The San Francisco call., 1906-06-10

-
woman, is evolved" death viii last so
long as women bring forth, and the
ruth will not prevail until the two be-
come one. That is a somewhat mystic
statement from the remarkable book,
"Sex and Character" by the remark
able man. Otto Weininger. The Allege-
neine Zeltung commenting on the vol
ume, says that the authors individual
ity is abnormal and that the book is
more abnormal than that individuality.
The same German authority compn-
ments the scholarship of the work
tempt 10 construct a system of sexual
characterology on the broadest scien-
tire basis, with all the resources OF
the most modern philosophy"
The book is not intended for the gen.
eral reader. but has attracted much at
tentiOn from scholars and has gone
through six German editions. The
learning revealed by the author, and
the bold, odd originality OF his ideas.
have been considered more like the ar
duous achievement of a lifetime than
the work of youthful philosopher
=
He had planned more elaborate inyesti-
cations on the same lire OF thought,
bat at the age of z3 the young philoso-
pher shot himself in the house in
Vienna where Beethoven died. His
book was SO much studied in Germany
that the London and New York pub
fishers have issued an English transla
tion of the Scholarly but most peculiar
work.
The o,Dsrsov, xx-af,svr-a- .d,-aroae sn
the words first above quoted is traced
through one Of the Fathers of the
Church.-Clement-to Christ, who is
said 70 have put il so in a conversation
with Salome, when he talked without
the optimistic palliation of the sex
which Saint Paul and Luther invented
later" The book seems to have very
different appearance TO different critics.
A characterization of il as seen by
the German publisher of the sixth edi-
tiOn is that Weininger sets forth scien-
tifcally what Wagner gives artistic eX-
preston 10 in his -Parsifal" That
Weininger was inspired by some kin
dred influence TO the Parsifal idea
seems evident from several passages in
his volume On page 344 he says that
Wagners "Parsifal" is the greatest
work in the worlds literature. He
speaks Of Wagner as being the greatest
msn since Christ's time, and says that
Wagner understood to the full the real
significance Of Christ's act in freeing
the fallen Magdslen. sweeping away
her past and eXpiating IL for her.
"Kundry could only be released from
klingsOr's curse by the help of sinless,
Immaculate msn-ParsifaL"
IL another place he speaks of Kun
dry as being probably the most per-
feet representation of woman in art. II
one were putting aside antagonism. and
seeking for the best there is in the
book. the emphasis Of this Parsifal idea
is probably the nOblest Interpretation
that a friendly criticism could find in
its exceedingly curious pages. That the
authors views will rouse strong oppo-
sition there can be no doubt. Toward
the conclusion of his volume he arrives
At an advocacy Of asceticism that
seems absurd and. in fact. impossible.
The strongest antagonisms to the
book viii come from women, for this
German philosopher is very anti
feminine in his doctrines and his work
is 10 a large extent a consideration of
the woman question, which he assumes
70 treat decisively and with the au-
thority of scientific. and philosophical
scholarship. / have seen one criticism
OF the work written by a clever and
noted woman worker of the literary
field, and the way she criticises Vein
niger would make him vince if he had
not already shot himself far beyond
the reach Of the shafts of female COM
ment.
~ The book is not easy to understand
The author is aware of this, and he
warns the reader that the ideas he is
endeavoring TO explain are not to be
cOmprehended at a glance. Although
the antagOnism to his anti-feminine
doctrines will come natural to all
women and most men, il must be re-
membered that he is talking not so
much about women as about Woman-a
sort Of abstract quality which he some
times expresses by the formula W.
just 20 distinguish it from the formula
M" which is man as abstractly con-
ceiYed By the writer.
So ultra-masculine is his bias that
he anticipates the objection that
women viii make 10 his doctrines, and
he also knows that the gallantry OF
men will make them oppose his anti
feminine conclusions. Against this mas
cpline objection he tries to guard him
self thus: Where my exposition is
anti-feminine. and that is nearly every
where. men themselves viii receive il
with little heartiness or conviction
their sexual egoism makes them prefer
70 see woman as they would like To
have her, as they would like her to be. .
SO, when you are being talked TO by
q UTOL0uHQ philosopher VINO dnalNZeS
even your seemingly praiseworthy ad-
miration and love Of woman to be
mainly the creation OF your own sexual
selhshness, what can you do about IL
but be humble and listen? The philoso-
pher is probably much mistaken, but
he means well. as you will find out by
the time you have read him through
He believes that his conceptions arc
closely allied with those Of Plato. Kant
and Christianity. To the expected ad-
verse criticism from women he at
tempts TO apologize thus:
4 need not say that ] am prepared
for the answer women viii have 10 the
judgment ! have passed on their sex
Ny investigation. indeed, turns against
man in the end, and although in q
deeper sense than the advocates oil
women's rights could anticipate, as
signs to man the heaviest and the rea
blame. But this viii help me little and
Is Of such a nature that il cannot IL
the smallest way rehabilitate me IN the
minds of women"
However, on the principle that IL i:
better 70 be opposed than TO be ig-
nored, some advocates of woman's
rights may be pleased that the philoso.
pher gave SO much of his scholarly at.