The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-06-05
SEX IN DIET.

There are certain simple and elemen-
tary bits of nonsense which reappear at
intervals with the certainty of measles
or smallpox. and this sometimes in the
very families of physicians. One of these
is the theory that whereas men and wo-
men differ in important respects, there
must. therefore, be an entire ditferencein
| their mode of education. The best way
to look at this is by applying it first on
| the plane of physical structure. This,
for instance, would be the line of argu-
ment: Boys eat beef and bread; there
fore, obviously, girls should not. Yet the
moment girls accept this inference and
begin living on carmels and ice cream,
the physicians are the first to complain.
They point out, justly enough, that
while the functions of the sexes are in
some important respects different, yet
there are many more points in which
they are identical; the alimentary and
same. We do not digest as men or WON.
en-, distinctively; we digest as human
beings; and so it is with nine tenths of
what physiology includes.
There can be no greater mistake than
to assume that the present methods of
education, whether for girls or for boys,
are mere matter of imitation or tradi-
ton. These methods are practised be-
cause they have seemed, up to the pres
ent time, to be the best for every body.
They are adapted, or supposed to be
adapted, not to boy nature or girl ma
! ture as such, but to human nature. They
are doubtless undergoing constant modi-
fication. but very rarely with any refer
ence to sexual difference. Foreign visi
tors to our schools sometimes ask: why
should girls study Greek" "Why should
girls learn geometry?" And when you
ask them in return, why should boys
learn these things?' they have to admit
that the question is of general applica
ton. not of sex application. Boys have
for centuries studied Latin and Greek;
first because their own languages were
largely based on these tongues, and sec
ondly because the learning of the world
was mainly put into Latin and Greek.
The latter reason is now vanishing, and
only the former holds good; 80 that Lat
in and Greek, these ancient languages
though still desirable, are not SO essen
tial as before. All this is true of girls
also, and on the same grounds.
Again, the vast multiplication of knowl-
edge now makes it undesirable to pre-
scribe for all minds the same course of
study, and hence follows the elective
system in our universities. All this is
equally true for boys and girls. and the
question how far to introduce this sys-
tenn into lower schools is now the main
problem. Into all the necessary discus-
sion of these matters before educational
conventions the question of sex rarely
enters, as it seldom enters into the per.
petual discussions about animal or vege-
table food. Both as to physical and
mental nourishment. we have human
beings to deal with. 1t was the highest
praise that an acute young woman could
give to Phillips Brooks's first address at
Vassar College, HE did not say one
word from which you could infer that we
were not human beings" This, it APP
peared, was in great contrast to previous
clergymen, who had devoted their chief
that they were women-afa which they
knew already beyond all need of informa.
ton.
All these remarks will seem, no doubt,
very remote and superhuous to those
who do not recognize how long it takes
for delusion to die. Why go back. it
may be said. to the exploded fallacies of
a hundred years agoH Yet they are not