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our androcentric culture-第21章

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fighting; of course; violent and fierce; modern modifications of the
instinct of sex…combat。  It is quite true that women are not adapted; or
inclined; to baseball or football or any violent game。  They are
perfectly competent to take part in all normal athletic development; the
human range of agility and skill is open to them; as everyone knows who
has been to the circus; but they are not built for physical combat; nor
do they find ceaseless pleasure in throwing; hitting or kicking things。

But is it true that these strenuous games have the educational value
attributed to them?  It seems like blasphemy to question it。  The whole
range of male teachers; male pupils; male critics and spectators; are
loud in their admiration for the 〃manliness〃 developed by the craft;
courage; co…ordinative power and general 〃sportsmanship〃 developed by
the game of football; for instance; that a few young men are killed and
many maimed; is nothing in comparison to these advantages。

Let us review the threefold distinction on which this whole study rests;
between masculine; feminine and human。  Grant that woman; being
feminine; cannot emulate man in being masculineand does not want to。 
Grant that the masculine qualities have their use and value; as well as
feminine ones。  There still remain the human qualities shared by both;
owned by neither; most important of all。  Education is a human process;
and should develop human qualitiesnot sex qualities。  Surely our boys
are sufficiently masculine; without needing a special education to make
them more so。

The error lies here。  A strictly masculine world; proud of its own sex
and despising the other; seeing nothing in the world but sex; either
male or female; has 〃viewed with alarm〃 the steady and rapid growth of
humanness。  Here; for instance; is a boy visibly tending to be an
artist; a musician; a scientific discoverer。  Here is another boy not
particularly clever in any line; nor ambitious for any special work;
though he means in a general way to 〃succeed〃; he is; however; a big;
husky fellow; a good fighter; mischievous as a monkey; and strong in the
virtues covered by the word 〃sportsmanship。〃  This boy we call 〃a fine
manly fellow。〃

We are quite right。  He is。  He is distinctly and excessively male; at
the expense of his humanness。  He may make a more prepotent sire than
the other; though even that is not certain; he may; and probably will;
appeal more strongly to the excessively feminine girl; who has even less
humanness than he; but he is not therefore a better citizen。

The advance of civilization calls for human qualities; in both men and
women。  Our educational system is thwarted and hindered; not as Prof。
Wendell and his life would have us believe; by 〃feminization;〃 but by an
overweening masculization。

Their position is a simple one。  〃We are men。  Men are human beings。 
Women are only women。  This is a man's world。  To get on in it you must
do it man…fashioni。e。; fight; and overcome the others。  Being
civilized; in part; we must arrange a sort of 〃civilized warfare;〃 and
learn to play the game; the old crude; fierce male game of combat; and
we must educate our boys thereto。〃  No wonder education was denied to
women。  No wonder their influence is dreaded by an ultra…masculine
culture。

It will change the system in time。  It will gradually establish an equal
place in life for the feminine characteristics; so long belittled and
derided; and give pre…eminent dignity to the human power。

Physical culture; for both boys and girls; will be part of such a
modified system。  All things that both can do together will be accepted
as human; but what either boys or girls have to retire apart to practice
will be frankly called masculine and feminine; and not encouraged in
children。

The most important qualities are the human ones; and will be so named
and honored。  Courage is a human quality; not a sex…quality。  What is
commonly called courage in male animals is mere belligerence; the
fighting instinct。  To meet an adversary of his own sort is a universal
masculine trait; two father cats may fight fiercely each other; but both
will run from a dog as quickly as a mother cat。  She has courage enough;
however; in defence of her kittens。

What this world most needs to…day in both men and women; is the power to
recognize our public conditions; to see the relative importance of
measures; to learn the processes of constructive citizenship。  We need
an education which shall give its facts in the order of their
importance; morals and manners based on these facts; and train our
personal powers with careful selection; so that each may best serve the
community。

At present; in the larger processes of extra…scholastic education; the
advantage is still with the boy。  From infancy we make the gross mistake
of accentuating sex in our children; by dress and all its limitations;
by special teaching of what is 〃ladylike〃 and 〃manly。〃  The boy is
allowed a freedom of experience far beyond the girl。  He learns more of
his town and city; more of machinery; more of life; passing on from
father to son the truths as well as traditions of sex superiority。

All this is changing before our eyes; with the advancing humanness of
women。  Not yet; however; has their advance affected; to any large
extent; the base of all education; the experience of a child's first
years。  Here is where the limitations of women have checked race
progress most thoroughly。  Here hereditary influence was constantly
offset by the advance of the male。  Social selection did develop higher
types of men; though sex…selection reversed still insisted on primitive
types of women。  But the educative influence of these primitive women;
acting most exclusively on the most susceptible years of life; has been
a serious deterrent to race progress。

Here is the dominant male; largely humanized; yet still measuring life
from male standards。  He sees women only as a sex。  (Note here the
criticism of Europeans on American women。  〃Your women are so sexless!〃
they say; meaning merely that our women have human qualities as well as
feminine。)  And children he considers as part and parcel of the same
domain; both inferior classes; 〃women and children。〃

I recall in Rimmer's beautiful red chalk studies; certain profiles of
man; woman and child; and careful explanation that the proportion of the
woman's face and head were far more akin to the child than to the man。 
What Mr。 Rimmer should have shown; and could have; by profuse
illustration; was that the faces of boy and girl differ but slightly;
and the faces of old men and women differ as little; sometimes not at
all; while the face of the woman approximates the human more closely
than that of the man; while the child; representing race more than sex;
is naturally more akin to her than to him。  The male reserves more
primitive qualities; the hairiness; the more pugnacious jaw; the female
is nearer to the higher human types。

An ultra…male selection has chosen women for their femininity first; and
next for qualities of submissiveness and patient service bred by long
ages of servility。

This servile womanhoo
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