The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-11
W0MAN'S PERCENTAGE.
HOW THE BETTER HALF OF MAN
KIND HOLDS HER OWN.
A Reply to Grant Allen in the Forum
His Biological Argument That Only
the Males Are Human Well An
swered.


Elizabeth A. Meriwcther in the st. Louis Republic
In the May number OF the Forum Mr.
Grant Allen asserts and attempts to prove
First-That the males of the human
species are the race.
Second-That all that is distinctly
human in the race are the males.
Third-That the females are not half the
race as is generally supposed, but to use
his own happy expression, "are merely q
part tolled of to reproduce the species"
Mr.. Allen claims to have made these
discoveries by the aid Of biology. shall
only look at his arguments from COM
nonsense standpoint II is not enough
to know that she is not half we want to
know how much smaller than the half she
is. Is woman's part as much as one-third?
Is 1t as much as one-fourth2 Is II as small
as one-tenth? or one-hundredth? Or will
Mr.. Allen and biology reduce woman TO
the thousandth part OF the race? Mr..
Allen can give the exact size OF this part il
he only will. 1t is to be hoped that
modesty natural to member OF the largest
part OF the "human" race will not stand
in his way.
"All that is distinctly human" says Mr.
| Allen, Sin the race is man-to build
houses, railroads, to manufacture, are dis.
| tinctly human functions. Men build
houses, railroads, manufacture, while wo-
men are merely tolled Off (every one must
admire this phrase) -tolled of TO carry on
the race"
This is the gst OF Mr.. Aliens argument,
and may prettily put in syllogistic shape
| thus:
i Is human to build, etc. Or ,hue
Men build. II Il humnn 10 build etc.
| Therefore, men are hui Women do not build,
man. Therefore, women are
not human.
This may be very convincing 10 biologi-
cal minds, but to the neurological few
slight difficulties arise. For instance. il
instead Of the Biblical account OF the crea-
ton, We accept the theory Of evolution we
must admit there have been long periods
in the life Of our race during which men
no more built houses and railroads than
women. How was the woman part OF the
race proportional then? Were women
then, rs now, merely tolled of 1--WE GER
tainly admire this phrase) 10 carry the
children OF tho race? III not, at what pc
Rod in the history OF the species did the
| tolling OF begin2 III Mr.. Allen cannot
throw biological light on these points, who
CAM Manufacturing is human func-
tion," says Mr.. Allen, "women do not
manufacture, therefore women are not hui
man." But how about the time when
women were the only manufacturers in the
world2 Women were then the human
pari2 And were men then merely Great
ures "tolled OFF" 1.-THE oftener one sees this
| phrase the more one admires III TO perform
some other work. Is IL possible that Mr.
Allen does not know that women were the
first manufacturers OF our race? In the
old days, when men were all savages aud
war was the business OF their lives, when
man fought man, tribe tribe, country
country, women pursued the peaceful arts,
spinning, weaving, tilling the soil when
ever their predatory spouses permitted
them to remain long enough in one place
10 SOW and reap The names the human
females 20 by TO this day prove they were
the first OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, the spin
ner; woman, the weaving man.
Mr. Allen forgot 10 mention a function
more particularly and pre-eminently hui
man than those he enumerated, and that
1
do build their habitaiions, the beaver, for
instance. The fox constructs his hole, the
hog her bed, the mole digs his under.
ground roadway. the ant builds cities, roads
i and Notifications; birds build their nests.
IL IA said that In times OF great drouth, the
prairie dog Digs deep wells 10 get water
and constructs steps by which TO descend
or ascend easily but no animal, insect or
bird ever cooked It's dinner. As far back
M history goes the function Of cooking has
fallen on women. suppose women turn
the tables on Mr.. Allen and put their side
Of the argument into syllogistic shape,
thus
| u Il human 10 cook Or thus
Therefore women are Men do not cook
human Therefore men are not
human.
Il ret this as strictly biological as Mr.
Aliens premises and deductions' Should
Mr.. Allen object that some men cook, we
may reply that some women build and
many engage In manufacture.
"All the vast gains our race has made in
is progress toward civilization" says Mr..
Allen, "haye been made by men; 10 far rs
women share In those gains, they share in
virtue OF being their fathers daughters,
not In virtue OF being their mothers. There
are women, / admit, who inherit much Of
male faculty THAT is the human faculty.,
and some follow male ayocationS docs
this learned gentleman mean vo-cations2l,
but, by No doing they unsex themselves. 7"
Nothing can be morn modest than this,
and II modcsty, supreme and pynmidal,
be also disinc,ivcly human quality, tho
immense prcponderancc OF this quality
found in the males OF our race (f Mr..
Allen is a fair spccimen) will furnish
additional evidence that men possess an
immensely greater share OF the human
than women. In Mr. Aliens next biolog-
ical treatise on this subject he should not
forget TO bring forward the function Of
modcsiy 10 sustain his position OF the
superior humanity OF men over women.
Some time ago Herbert Spencer wrote a
series OF articles on the different biascs
which distort mems Judgments; the thco-
logical, tho political, the class bias. were
scientifically analysed. Every one knows
che power for distortion theological bias
crcaIcs; political bias In equally dlsiortive.
Every one knows the power OF class bias
Kings believe themselves moro diyinely
endowed than their subjects. Mobiles
fancy they are made of finer clay than un-
titled mortals All history does not afford
an instance, not solitary instance, OF a
master class being able correctly TO esii.