The San Francisco call., 1906-06-10

mos, he may be merely aiming to
knock that KuRdry out of her which
offeHds the asceticism of his philo-
sophie soul. How we are to get along
with femininity completely banished
from the world, as Weininger desires,
will puzzle practical people very much;
for these practical people cannot see
how the generations are to go on
otherwise than by means of women.
However. the philosopher faces this
issue calmly. He says that if the i'm
mortal, moral part of mans personality
were really vigorous, he would have
the courage to look this result IN the
face; he would not fear the death of
the body, nor attempt TO substitute the
miserable certainty of the continuation
Of the race for his lack of faith in the
eternal life of the soul. The rejection
OF sexuality is merely the death of the
! physical life, TO put in its place the
full development of the spiritual life"
The special peculiarity of Weininger's
theory-of sex and character is founded
on the fact of sexual complexity in
each individual The whole of the first.
or preparatory part of the book. is
called Sexual Complexity," and upon
this is built the deduction of his second
part on Sexual Types" Notably, upon
this idea of sexual complexity is his
very utNlSlfC Opi1llOl VI tic " NOllidH =
rights question based. He holds that
the sexual characteristics and qualities
of every individual are mingled of the
masculine and feminine and that in the
case of no person is there a clear-cut
distinction of sex. This mixture is not
only physical but mental and moral
every human character is complex in
this way. Between the rare, abnormal
beings who are decidedly complex in
/ this way there is a far reach TO those
who are quite distinctly feminine or
masculine but all between the two ex-
tremes there are gradations, and every
man has some of the feminine charac-
teristics and every woman has some
/ mingIing of the masculine. The origi-
nality of Weininger's theory is that he
carries this idea much further than any
4 philosopher preceding him.
Some readers will remember that a
| somewhat similar idea was most beau
/ tifully expressed by Charles Godfrey
| Leland, the author of Hans Breitmann
| Ballads" and The Poetry of Dreams,
| who believed so strongly in fairy or
| other mystic influences over the soul
IF man. He was poetic in his view
| Of the duality of sex in each individual,
and he held a theory that in the soul
| of all the most gifted men there was a
feminine complement which prompted
and inspired their best work. Gifted
men might be only half conscious OF
| this feminine self dwelling within their
| masculine self, but in dream and revery
this eternal feminine was inspiring
their work and lifting them upward
! and onward. His pretty theory had
much more of the suggestion of the
| sound of music and the breath OF
flowers in it than has this. newly put
forth doctrine of Weininger. For Vein
| niger seems to see in sexuality only
sensuality, and he would teach that the
way TO go upward and onward is IL
leave woman out of your life alto
gether: and he would have that alb
stract feminine which he designates by
/ the formula -. eliminated from the
cosmos a necessity of complete
/ spiritual exaltation.
Applying this theory of sexual COM
plexity 10 the woman's rights problem
Weininger settles it to his satisfac-
tion by saying that the extreme advo-
Gates of women's rights are those
| women who have so much of the mas
| cuiine mingled in their character that
they do not really represent the whole
I body of truly feminine women, con-
sequently their cause will never tri-
umph. Feminine women do not want
it. The author is very careful, though
to define what he means by woman's
emancipation when he renders that de.
cision. He would not shut woman out
from economic independence, from be
coming fit for positions in technical
schools. universities. conservatories
etc, but Emancipation. as mean tC
discuss ii, is not the wish for an out.
ward equality with man. but what /,
Of real Importance in the woman ques-
tipn, the deep-seated craving to ac.
quire mans character, to attain hi.
mental and moral freedom. to reach his
real interest and his creative power
He says that all women who are thu,
striving reveal TO the first glance o
the expert some of the anatomical
characteristics of the male
Even for those who differ most radi
cally with him as to his main corclu
sions, Weiningers book has much o.
interest to offer Among other fin.
things there is fine chapter on "Tal.
ent and Memory" Here is one of hi.
ideas about the connection of the de
sire for Immortality with the facult,
of memory:
THE deeper sources OF the belief de
pend on the relation OF the man to his
own past. Our consciousness and visior
OF the past are the strongest grounf
for our desire 10 be conscious in tn,
future. The man who values his past
who holds his mental life in greater
respect than his corporal life, is no
willing to give up his consciousness a.
death. And so this organic primary de
sire for Immortality is strongest il