Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-11-02
WOMEN AND BRAINS.
SIR JAMES CREIGHTON BROWNIES LATE
uTTERANces REFUTED.

A Scientists Argument which Is an Ex-
ample Of the Folly Into which a Learned
Man May he Drawn-sone Telling Illus
trations on the Main Point.
Sir James Crichton Browne has lately
brought forward anew the somewhat
threadbare argument that the brain OF the
average man Is several ounces heavier than
that Of the average woman, and that hence
women must have smaller mental capacity.
A few parallel facts may be worth consid-
ering in this connection.
The brain OF an average elephant Ia about
three times as heavy as the brain of an ay.
erage man, yet we do not hnd that the ele-
plant Is three times as smart rs the man.
The brain Of an ant Is indefinitely smaller
than the brain Of sheep, yet the ant Is
much more Intelligent than the sheep. In
other words, the smallIr creature may have
a smaller brain without necessarily having
inferior wits The woman, being smaller
animal than tho man, naturally has q
smaller brain. but IL does not follow that
she Is therefore more stupid. This view is
confirmed by the fact that II boys brain
IL below certain weight the boy Is invari-
ably mn idiot, while "A girls brain may fall
several ounces below that weight and still
the girl be rational.
Some scientists say that women's brains
are heavier In proportion to the weight OF
their bodies than the brains Of men. 9th
or scientists say the contrary. But the rel.
alive weight Of the brain Ia not sure
guide any more than It's absolute weight.
There are certain small birds, built light
for flying, whose brains are heavier In pro-
portion to the weight Of their bodies than
the brains Of human beings. But we do not
find that these birds arc more intelligent
than human beings
The only fair test Of the comparative abil-
ity of two brains is to see what they eau ac-
complish when placed under the same cir
eumstances. All over the country in our
public schools boys and girls from the same
families study side by side, and tho girls
average quite as we'll as the boys In the
colleges the young women take rather more
| than their SHIRE Of the prizes. This is prob
| ably due not to superiority Of the feminine
brain, but TO the fact that many stupid
| boys are sent to college by their parents be-
cause 10 Is fashionable, while II u girl goes
10 college IL Is generally because she really
wishes to study. But, however we mcy
account for II, tho fact remains that the al.
legged mental inferlority Of women does not
show itself in any Of the educational instl-
tutlons where the two sexes study together.
After graduation, however. not nearly 40
many women IA men score IA brilliant sue
cess In business or In the arts, The reason,
| take 1t, Is not because women have insult.
Rccnt intelligence, but because most Of
them prefer TO put their intelligence to o
| different uso-numcly, To apply IL to rum
ming house and family. This is bust.
ness fully as important and useful as any
other And to run u house and family sue.
cessfully under present conditions takes as
much intelligence-on might almost say
as much statesmanship-a to run a rail-
road or q city government. II any man
doubts this, let him send his wife of for a
holiday aud try fora week to do his own
homework and take care OF half a dozen
children.
Sir James Crichton Browne again finds
an alarming connection between feminine
intelligence and lack Of personal beauty.
lie fears that what woman gains intel.
lvctually by the higher education now in
vogue she will lose in beauty aud grace"
and Us proof OF this he cites the Caro-
tribe In India, where tho women arc said to
have tho entire control OF public nilairs
and TO be "thc very uglicst women on the
face of tho earth,n II education tends to
ugliness, IL would be more to the point TO
show that these Indian women are the most
highly educated women on the face OF the
earth.
Brains seem to be distributed among
women as among men without any regard
to good looks. Some bright women are
strikingly handsome, and some are strik-
ingly homely. Maria Mitchell for instance,
was q plain girl, though she developed into
fine looking elderly lady. Mrs. Somer
vile, on the other hand, was conspicuous
for her beauty, That education and free
dom do not tend, on the whole, to make
women ugly may be shown by one illustra
ton on n large scale, American women
are better educated and more "emanoi
patedn than the women Of any other coun
try. Yet all Americans and many foreign
ers say that no other country can boast o
30 many beautiful women. And any on,
who has attended class day Mt Wclles
Icy will hardly bu persuaded, as he looks al
the rosebud garden OF girls," that educa
zion Is detrimental to good looks
SirJumcs Crrhton Browne n whole Rrg,l
mont Is an example of the folly into which
IL learned man may be drawn, when In fol
lowing speculative theory he closes hi
eyes To the facts OF everyday observation.
The newspapers have lately been maxim,
merry over the case OF another scientific
man. This gentleman had written learnc,
articles to prove the mental fuebleness o
women from the smnlluess OF their brains
, lie, died, and his own brain proved ON ex
, animation to weigh less than that of tn
: average woman A good many women will
, await with interest the death OF Sir jaime
! Crichton Browne and tho results OF post
+ mortem.-Alice Stone blackwell In Bostoi
, Globe
, Awkward Skirts.
Women who have LEFT behind the slender
= ness OF youth and taken ON the portly Pre-