Evening star., 1932-03-30
Washington News
Caveman Myth Exploded

BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

The cave man" probably was a mild,
meek husband.
All the evidence indicates that his
domestic status has been grossly mis-
represented, Rev. DR.. John M. Cooper
of Catholic University told the Catholic
Anthropological Conference at its an
nual meeting here yesterday.
There are no actual cave men" left
in the world, DR. Cooper said, but
among the most primitive peoples ex
tant, who may represent the nearest ap-
proach to the primaeval condition of
man, the status Of woman often is near
ly that of absolute equality with the
males. DR.. Cooper, however, gave lit
tie credence to the theory of prime
val matriarchy in which woman was
supreme.
Primitive society the world over, Dr.
Cooper explained, appears to be di-
vided according to various economic
levels. At the bottom, among living
races, are the hunters and food gath
erers, who live entirely off the country.
Here the sexes approach equality.
Near Economic Level.
This must have been close to the eco
nomic level of the cave men. Then
come the horticultural peoples who have
mixed rude agriculture with their hunt
ing. Here begins the division of labor.
Woman, burdened with her children, is
left to tend the garden while her huS
band takes care of the hunting AS
one or the other of these activities
becomes of greatest significance the
relative status of the sexes tends to
change.
The next stage is the introduction of
dockS and farm animals which generally
fall into the province of the men. This
is the pastoral stage. Woman, her i'm
portance as breadwinner gone, is likely
to be pushed into an inferior position.
Western civilization, Dr. Cooper said,
IS masculine -tinged." This may be due
in part, he pointed out, to the fact
that so many of its traditions have been
drawn from the Near East, where its
great religions have originated and
which was the center of a vast pastoral
area.
The ancient Hebrews, for example,
were largely a race of sheep herders
among whom the man tended to be
supreme. These masculine supremacy
traditions were grated on the traditions
of the primitive horticultural area Of
the Western Mediterranean region.
The present status of woman in Europe
and America he pointed out, partly
may have evolved out of a balance be-
tween the two.
The primitive food gatherers. of
whom DR.. Cooper has made a special
study, have very simple social organ
ization and travel about in small bands
in which social differentiations have
little chance to crystalline.
Depends on Personality.
Everything depends on the personality
Of the individual, he said. If a woman
has a more forceful personality than
her husband she will make her in
fiuence felt in the band Life is so
simple that there is no need for an
extensive system of laws and traditions.
The value of labor-that is, the gather
ing of such scanty food as the country
side affords-is approximately equal re-
gardless of sex
But at the horticultural level of
human culture it may be necessary,
in order to assure the food supply of
the tribe, that the women tend to their
gardens. So various taboos are estab-
lished to keep them there. Communi-
ties become larger and social groups de-
velop along many lines which mark off
the interests of the individual One of