The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-11-08

Point.
Sir James Crichton Browne has lately
brought forward anew the somewhat
threadbare argument that the brain of
the average man is several ounces heavi-
er than that Of the averag &c woman. and
that hence women must have smaller
mental capacity. \ few parallel facts
may be worth considering in this con-
nection.
The brain Of an average elephant
is about three times as heavy as the
brain Of an average man, yet we 90 not
find that the elephant is three times as
smart as the man. The brain Of an ant
is infinitely smaller than the brain of a
sheep, yet the ant is much more intelli-
gent than the sheep. In other words.
the smaller creature may have a smaller
brain without necessarily having inferior
wits. The woman. being smaller ami
NAL than the man, naturally has a small
er brain. but it does not follow that she
| is therefore more stupid. This view is
confirmed by the fact that if a boys
| brain is below a certain weight the boy
is invariably an idiot while girls brain
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. other scientists say the con
trary. But the relative weight OF The
brain Is not sure guide any more than
its absolute weight There are certain
small birds. built light for flying. whose
brains are heavier in proportion TO the
weight Of their bodies than the brains
of human beings. But we do not find
that these birds are more intelligent
than human beings.
The only fair test OF the comparative
ability of two brains is to see what they
can accomplish when placed under the
same circumstance. All over the eoun-
try in our public schools boys and girls
from the same families study side 10y
side. and the girls average quite as well
as the boys In the colleges the young
women take rather more than their
share Of the prizes. This is probably
due not TO superiority of the feminine
brain, but to the fact that many stupid
boys are sent to colleges by their pa
rents because it is fashionable. while if
a girl goes to college IL is generally be-
cause she really wishes to study. But,
however we may sccount FOR it, the
fact remains that the alleged mental in
feriority of women does not show itself
i'm any Of the educational institutions
where the two sexes study together.
After graduation, however not nearly
so many women as men score a bril-.
liant success in business or in the arts,
Tho req son I take a. ie not h0rn 1lca u-O4
men have insufficient intelligence, but
because most of them prefer 20 put their
intelligence to a different uSe-namelyt
to apply it to running house ana fam
lily. This is a business fully as impor-
| tant and useful as any other. And 10
run a house and family successfully un-
der present conditions takes as much
intelligenCe-one might almost say as
much statesmanship-as 10 run rail-
road or a city government. II any man
doubts this, let him send his wife Off for
a holiday and try for a 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.
He fears that what woman gains intel
lectually by the higher education now in
vogue she will lose in beauty and grace"
and as proof Of this he cites the Caro-
tribe in India, where the women are said
TO have the entire control of public af-
fairs and to be the very ugliest women
on the face Of the earth" If education
tends to ugliness, it would be more TO
the point TO show that these Indian wo-
men are the most highly educated WO-
men on the face of the earth.
Brains seem TO be distributed among
women as among men without any re-
gard to good looks Some bright women
are strikingly handsome, and some are
stIilSingly homely. Maria Mitchell for
naf rfp1 es1a.
veloped into a fine looking elderly lady.
Mrs. Somerville, on the other hand. was
conspicuous for her beauty. That edu-
cation and freedom do not tend on the
whole, to make women ugly may be
shown by one Illustration on a large
scale. American women are better ed
ucated and more "emancipated" than
the women of any other country. Yet
all Americans and many foreigners say
that no other country can boast Of SO
many beautiful women. And any one
who has attended class day at welles-
ley will hardly be persuaded, as he looks
at the rosebud garden of girls" that
education is detrimental 10 good looks.
Sir James Crichton Browns whole
gument is an example of the folly into
which a learned man may be drawn.
when in following a speculative theory
he closes his eyes to the facts Of every
day observation.
The newspapers have lately been maxi
ing merry over the case Of another
scientific man. This gentleman had writ
ten learned articles To prove the mental
feebleness OF women from the smallness
of their brains He died, and his own
brain proved on examination TO weigh
less than that Of the average woman.
A good many women will await with in
terest the death Of Sir James Crichton
Browne and the results Of a pOst-mor-
tem.-Alice Stone Blckwell in Boston
Globe.