Aninterestingnoteinpassingisthis:whenweseektoexpresssociallyournoblest,ideas,Truth;Justice;Liberty;weusethewoman’sbodyasthehighesthumantype。Butindoingthis,theartist,truetohumanityandnotbiassedbysex,givesusastrong,grandfigure,beautifulindeed,butnever_decorated_。FancyLibertyinrufflesandfrills,withringsinherears——ornose。
Musicisinjuredbyaone—sidedhandling,partlyintheexcessoftheonedominantmasculinepassion,partlybythegeneralpresenceofegoism;thattendencytoself—expressioninsteadofsocialexpression,whichsodisfiguresourart;andthisistruealsoofpoetry。
Milesandmilesofpoetryconsistoftheceaselessoutcryofthemaleforthefemale,whichisbynomeanssooverwhelmingasafeatureofhumanlifeasheimaginesit;andothermilesexpresshisotherfeelings,withthatingenuouslackofreticencewhichisatitsbaseessentiallymasculine。Havingapain,thepoetmustneedspouritforth,thathiswoebesharedandsympathizedwith。
Asmoreandmorewomenwritersflockintothefieldthereisroomforfinehistoricstudyofthedifferenceinsexfeeling,andthegradualemergenceofthehumannote。
Literature,andinespecialtheartoffiction,issolargeafieldforthisstudythatitwillhaveachaptertoitself;thisonebuttouchingonthesevariousforms;andindicatinglinesofobservation。
Thatbestknownformofartwhichtomymindneedsnoqualifyingdescription——painting——isalsoawidefield;andcannotbedonefulljusticetowithintheselimits。Theeffectuponitoftoomuchmasculinityisnotsomuchinchoiceofsubjectasinmethodandspirit。
Theartistseesbeautyofformandcolorwheretheordinaryobserverdoesnot;andpaintstheoldanduglywithasmuchenthusiasmastheyoungandbeautiful——sometimes。Ifthereisinsomeanover—emphasisoffeminineattractionsitiscounterbalancedinothersbyafarbroaderlineofwork。
Butthemainevilsofatoomasculineartlieintheemphasislaidonself—expression。Theartist,passionatelyconsciousofhowhefeels,strivestomakeotherpeopleawareofthesesensations。Thisisnowsogenerallyacceptedbycritics,soseriouslyadvancedbypainters,thatwhatiscalled"theartworld"acceptsitasestablished。
Ifamanpaintsthesea,itisnottomakeyouseeandfeelasasightofthatsameoceanwould,buttomakeyouseeandfeelhowhe,personally,wasaffectedbyit;amattersurelyofthenarrowestimportance。Theultra—masculineartist,extremelysensitive,necessarily,andfullofthenaturalurgetoexpressionofthesex,usesthemediumofartasingenuouslyasthepartridge—cockuseshiswingsindrummingonthelog;orthebullmoosestampsandbellows;notnarrowlyasamatecall,butasaformofexpressionofhispersonalsensations。
Thehighertheartistthemorehumanheis,thebroaderhisvision,themoreheseesforhumanity,andexpressesforhumanity,andthelesspersonal,thelessultra—masculine,ishisexpression。
OURANDROCENTRICCULTURE;or,THEMAN—MADEWORLD
V。
MASCULINELITERATURE。
Whenweareoffereda"woman’s"paper,page,orcolumn,wefinditfilledwithmattersupposedtoappealtowomenasasexorclass;thewritermainlydwellingupontheKaiser’sfourK’s——Kuchen,Kinder,Kirche,Kleider。Theyiterateandreiterateendlesslythediscussionofcookery,oldandnew;ofthecareofchildren;oftheoverwhelmingsubjectofclothing;andofmoralinstruction。Allthisisrecognizedas"feminine"literature,anditmusthavesomeappealelsethewomenwouldnotreadit。Whatparallelhavewein"masculine"literature?
"None!"istheproudreply。"Menarepeople!Women,being’thesex,’
havetheirlimitedfeminineinterests,theirfemininepointofview,whichmustbeprovidedfor。Men,however,arenotrestricted——tothembelongstheworld’sliterature!"
Yes,ithasbelongedtothem——eversincetherewasany。Theyhavewrittenitandtheyhavereadit。Itisonlylatelythatwomen,generallyspeaking,havebeentaughttoread;stillmorelatelythattheyhavebeenallowedtowrite。ItisbutalittlewhilesinceHarrietMartineauconcealedherwritingbeneathhersewingwhenvisitorscamein——writingwas"masculine"——sewing"feminine。"
Wehavenot,itIstrue,confinedmentoanarrowlyconstrued"masculinesphere,"andcomposedaspecialliteraturesuitedtoit。Theireffectonliteraturehasbeenfarwiderthanthat,monopolizingthisformofartwithspecialfavor。Itwassuitedaboveallotherstothedominantimpulseofself—expression;andbeing,aswehaveseenessentiallyandcontinually"thesex;"theyhaveimpressedthatsexuponthisartoverwhelmingly;theyhavegiventheworldamasculizedliterature。
Itishardforustorealizethis。Wecanreadilysee,thatifwomenhadalwayswrittenthebooks,nomeneitherwritingorreadingthem,thatwouldhavesurely"feminized"ourliterature;butwehavenotinourmindstheconcept,muchlesstheword,foranovermasculizedinfluence。
Menhavingbeenacceptedashumanity,womenbutaside—issue;(mostliterallyifweaccepttheHebrewlegend!),whatevermendidorsaidwashuman——andnottobecriticized。Innodepartmentoflifeisiteasiertocontravertthisoldbelief;toshowhowthemalesexassuchdiffersfromthehumantype;andhowthismalenesshasmonopolizedanddisfiguredagreatsocialfunction。
Humanlifeisaverylargeaffair;andliteratureisitschiefart。Welive,humanly,onlythroughourpowerofcommunication。Speechgivesusthispowerlaterally,asitwere,inimmediatepersonalcontact。Forpermanentusespeechbecomesoraltradition——apoordependence。
Literaturegivesnotonlyaninfinitemultiplicationtothelateralspreadofcommunionbutaddstheverticalreach。Throughitweknowthepast,governthepresent,andinfluencethefuture。Initsservicablecommonformsitistheindispensabledailyservantofourlives;initsnoblerflightsasagreatartnomeansofhumaninter—changegoessofar。
Inthesebrieflimitswecantouchbutlightlyonsomephasesofsogreatasubject;andwillrestthecasemainlyontheeffectofanexclusivelymasculinehandlingofthetwofieldsofhistoryandfiction。
Inpoetryandthedramathesameinfluenceiseasilytraced,butinthefirsttwoitissobaldlyprominentastodefyobjection。
Historyis,orshouldbe,thestoryofourraciallife。Whathavemenmadeit?Thestoryofwarfareandconquest。BeginattheverybeginningwiththecarvenstonesofEgypt,theclayrecordsofChaldea,whatdowefindofhistory?
"IPharaoh,KingofKings!LordofLords!(etc。etc。),"wentdownintothemiserablelandofKush,andslewoftheinhabitantsthereofanhundredandfortyandtwothousands!"That,orsomethinglikeit,isthekindofrecordearlyhistorygivesus。
ThestoryofConqueringKings,whoandhowmanytheykilledandenslaved;thegrovellingadulationoftheabased;theunlimitedjubilationofthevictor;fromtheprimitivestateofmostancientkings,andtheRomantriumphswherequeenswalkedinchains,downtoouromnipresentsoldier’smonuments:thestoryofwarandconquest——warandconquest——overandover;withsuchboastingandtriumph,suchcock—crowandflappingofwingsasshowmostunmistakablythenaturalsource。
Allthiswillstrikethereaderatfirstasbiasedandunfair。"Thatwasthewaypeoplelivedinthosedays!"saysthereader。
No——itwasnotthewaywomenlived。
"O,women!"saysthereader,"Ofcoursenot!Womenaredifferent。"
Yea,womenaredifferent;and_menaredifferent!_Bothofthem,assexes,differfromthehumannorm,whichissociallifeandallsocialdevelopment。Societywasslowlygrowinginallthoseblackblindyears。
Thearts,thesciences,thetradesandcraftsandprofessions,religion,philosophy,government,law,commerce,agriculture——allthehumanprocessesweregoingonaswellastheywereable,betweenwars。
Themalenaturallyfights,andnaturallycrows,triumphsoverhisrivalandtakestheprize——thereforewashemademale。Malenessmeanswar。
Notonlyso;butbeingmale,hecaresonlyformaleinterests。Men,beingthesolearbitersofwhatshouldbedoneandsaidandwritten,havegivenusnotonlyasocialgrowthscarredandthwartedfromthebeginningbycontinualdestruction;butahistorywhichisoneunbrokenrecordofcourageandredcruelty,oftriumphandblackshame。
Astowhatwentonthatwasofrealconsequence,thegreatslowstepsoftheworkingworld,thediscoveriesandinventions,therealprogressofhumanity——thatwasnotworthrecording,fromamasculinepointofview。
Withinthislastcentury,"thewoman’scentury,"thecenturyofthegreatawakening,therisingdemandforfreedom,political,economic,anddomestic,wearebeginningtowriterealhistory,humanhistory,andnotmerelymasculinehistory。Butthatgreatbranchofliterature——Hebrew,Greek,Roman,andalldownlatertimes,showsbeyondallquestion,theinfluenceofourandrocentricculture。
Literatureisthemostpowerfulandnecessaryofthearts,andfictionisitsbroadestform。Ifart"holdsthemirroruptonature"thisart’smirroristhelargestofall,themostused。Sinceourverylifedependsonsomecommunication;andourprogressisinproportiontoourfullnessandfreedomofcommunication;sincerealcommunicationrequiresmutualunderstanding;sointhegrowthofthesocialconsciousness,wenotefromthebeginningapassionateinterestinotherpeople’slives。
Theartwhichgiveshumanityconsciousnessisthemostvitalart。Ourgreatestdramatistsarelaudedfortheirbreadthofknowledgeof"humannature,"theirrangeofemotionandunderstanding;ourgreatestpoetsarethosewhomostdeeplyandwidelyexperienceandrevealthefeelingsofthehumanheart;andthepoweroffictionisthatitcanreachandexpressthisgreatfieldofhumanlifewithnolimitsbutthoseoftheauthor。
Whenfictionbeganitwasthelegitimatechildoforaltradition;aproductofnaturalbrainactivity;thelegendconstructedinsteadofremembered。(Thisstageiswithusyetasseenintheconstantchangesinrepetitionofpopularjokesandstories。)
Fictionto—dayhasamuchwiderrange;yetitisstillrestricted,heavilyandmostmischievouslyrestricted。
Whatisthepreferredsubjectmatteroffiction?
Therearetwomainbranchesfoundeverywhere,fromtheRomauntoftheRosetothePurplishMagazine;——theStoryofAdventure,andtheLoveStory。
TheStory—of—Adventurebranchisnotsothickastheotherbyanymeans,butitisasturdyboughforallthat。StevensonandKiplinghaveproveditsimmensepopularity,withthewholebroodofdetectivestoriesandthetalesofsuccessfulrascalitywecall"picaresque"Ourmostpopularweeklyshowsthebroadappealofthisclassoffiction。
Allthesetalesofadventure,ofstruggleanddifficulty;ofhuntingandfishingandfighting;ofrobbingandmurdering,catchingandpunishing,aredistinctlyandessentiallymasculine。Theydonottouchonhumanprocesses,socialprocesses,butonthespecialfieldofpredatoryexcitementsolongthesoleprovinceofmen。
Itistobenotedherethatevenintheoverwhelmingriseofindustrialintereststo—day,these,whenusedasthebasisforastory,areforcedintolinewithone,orboth,ofthesetwomainbranchesoffiction;——conflictorlove。Unlessthestoryhasoneofthese"interests"init,thereisnostory——soholdstheeditor;thedictumbeing,putplainly,"lifehasnointerestsexceptconflictandlove!"
Itissurelysomethingmorethanacoincidencethatthesearethetwoessentialfeaturesofmasculinity——DesireandCombat——LoveandWar。
Asamatteroffactthemajorinterestsoflifeareinlinewithitsmajorprocesses;andthese——inourstageofhumandevelopment——aremorevariedthanourfictionwouldhaveusbelieve。Halftheworldconsistsofwomen,weshouldremember,whoaretypesofhumanlifeaswellasmen,andtheirmajorprocessesarenotthoseofconflictandadventure,theirlovemeansmorethanmating。Evenonsopooralineofdistinctionasthe"woman’scolumn"offers,ifwomenaretobekepttotheirfourKs,thereshouldbea"men’scolumn"also;andallthe"sportingnews"andfishstoriesbeputinthat;theyarenotworldinterests;theyaremaleinterests。
Nowforthemainbranch——theLoveStory。Ninetypercent。offictionisInthisline;thisispreeminentlythemajorinterestoflife——giveninfiction。Whatisthelove—story,asrenderedbythisart?
Itisthestoryofthepre—maritalstruggle。ItistheAdventuresofHiminPursuitofHer——anditstopswhenhegetsher!Storyafterstory,ageafterage,overandoverandover,thisceaselessrepetitionofthePreliminaries。
HereisHumanLife。Initslargesense,itsrealsense,itisamatterofinter—relationbetweenindividualsandgroups,coveringallemotions,allprocesses,allexperiences。Outofthisvastfieldofhumanlifefictionarbitrarilyselectsoneemotion,oneprocess,oneexperience,asitsnecessarybase。
"Ah!butwearepersonsmostofall!"proteststhereader。"Thisispersonalexperience——ithastheuniversalappeal!"
Takehumanlifepersonallythen。HereisaHumanBeing,alife,coveringsomeseventyyears;involvingthechanginggrowthofmanyfaculties;theevernewmarvelsofyouth,thelongworkingtimeofmiddlelife,theslowripeningofage。Hereisthehumansoul,inthehumanbody,Living。Outofthisfieldofpersonallife,withallofitsemotions,processes,andexperiences,fictionarbitrarilyselectsoneemotion,oneprocess,oneexperience,mainlyofonesex。
The"love"ofourstoriesisman’sloveofwoman。Ifanydaredisputethis,andsayittreatsequallyofwoman’sloveforman,Ianswer,"Thenwhydothestoriesstopatmarriage?"
Thereisacurrentjest,revealingmuch,tothiseffect:
Theyoungwifecomplainsthatthehusbanddoesnotwaituponandwooherashedidbeforemarriage;towhichhereplies,"WhyshouldIrunafterthestreet—carwhenI’vecaughtit?"
Woman’sloveforman,ascurrentlytreatedinfictionislargelyareflex;itisthewayhewantshertofeel,expectshertofeel;notafairrepresentationofhowshedoesfeel。If"love"istobeselectedasthemostimportantthinginlifetowriteabout,thenthemother’sloveshouldbetheprincipalsubject:Thisisthemainstream。Thisisthegeneralunderlying,world—liftingforce。The"life—force,"nowsogliblychatteredabout,findsitsfullestexpressioninmotherhood;notintheemotionsofanassistantinthepreliminarystages。
Whathasliterature,whathasfiction,toofferconcerningmother—love,orevenconcerningfather—love,ascomparedtothisvastvolumeofexcitementaboutlover—love?Whyisthesearch—lightcontinuallyfocusseduponatwoorthreeyearsspaceoflife"midtheblankmilesroundabout?"Whyindeed,exceptfortheclearreason,thatonastarklymasculinebasisthisishisoneperiodofoverwhelminginterestandexcitement。
Ifthebeehiveproducedliterature,thebee’sfictionwouldberichandbroad;fullofthecomplextasksofcomb—buildingandfilling;thecareandfeedingoftheyoung,theguardian—serviceofthequeen;andfarbeyondthatitwouldspreadtothebluegloryofthesummersky,thefreshwinds,theendlessbeautyandsweetnessofathousandthousandflowers。Itwouldtreatofthevastfecundityofmotherhood,theeducativeandselectiveprocessesofthegroup—mothers;andthepassionofloyalty,ofsocialservice,whichholdsthehivetogether。
Butifthedroneswrotefiction,itwouldhavenosubjectmattersavethefeastingofmany;andthenuptialflight,ofone。
Tothemale,assuch,thismatinginstinctisfranklythemajorinterestoflife;eventhebelligerentinstinctsaresecondtoit。Tothefemale,assuch,itisforallitsintensity,butapassinginterest。
Innature’seconomy,hisisbutatemporarydevotion,herstheslowprocessesoflife’sfulfillment。
InHumanitywehavelongsince,notoutgrown,butovergrown,thisstageoffeeling。InHumanParentageeventhemother’ssharebeginstopalebesidethatever—growingSocialloveandcare,whichguardsandguidesthechildrenofto—day。
Theartofliteratureinthismainformoffictionisfartoogreatathingtobewhollygovernedbyonedominantnote。Aslifewidenedandintensified,theartist,ifgreatenough,hastranscendedsex;andinthemightierworksoftherealmasters,wefindfictiontreatingoflife,lifeingeneral,inallitscomplexrelationships,andrefusingtobeheldlongertotherigidcanonsofanandrocentricpast。
ThiswasthepowerofBalzac——hetookinmorethanthisonefield。ThiswastheuniversalappealofDickens;hewroteofpeople,allkindsofpeople,doingallkindsofthings。Asyourecallwithpleasuresomepreferrednovelofthisgeneralfavorite,youfindyourselflookingnarrowlyforthe"lovestory"init。Itisthere——foritispartoflife;butitdoesnotdominatethewholescene——anymorethanitdoesinlife。
Thethoughtoftheworldismadeandhandedouttousinthemain。Themakersofbooksarethemakersofthoughtsandfeelingsforpeopleingeneral。Fictionisthemostpopularforminwhichthisworld—foodistaken。Ifitweretrue,itwouldteachuslifeeasily,swiftly,truly;
teachnotbypreachingbutbytrulyre—presenting;andweshouldgrowupbecomingacquaintedwithafarwiderrangeoflifeinbooksthancouldevenbeoursinperson。Thenmeetinglifeinrealityweshouldbewise——andnotbedisappointed。
Asitis,ourgreatseaoffictionissteepedanddyedandflavoredalloneway。Ayoungmanfaceslife——theseventyyearstretch,remember,andisgivenbookuponbookwhereinonesetoffeelingsiscontinuallyvocalizedandoverestimated。Hereadsforeveroflove,goodloveandbadlove,naturalandunnatural,legitimateandillegitimate;withtheunavoidableinferencethatthereisnothingelsegoingon。
Ifheisahealthyyoungmanhebreaksloosefromthewholething,despises"lovestories"andtakesuplifeashefindsit。Butwhatimpressionhedoesreceivefromfictionisafalseone,andhesufferswithoutknowingitfromlackofthetruerbroaderviewsoflifeitfailedtogivehim。
Ayoungwomanfaceslife——theseventyyearstretchremember;andisgiventhesamebooks——withrestrictions。RemembertheremarkofRochefoucauld,"Therearethirtygoodstoriesintheworldandtwenty—ninecannotbetoldtowomen。"Thereisacertainbroadfieldofliteraturesogrosslyandrocentricthatforveryshamemenhavetriedtokeepittothemselves。Butinamilderform,thespadesallnamedteaspoons,orattheworstappearingastrowels——theyoungwomanisgiventhesamefiction。Loveandloveandlove——from"firstsight"tomarriage。Thereitstops——justtheflutteringribbonofannouncement,"andlivedhappilyeverafter。"
Isthatkindoffictionanysortofpictureofawoman’slife?Fiction,underourandrocentricculture,hasnotgivenanytruepictureofwoman’slife,verylittleofhumanlife,andadisproportionedsectionofman’slife。
Aswedailygrowmorehuman,bothofus,thisnobleartischangingforthebettersofastthatashortlifetimecanmarkthegrowth。Newfieldsareopeningandnewlaborersareworkinginthem。Butitisnoswiftandeasymattertodisabusetheracemindfromattitudesandhabitsinculcatedforathousandyears。Whatwehavebeenfeduponsolongwearewellusedto,whatweareusedtowelike,whatwelikewethinkisgoodandproper。
Thewideningdemandforbroader,truerfictionisdisputedbytheslowracialmind:andopposedbythemarketersofliteratureongroundsofvisibleself—interest,aswellaslethargicconservatism。
Itisdifficultformen,heretoforethesoleproducersandconsumersofliterature;andforwomen,newtothefield,andfollowingmasculinecanonsbecauseallthecanonsweremasculine;tostretchtheirmindstoarecognitionofthechangewhichisevennowuponus。
Thisonenarrowfieldhasbeenforsolongoverworked,ourmindsaresofilledwithheroesandheroescontinuallyrepeatingtheone—actplay,thatwhenabooklikeDavidHarumisofferedthepublisherrefusesitrepeatedly,andfinallyinsistsona"heartinterest"beinginjectedbyforce。
DidanyonereadDavidHarumforthatheartinterest?Doesanyonerememberthatheartinterest?Hashumanitynointerestsbutthoseoftheheart?
RobertEllesmerewasapopularbook——butnotbecauseofitsheartinterest。
UncleTom’sCabinappealedtotheentireworld,morewidelythananyworkoffictionthatwaseverwritten;butifanybodyfellinloveandmarriedinittheyhavebeenforgotten。Therewasplentyofloveinthatbook,loveoffamily,loveoffriends,loveofmasterforservantandservantformaster;loveofmotherforchild;loveofmarriedpeopleforeachother;loveofhumanityandloveofGod。
Itwasextremelypopular。Somesayitwasnotliterature。Thatopinionwilllive,likethenameofEmpedocles。
Theartoffictionisbeingre—borninthesedays。Lifeisdiscoveredtobelonger,wider,deeper,richer,thanthesemonotonousplayersofoneJunewouldhaveusbelieve。
Thehumanizingofwomanofitselfopensfivedistinctlyfreshfieldsoffiction:Firstthepositionoftheyoungwomanwhoiscalledupontogiveupher"career"——herhumanness——formarriage,andwhoobjectstoit;second,themiddle—agedwomanwhoatlastdiscoversthatherdiscontentissocialstarvation——thatitisnotmorelovethatshewants,butmorebusinessinlife:Thirdtheinterrelationofwomenwithwomen——athingwecouldneverwriteaboutbeforebecauseweneverhaditbefore:exceptinharemsandconvents:Fourththeinter—actionbetweenmothersandchildren;thisnottheeternal"motherandchild,"whereinthechildisalwaysababy,butthelongdramaofpersonalrelationship;
theloveandhope,thepatienceandpower,thelastingjoyandtriumph,thesloweatingdisappointmentwhichmustneverbeownedtoalivingsoul——herearegroundsfornovelsthatamillionmothersandmanymillionchildrenwouldeagerlyread:Fifththenewattitudeofthefull—grownwomanwhofacesthedemandsoflovewiththehighstandardsofconsciousmotherhood。
Thereareotherfields,broadandbrilliantlypromising,butthischapterismeantmerelytoshowthatourone—sidedculturehas,inthisart,mostdisproportionatelyoverestimatedthedominantinstinctsofthemale——LoveandWar——anoffenseagainstartandtruth,andaninjurytolife。
OURANDROCENTRICCULTURE;or,THEMAN—MADEWORLD
VI。
GAMESANDSPORTS
Oneofthesharpestdistinctionsbothbetweentheessentialcharactersandtheartificialpositionsofmenandwomen,isinthematterofgamesandsports。Byfarthegreaterproportionofthemareessentiallymasculine,andassuchalientowomen;whilefromthosewhicharehumanlyinteresting,womenhavebeenlargelydebarredbytheirarbitraryrestrictions。
Theplayinstinctiscommontogirlsandboysalike;andenduresinsomemeasurethroughoutlife。Asotheryounganimalsexpresstheiraboundingenergiesincapriciousactivitiessimilartothosefollowedinthebusinessofliving,sosmallchildrengambol,physically,likelambsandkids;andastheyoungofhigherkindsofanimalsimitateintheirplaythemorecomplexactivitiesoftheirelders,sodochildrenimitatewhateveractivitiestheyseeaboutthem。Inthisfieldofplayingthereisnosex。
Similarlyinadultlifehealthyandhappypersons,menandwomen,naturallyexpresssurplusenergyinvariousformsofsport。Wehavehereoneofthemostdistinctivelyhumanmanifestations。Thegreataccumulationofsocialenergy,andthenecessarylimitationsofonekindofwork,leaveahumanbeingtiredofoneformofaction,yetstilluneasyforlackoffullexpression;andthissocialneedhasbeenmetbyourgreatsafetyvalveofgamesandsports。
Inasocietyofeithersex,orinasocietywithoutsex,therewouldstillbebothpleasureanduseingames;theyarevitallyessentialtohumanlife。Inasocietyoftwosexes,whereinonehasdictatedallthetermsoflife,andtheotherhasbeenconfinedtoanextremelylimitedfractionofhumanliving,wemaylooktoseethisgreatfieldofenjoymentasdisproportionatelydivided。
Itisnotonlythatwehavereducedtheplayimpulseinwomenbyrestrictingthemtoonesetofoccupations,andovertaxingtheirenergieswithmother—workandhouseworkcombined;andnotonlythatbyourandrocentricconventionswefurtherrestricttheiramusements;butwebeginininfancy,andforciblydifferentiatetheirmethodsofplaylongbeforeanynaturaldistinctionwouldappear。
Takethatuniversaljoythedoll,orpuppet,asaninstance。Asmallimitationofalargeknownobjectcarriesdelighttotheheartofachildofeithersex。Theworstedcat,thewoodenhorse,thelittlewagon,thetinsoldier,thewaxdoll,thetoyvillage,the"Noah’sArk,"
theomnipresent"TeddyBear,"anyandeverysmallmodelofarealthingisadelighttotheyounghumanbeing。Ofallthingsthepuppetisthemostintimate,thelittleimageofanotherhumanbeingtoplaywith。
Thefancyofthechild,makingendlesscombinationswiththesevisibletypes,playsasfreelyasakittenintheleaves;orgravelycarriesoutsomeobservedformsoflife,asthekittenimitatesitsmother’shunting。
Sofarallisnaturalandhuman。
Nowseeourattitudetowardchild’splay——underamasculineculture。
Regardingwomenonlyasasex,andthatsexasmanifestfrominfancy,wemakeandbuyforourlittlegirlstoyssuitabletothisview。Beingfemales——whichmeansmothers,wemustneedsprovidethemwithbabiesbeforetheyceasetobebabiesthemselves;andweexpecttheirplaytoconsistinanimitationofmaternalcares。Thedoll,thepuppet,whichinterestsallchildren,wehaverenderedasaneternalbaby;andwefoistthemuponourgirlchildrenbyceaselessmillions。
Thedoll,assuch,isdeartothelittleboyaswellasthegirl,butnotasababy。Helikeshisjumping—jack,hisworstedSambo,oftenagenuinerag—doll;butheisdiscouragedandridiculedinthis。Wedonotexpectthelittleboytomanifestafather’sloveandcareforanimitationchild——butwedoexpectthelittlegirltoshowmaternalfeelingsforherimitationbaby。Ithasnotyetoccurredtousthatthisismonstrous。
Littlechildrenshouldnotbeexpectedtoshow,inpainfulprecocity,feelingswhichoughtnevertobeexperiencedtilltheycomeattheproperage。Ourkittensplayatcat—sports,littleTomandTabbytogether;butlittleTabbydoesnotplaysheisamother!
Beyondthecontinuousdollsandtheircontinuousdressing,weprovideforourlittlegirlsteasetsandkitchensets,doll’shouses,littlework—boxes——theimitationtoolsoftheirnarrowtrades。Fortheboythereisalargerchoice。Wemakeforthemnotonlytheessentiallymasculinetoysofcombat——alltheengineryofmimicwar;butalsothemodelsofhumanthings,likeboats,railroads,wagons。Forthem,too,arethecomprehensivetoysofthecenturies,thekite,thetop,theball。Astheboygetsoldenoughtoplaythegamesthatrequireskill,heenterstheworld—lists,andthelittlesister,leftinside,withhereverlastingdolls,learnsthatsheis"onlyagirl,"and"mustn’tplaywithboys——boysaresorough!"Shehasherdollandherteaset。She"playshouse。"Ifveryactiveshemayjumprope,insolitaryenthusiasm,orincombinationoffromtwotofour。Herbrotherisplayinggames。Fromthistimeonheplaysthegamesoftheworld。The"sportingpage"shouldbecalled"theMan’sPage"asthatarrayofrecipes,fashionsandcheapadviceiscalled"theWoman’sPage。"
Oneoftheimmediateeducationaladvantagesoftheboy’spositionisthathelearns"teamwork。"Thisisnotamasculinecharacteristic,itisahumanone;asocialpower。Womenareequallycapableofitbynature;butnotbyeducation。Tendingone’simitationbabyisnotteam—work;norisplayinghouse。Thelittlegirliskeptforeverwithinthelimitationsofhermother’s"sphere"ofaction;whiletheboylearnslife,andfanciesthathisnewgrowthisduetohissuperiorsex。
Nowtherearecertainessentialdistinctionsinthesexes,whichwouldmanifestthemselvestosomedegreeeveninnormallyrearedchildren;asforinstancethelittlemalewouldbemoregiventofightinganddestroying;thelittlefemalemoretocaringforandconstructingthings。
"Boysaresodestructive!"wesaywithmodestpride——asifitwasinsomewayacredittothem。Butearlyyouthisnotthetimetodisplaysexdistinction;andtheyshouldbediscouragedratherthanapproved。
Thegamesoftheworld,nowthegamesofmen,easilyfallintotwobroadclasses——gamesofskillandgamesofchance。
Theinterestandpleasureinthelatterispurelyhuman,andassuchissharedbythetwosexesevennow。Women,intheinnocentbeginningsortheviciousextremesofthislineofamusement,makeaswildgamblersasmen。Attheraces,attheroulettewheel,atthebridgetable,thisisclearlyseen。
Ingamesofskillwehaveadifferentshowing。Mostofthesearedevelopedbyandformen;butwhentheyareallowed,womentakepartinthemwithinterestandsuccess。Incardgames,inchess,checkers,andthelike,incroquetandtennis,theyplay,andplaywellifwell—trained。Wheretheyfallshortinsomanygames,andaresowhollyexcludedinothers,isnotforlackofhumancapacity,butforlackofmasculinity。Mostgamesaremale。Intheirelementofdesiretowin,togettheprize,theyaremale;andintheiruniversalattitudeofcompetitiontheyaremale,thebasicspiritofdesireandofcombatworkingoutthroughsubtlemodernforms。
Thereissomethinginherentlymasculinealsointheuniversaldominanceoftheprojectileintheirgames。Theballistheoneunescapableinstrumentofsport。Fromthesnappedmarbleofinfancytotheflyingmissileofthebat,thisformendures。Tosendsomethingforthwithviolence;tothrowit,batit,kickit,shootit;thisimpulseseemstodatebacktooneofthetwinforcesoftheuniverse——thecentrifugalandcentripetalenergiesbetweenwhichswingtheplanets。
Thebasicfeminineimpulseistogather,toputtogether,toconstruct;
thebasicmasculineimpulsetoscatter,todisseminate,todestroy。Itseemstogivepleasuretoamantobangsomethinganddriveitfromhim;
theharderhehitsitandthefartheritgoesthebetterpleasedheis。
Gamesofthissortwillneverappealtowomen。Theyarenotwrong;notnecessarilyevilintheirplace;ourmistakeisinconsideringthemashuman,whereastheyareonlymasculine。
Play,inthechildishsenseisanexpressionofprevioushabit;andtobestudiedinthatlight。Playintheeducationalsenseshouldbeencouragedordiscouragedtodevelopdesiredcharacteristics。Thisweknow,andpractice;onlywedoitunderandrocentriccanons;confiningthegirltothenarrowrangeweconsiderproperforwomen,andassistingtheboytocoverlifewiththeexpressionofmasculinity,whenweshouldbehelpingbothtoamorehumandevelopment。
Oursettledconvictionthatmenarepeople——thepeople,andthatmasculinequalitiesarethemaindesiderataminlife,iswhatkeepsupthisfalseestimateofthevalueofourpresentgames。Advocatesoffootball,forinstance,proudlyclaimthatitfitsamanforlife。
Life——fromthewhollymalepointofview——isabattle,withaprize。Towantsomethingbeyondmeasure,andtofighttoget——thatisthesimpleproposition。Thisviewoflifefindsitsmostnaiveexpressioninpredatorywarfare;andstilltendstomakepredatorywarfareofthelaterandmorehumanprocessesofindustry。Becausetheyseelifeinthiswaytheyimaginethatskillandpracticeintheartoffighting,especiallyincollectivefighting,issovaluableinourmodernlife。
Thisisanarchaismwhichwouldbelaughableifitwerenotsodangerousinitseffects。
Thevaluableprocessesto—dayarethoseofinvention,discovery,allgradesofindustry,and,mostespeciallyneeded,thecapacityforhonestserviceandadministrationofourimmenseadvantages。Thesearenotlearnedonthefootballfield。Thisspiritofdesireandcombatmaybeseenfurtherinallpartsofthisgreatsubject。Ithasdevelopedintoacultofsportsmanship;souniversallyacceptedamongmenasofsuperlativemeritastoquiteblindthemtootherstandardsofjudgment。
IntheCook—Pearycontroversyof1909,thiscanonwasmademanifest。
Here,onemanhadspentalifetimeintryingtoaccomplishsomething;
andattheeleventhhoursucceeded。Then,comingoutintherichtriumphlongdeferred,hefindsanotherman,ofcharacterwellknowntohim,impudentlyandfalselyclaimingthathehaddoneitfirst。Mr。
Pearyexpressedhimself,quiterestrainedlyandcorrectly,inregardtotheeffronteryandfalsityofthisclaim——andallthecountryroseupanddenouncedhimas"unsportsmanlike!"
Sportandthecanonsofsportaresodominantinthemasculinemindthatwhattheyconsideredadeviationfromthesestandardswasoffarmoreimportancethanthequestionoffactinvolved;tosaynothingofthemoralobliquityofonelyingtothewholeworld,formoney;andthatatthecostofanother’shard—wontriumph。
Ifwomenhadcondemnedtheconductofoneortheotheras"notgoodhouse—wifery,"thiswouldhavebeenconsideredamostpuerilecomment。
Buttobe"unsportsmanlike"istheunpardonablesin。
Owingtoourwarpedstandardsweglaringlymisjudgetheattitudeofthetwosexesinregardtotheiramusements。Oflateyearsmorewomenthaneverbeforehavetakentoplayingcards;andsome,unfortunately,playformoney。Asteadystreamofcommentandblamefollowsuponthis。Theamountofcardplayingamongmen——andtheamountofmoneylostandwon,doesnotproduceanequivalentcomment。
Quiteasidefromthisonefieldofdissipation,lookattheshareoflife,oftime,ofstrength,ofmoney,givenbymentotheirwiderangeofrecreation。Theprimitivesatisfactionofhuntingandfishingtheymaintainatenormousexpense。Thisistheindulgenceofamostrudimentaryimpulse;pre—socialandlargelypre—human,ofnoservicesaveasitaffectsbodilyhealth,andofamostdeterringinfluenceonrealhumandevelopment。Wherehuntingandfishingisofrealhumanservice,doneasameansoflivelihood,itislookeddownuponlikeanyotherindustry;itisnolonger"sport。"
Thehumanbeingkillstoeat,ortosellandeatfromthereturns;hekillsforthecreature’shideortusks,foruseofsomesort;ortoprotecthiscropsfromvermin,hisflocksfromdepredation;butthesportsmankillsforthegratificationofaprimevalinstinct,andunderrulesofanarbitrarycult。"Game"creaturesarehisprey;bird,beastorfishthatishardtocatch,thatrequiressomeskilltoslay;thatwillgivehimnotmeremeatandbones,but"thepleasureofthechase。"
Thepleasureofthechaseisaveryrealone。Itisexemplified,initsbroadsenseinchildren’splay。Therunningandcatchinggames,thehidingandfindinggames,arealwaysattractivetoourinfancy,astheyaretothatofcubsandkittens。Butthelongcontinuanceofthisindulgenceamongmaturecivilizedbeingsisduetotheirmasculinity。
Thatgroupofassociatedsexinstincts,whichinthewomanpromptstothepatientserviceandfiercedefenceofthelittlechild,inthemanhasitsdeepestrootinseeking,pursuingandcatching。Tohuntismorethanameansofobtainingfood,inhislongancestry;itistofollowatanycost,toseekthroughalldifficulties,tostruggleforandsecurethecentralprizeofhisbeing——amate。
His"protectiveinstincts"arefarlaterandmoresuperficial。Tosupportandcareforhiswife,hischildren,isarecenthabit,inplainsighthistorically;but"thepleasureofthechase"isolderthanthat。
Weshouldrememberthatassociatehabitsandimpulseslastforagesuponagesinlivingforms;asinthetreeclimbinginstinctsofourearliestyears,ofSimianorigin;andtheloveofwater,whichdatesbackthroughunmeasuredtime。Whereformillionsofyearsthestrongestpleasureagivenorganismisfittedfor,isobtainedbyacertaingroupofactivities,thoseactivitieswillcontinuetogivepleasurelongaftertheirearlieruseisgone。
Thisiswhymenenjoy"theardorofpursuit"farmorethanwomen。Itisanessentiallymasculineardor。Tocomeeasilybywhathewantsdoesnotsatisfyhim。Hewantstowantit。Hewantstohuntit,seekit,chaseit,catchit。Hewantsittobe"game。"Heisbyvirtueofhissexasportsman。
Thereisnoreasonwhythesespecialinstinctsshouldnotbegratifiedsolongasitdoesnoharmtothemoreimportantsocialprocesses;butitisdistinctlydesirablethatweshouldunderstandtheirnature。Thereasonwhywehavethepresentoverwhelmingmassof"sportingevents,"
fromtheballgametotheprizefight,isbecauseourcivilizationissooverwhelminglymasculine。Weshallcriticizethemmorejustlywhenweseethatallthismassofindulgenceisinthefirstplaceaformofsex—expression,andinthesecondplaceasurvivalofinstinctsolderthantheoldestsavagery。
Besidesourgamesandsportswehavealargefieldof"amusements"alsoworthexamining。Wenotonlyenjoydoingthings,butweenjoyseeingthemdonebyothers。Inthesehighlyspecializeddaysmostofouramusementconsistsinpayingtwodollarstositthreehoursandseeotherpeopledothings。
Thisinitslargestsenseiswhollyhuman。We,associalcreatures,canenjoyathousandformsofexpressionquitebeyondthepersonal。Thebirdsmusteachsinghisownsong;thecricketschirpinmillionfoldperformance;buthumanbeingfeelsthedeepthrillofjoyintheirspecialsingers,actors,dancers,aswellasintheirownpersonalattempts。Thatweshouldfindpleasureinwatchingoneanotherishumanlynatural,butwhatitiswewatch,thekindofpleasureandthekindofperformance,opensawidefieldofchoice。
Weknow,forinstance,somethingofthecrudeexcessesofaboriginalAustraliandances;weknowmoreofthegrosslicenseofoldRome;weknowthebreadthofthejokesinmedievaltimes,andthechildishbrutalityofthebull—ringandthecockpit。Weknow,inaword,thatamusementsvary;thattheyformareadygaugeofcharacterandculture;
thattheyhaveastrongeducationalinfluenceforgoodorbad。Whatwehavenothithertoobservedisthepredominantmasculineinfluenceonouramusements。Ifwerecalloncemorethestatementwithregardtoentertaininganecdotes,"Therearethirtygoodstoriesintheworld,andtwenty—nineofthemcannotbetoldtowomen,"wegetaglaringsidelightonthemasculinespecializationinjokes。
"Womenhavenosenseofhumor"hasbeenfrequentlysaid,when"Womenhavenotamasculinesenseofhumor"wouldbetruer。Ifwomenhadthirty"goodstories"twenty—nineofwhichcouldnotbetoldtomen,itispossiblethatmen,iftheyheardsomeofthetwenty—nine,wouldnotfindthemfunny。Theoverweightofonesexhastoldinouramusementsaseverywhereelse。
Becausemenarefurtherdevelopedinhumanitythanwomenareasyet,theyhavebuiltandorganizedgreatplacesofamusement;becausetheycarriedintotheirhumanitytheiruncheckedmasculinity,theyhavemadetheseamusementstocorrespond。Dramaticexpression,isinitstruesense,notonlyahumandistinction,butoneofournoblestarts。Itisalliedwiththehighestemotions;isreligious,educational,patriotic,coveringthewholerangeofhumanfeeling。Throughitweshouldbeablecontinuallytoexpress,inaudible,visibleforms,aliveandmoving,whateverphaseoflifewemostenjoyedorwishedtosee。Therewasatimewhenthedramaledlife;lifted,taught,inspired,enlightened。
Nowitsmainfunctionistoamuse。Underthedemandforamusement,ithascheapenedandcoarsened,andnowthethousandvaudevillesandpictureshowsgiveusthebrokenfragmentsofadegradedartofwhichouronemaindemandisthatitshallmakeuslaugh。
Therearemanycausesatworkhere;andwhilethisstudyseekstoshowinvariousfieldsonecause,itdoesnotclaimthatcauseistheonlyone。Oureconomicconditionshaveenormousweightuponouramusements,asonallotherhumanphenomena;butevenundereconomicpressurethereactionsofmenandwomenareoftendissimilar。Tiredmenandwomenbothneedamusement,therelaxationandrestfulchangeofirresponsiblegayety。Thegreatmajorityofwomen,whoworklongerhoursthananyotherclass,needitdesperatelyandnevergetit。Amusement,entertainment,recreation,shouldbeopentousall,enjoyedbyall。
Thisisahumanneed,andnotadistinctionofeithersex。Likemosthumanthingsitisnotonlylargelymonopolizedbymen,butmasculizedthroughout。Manyformsofamusementareformenonly;moreformenmostly;allareformeniftheychoosetogo。
Theentranceofwomenuponthestage,andtheirincreasedattendanceattheatreshassomewhatmodifiedthenatureoftheperformance;eventhe"refinedvaudeville"nowbeginstoshowtheinfluenceofwomen。Itwouldbenogreatadvantagetohavethisdepartmentofhumanlifefeminized;theimprovementdesiredistohaveitlessmasculized;toreducetheexcessiveinfluenceofone,andtobringoutthosebroadhumaninterestsandpleasureswhichmenandwomencanequallyparticipateinandenjoy。
OURANDROCENTRICCULTURE;or,THEMAN—MADEWORLD
VII。
ETHICSANDRELIGION。
Thelawsofphysicswereatworkbeforewewereonearth,andcontinuedtoworkonuslongbeforewehadintelligenceenoughtoperceive,muchlessunderstand,them。Ourprovenknowledgeoftheseprocessesconstitutes"thescienceofphysics";butthelawsweretherebeforethescience。
Physicsisthescienceofmaterialrelation,howthingsandnaturalforcesworkwithandononeanother。Ethicsisthescienceofsocialrelation,howpersonsandsocialforcesworkwithandononeanother。
Ethicsistothehumanworldwhatphysicsistothematerialworld;
ignoranceofethicsleavesusinthesamehelplesspositioninregardtooneanotherthatignoranceofphysicsleftusinregardtoearth,air,fireandwater。
Tobesure,peoplelivedanddiedandgraduallyimproved,whileyetignorantofthephysicalsciences;theydevelopedarough"ruleofthumb"method,asanimalsdo,andusedgreatforceswithoutunderstandingthem。Buttheirlivesweresaferandtheirimprovementmorerapidastheylearnedmore,andbegantomakeservantsoftheforceswhichhadbeentheirmasters。
Wehaveprogressed,lamelyenough,withterriblelossandsuffering,fromstarksavagerytoourpresentdegreeofcivilization;weshallgoonmoresafelyandswiftlywhenwelearnmoreofthescienceofethics。
Letusnotefirstthatwhiletheunderlyinglawsofethicsremainsteadyandreliable,humannotionsofthemhavevariedwidelyandstilldoso。
Indifferentraces,ages,classes,sexes,differentviewsofethicsobtain;theconductofthepeopleismodifiedbytheirviews,andtheirprosperityismodifiedbytheirconduct。
Primitivemanbecameverysoonawarethatconductwasofimportance。Asconsciousnessincreased,withthepowertomodifyactionfromwithin,insteadofhelplesslyreactingtostimulifromwithout,therearosethecrudefirstcodesofethics,the"Thoushalt"and"Thoushaltnot"oftheblunderingsavage。Itwasmostly"Thoushaltnot。"Inhibition,thecheckingofanimpulseprovendisadvantageous,wasanearlierandeasierformofactionthanthelaterhumanpowertoconsciouslydecideonandfollowacourseofactionwithnostimulusbutone’sownwill。
PrimitiveethicsconsistsmostlyofTabus——thethingsthatareforbidden;andallourdimnotionsofethicstothisday,aswellasmostofourreligions,dealmainlywithforbidding。
Thisisalmostthewholeofournurserygovernment,toanextentshownbythewell—worntaleofthechildwhosaidhernamewas"Mary。""Marywhat?"theyaskedher。Andsheanswered,"MaryDon’t。"Itisalsothemainbodyofourlegalsystems——acomplexmassofprohibitionsandpreventions。Andeveninmannersandconventions,thethingsoneshouldnotdofaroutnumberthethingsoneshould。Ageneralpolicyofnegationcolorsourconceptionsofethicsandreligion。
Whenthepositivesidebegantobedeveloped,itwasatfirstinpurelyarbitraryandartificialform。Thefollowersofagivenreligionwererequiredtogothroughcertainmotions,asprostratingthemselves,kneeling,andthelike;theywererequiredtobringtributetothegodsandtheirpriests,sacrifices,tithes,oblations;theyweresetlittlespecialperformancestogothroughatgiventimes;therangeofthingsforbiddenwasbroad;therangeofthingscommandedwasnarrow。TheChristianreligion,practicallyinterpreted,requiresafuller"changeofheart"andchangeoflifethananyprecedingit;whichmayaccountatonceforitswideappealtoenlightenedpeoples,andtoitsscarcityofapplication。
Again,insurveyingthefield,itisseenthatasourgraspofethicalvalueswidened,aswecalledmoreandmoreactsandtendencies"right"
and"wrong,"wehaveshownastonishingfluctuationsandvagariesinourjudgment。Notonlyinourreligions,whichhavenecessarilyupheldeachitsownsetofprescribedactionsasmost"right,"anditsownspecialprohibitionsasmost"wrong";butinourbeliefsaboutethicsandourrealconduct,wehavevariedabsurdly。
Take,forinstance,theethicalconceptamong"gentlemen"acenturyorsosince,whichputthepayingofone’sgamblingdebtsasawell—nighsacredduty,andthepayingofatradesmanwhohadfedandclothedoneasaquitenegligiblematter。Iftheprocessofgamblingwasofsocialservice,andthefurnishingoffoodandclotheswasnot,thismightbegoodethics;butasthecontraryistrue,wehavetoaccountforthispeculiarviewonothergrounds。
Again,whereinJapanagirl,tomaintainherparents,isjustifiedinleadingalifeofshame,wehaveapeculiarethicalstandarddifficultforWesternmindstoappreciate。Yetinsuchaninstanceasisdescribedin"AuldRobinGray,"weseepreciselythesamecode;thegirl,tobenefitherparents,marriesaricholdmanshedoesnotlove——whichistoleadalifeofshame。Theethicalviewwhichjustifiesthis,putsthebenefitofparentsabovethebenefitofchildren,robsthedaughterofhappinessandmotherhood,injuresposteritytoassistancestors。
Thisisoneoftheproductsofthatveryearlyreligion,ancestorworship;andherewelayafingeronadistinctlymasculineinfluence。
Weknowlittleofethicalvaluesduringthematriarchate;whatevertheywere,theymusthavedependedforsanctiononacultofpromiscuousbutefficientmaternity。Ourrecordedhistorybeginsinthepatriarchalperiod,anditisitsethicsalonewhichweknow。
Themotherinstinct,throughoutnature,isoneofunmixeddevotion,ofloveandservice,careanddefence,withnoself—interest。Theanimalfather,insuchcasesasheisofservicetotheyoung,assiststhemotherinherworkinsimilarfashion。Butthehumanfatherinthefamilywiththemaleheadsoonmadethatfamilyaninstrumentofdesire,andcombat,andself—expression,followingtheessentiallymasculineimpulses。Thechildrenwerehis,andifmales,valuabletoserveandglorifyhim。Inhisdominanceoverservilewomenandhelplesschildren,freereinwasgiventothegrowthofprideandtheexerciseofirresponsibletyranny。Tothesefeelings,developedwithoutcheckforthousandsofyears,andtothementalhabitsresultant,itiseasytotracemuchofthebiasofourearlyethicalconcepts。
Perhapsitisworthwhiletorepeatherethattheeffortofthisbookisbynomeanstoattributeawhollyevilinfluencetomen,andawhollygoodonetowomen;itisnotevenclaimedthatapurelyfeminineculturewouldhaveadvancedtheworldmoresuccessfully。Itdoesclaimthattheinfluenceofthetwotogetherisbetterthanthatofeitheronealone;
andinespecialtopointoutwhatspecialkindofinjuryisduetotheexclusiveinfluenceofonesexheretofore。
Wehaveto—dayreachedadegreeofhumandevelopmentwherebothmenandwomenarecapableofseeingoverandacrossthedistinctionsofsex,andmutuallyworkingfortheadvancementoftheworld。Ourprogressis,however,seriouslyimpededbywhatwemaycallthemasculinetradition,theunconsciousdominanceofaracehabitbasedonthislongandrocentricperiod;anditiswellworthwhile,intheinterestsofbothsexes,toshowthemischievouseffectsofthepredominanceofone。
Wehaveinourethicsnotonlya"doublestandard"inonespecialline,butinnearlyall。Man,asasex,hasquitenaturallydeifiedhisownqualitiesratherthanthoseofhisopposite。Inhiscodesofmanners,ofmorals,oflaws,inhisearlyconceptsofGod,hisancientreligions,weseemasculinitywrittenlargeoneveryside。Confiningwomenwhollytotheirfemininefunctions,hehasrequiredofthemonlywhathecalledfemininevirtues,andtheonevirtuehehasdemanded,tothecompleteovershadowingofallothers,ismeasuredbywhollymasculinerequirements。
lntheinterestsofhealthandhappiness,monogamousmarriageprovesitssuperiorityinourraceasithasinothers。Itisessentialtothebestgrowthofhumanitythatwepracticethevirtueofchastity;itisahumanvirtue,notafeminineone。Butinmasculinehandsthisvirtuewasenforceduponwomenunderpenaltiesofhideouscruelty,andquiteignoredbymen。Masculineethics,coloredbymasculineinstincts,alwaysdominatedbysex,hasatoncerecognizedthevalueofchastityinthewoman,whichisright;punisheditsabsenceunfairly,whichiswrong;andthenreversedthewholematterwhenappliedtomen,whichisridiculous。
Ethicallawsarelaws——notidlenotions。Chastityisavirtuebecauseitpromoteshumanwelfare——notbecausemenhappentoprizeitinwomenandignoreitthemselves。Theunderlyingreasonforthewholethingisthebenefitofthechild;andtothatendapureandnoblefatherhoodisrequisite,aswellassuchamotherhood。Underthelimitationsofatoomasculineethics,wehavedevelopedonthisonelinesocialconditionswhichwouldbeabsurdlyfunnyiftheywerenotsohorrible。
Religion,beitnoticed,doesnotbearoutthisattitude。Theimmensehumanneedofreligion,thenoblehumancharacterofthegreatreligiousteachers,hasalwayssetitsstandards,whenfirstestablished,aheadofhumanconduct。
Somethereare,menoflearningandauthority,whoholdthatthedeadeningimmobilityofourreligions,theirresistancetoprogressandrelentlesspreservationofprimitiveideals,isduetotheconservatismofwomen。Men,theysay,areprogressivebynature;womenareconservative。Womenaremorereligiousthanmen,andsopreserveoldreligiousformsunchangedaftermenhaveoutgrownthem。
Ifwesawwomeninabsolutefreedom,withaseparatereligiondevisedbywomen,practicedbywomen,andremainingunchangedthroughthecenturies;whilemen,ontheotherhand,boundedbravelyforward,makingnewonesasfastastheywereneeded,thisbeliefmightbemaintained。
Butwhatdowesee?Alltheoldreligionsmadebymen,andforcedonthewomenwhethertheylikeditornot。Oftenwomennotevenconsideredaspartofthescheme——deniedsouls——givenamuchlowerplaceinthesystem——goingfromtheserviceoftheirfather’sgodstotheserviceoftheirhusbands——havingnoneoftheirown。Weseereligionswhichmakepracticallynoplaceforwomen,aswiththeMoslem,asrigidlybigotedandunchangingasanyother。
Weseealsothis:thatthewideranddeeperthereligion,themorehuman,themoreitcallsforpracticalapplicationsinChristianity——themoreitappealstowomen。Further,inthedivergingsectsoftheChristianreligion,wefindthatitsprogressivenessistobemeasured,notbythenumbersofitswomenadherents,butbytheirrelativefreedom。ThewomenofAmerica,whobelongtoathousandsects,whofollownewoneswithavidity,whoevenmakethem,andwhoalsoleavethemallasmendo,arewomen,aswellasthoseofSpain,whoremaincontentedRomanists,butinAmericathestatusofwomenishigher。
Thefactisthis:aservilewomanhoodisinastateofarresteddevelopment,andassuchdoesformagroundfortheretentionofancientideas。Butthisisduetotheconditionofservility,nottowomanhood。
Thatwomenatpresentarethebulwarkoftheolderformsofourreligionsisduetotheactionoftwoclassesofmen:themenoftheworld,whokeepwomenintheirrestrictedposition,andthemenofthechurch,whotakeeveryadvantageofthelimitationsofwomen。Whenwehaveforthefirsttimeinhistoryareallycivilizedwomanhood,wecanthenjudgebetterofitseffectonreligion。
Meanwhile,wecanseequiteclearlytheeffectofmanhood。Keepinginmindthosebasicmasculineimpulses——desireandcombat——weseethemreflectedfromhighheavenintheirreligiousconcepts。Reward!
Somethingtowanttremendouslyandstruggletoachieve!Thisisaconceptperfectlymasculineandmostimperfectlyreligious。Areligionispartlyexplanation——atheoryoflife;itispartlyemotion——anattitudeofmind,itispartlyaction——asystemofmorals。Man’sspecialeffectonthislargefieldofhumandevelopmentisclear。Hepicturedhisearlygodsasliketohimself,andtheybehavedinaccordancewithhisideals。Inthedimmest,oldestreligions,nearestthematriarchate,wefindgreatgoddesses——typesofMotherhood,Mother—love,Mother—careandService。Butundermasculinedominance,IsisandAshterothdwindleawaytoanalluringAphrodite——notWomanhoodforthechildandtheWorld——buttheincarnationoffemaleattractivenessforman。
Astheideaofheavendevelopedintheman’sminditbecametheHappyHuntingGroundofthesavage,thebeeryandgoryValhallaoftheNorseman,thevoluptuous,many—houri—edParadiseoftheMohammedan。
Thesearemen’sheavensall。Womenhaveneverbeensofondofhunting,beerorblood;andtheirhouriswouldbeoftheotherkind。ItmaybesaidthattheearlyChristianideaofheavenisbynomeansplannedformen。Thatistrite,andisperhapsthereasonwhyithasneverhadsocompellinganattractionforthem。
Veryearlyinhisvagueeffortstowardsreligiousexpression,manvoicedhissecondstrongestinstinct——thatofcombat。Hisuniverseisalwaysdual,alwaysasceneofcombat。Bornwiththatimpulse,exercisingitcontinually,henaturallyassumedittobethemajorprocessinlife。
Itisnot。Growthisthemajorprocess。Combatisausefulsubsidiaryprocess,chieflyvaluableforitsinitialuse,totransmitthephysicalsuperiorityofthevictor。Psychicandsocialadvantagesarenotthussecuredortransmitted。
Innooneparticularistheandrocentriccharacterofourcommonthoughtmoreclearlyshownthaninthegeneraldeificationofwhatarenowdescribedas"conflictstimuli。"Thatwhichistrueofthemalecreatureassuchisassumedtobetrueoflifeingeneral;quitenaturally,butbynomeanscorrectly。Tothisuniversalmasculineerrorwemaytraceinthefieldofreligionandethicsthegreatdeviltheory,whichhasforsolongobscuredourminds。AGodwithoutanAdversarywasinconceivabletothemasculinemind。Fromthisbasicmisconceptionwefindallourideasofethicsdistorted;thatwhichshouldhavebeentreatedasagroupoftruthstobelearnedandhabitstobecultivatedwastreatedintermsofcombat,andmoralgrowthmadeaneverlastingbattle。Thiscombattheorywemayfollowlaterintoourcommonnotionsofdiscipline,government,lawandpunishment;hereisitenoughtoseeitspainfuleffectsinthisprimaryfieldofethicsandreligion?
Thethirdessentialmaletraitofself—expressionwemayfollowfromitsinnocentnaturalforminstruttingcockorstampingstaguptothecharacteristicswelabelvanityandpride。Thedegradationofwomeninforcingthemtoadoptmasculinemethodsofpersonaldecorationasameansoflivelihood,hascarriedwiththeconcomitantofpersonalvanity:buttothisdayandattheirworstwedonotfindinwomenthe_naive_exultantglowofpridewhichswellsthebosomofthemenwhomarchinprocessionwithbrassbands,infullregaliaofanysort,sothatitbegorgeous,exhibitingtheirgloriestoall。
ItisthispurelymasculinespiritwhichhasgiventoourearlyconceptsofDeitytheunadmirablequalitiesofboundlessprideandathirstforconstantpraiseandprostrateadmiration,characteristicscertainlyunbefittinganynobleideaofGod。Desire,combatandself—expressionallhavehadtheirunavoidableinfluenceonmasculinereligions。WhatdeifiedMaternityapurelyfeminineculturemighthaveputforthwedonotknow,havinghadnonesuch。Womenaregenerallycreditedwithasmuchmoralsenseasmen,andasmuchreligiousinstinct;butsofarithashadsmallpowertomodifyourprevailingcreeds。
Asamatteroffact,nospecialsexattributesshouldhaveanyweightinourideasofrightandwrong。Ethicsandreligionaredistinctlyhumanconcerns;theybelongtousassocialfactors,notasphysicalones。Aswelearntorecognizeourhumanness,andtoleaveoursexcharacteristicswheretheybelong,weshallatlastlearnsomethingaboutethicsasasimpleandpracticalscience,andseethatreligionsgrowasthemindgrowstoformulatethem。
Ifanyoneseeksforaclear,simple,easilygraspedproofofourethics,itistobefoundinapopularproverb。Strugglingupwardfrombeastandsavageintohumanness,manhasseen,reverenced,andstriventoattainvarioushumanvirtues。
Hewaswillingtocheckmanyprimitiveimpulses,tochangemanybarbaroushabits,tomanifestnewer,noblerpowers。MuchhewouldconcedetoHumanness,butnothissex——thatwasbeyondtherangeofEthicsorReligion。Bythestateofwhathecalls"morals,"andthelawshemakestoregulatethem,byhisattitudeincourtshipandinmarriage,andbythegrossanomalyofmilitarism,inallitssenselesswasteoflifeandwealthandjoy,wemayperceivethislittlemasculineexception:
"All’sfairinloveandwar。"
OURANDROCENTRICCULTURE;or,THEMAN—MADEWORLD
VIII。
EDUCATION。
Theoriginofeducationismaternal。Themotheranimalisseentoteachheryoungwhatsheknowsoflife,itsgainsandlosses;and,whetherconsciouslydoneornot,thisiseducation。Inourhumanlife,education,eveninitspresentstate,isthemostimportantprocess。
Withoutitwecouldnotmaintainourselves,muchlessdominateandimproveconditionsaswedo;andwheneducationiswhatitshouldbe,ourpowerwillincreasefarbeyondpresenthopes。
Inloweranimals,speakinggenerally,thepowersoftheracemustbelodgedineachindividual。Nogainofpersonalexperienceisofavailtotheothers。Noadvantagesremain,savethosephysicallytransmitted。
Thenarrowlimitsofpersonalgainandpersonalinheritancerigidlyheminsub—humanprogress。Withus,whatonelearnsmaybetaughttotheothers。Ourlifeissocial,collective。Ourgainisforall,andprofitsusinproportionasweextendittoall。Asthehumansouldevelopsinus,webecomeabletograspmorefullyourcommonneedsandadvantages;andwiththisgrowthhascometheextensionofeducationtothepeopleasawhole。Socialfunctionsaredevelopedundernaturallaws,likephysicalones,andmaybestudiedsimilarly。
Intheevolutionofthisbasicsocialfunction,whathasbeentheeffectofwhollymasculineinfluence?
Theoriginalprocess,instructionofindividualchildbyindividualmother,hasbeenlargelyneglectedinourman—madeworld。Thatwasconsideredasasubsidiarysex—functionofthewoman,andassuch,lefttoher"instinct。"Thisisthemainreasonwhyweshowsuchgreatprogressineducationforolderchildren,andespeciallyforyouths,andsolittlecomparativelyinthatgiventolittleones。
Wehavehadontheonesidethenaturalcurrentofmaternaleducation,withitsfirstassistant,thenursemaid,anditssecond,the"dame—school";andontheothertheinfluenceofthedominantclass,organizedinuniversity,college,andpublicschool,slowlyfilteringdownward。
Educationalforcesaremany。Thechildisbornintocertainconditions,physicalandpsychic,and"educated"thereby。Hegrowsupintosocial,politicalandeconomicconditions,andisfurthermodifiedbythem。Alltheseconditions,sofar,havebeenofandrocentriccharacter;butwhatwecalleducationasaspecialsocialprocessiswhatthechildisdeliberatelytaughtandsubjectedto;anditisherewemayseethesamedominantinfluencesoclearly。
Thisconsciouseducationwas,forlong,giventoboysalone,thegirlsbeinglefttomaternalinfluence,eachtolearnwhathermotherknew,andnomore。Thisveryclearinstanceofthemasculinetheoryisglaringenoughbyitselftorestacaseon。Itshowshowabsolutewastheassumptionthattheworldwascomposedofmen,andmenaloneweretobefittedforit。Womenwerenopartoftheworld,andneedednotrainingforitsuses。Asfemalestheywerebornandnotmade;ashumanbeingstheywereonlyservants,trainedassuchbytheirservantmothers。
Thissystemofeducationweareoutgrowingmoreswiftlywitheachyear。
Thegrowinghumannessofwomen,anditsrecognition,isforcinganequaleducationforboyandgirl。Whenthisdemandwasfirstmade,bywomenofunusualcalibre,andbymensufficientlyhumantooverlooksex—prejudice,howwasitmet?Whatwastheattitudeofwoman’s"naturalprotector"whenshebegantoasksomeshareinhumanlife?
Undertheuniversalassumptionthatmenalonewerehumanity,thattheworldwasmasculineandformenonly,theeffortsofthewomenweremetasadeliberateattemptto"unsex"themselvesandbecomemen。Tobeawomanwastobeignorant,uneducated;tobewise,educated,wastobeaman。Womenwerenotmen,visibly;thereforetheycouldnotbeeducated,andoughtnottowanttobe。
Underthisandrocentricprejudice,theequalextensionofeducationtowomenwasopposedateverystep,andisstillopposedbymany。Seeinginwomenonlysex,andnothumanness,theywouldconfineherexclusivelytofeminineinterests。Thisisthemasculineview,_parexcellence_。
Inspiteofit,thehumandevelopmentofwomen,whichsosplendidlycharacterizesourage,hasgoneon;andnowbothwoman’scollegesandthoseforbothsexesoffer"thehighereducation"toourgirls,aswellasthelowergradesinschoolandkindergarten。
Inthespecialprofessionaltraining,thesameoppositionwasexperienced,evenmorerancorousandcruel。Onewouldthinkthatontheentranceofafewstragglingandnecessarilyinferiorfemininebeginnersintoatradeorprofession,thoseinpossessionwouldextendtothemtherighthandoffellowship,ascomrades,extraassistanceasbeginners,andspecialcourtesyaswomen。
Thecontraryoccurred。Womenwerebarredout,discriminatedagainst,takenadvantageof,ascompetitors;andaswomentheyhavehadtomeetspecialdangerandoffenceinsteadofspecialcourtesy。Anunforgettableinstanceofthisliesintheattitudeofthemedicalcollegestowardwomenstudents。Themen,strongenough,onewouldthink,innumbers,inknowledge,inestablishedprecedent,tobegenerous,opposedthenewcomersfirstwithabsoluterefusal;then,whenthepatient,persistentapplicantsdidgetinside,bothstudentsandteachersmetthemnotonlywithunkindnessandunfairness,butwithaweaponingeniouslywellchosen,andmostdiscreditable——namely,obscenity。Graveprofessors,inlectureandclinic,aswellasgrinningstudents,usedoffensivelanguage,andplayedoffensivetricks,todrivethewomenout——amostandrocentricperformance。
Rememberthattheessentialmasculineattitudeisoneofopposition,ofcombat;hisdesireisobtainedbyfirstovercomingacompetitor;andthenseehowthisdominantmasculinitystandsoutwhereithasnopossibleuseorbenefit——inthefieldofeducation。Allalongtheline,man,longmasterofasubjectsex,foughteverystepofwomantowardmentalequality。Nevertheless,sincemodernmanhasbecomehumanenoughtobejust,hehasatlastletherhaveashareintheadvantagesofeducation;andshehasprovenherfullpowertoappreciateandusetheseadvantages。
Thento—dayrisesanewcryagainst"womenineducation。"HereisMr。
BarrettWendell,ofHarvard,solemnlyclaimingthatteachingwomenweakenstheintellectoftheteacher,andeverynowandthenburstsoutafranticsputterofalarmoverthe"feminization"ofourschools。Itistruethatthemajorityofteachersarenowwomen。Itistruethattheydohaveaninfluenceongrowingchildren。Itwouldevenseemtobetruethatthatislargelywhatwomenarefor。
Butthemaleassumeshisinfluencetobenormal,human,andthefemaleinfluenceaswhollyamatterofsex;therefore,wherewomenteachboys,theboysbecome"effeminate"——agrievousfall。Whenmenteachgirls,dothegirlsbecome—————?Hereagainwelacktheanalogue。Neverhasitoccurredtotheandrocentricmindtoconceiveofsuchathingasbeingtoomasculine。Thereisnosuchword!Itisoddtonoticethatwhicheverwaythewomanisplaced,sheissupposedtoexertthisdegradinginfluence;iftheteacher,sheeffeminizesherpupils;ifthepupil,sheeffeminizesherteachers。
Nowletusshakeourselvesfree,ifonlyforamoment,fromtheandrocentrichabitofmind。
Asamatterofsex,thefemaleisthemoreimportant。Hershareoftheprocesseswhichsexdistinctionservesisbyfarthegreater。Tobefeminine——ifonewerenothingelse,isafarmoreextensiveanddignifiedofficethantobemasculine——andnothingelse。
Butasamatterofhumanitythemaleofourspeciesisatpresentfaraheadofthefemale。Bythissuperiorhumanness,hisknowledge,hisskill,hisexperience,hisorganizationandspecialization,hemakesandmanagestheworld。Allthisishuman,notmale。Allthisisasopentothewomanasthemanbynature,buthasbeendeniedherduringourandrocentricculture。
Butevenif,inapurelyhumanprocess,suchaseducation,shedoesbringherspecialfemininecharacteristicstobear,whatarethey,andwhataretheresults?
Wecanseethemasculineinfluenceeverywherestilldominantandsuperior。Thereisthefirstspur,Desire,thebaseoftherewardsystem,theincentiveofself—interest,theattitudewhichsays,"WhyshouldImakeaneffortunlessitwillgivemepleasure?"withitsconcomitantlaziness,unwillingnesstoworkwithoutpayment。Thereisthesecondspur,Combat,thecompetitivesystem,whichsetsoneagainstanother,andfindspleasurenotinlearning,notexercisingthemind,butingettingaheadofone’sfellows。Underthesetwowhollymasculineinfluenceswehavemadetheeducationalprocessajoytothefewwhosuccessfullyattain,andawearyeffort,withfailureandcontumelyattached,toalltheothers。Thismaybeagoodmethodinsex—competition,butiswhollyoutofplaceandmischievousineducation。Itsprevalenceshowstheinjuriousmasculizationofthisnoblesocialprocess。