The Washington herald., 1908-05-31

was made out Of mans rib. stolen while |
he slept Science. oddly enough. gives US |
the antithesis OF this myth. for II is
demonstrable that the female existed
before the male, writes Marriott Watson.
in the London Chronicle. II other words.
the male is a mere derivative. though. as
is sometimes the case with offspring he
has outgrown his parent. II is something
Christening 70 our male minds 10 pause
upon this idea and reflect. Is Il easy 70
take In, TO realize in all It's significance,
that woman Is older than man? We males
Of the world Of organic life are mere
mushrooms compared with the female.
which Is primary and elemental.
Externally through the ages from the
female comes the male" The males, Ike
the drones Of the beehive. were accidental.
an afterthought, make-shift, a mere eX-
perinental device called in to assist at
the achievement Of great ends. When the
hive has finished with the drones they go
And in the twilight Of time. in the dawn
OF the world, there was no male-only
female the eternal Mother.
The history Of that mother is known 70
archy was the rule In savage life; even
In the earliest savage human life. Phys
ically and mentally the female excelled
the male, or at least equaled him. What
physical inferiority 70 the male does the
iioness OF the tigress or the female go
rilla exhibit? Il was not until later
period OF evolution that the male became
dominant. that that secondary product,
| that afterthought, the growing brat ele-
waited himself into a tyrant over the
Mother. Evolutonists understand the
process through which the revolution
came It was due to the operation Of
| sexual selection.
But mans rapid development was to
bring about an unexpected change in
woman also. And 10 his credit it must be
said that the initiation was his. Indeed.
throughout the ages. since woman passed
into the condition Of servitude. each step
Of her gradual enfranchisement has been
due 10 man. In the course Of time man
developed an aesthetic appreciation which
demanded satisfaction. and received II in
the gradual growth OF a fair sex" Chiv-
airy was set on its feet-feet. no doubt
Of clay But II had golden aspects and
materially assisted IN improving the
status Of woman. And to-day we are en-
joying such an improved status as would
have made our ancestors stare-and
swear But Il is not the end.
Women. you see. have broken out OF
that compound, that corral. in which the
traditions of aeons kept them; and Ike so
many newly escaped captves they are not
quite ready for freedom, and many OF
them are uncomfortable with Il They
blink at the light. And, 10 say the truth
II they were 70 remain always Of the same
constitution and at the same psychological
pitch that they show now. for one would
think 1t wiser that they should go back
TO their accustomed and not uncomfort-
able quarters IN prison But the point is
. the amazing point. which II is 80 hard tc
realize-that the development Of woman
has only just begun. that the develop
ment. arrested IN ages long prior 20 tho
, stone age. has only now been resumed
. and resumed through the ipterposiuon o.
the same force that arrested II Of old-th'
, younger, more vigorous, and swlfte
! growing force OF man.
1t is Impossible now 70 stop her develop
ment. though il may be retarded by
) ignorance and by prejudice, and, most o.
Z IL
r will get accustomed 20 the light Al
e Macaulay says in other words. the bes
remedy for the excesses Of liberty is con
r tinued liberty. No; woman is In fo- de
- velopment, psychological and physical
and (who knows p even physiological also
I There were Amazons once.
The anxious question necessarily arise
, for all OF us-whither Is she bound, an
. what is 10 be the term Of that develop
e ment? What will the woman Of the ~
ture be like? 1t looks very much as
she would be the dominant sex IL the ~
ture. thus revertlng 10 her old pOsiro
in the dim ages before man was ratona
being Does this then threaten. o
!, promise. a new matriarchy? There ar
many among US who have taken fright q
the idea and have turned in our fright
/ reaction. But here is always the cOnsOla
k tlon ready TO hand that women (whic
N IS To say our wives and daughters an
- sisters do not want the freedom which
being thrust upon them. Alas, il is in
possible to resist the overwhelming force
o of evolution as impossible as II is b
h searching TO find out God. Man has bee
: used In his turn. and is he now 70 b
e discarded? None can know. or even gueS
% at what the unveiled future has in stor
, one thing is certain. and that Is n
development Of woman freed from the n
&c straints Of her bondage Just now, as
have pointed out, IL is her own fau
-e that she progresses so slowly. When sh
5 realizes this she may advance by fyin
r leaps We men know her weaknesses an
y her defects Of nature taints of blood. O
!. we also know her virtues. her devotion
u and her charm. We laugh lightly at ht
lack OF humor. at her unreasOnablenes
at her emotionalsm, al her inability
e, see the sweetness Of fair play. Oh, II
,r Of no use, even for suffragists. 10 q
,r tempt TO disguise these terrible shOr
,e comings Woman is handicapped, an
= Will be handicapped by them in publ
life for a long time. But we may repe;
% Macaulays aphorism. which ] wish
'e could remember In his very words: tt
D cure for the eXcesses Of liberty is libert
II Mr.. Meredith, a profound sympathiz'
le with woman. has said in large words, N
ne cynical, that the last thing 10 be civiliZC
n by man Will be woman. 1t is true enoug
n bitter as il sounds. But the rider shou
T. DO added-she will be civilized Ere TIL
s. hour strikes much win happen. We sha
E. be called upon to deliver the destiny Of
to nation to the emotional and Illogical sex
l. in theory. In practice men will keep col
er troll of this destiny themselves. Suffrag
for women would inevitably mean
present two votes for the family, a hig
" desirable state Of affairs. And Wh'
the time comes for wives 10 vote aCCOn
ing to their own reasoned judgment al
not according TO their husbands. l ha'
no doubt by then the reasoned judgme
will be al least as good as the husband
Bpt we are not yet in that time. Al
the vital fact stares at US. that wont