenhalftherace,butasubspeciestoldoffforreproductiononly。\"

ThismentalattitudetowardwomenisevenmoreclearlyexpressedbyMr。

H。B。Marriot—Watsoninhisarticleon\"TheAmericanWoman\"inthe\"NineteenthCentury\"forJune,1904,wherehesays:\"Herconstitutionalrestlessnesshascausedhertoabdicatethosefunctionswhichaloneexcuseorexplainherexistence。\"Thisisapeculiarlyhappyandcondensedexpressionoftherelativepositionofwomenduringourandrocentricculture。Themanwasacceptedastheracetypewithoutonedissentientvoice;andthewoman——astrange,diversecreature,quitedisharmoniousintheacceptedschemeofthings——wasexcusedandexplainedonlyasafemale。

Shehasneededvolumesofsuchexcuseandexplanation;also,apparently,volumesofabuseandcondemnation。Inanylibrarycataloguewemayfindbooksuponbooksaboutwomen:physiological,sentimental,didactic,religious——allmannerofbooksaboutwomen,assuch。Evento—dayintheworksofMarholm——pooryoungWeininger,Moebius,andothers,wefindthesameperpetualdiscussionofwomen——assuch。

Thisisabookaboutmen——assuch。Itdifferentiatesbetweenthehumannatureandthesexnature。Itwillnotgosofarastoallegeman’smasculinetraitstobeallthatexcuse,orexplainhisexistence:butitwillpointoutwhataremasculinetraitsasdistinctfromhumanones,andwhathasbeentheeffectonourhumanlifeoftheunbridleddominanceofonesex。

Wecanseeatonce,glaringly,whatwouldhavebeentheresultofgivingallhumanaffairsintofemalehands。Suchanextraordinaryanddeplorablesituationwouldhave\"feminized\"theworld。Weshouldhaveallbecome\"effeminate。\"

Seehowinouruseoflanguagethecaseisclearlyshown。Theadjectivesandderivativesbasedonwoman’sdistinctionsarealienandderogatorywhenappliedtohumanaffairs;\"effeminate\"——toofemale,connotescontempt,buthasnomasculineanalogue;whereas\"emasculate\"——notenoughmale,isatermofreproach,andhasnofeminineanalogue。\"Virile\"——manly,weopposeto\"puerile\"——childish,andtheveryword\"virtue\"isderivedfrom\"vir\"——aman。

Eveninthenamingofotheranimalswehavetakenthemaleastheracetype,andputonaspecialterminationtoindicate\"hisfemale,\"asinlion,lioness;leopard,leopardess;whileallourhumanschemeofthingsrestsonthesametacitassumption;manbeingheldthehumantype;womanasortofaccompanimentaudsubordinateassistant,merelyessentialtothemakingofpeople。

Shehasheldalwaystheplaceofaprepositioninrelationtoman。Shehasbeenconsideredabovehimorbelowhim,beforehim,behindhim,besidehim,awhollyrelativeexistence——\"Sydney’ssister,\"\"Pembroke’smother\"——butneverbyanychanceSydneyorPembrokeherself。

Actingonthisassumption,allhumanstandardshavebeenbasedonmalecharacteristics,andwhenwewishtopraisetheworkofawoman,wesayshehas\"amasculinemind。\"

Itisnoeasymattertodenyorreverseauniversalassumption。Thehumanmindhashadagoodmanyjoltssinceitbegantothink,butaftereachupheavalitsettlesdownaspeacefullyasthevine—growersonVesuvius,acceptingthelastlavacrustaspermanentground。

Whatweseeimmediatelyaroundus,whatwearebornintoandgrowupwith,beitmentalfurnitureorphysical,weassumetobetheorderofnature。

Ifagivenideahasbeenheldinthehumanmindformanygenerations,asalmostallourcommonideashave,ittakessincereandcontinuedefforttoremoveit;andifitisoneoftheoldestwehaveinstock,oneofthebig,common,unquestionedworldideas,vastisthelaborofthosewhoseektochangeit。

Nevertheless,ifthematterisoneofimportance,ifthepreviousideawasapalpableerror,oflargeandevileffect,andifthenewoneistrueandwidelyimportant,theeffortisworthmaking。

Thetaskhereundertakenisofthissort。Itseekstoshowthatwhatwehaveallthistimecalled\"humannature\"anddeprecated,wasingreatpartonlymalenature,andgoodenoughinitsplace;thatwhatwehavecalled\"masculine\"andadmiredassuch,wasinlargeparthuman,andshouldbeappliedtobothsexes:thatwhatwehavecalled\"feminine\"andcondemned,wasalsolargelyhumanandapplicabletoboth。Ourandrocentriccultureissoshowntohavebeen,andstilltobe,amasculinecultureinexcess,andthereforeundesirable。

Inthepreliminaryworkofapproachingthesefactsitwillbewelltoexplainhowitcanbethatsowideandseriousanerrorshouldhavebeenmadebypracticallyallmen。Thereasonissimplythattheyweremen。

Theyweremales,avidsawwomenasfemales——andnototherwise。

Soabsoluteisthisconvictionthatthemanwhoreadswillsay,\"Ofcourse!Howelsearewetolookatwomenexceptasfemales?Theyarefemales,aren’tthey?\"Yes,theyare,asmenaremalesunquestionably;

butthereispossibletheframeofmindoftheoldmarquisewhowasaskedbyanEnglishfriendhowshecouldbeartohavethefootmanserveherbreakfastinbed——tohaveamaninherbed—chamber——andrepliedsincerely,\"Callyouthatthingthereaman?\"

Theworldisfullofmen,buttheirprincipaloccupationishumanworkofsomesort;andwomenseeinthemthehumandistinctionpreponderantly。Occasionallysomeunhappyladymarrieshercoachman——longcontemplationofbroadshouldershavinganeffect,apparently;butingeneralwomenseethehumancreaturemost;themalecreatureonlywhentheylove。

Totheman,thewholeworldwashisworld;hisbecausehewasmale;andthewholeworldofwomanwasthehome;becauseshewasfemale。Shehadherprescribedsphere,strictlylimitedtoherfeminineoccupationsandinterests;hehadalltherestoflife;andnotonlyso,but,havingit,insistedoncallingitmale。

Thisaccountsforthegeneralattitudeofmentowardthenowrapidhumanizationofwomen。Fromherfirstfaintstrugglestowardfreedomandjustice,toherpresentvalianteffortstowardfulleconomicandpoliticalequality,eachstephasbeentermed\"unfeminine\"andresentedasanintrusionuponman’splaceandpower。Hereshowstheneedofournewclassification,ofthethreedistinctfieldsoflife——masculine,feminineandhuman。

Asamatteroffact,thereisa\"woman’ssphere,\"sharplydefinedandquitedifferentfromhis;thereisalsoa\"man’ssphere,\"assharplydefinedandevenmorelimited;butthereremainsacommonsphere——thatofhumanity,whichbelongstobothalike。

Intheearlierpartofwhatisknownas\"thewoman’smovement,\"itwassharplyopposedonthegroundthatwomenwouldbecome\"unsexed。\"Letusnoteinpassingthattheyhavebecomeunsexedinoneparticular,mostglaringlyso,andthatnoonehasnoticedorobjectedtoit。

Aspartofourandrocentricculturewemaypointtothepeculiarreversalofsexcharacteristicswhichmakethehumanfemalecarrytheburdenofornament。Shealone,ofallhumancreatures,hasadoptedtheessentiallymasculineattributeofspecialsex—decoration;shedoesnotfightforhermateasyet,butshebloomsforthasthepeacockandbirdofparadise,inpoignantreversalofnature’slaws,evenwearingmasculinefeatherstofurtherherfeminineends。

Woman’snaturalworkasafemaleisthatofthemother;man’snaturalworkasamaleisthatofthefather;theirmutualrelationtothisendbeingasourceofjoyandwell—beingwhenrightlyheld:buthumanworkcoversallourlifeoutsideofthesespecialties。Everyhandicraft,everyprofession,everyscience,everyart,allnormalamusementsandrecreations,allgovernment,education,religion;thewholelivingworldofhumanachievement:allthisishuman。

Thatonesexshouldhavemonopolizedallhumanactivities,calledthem\"man’swork,\"andmanagedthemassuch,iswhatismeantbythephrase\"AndrocentricCulture。\"

OURANDROCENTRICCULTURE;or,THEMAN—MADEWORLD

II。

THEMAN—MADEFAMILY。

Thefamilyisolderthanhumanity,andthereforecannotbecalledahumaninstitution。Apostoffice,now,iswhollyhuman;noothercreaturehasapostoffice,buttherearefamiliesinplentyamongbirdsandbeasts;allkindspermanentandtransient;monogamous,polygamousandpolyandrous。

Wearenowtoconsiderthegrowthofthefamilyinhumanity;whatisitsrationaldevelopmentinhumanness;inmechanical,mentalandsociallines;intheextensionofloveandservice;andtheeffectuponitofthisstrangenewarrangement——amasculineproprietor。

Likeallnaturalinstitutionsthefamilyhasapurpose;andistobemeasuredprimarilyasitservesthatpurpose;whichis,thecareandnurtureoftheyoung。Toprotectthehelplesslittleones,tofeedandshelterthem,toensurethemthebenefitsofaneverlongerperiodofimmaturity,andsotoimprovetherace——thisistheoriginalpurposeofthefamily。

Whenanaturalinstitutionbecomeshumanitenterstheplaneofconsciousness。Wethinkaboutit;and,inourstrangenewpowerofvoluntaryactiondothingstoit。Wehavedonestrangethingstothefamily;or,morespecifically,menhave。

Balsac,athisbitterest,observed,\"Women’svirtueisman’sbestinvention。\"Balsacwaswrong。Virtue——theunswervingdevotiontoonemate——iscommonamongbirdsandsomeofthehighermammals。IfBalsacmeantcelibacywhenhesaidvirtue,whythatisoneofman’sinventions——thoughhardlyhisbest。

Whatmanhasdonetothefamily,speakingbroadly,istochangeitfromaninstitutionforthebestserviceofthechildtoonemodifiedtohisownservice,thevehicleofhiscomfort,powerandpride。

AmongtheheavymillionsofthestirredEast,achild——necessarilyamalechild——isdesiredforthecreditandgloryofthefather,andhisfathers;inplaceofseeingthatallaparentisforisthebestserviceofthechild。Ancestorworship,thatgrossreversalofallnaturallaw,isofwhollyandrocentricorigin。Itisstrongestamongoldpatriarchalraces;lingersoninfeudalEurope;istobetracedeveninAmericatodayinafewsporadiceffortstomagnifythedeedsofourancestors。

Thebestthinganyofuscandoforourancestorsistobebetterthantheywere;andweoughttogiveourmindstoit。Whenweuseourpastmerelyasaguide—book,andconcentrateournobleemotionsonthepresentandfuture,weshallimprovemorerapidly。

Thepeculiarchangesbroughtaboutinfamilylifebythepredominanceofthemaleareeasilytraced。Inthesestudieswemustkeepclearlyinmindthebasicmasculinecharacteristics:desire,combat,self—expression——alllegitimateandrightinproperuse;onlymischievouswhenexcessiveoroutofplace。Throughthemthemaleisledtostrenuouscompetitionforthefavorofthefemale;intheoverflowingardoursofsong,asinnightingaleandtomcat;inwastefulsplendorofpersonaldecoration,fromthepheasant’sbreasttoanembroideredwaistcoat;andindirectstrugglefortheprize,fromthestag’slockedhornstotheclashingspearsofthetournament。

Itisearnestlyhopedthatnoreaderwilltakeoffenceatthenecessarilyfrequent,referencetotheseessentialfeaturesofmaleness。

Inthemanybooksaboutwomenitis,naturally,theirfemalenessthathasbeenstudiedandenlargedupon。Andthoughwomen,afterthousandsofyearsofsuchdiscussion,havebecomealittlerestiveundertheconstantuseofthewordfemale:men,asrationalbeings,shouldnotobjecttoananalogousstudy——atleastnotforsometime——afewcenturiesorso。

How,then,dowefindthesemasculinetendencies,desire,combatandself—expression,affectthehomeandfamilywhengiventoomuchpower?

Firstcomestheeffectinthepreliminaryworkofselection。Oneofthemostupliftingforcesofnatureisthatofsexselection。Themales,numerous,varied,pouringafloodofenergyintowidemodifications,competeforthefemale,andsheselectsthevictor,thissecuringtotheracethenewimprovements。

Informingtheproprietaryfamilythereisnosuchcompetition,nosuchselection。Theman,byviolenceorbypurchase,doesthechoosing——heselectsthekindofwomanthatpleaseshim。Naturedidnotintendhimtoselect;heisnotgoodatit。Neitherwasthefemaleintendedtocompete——sheisnotgoodatit。

Ifthereisaracebetweenmalesforamate——theswiftestgetsherfirst;butifonemaleischasinganumberoffemaleshegetstheslowestfirst。Theonemethodimprovesourspeed:theotherdoesnot。

Ifmalesstruggleandfightwithoneanotherforamate,thestrongestsecuresher;ifthemalestrugglesandfightswiththefemale——(apeculiarandunnaturalhorror,knownonlyamonghumanbeings)hemostreadilysecurestheweakest。Theonemethodimprovesourstrength——theotherdoesnot。

Whenwomenbecamethepropertyofmen;soldandbartered;\"givenaway\"

bytheirpaternalownertotheirmaritalowner;theylostthisprerogativeofthefemale,thisprimaldutyofselection。Themaleswerenolongerimprovedbytheirnaturalcompetitionforthefemale;andthefemaleswerenotimproved;becausethemaledidnotselectforpointsofracialsuperiority,butforsuchqualitiesaspleasedhim。

ThereisalocalityinnorthernAfrica,whereyounggirlsaredeliberatelyfedwithacertainoilyseed,tomakethemfat,——thattheymaybethemorereadilymarried,——asthemenlikefatwives。AmongcertainmoresavageAfricantribesthechief’swivesarepreparedforhimbybeingkeptinsmalldarkhutsandfedon\"mealies’andmolasses;

preciselyasaStrasbourggooseisfattenedforthegourmand。Nowfatnessisnotadesirableracecharacteristic;itdoesnotaddtothewoman’shappinessorefficiency;ortothechild’s;itismerelyanaccessorypleasanttothemaster;hisattitudebeingmuchastheamorousmonadecstaticallyputsit,inSill’squaintpoem,\"FiveLives,\"

\"Othelittlefemalemonad’slips!

Othelittlefemalemonad’seyes!

Othelittle,little,female,femalemonad!\"

ThisultralittlenessandultrafemalenesshasbeendemandedandproducedbyourAndrocentricCulture。

Followingthis,andpartofit,comestheeffectonmotherhood。Thisfunctionwastheoriginalandlegitimatebaseoffamilylife;anditsamplesustainingpowerthroughoutthelongearlyperiodof\"themother—right;\"oraswecallit,thematriarchate;thefatherbeingherassistantinthegreatwork。Thepatriarchate,withitsproprietaryfamily,changedthisaltogether;thewoman,asthepropertyofthemanwasconsideredfirstandforemostasameansofpleasuretohim;andwhileshewasstillvaluedasamother,itwasinatributarycapacity。

Herchildrenwerenowhis;hisproperty,asshewas;thewholeengineryofthefamilywasturnedfromitstrueusetothisnewone,hithertounknown,theserviceoftheadultmale。

Tothisdaywearelivingundertheinfluenceoftheproprietaryfamily。

Thedutyofthewifeisheldtoinvolveman—serviceaswellaschild—service,andindeedfarmore;asthedutyofthewifetothehusbandquitetranscendsthedutyofthemothertothechild。

SeeforinstancetheEnglishwifestayingwithherhusbandinIndiaandsendingthechildrenhometobebroughtup;becauseIndiaisbadforchildren。Seeourcommonlawthatthemandecidestheplaceofresidence;ifthewiferefusestogowithhimtohowsoeverunfitaplaceforherandforthelittleones,suchrefusalonherpartconstitutes\"desertion\"andisgroundfordivorce。

Seeagaintheideathatthewifemustremainwiththehusbandthoughadrunkard,ordiseased;regardlessofthesinagainstthechildinvolvedinsucharelation。Publicfeelingonthesemattersisindeedchanging;

butasawholetheidealsoftheman—madefamilystillobtain。

Theeffectofthisonthewomanhasbeeninevitablytoweakenandovershadowhersenseoftherealpurposeofthefamily;oftherelentlessresponsibilitiesofherdutyasamother。Sheisfirsttaughtdutytoherparents,withheavyreligioussanction;andthendutytoherhusband,similarlybuttressed;butherdutytoherchildrenhasbeenlefttoinstinct。Sheisnottaughtingirlhoodastoherpreeminentpoweranddutyasamother;heryoungidealsareallofdevotiontotheloverandhusband:withonlythevaguestsenseofresults。

Theyounggirlisrearedinwhatwecall\"innocence;\"poeticallydescribedas\"bloom;\"andthisconditionisheldoneofherchief\"charms。\"Therequisiteiswhollyandrocentric。This\"innocence\"doesnotenablehertochooseahusbandwisely;shedoesnotevenknowthedangersthatpossiblyconfronther。Wevaguelyimaginethatherfatherorbrother,whodoknow,willprotecther。Unfortunatelythefatherandbrother,underourcurrent\"doublestandard\"ofmoralitydonotjudgetheapplicantsasshewouldifsheknewthenatureoftheiroffenses。

Furthermore,ifherheartissetononeofthem,noamountofgeneraladviceandoppositionservestopreventhermarryinghim。\"Ilovehim!\"

shesays,sublimely。\"Idonotcarewhathehasdone。Iwillforgivehim。Iwillsavehim!\"

Thisstateofmindservestoforwardtheinterestsofthelover,butisofnoadvantagetothechildren。Wehavemagnifiedthedutiesofthewife,andminifiedthedutiesofthemother;andthisisinevitableinafamilyrelationeverylawandcustomofwhichisarrangedfromthemasculineviewpoint。

Fromthissameviewpoint,equallyessentialtotheproprietaryfamily,comestherequirementthatthewomanshallservetheman。Herserviceisnotthatoftheassociateandequal,aswhenshejoinshiminhisbusiness。Itisnotthatofabeneficialcombination,aswhenshepracticesanotherbusinessandtheysharetheprofits;itisnoteventhatofthespecialist,astheserviceofatailororbarber;itispersonalservice——theworkofaservant。

Inlargegeneralization,thewomenoftheworldcookandwash,sweepanddust,sewandmend,forthemen。

Wearesoaccustomedtothisrelation;havehelditforsolongtobethe\"natural\"relation,thatitisdifficultindeedtoshowthatitisdistinctlyunnaturalandinjurious。Thefatherexpectstobeservedbythedaughter,aservicequitedifferentfromwhatheexpectsoftheson。

Thisshowsatoncethatsuchserviceisnointegralpartofmotherhood,orevenofmarriage;butissupposedtobetheproperindustrialpositionofwomen,assuch。

Whyisthisso?Why,onthefaceofit,givenadaughterandason,shouldaformofservicebeexpectedoftheone,whichwouldbeconsideredignominiousbytheother?

Theunderlyingreasonisthis。Industry,atitsbase,isafemininefunction。Thesurplusenergyofthemotherdoesnotmanifestitselfinnoise,orcombat,ordisplay,butinproductiveindustry。Becauseofhermother—powershebecamethefirstinventorandlaborer;beingintruththemotherofallindustryaswellasallpeople。

Man’sentranceuponindustryislateandreluctant;aswillbeshownlaterintreatinghiseffectoneconomics。Inthisfieldoffamilylife,hiseffectwasasfollows:

Establishingtheproprietaryfamilyatanagewhentheindustrywasprimitiveanddomestic;andthereafterconfiningthewomansolelytothedomesticarea,hetherebyconfinedhertoprimitiveindustry。Thedomesticindustries,inthehandsofwomen,constituteasurvivalofourremotestpast。Suchworkwas\"woman’swork\"aswasalltheworkthenknown;suchworkisstillconsideredwoman’sworkbecausetheyhavebeenpreventedfromdoinganyother。

Theterm\"domesticindustry\"doesnotdefineacertainkindoflabor,butacertaingradeoflabor。Architecturewasadomesticindustryonce——wheneverysavagemothersetupherowntepee。Tobeconfinedtodomesticindustryisnoproperdistinctionofwomanhood;itisanhistoricdistinction,aneconomicdistinction,itsetsadateandlimittowoman’sindustrialprogress。

Inthisrespecttheman—madefamilyhasresultedinarrestingthedevelopmentofhalfthefield。Wehaveaworldwhereinmen,industrially,liveinthetwentiethcentury;andwomen,industrially,liveinthefirst——andbackofit。

Tothesamesourcewetracethesocialandeducationallimitationssetaboutwomen。Thedominantmale,holdinghiswomenasproperty,andfiercelyjealousofthem,consideringthemalwaysas_his,_notbelongingtothemselves,theirchildren,ortheworld;hashedgedtheminwithrestrictionsofathousandsorts;physical,asinthecrippledChineseladyortheimprisonedodalisque;moral,asintheoppressivedoctrinesofsubmissiontaughtbyallourandrocentricreligions;

mental,asintheenforcedignorancefromwhichwomenarenowsoswiftlyemerging。

Thisabnormalrestrictionofwomenhasnecessarilyinjuredmotherhood。

Theman,free,growingintheworld’sgrowth,hasmountedwiththecenturies,fillinganeverwiderrangeofworldactivities。Thewoman,bound,hasnotsogrown;andthechildisborntoaprogressivefatherhoodandastationarymotherhood。Thustheman—madefamilyreactsunfavorablyuponthechild。Werobourchildrenofhalftheirsocialhereditybykeepingthemotherinaninferiorposition;howeverlegalized,hallowed,orossifiedbytime,thepositionofadomesticservantisinferior。

Itisforthisreasonthatchildcultureisatsolowalevel,andforthemostpartutterlyunknown。Today,whentheforcesofeducationaresteadilyworkingnearertothecradle,anewsenseiswakeningoftheimportanceoftheperiodofinfancy,anditswisertreatment;yetthosewhoknowofsuchamovementarefew,andofthemsomearecontenttoearneasypraise——andpay——bybelittlingrightprogresstogratifytheprejudicesoftheignorant。

Thewholepositionissimpleandclear;andeasilytraceabletoitsroot。Givenaproprietaryfamily,wherethemanholdsthewomanprimarilyforhissatisfactionandservice——thennecessarilyheshutsherupandkeepsherforthesepurposes。Beingsokept,shecannotdevelophumanly,ashehas,throughsocialcontact,socialservice,truesociallife。(Wemaynoteinpassing,herpassionatefondnessforthechild—gamecalled\"society\"shehasbeenallowedtoentertainherselfwithal;thatpoorsimiacrumofrealsociallife,inwhichpeopledecoratethemselvesandmadlycrowdtogether,chattering,forwhatiscalled\"entertainment。\")Thuscheckedinsocialdevelopment,wehavebutalowgrademotherhoodtoofferourchildren;andthechildren,rearedintheprimitiveconditionsthusartificiallymaintained,enterlifewithafalseperspective,notonlytowardmenandwomen,buttowardlifeasawhole。

Thechildshouldreceiveinthefamily,fullpreparationforhisrelationtotheworldatlarge。Hiswholelifemustbespentintheworld,servingitwellorill;andyouthisthetimetolearnhow。Buttheandrocentrichomecannotteachhim。Weliveto—dayinademocracy—theman—madefamilyisadespotism。Itmaybeaweakone;thedespotmaybedethronedandovermasteredbyhislittleharemofone;butinthatcaseshebecomesthedespot——thatisall。Themaleisesteemed\"theheadofthefamily;\"itbelongstohim;hemaintainsit;andtherestoftheworldisawidehuntinggroundandbattlefieldwhereinhecompeteswithothermalesasofold。

Thegirl—child,peeringout,seesthisforbiddenfieldasbelongingwhollytomen—kind;andherrelationtoitistosecureoneforherself——notonlythatshemaylove,butthatshemaylive。Hewillfeed,clotheandadornher——shewillservehim;fromthesubjectionofthedaughtertothatofthewifeshesteps;fromonehometotheother,andneverenterstheworldatall——man’sworld。

Theboy,ontheotherhand,considersthehomeasaplaceofwomen,aninferiorplace,andlongstogrowupandleaveit——fortherealworld。

Heisquiteright。Theerroristhatthisgreatsocialinstinct,callingforfullsocialexercise,exchange,service,isconsideredmasculine,whereasitishuman,andbelongstoboyandgirlalike。

Thechildisaffectedfirstthroughtheretardeddevelopmentofhismother,thenthroughthearrestedconditionofhomeindustry;andfurtherthroughthewrongidealswhichhavearisenfromtheseconditions。Anormalhome,wheretherewashumanequalitybetweenmotherandfather,wouldhaveabetterinfluence。

Wemustnotoverlooktheeffectoftheproprietaryfamilyontheproprietorhimself。He,too,hasbeenheldbacksomewhatbythisreactionaryforce。Intheprocessofbecominghumanwemustlearntorecognizejustice,freedom,humanrights;wemustlearnself—controlandtothinkofothers;havemindsthatgrowandbroadenrationally;wemustlearnthebroadmutualinterserviceandunboundedjoyofsocialintercourseandservice。Thepettydespotoftheman—madehomeishinderedinhishumannessbytoomuchmanness。

Foreachmantohaveonewholewomantocookforandwaituponhimisapooreducationfordemocracy。Theboywithaservilemother,themanwithaservilewife,cannotreachthesenseofequalrightsweneedto—day。Tooconstantconsiderationofthemaster’stastesmakesthemasterselfish;andtheassaultuponhisheartdirect,orthroughthatproverbialside—avenue,thestomach,whichthedependentwomanneedsmustmakewhenshewantsanything,isbadfortheman,aswellasforher。

Weareslowlyforminganoblertypeoffamily;theunionoftwo,basedonloveandrecognizedbylaw,maintainedbecauseofitshappinessanduse。Weareevennowapproachingatendernessandpermanenceoflove,highpureenduringlove;combinedwiththebroaddeep—rootedfriendlinessandcomradeshipofequals;whichpromisesusmorehappinessinmarriagethanwehaveyetknown。Itwillbegoodforallthepartiesconcerned——man,womanandchild:andpromoteourgeneralsocialprogressadmirably。

Ifitneeds\"ahead\"itwillelectachairmanprotem。Friendshipdoesnotneed\"ahead。\"Lovedoesdotneed\"ahead。\"Whyshouldafamily?

OURANDROCENTRICCULTURE;or,THEMAN—MADEWORLD

III。

HEALTHANDBEAUTY。

NOTE——Theword\"Androcentric\"weowetoProf。LesterF。Ward。Inhisbook,\"PureSociology,\"Chap。14,hedescribestheAndrocentricTheoryoflife,hithertouniversallyaccepted;andintroduceshisown\"GyneacocentricTheory。\"Allwhoareinterestedinthedeeperscientificaspectsofthisquestionareurgedtoreadthatchapter。

Prof。Ward’stheoryistomymindthemostimportantthathasbeenofferedtheworldsincetheTheoryofEvolution;andwithoutexceptionthemostimportantthathaseverbeenputforwardconcerningwomen。

Amongthemanyparadoxeswhichwefindinhumanlifeisourlowaveragestandardofhealthandbeauty,comparedwithourpowerandknowledge。

Allcreaturessufferfromconflictwiththeelements;fromenemieswithoutandwithin——theprowlingdevourersoftheforest,and\"theterrorthatwalkethindarkness\"andattacksthebodyfrominside,inhiddenmillions。

Amongwildanimalsgenerally,thereisacertainstandardofexcellence;

ifyoushootabearorabird,itisafairsampleofthespecies;youdonotsay,\"Owhatanuglyone!\"or\"Thismusthavebeenaninvalid!\"

Wherewehavedomesticatedanyanimal,andinterferedwithitsnaturalhabits,illnesshasfollowed;thedogissaidtohavethemostdiseasessecondtoman;thehorsecomesnext;butthewildonesputustoshamebytheirsuperiorhealthandthebeautythatbelongstorightdevelopment。

Inourlongagesofblindinfancyweassumethatsicknesswasavisitationfrownthegods;somestillbelievethis,holdingittobeaspecialprerogativeofdivinitytoafflictusinthisway。Wespeakof\"theillsthatfleshisheirto\"asiftheinheritancewasentailedandinalienable。Onlyoflateyears,aftermuchstudyandlongstrugglewiththisoldbeliefwhichmadeussubmittosicknessasablowfromthehandofGod,wearebeginningtolearnsomethingofthemanycausesofourmanydiseases,andhowtoremovesomeofthem。

Itisstilltrue,however,thatalmosteveryoneofusistosomedegreeabnormal;thefeaturesasymmetrical,thevisiondefective,thedigestionunreliable,thenervoussystemerratic——wearebutajobloteveninwhatwecall\"goodhealth\";andaresubjecttoaburdenofpainandprematuredeaththatwouldmakelifehideousifitwerenotsoridiculouslyunnecessary。

Astobeauty——wedonotthinkofexpectingitsaveintherarelyexceptionalcase。Lookatthefaces——thefigures——inanycrowdyoumeet;comparetheaveragemanortheaveragewomanwiththenormaltypeofhumanbeautyasgivenusinpictureandstatue;andconsiderifthereisnotsomegeneralcauseforsogeneralaconditionofugliness。

Moreover,leavingourdefectivebodiesconcealedbygarments;whatarethosegarments,asconducivetohealthandbeauty?Isthepracticaluglinessofourmen’sattire,andtheimpracticalabsurdityofourwomen’s,anycontributiontohumanbeauty?Lookatourhouses——aretheybeautiful?Eventhehousesoftherich?

Wedonotevenknowthatweoughttoliveinaworldofoverflowingloveliness;andthatourcontributiontoitshouldbetheloveliestofall。Wearesosoddeninthedulluglinessofourinteriors,sousedtocallingatamewearylow—tonedcolorscheme\"goodtaste,\"thatonlychildrendarefranklyyearnforBeauty——andtheyarespeedilyeducatedoutofit。

Thereasonsspeciallygivenforourlowstandardsofhealthandbeautyareignorance,poverty,andtheevileffectsofspecialtrades。TheManwiththeHoebecomesbrothertotheoxbecauseofover—muchhoeing;thehousepainterislead—poisonedbecauseofhispainting;bookshavebeenwrittentoshowtheinjuriousinfluenceofnearlyallourindustriesuponworkers。

Thesecausesaresoundasfarastheygo;butdonotcoverthewholeground。

Thefarmermaybemuscle—boundandstoopingfromhislabor;butthatdoesnotaccountforhisdyspepsiaorhisrheumatism。

Thenweallegepovertyascoveringall。Povertydoescoveragooddeal。

Butwhenwefindevenahalf—fedsavagebetterdevelopedthanawellpaidcashier;andapoorpeasantwomanamorevigorousmotherthantheidlewifeofarichman,povertyisnotenough。

Thenwesayignoranceexplainsit。Buttherearemostlearnedprofessorswhoareuglyandasthmathic;thereareevendoctorswhocanboastnobeautyandbutmoderatehealth;therearesomeofthepettedchildrenofthewealthy,uponwhomeverycareislavishedfrombirth,andwhostillareilltolookatandworsetomarry。

Allthesespecialcausesareadmitted,giventheirdueshareinloweringourstandards,butthereisanotherfarmoreuniversalinitsapplicationanditseffects。Letuslookbackonourlittleancestorsthebeasts,andseewhatkeepsthemsotruetotype。

Thetypeitselfsetbythatbalanceofconditionsandforceswecall\"naturalselection。\"Astheenvironmentchangestheymustbeadaptedtoit,iftheycannotsoadaptthemselvestheydie。Thosewholiveare,byliving,provencapableofmaintainingthemselves。Everycreaturewhichhasremainedonearth,whilesomanylesseffectivekindsdiedout,remainsasaconqueror。Thespeedofthedeer——theconstantuseofspeed——iswhatkeepsitaliveandmakesithealthyandbeautiful。Thevariedactivitiesofthelifeofaleopardarewhathavedevelopedthesinuousgracilestrengthwesoadmire。Itiswhatthecreaturedoesforitsliving,itsdailylife—longexercisewhichmakesitwhatitis。

Butthereisanothergreatnaturalforcewhichworkssteadilytokeepallanimalsuptotheracestandard;thatissexualselection。

Throughoutnaturethemaleisthevariant,aswehavealreadynoted。

HisenergyfindsventnotonlyinthatprofuseoutputofdecorativeappendagesWarddefinesas\"masculineefflorescence\"butinvariationsnotdecorative,notusefulordesirableatall。

Thefemale,ontheotherhand,variesmuchless,remainingnearertheracetype;andherfunctionistoselectamongthesevaryingmalesthespecimensmostvaluabletotherace。Intheintensemasculinecompetitionthevictormustnecessarilybestrongerthanhisfellows;heisfirstprovenequaltohisenvironmentbyhavinglivedtogrowup,thenmorethanequaltohisfellowsbyovercomingthem。Thishighergradeofselectionalsodevelopsnotonlythecharacteristicsnecessarytomakealiving;butsecondaryones,oftenofapurelyaestheticnature,whichmakemuchofwhatwecallbeauty。Betweenthetwo,allwholivemustbeuptoacertaingrade,andthosewhobecomeparentsmustbeaboveit;amasterlyarrangementsurely!

Hereiswhere,duringtheperiodofourhumanhistory,weinournewbornconsciousnessandimperfectknowledge,havegrieviouslyinterferedwiththelawsofnature。Theancientproprietaryfamily,treatingthewomanasaslave,keepingheraprisonerandsubjecttothewillofhermaster,cutheroffatoncefromtheexerciseofthoseactivitieswhichalonedevelopandmaintaintheracetype。

Taketheonesimplequalityofspeed。Weareacreaturebuiltforspeed,afreeswiftgracefulanimal;andamongsavagesthisisstillseen——thecapacityforrunning,mileaftermile,hourafterhour。

Runningisasnaturalagaitfor_genushomo_asfor_genuscervus。_

Nowsupposeamongdeer,thedoewasprohibitedfromrunning;thestagcontinuingfreeonthemountain;thedoelivingincavesandpens,unequaltoanyexercise。Theeffectonthespecieswouldbe,inevitably,toreduceitsspeed。

Inthisway,bykeepingwomentoonesmallrangeofduties,andinmostcaseshousebound,wehaveinterferedwithnaturalselectionanditsresultanthealthandbeauty。Itcaneasilybeseenwhattheeffectontheracewouldhavebeenifallmenhadbeenveiledandswathed,hiddeninharems,kepttothetentorhouse,andconfinedtotheactivitiesofahouse—servant。Ourstalwartlaborers,ourproudsoldiers,ourathletes,wouldneverhaveappearedundersuchcircumstances。Theconfinementtothehousealone,cuttingwomenofffromsunshineandair,isbyitselfaninjury;andtherangeofoccupationallowedthemisnotsuchastodevelopahighstandardofeitherhealthorbeauty。Thuswehavecutoffhalftheracefromthestrengtheninginfluenceofnaturalselection,andsoloweredourrace—standardsinlargedegree。

Thisalone,however,wouldnothavehidsuchmischievouseffectsbutforourfurtherblunderincompletelyreversingnature’sorderofsexualselection。Itisquitepossiblethatevenunderconfinementandrestrictionwomencouldhavekeptuptheracelevel,passably,throughthisgreatfunctionofselection;buthereisthegreatfundamentalerroroftheAndrocentricCulture。Assumingtobethepossessorofwomen,theirownerandmaster,ableatwilltogive,buyandsell,ordowithashepleases,manbecametheselector。

Itseemsasimplechange;andinthoseearlydays,whollyignorantofnaturallaws,therewasnosuspicionthatanymischiefwouldresult。Inthelightofmodernknowledge,however,thecaseisclear。Thewomanwasdeprivedofthebeneficentactionofnaturalselection,andthemanwasthen,byhisownact,freedfromthesternbutelevatingeffectofsexualselection。Nothingwasrequiredofthewomanbynaturalselectionsavesuchcapacityasshouldpleasehermaster;nothingwasrequiredofthemanbysexualselectionsavepowertotakebyforce,orbuy,awoman。

Itdoesnottakeaveryhighstandardoffeminineintelligence,strength,skill,health,orbeautytobeahouseservant,orevenahousekeeper;witnesstheaverage。

Itdoesnottakeaveryhighstandardofmasculine,intelligence,strength,skill,healthorbeautytomaintainawomaninthatcapacity——witnessaverage。

Hereattheveryrootofourphysiologicalprocess,atthebeginningoflife,wehavepervertedtheorderofnature,andaresufferingtheconsequences。

Ithasbeenheldbysomethatmanastheselectorhasdevelopedbeauty,morebeautythanwehadbefore;andwepointtothecharmsofourwomenascomparedwiththoseofthesquaw。Theanswertothisisthatthesquawbelongstoadecadentrace;thatshetooissubjecttotheman,thatthecomparisontohaveweightshouldbemadebetweenourwomenandthewomenofthematriarchate——anobviousimpossibility。Wehavenotonearthwomeninastateofnormalfreedomandfulldevelopment;butwehaveenoughdifferenceintheirplacingtolearnthathumanstrengthandbeautygrowswithwoman’sfreedomandactivity。

Thesecondansweristhatmuchofwhatmancallsbeautyinwomanisnothumanbeautyatall,butgrossoverdevelopmentofcertainpointswhichappealtohimasamale。Theexcessivefatness,previouslyreferredto,isacaseinpoint;thatbeingconsideredbeautyinawomanwhichisinrealityanelementofweakness,inefficiencyandill—health。Therelativelysmallsizeofwomen,deliberatelypreferred,steadfastlychosen,andsobuiltintotherace,isablowatrealhumanprogressineveryparticular。Inourupwardjourneyweshouldanddogrowlarger,leavingfarbehindusourdwarfishprogenitors。Yetthemale,inhisunnaturalpositionasselector,preferringforreasonsbothpracticalandsentimental,tohave\"hiswoman\"smallerthanhimself,hasdeliberatelystriventolowerthestandardofsizeintherace。Weusedtoreadinthenovelsofthelastgeneration,\"Hewasamagnificentspecimenofmanhood\"——\"Hergoldenheadreachedscarcelytohisshoulder\"——\"Shewasafairycreature——thetiniestofhersex。\"Thuswehavemated,andyetexpectedthatbysomehocuspocustheboyswouldall\"takeaftertheirfather,\"andthegirls,theirmother。Inhiseffortstoimprovethebreedofotheranimals,manhasnevertriedtodeliberatelycrossthelargeandsmallandexpecttokeepupthestandardofsize。

Asamaleheisappealedtobytheultra—feminine,andhasgivensmallthoughttoeffectsontherace。Hewasnotdesignedtodotheselecting。Underhisfosteringcarewehavebredaraceofwomenwhoarephysicallyweakenoughtobehandedaboutlikeinvalids;ormentallyweakenoughtopretendtheyare——andtolikeit。Wehavemadewomenwhorespondsoperfectlytotheforcewhichmadethem,thattheyattachalltheirideaofbeautytothosecharacteristicswhichattractmen;

sometimeshumanlyuglywithoutevenknowingit。

Forinstance,ourlongrestrictiontohouse—limits,theheavylimitationsofourclothing,andtheheavieronesoftraditionaldecorum,havemadewomendisproportionatelyshort—legged。Thisisaparticularlyundignifiedandinjuriouscharacteristic,bredinwomenandinheritedbymen,mostseenamongthoseraceswhichkeeptheirwomenmostclosely。Yetwhenonewomanescapesthetendencyandappearswithanormallengthoffemurandtibia,anormalheightofhipandshoulder,sheiscriticizedandcalledawkwardbyhersquattysisters!

ThemostconvenientproofoftheinferiorityofwomeninhumanbeautyisshownbythosecompositestatuespreparedbyMr。SargentfortheWorld’sFairof’93。TheseweremadefromgymnasiummeasurementsofthousandsofyoungcollegiansofbothsexesalloverAmerica。Thestatueofthegirlhasaprettyface,smallhandsandfeet,rathernicearms,thoughweak;butthelegsaretoothickandshort;thechestandshoulderspoor;andthetrunkisquitepitifulinitsweakness。Thefigureofthemanismuchbetterproportioned。

Thustheeffectonhumanbeautyofmasculineselection。

Beyondthispositivedeteriorativeeffectonwomenthroughman’sarbitrarychoicecomesthenegativeeffectofwoman’slackofchoice。

Boughtorstolenorgivenbyherfather,shewasdeprivedoftheinnatelyfemininerightanddutyofchoosing。\"Whogiveththiswoman?\"

westillinquireinourarchaicmarriageservice,andonemanstepsforwardandgiveshertoanotherman。

Free,thefemalechosethevictor,andthevanquishedwentunmated——andwithoutprogeny。Dependent,havingtobefedandcaredforbysomeman,thevictorstaketheirpickperhaps,butthevanquishedtakewhatisleft;andthepoorwomen,\"marryingforahome,\"takeanything。Asaconsequencetheinferiormaleisasfreetotransmithisinferiorityasthesuperiortogivebetterqualities,anddoesso——beyondcomputation。

Inmoderndays,womenarefreer,insomecountriesfreerthaninothers;

hereinmodernAmericafreestofall;andtheresultisseeninourimprovingstandardsofhealthandbeauty。

Stillthereremainsthefieldofinter—masculinecompetition,doestherenot?Donotthemalesstillstruggletogether?Isnotthatasofold,asourceofraceadvantage?

Tosomedegreeitis。Whenlifewassimpleandouractivitiesconsistedmainlyinfightingandhardwork;themalewhocouldvanquishtheotherswasbiggerandstronger。Butinter—masculinecompetitionceasestobeofsuchadvantagewhenweenterthefieldofsocialservice。Whatisrequiredinorganizedsocietyisthespecializationoftheindividual,thedevelopmentofspecialtalents,notalwaysofimmediatebenefittothemanhimself,butofultimatebenefittosociety。Thebestsocialservant,progressive,meetingfutureneeds,isalmostalwaysatadisadvantagebesidesthewell—establishedlowertypes。Weneed,forsocialservice,qualitiesquitedifferentfromthesimplemasculinecharacteristics——desire,combat,self—expression。

Bykeepingwhatwecall\"theoutsideworld\"sowhollymale,wekeepupmasculinestandardsattheexpenseofhumanones。Thismaybebroadlyseenintheslowandpainfuldevelopmentofindustryandscienceascomparedtotheeasydominanceofwarfarethroughoutallhistoryuntilourowntimes。

Theeffectofallthisultramasculinecompetitionuponhealthandbeautyisbuttooplainlytobeseen。Amongmenthemaleideaofwhatisgoodlookingisaccentuatedbeyondreason。Readaboutany\"hero\"youplease;orstudytheproductsoftheillustratorandnotethebroadshoulders,theruggedfeatures,thestrong,square,determinedjaw。

Thatjawisinevidenceifeverythingelsefails。Hemaybecross—eyed,wide—eared,thick—necked,bandy—legged——whatyouplease;buthemusthaveamoreorlessprognathousjaw。

Meanwhileanyanthropologistwillshowyouthatthelineofhumandevelopmentisawayfromthatfeatureofthebulldogandthealligator,andtowardthemeasureddignityoftheGreektype。Thepossessorofthatkindofjawmayenablemaletoconquermale,butdoesnotmakehimofanymoreservicetosociety;ofanybetterhealthorhigherbeauty。

Further,intheexternaldecorationofourbodies,whatistheinfluencehereofmasculinedominance。

Wehavebeforespokenofthepeculiarpositionofourraceinthatthewomanistheonlyfemalecreaturewhocarriestheburdenofsexornament。Thisamazingreversaloftheorderofnatureresultsatitsmildestinaperversionofthenaturalfeminineinstinctsofloveandservice,andanappearanceofthemasculineinstinctsofself—expressionanddisplay。Aloneamongallfemalethingsdowomendecorateandpreenthemselvesandexhibittheirborrowedplumage(literally!)toattractthefavorofthemale。Thisignominyisforceduponthembytheirpositionofeconomicdependence;andtheirgeneralhelplessness。Asallbroaderlifeismadetodepend,forthem,onwhomtheymarry,indeedaseventhenecessitiesoflifesooftendependontheirmarryingsomeone,theyhavebeendrivenintothisformofcompetition,soalientothetruefemaleattitude。

Theresultisenoughtomakeangelsweep——andlaugh。Perhapsnostepintheevolutionofbeautywentfartherthanourhumanpowerofmakingacontinuousfabric;softandmobile,showinganycolorandtexturedesired。Thebeautyofthehumanbodyissupreme,andwhenweaddtoittheflowofcolor,therippleoffluentmotion,thatcomesofasoft,lightgarmentoverfreelimbs——itisanewfieldoflovelinessanddelight。Naturallythisshouldhavefilledthewholeworldwithanewpleasure。Ourgarments,firstunderrightnaturalselectiondevelopingperfectuse,underrightsexselectiondevelopingbeauty;andfurther,asourhumanaestheticsenseprogresses,showinganoblesymbolism,wouldhavebeenanaddedstrengthandglory,aceaselessjoy。

Whatisthecase?

Men,underatoostrictlyinter—masculineenvironment,haveevolvedthemainlyusefulbutbeautilesscostumecommonto—day;andwomen——?

Womenwearbeautifulgarmentswhentheyhappentobethefashion;anduglygarmentswhentheyarethefashion,andshownosignsofknowingthedifference。Theyshownoaddedprideinthebeautiful,nohintofmortificationinthehideous,andarenotevensensitiveundercriticism,oropentoanypersuasionorargument。Whyshouldtheybe?

Theircondition,physicalandmental,islargelyabnormal,theirwholepassionateabsorptionindressanddecorationisabnormal,andtheyhaveneverlooked,fromafranklyhumanstandpoint,attheirpositionanditspeculiarities,untilthepresentage。

Intheeffectofourwrongrelationontheworld’shealth,wehavespokenofthechecktovigorandgrowthduetothehouseboundstateofwomenandtheirburdensomeclothes。Therefollowotherinfluences,similarinorigin,evenmoreevilinresult。Toroughlyandbrieflyclassifywemaydistinguishthediseasesduetobadair,tobadfood,andthatfieldofcruelmischiefweareonlynowbeginningtodiscuss——thediseasesdirectlyduetotheerroneousrelationbetweenmenandwomen。

Wearetheonlyracewherethefemaledependsonthemaleforalivelihood。Wearetheonlyracethatpracticesprostitution。Fromthefirstharmless—lookingbutabnormalgeneralrelationfollowsthewellrecognizedevilofthesecond,solongcalled\"asocialnecessity,\"andfromit,indeadlysequence,comesthe\"wagesofsin;\"deathnotonlyoftheguilty,butoftheinnocent。ItisnolightpartofourcriticismoftheAndrocentricCulturethatasocietybasedonmasculinedesiresalone,haswillinglysacrificedsuchanarmyofwomen;andhasrepaidthesacrificebytheheaviestpunishments。

Thattheunfortunatewomanshouldsickenanddiewasheldtobeherjustpunishment;thatmantooshouldbearpartpenaltywasfoundunavoidable,thoughmuchlegislationandmedicalefforthasbeenspenttoshieldhim;

buttothefurtherconsequencessocietyisbutnowwakingup。

OURANDROCENTRICCULTURE;or,THEMAN—MADEWORLD

IV。

MENANDART。

Amongthemanycountsinwhichwomenhavebeenproveninferiortomeninhumandevelopmentistheoft—heardchargethattherearenogreatwomenartists。Whereoneortwoareproudlyexhibitedinevidence,theyareeitherpooh—poohedasnotverygreat,orheldtobethetriflingexceptionswhichdobutprovetherule。

Defendersofwomengenerallymakethemistakeofover—estimatingtheirperformances,insteadofaccepting,andexplaining,thevisiblefacts。

Whatarethefactsastotherelationofmenandwomentoart?Andwhat,inespecial,hasbeentheeffectuponartofasolelymasculineexpression?

Whenwelookforthebeginningsofart,wefindourselvesinaperiodofcrudedecorationofthepersonandofpersonalbelongings。Tattooing,forinstance,isanearlyformofdecorativeart,stillinpracticeamongcertainclasses,eveninadvancedpeople。Mostboys,iftheyareincontactwiththisearlyart,admireit,andwishtoadornthemselvestherewith;somedoso——tolatermortification。Earlypersonaldecorationconsistedlargelyindirectmutilationofthebody,andthehanginguponit,orfasteningtoit,ofdecorativeobjects。Thisweseeamongsavagesstill,initsgrossandprimitiveformsmonopolizedbymen,thensharedbywomen,and,inourtime,leftalmostwhollytothem。

Inpersonaldecorationtoday,womenarestillnearthesavage。The\"artists\"developedinthisfieldofartarethetonsorial,thesartorial,andallthosespecializedadornersofthebodycommonlyknownas\"beautydoctors。\"

Here,asinothercases,thegreatestartistsaremen。Thegreatestmilliners,thegreatestdressmakersandtailors,thegreatesthairdressers,andthemastersanddesignersinallourdecorativetoilettesandaccessories,aremen。Women,inthisasinsomanyotherlines,consumeratherthanproduce。Theycarrythemajorpartofpersonaldecorationtoday;butthedecoratoristheman。Inthedecorationofobjects,woman,astheoriginatorofprimitiveindustry,originatedalsotheprimitivearts;andinthepottery,basketry,leatherwork,needlework,weaving,withallbeadwork,dyeingandembroideriesofancientpeoplesweseetheworkofthewomandecorator。

Muchofthisisstrongandbeautiful,butitstimeislongpast。Theartwhichispartofindustry,natural,simple,spontaneous,makingbeautyineveryobjectofuse,addingpleasuretolaborandtolife,isnotArtwithalargeA,theArtwhichrequiresArtists,amongwhomaresofewwomenofnote。

Artasaprofession,andtheArtistasaprofessional,camelater;andbythattimewomenhadleftthefreedomandpowerofthematriarchateandbecomeslavesinvaryingdegree。Thewomenwhowereidlepetsinharems,orthewomenwhoworkedhardasservants,werealikecutofffromthejoyofmakingthings。Whereconstructiveworkremainedtothem,artremained,initsearlydecorativeform。Men,intheproprietaryfamily,restrictingthenaturalindustryofwomentopersonalservice,cutofftheirartwiththeirindustry,andbysomuchimpoverishedtheworld。

Thereisnomoreconspicuouslypatheticproofoftheaborteddevelopmentofwomenthanthiscommonplace——theirlackofacivilizedartsense。

Notonlyinthechildishandsavagedisplayupontheirbodies,butinthepitifulproductstheyhanguponthewallsofthehome,isseenthearrestinnormalgrowth。

Afteragesofculture,inwhichmenhavedevelopedArchitecture,Sculpture,Painting,MusicandtheDrama,wefindwomenintheirprimitiveenvironmentmakingflowersofwax,andhair,andworsted;

doingmottoesofperforatedcardboard,makingcrazyquiltsandmatsand\"tidies\"——asiftheylivedinalongpastage,orbelongedtoalowerrace。

This,aspartofthegeneralinjurytowomendatingfromthebeginningofourandrocentricculture,reactsheavilyupontheworldatlarge。

Men,specializing,givingtheirlivestothecontinuouspursuitofonelineofservice,haveliftedourstandardinaestheticculture,astheyhaveinothermatters;butbyrefusingthesamegrowthtowomen,theyhavenotonlyweakenedandreducedtheoutput,butruinedthemarketasitwere,hopelesslyandpermanentlykeptdowntheleveloftaste。

Amongthemanysidesofthisgreatquestion,somesoterrible,somesopathetic,somesoutterlyabsurd,thisparticularphaseoflifeisespeciallyeasytostudyandunderstand,andhasitsownelementsofamusement。Men,holdingwomenatthelevelofdomesticservice,goingonthemselvestolonelyheightsofachievement,havefoundtheireffortshamperedandtheirattainmentsrenderedbarrenandunsatisfactorybytheamazingindifferenceoftheworldatlarge。Astheworldatlargeconsistshalfofwomen,andwhollyoftheirchildren,itwouldseempatenttothemeanestunderstandingthatthewomenmustbeallowedtoriseinordertolifttheworld。Butsuchhasnotbeenthemethod——heretofore。

Wehavespokensofarinthischapteroftheeffectofmenonartthroughtheirinterferencewiththeartofwomen。Thereareothersidestothequestion。Letusconsideroncemoretheessentialcharacteristicsofmaleness,andseehowtheyhaveaffectedart,keepingalwaysinmindthetriunedistinctionbetweenmasculine,feminineandhuman。Perhapsweshallbestseethisdifferencebyconsideringwhatthedevelopmentofartmighthavebeenonpurelyhumanterms。

Thehumancreature,assuch,naturallydelightsinconstruction,andaddsdecorationtoconstructionasnaturally。Thecook,makinglittleregularpatternsaroundtheedgeofthepie,doessofromapurelyhumaninstinct,theinnateeye—pleasureinregularity,symmetry,repetition,andalternation。Hadthisnaturalsocialinstinctgrownuncheckedinus,itwouldhavemanifesteditselfinacertainproportionofspecialists——artistsofallsorts——andanaccompanyingdevelopmentofappreciationonthepartoftherestofus。Suchisthecaseinprimitiveart;themakerofbeautyisupheldandrewardedbyapopularappreciationofherwork——orhis。

Hadthisconditionremained,weshouldfindagenerallevelofartisticexpressionandappreciationfarhigherthanweseenow。Taketheonefieldoftextileart,forinstance:thatwideandfluentmediumofexpression,themakingofvariedfabrics,thefashioningofgarmentsandthedecorationofthem——allthisishumanworkandhumanpleasure。Itshouldhaveledustoaconditionwhereeveryhumanbeingwasapleasuretotheeye,appropriatelyandbeautifullyclothed。

Ourrealconditioninthisfieldistoopatenttoneedemphasis;thestiff,blackuglinessofourmen’sattire;theirritatingvariegatedfollyofourwomen’s;thewayinwhichwespoilthebeautyandshamethedignityofchildhoodbymodesofdress。

Innormalhumangrowth,ourhouseswouldbeapleasuretotheeye;ourfurnitureandutensils,alloursocialproducts,wouldblossomintobeautyasnaturallyastheystilldointhoselowstagesofsocialevolutionwhereourmajorerrorshavenotyetbornefullfruit。

Appliedartinallitsformsisahumanfunction,commontoeveryonetosomedegree,eitherinproductionorappreciation,orboth。\"Pureart,\"

asanideal,isalsohuman;andthesingle—hearteddevotionofthetrueartisttothisidealisoneofthehighestformsofthesocialsacrifice。Ofallthethousandwaysbywhichhumanityisspecializedforinter—service,noneismoreexquisitethanthis;theevolutionofthesocialEye,orEar,orVoice,thedevelopmentofthosewhoseworkiswhollyforothers,andtowhomtheappreciationofothersisasthebreadoflife。Thisweshouldhaveinaproperlydevelopedcommunity;

thepleasureofappliedartinthemakingandusingofeverythingwehave;andthenthehighjoyoftheGreatArtist,andthenobleworkthereof,spreadfarandwide。

Whatdowefind?

Appliedartataverylowlevel;smalljoyeitherforthemakerortheuser。Pureart,afine—spunspecialty,aprocesscarriedonbyanelectfewwhoopenlydespisetheunappreciativemany。Arthasbecomeanoccultprofessionrequiringalongspecialeducationeventoenjoy,andevolvingajargonofcriticismwhichbecomesmoreesotericyearly。

LetusnowseewhatpartinthisundesirableoutcomeisduetoourAndrocentricCulture。

Assoonasthemaleofourspeciesassumedtheexclusiverighttoperformallsocialfunctions,henecessarilybroughttothatperformancetheadvantages——anddisadvantages——ofmaleness,ofthosedominantcharacteristics,desire,combat,self—expression。

Desirehasoverweightedartinmanyvisibleforms;itisprominentinpaintingandmusic,almostmonopolizesfiction,andhaspitifullydegradeddancing。

Combatisnotsoeasilyexpressedinart,whereevencompetitionisonahighplane;butthelastelementisthemainevil,self—expression。

Thisimpulseisinherentlyandineradicablymasculine。Itrestsonthatmostbasicofdistinctionsbetweenthesexes,thecentripetalandcentrifugalforcesoftheuniverse。Intheverynatureofthesperm—cellandthegerm—cellwefindthisdifference:theoneattracts,gathers,drawsin;theotherrepels,scatters,pushesout。Thatprojectiveimpulseisseeninthemalenatureeverywhere;theconstanturgetowardexpression,toallboastinganddisplay。Thisspirit,likeallthingsmasculine,isperfectlyrightandadmirableinitsplace。

Itisthedutyofthemale,asamale,tovary;burstingforthinathousandchangingmodifications——thefemale,selecting,maysoincorporatebeneficialchangesintherace。Itishisdutytothusexpresshimself——anessentiallymasculineduty;butmasculinityisonething,andartisanother。Neitherthemasculinenorthefemininehasanyplaceinart——ArtisHuman。

Itisnotinanyfaintestdegreealliedtothepersonalprocessesofreproduction;butisasocialprocess,amostdistinctivesocialprocess,quiteabovetheplaneofsex。Thetrueartisttranscendshissex,orhersex。Ifthisisnotthecase,theartsuffers。

Dancingisanearly,andabeautifulart;directexpressionofemotionthroughthebody;beginninginsubhumantype,amongmalebirds,asthebower—birdofNewGuinea,andthedancingcrane,whoswingandcaperbeforetheirmates。Amongearlypeopleswefinditacommonformofsocialexpressionintribaldancesofallsorts,religious,military,andother。Lateritbecomesamoreexplicitformofcelebration,asamongtheGreeks;inwhoseexquisitepersonalculturedancingandmusicheldhighplace。

Butundertheprogressiveeffectsofpurelymasculinedominancewefindthebroaderhumanelementsofdancingleftout,andthesex—elementmoreandmoreemphasized。Aspracticedbymenalonedancinghasbecomeameredisplayofphysicalagility,aformofexhibitioncommontoallmales。Aspracticedbymenandwomentogetherwehaveoursocialdances,solackinginallthevariedbeautyofpostureandexpression,sosteadilybecomingapleasantformofdalliance。

Aspracticedbywomenalonewehaveoneoftheclearestproofsofthedegradingeffectofmasculinedominance:——thedancinggirl。InthefranksensualismoftheOrient,thispersonageisadmiredandenjoyedonhermerits。We,moresophisticatedinthismatter,jokeshamefacedlyabout\"thebald—headedrow,\"andoccasionallyburstforthinshrillscandaloversomedinnerpartywhereladiescladinaveilandabraceletdanceonthetable。Nowhereelseinthewholerangeoflifeonearth,isthisdegradationfound——thefemalecaperingandprancingbeforethemale。Itisabsolutelyandessentiallyhisfunction,nothers。Thatwe,asarace,presentthispitifulspectacle,anaturalartwrestedtounnaturalends,anobleartdegradedtoignobleends,hasoneclearcause。

Architecture,initsownnature,isleastaffectedbythatsamecause。

Thehumanneedssecuredbyit,aresohuman,sounescapablyhuman,thatwefindlesstraceofexcessivemasculinitythaninotherarts。Itmeetsoursocialdemands,itexpressesinlastingformoursocialfeeling,uptothehighest;andithasbeeninjurednotsomuchbyanexcessofmasculinityasbyalackoffemininity。

Themostuniversalarchitecturalexpressionisinthehome;thehomeisessentiallyaplaceforthewomanandthechild;yettheneedsofwomanandchildarenotexpressedinourdomesticarchitecture。Thehomeisbuiltonlinesofancientprecedent,mainlyasanindustrialform;thekitchenisitsworkingcentreratherthanthenursery。

Eachmanwisheshishometopreserveandsecludehiswoman,hislittleharemofone;andinitsheistolaborforhiscomfortortomanifesthisabilitytomaintainherinidleness。Thehouseisthephysicalexpressionofthelimitationsofwomen;andassuchitfillstheworldwithasmalldrabugliness。Adwellinghouseisrarelyabeautifulobject。Inordertobesuch,itshouldtrulyexpresssimpleandnaturalrelations;orgrowinlargerbeautyasourlivesdevelop。

Thedeadlockforarchitecturalprogress,thelowlevelofourgeneraltaste,theeverlastingpredominanceofthecommonplaceinbuildings,isthenaturalresultoftheproprietaryfamilyanditsexpressioninthisform。

Insculpturewehaveanobleartforcingitselfintosomeservicethroughmanylimitations。Itscheck,asfarasitcomesunderthislineofstudy,hasbeenindicatedinourlastchapter;thedegradationofthehumanbody,theviciousstandardsofsex—consciousnessenforcedunderthenameofmodesty,thecoveredugliness,whichwedonotrecognize,allthisisadeadlyinjurytofreehighworkinsculpture。

Withanoblyequalwomanhood,stalwartandathletic;withthehighstandardsofbeautyandofdecorumwhichwecanneverhavewithoutfreewomanhood;weshouldshowadifferentproductinthisgreatart。