第1章

类别:其他 作者:Charlotte Perkins Gilman字数:29355更新时间:19/01/05 11:20:48
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。