'ANALYSIS OF CONTENTS I THE PRIMITIVE WORKING-WOMAN Regular industry an acquired habit; women first attain dis- Primitive man had only occasional, but strenuous, activities. Woman, the mother of inventions, as of inventors, in peaceful Woman, first planter and saver of harvests, before "The man Woman's priority in useful labor due to effective tutoring of In primitive society, all women married and family of necessity Pressed to her task by biologic push of mother-spirit in lower life, woman implanted at center of human progress the prin- Man 'pressed, second, into constant and peaceful labor by need Woman in primitive times had precedence and responsibility; man often but a "paying guest." The couvade attested new consciousness of fatherhood as well as prophesied man's later drudgery as "head of the family." Man early accomplished great things by specializing and per- Man's task like "piece work"; woman's like "work by the day." Man's specializing genius gradually absorbed and extended PAGE The enslavement of women by men the puzzle of sociologists. The extreme antithesis of "woman-rule" and "man-rule" with crisis-struggle of change misleading; the disciplines of sexrelationship varied; male creature obtained some specialized power before he became human; women always weighted by motherhood's demands too heavily for personal advantage; sexual selection one of many agencies by which rational and moral faculty developed; evidence that not one great revolution, but many slowly evolving changes gave men control of women. PAGE 12 13, 14 Couvade of ancient custom has intellectual counterpart in The In change from maternal to paternal relationship, woman not 15 16 17 18 The "fabric of the world," the labor of common life, now estimated more justly as result of new sciences; woman, therefore, as chief laborer of primitive life emerging from oblivion caused by exclusive homage of great individuals. 18, 19 Primitive woman gave the "curtain raiser" to the epic of history; she set in place the four corner stones of the house of life-The treasury of pre-human motherhood; the initiation of the race into labor; the softening of the rigors of slavery; the cultivation of coöperative impulses. II THE ANCIENT AND THE MODERN LADY 19, 20 Judith, wife of Alfred of England, a typical great lady. 21, 22 Lady at first always young; except chief mother in collective household. 22, 23 As law supersedes custom, individual lady becomes one of a class with caste distinctions. 23 Roman matron comrade of husband and his friends. Personal charms, or inheritance of noble blood, purchase this Lady first of all women to show personal gifts. She can, therefore, become companion of great men and patron- Took lady long time to emerge from mass of womanhood; gentleman arrived first, having woman to work for him as slave before he tamed his fellow man to drudgery. High-caste Hindoo woman still thus serving her lord. Lady as member of a caste limited to traits and functions of her Lady must not work at forms of labor demanded of rest of her sex but still must be responsible for comfort and well- Lady must never earn money but may work at lady-like tasks Reason for denial of self-supporting activities to lady desire to demonstrate wealth and power of family by main- taining idle women to "show off." Lady has led in refining of manners and elaboration of social Has in this often tended toward confusing pleasant manners Social need to-day, however, for more modifications of man's ex- Social democracy depends upon artistic blending of personali- ties in larger relationships of life such as lady introduced 31 32 The lady, however, must outgrow her narrow prejudices and caste distinctions to lead in this process. 32 The lady has often been the special friend of men of genius. Meanwhile, to provide one small spot in social organism in which In chivalry, woman broke her taboo in respect to comradeship Lady has been patron of art, science and learning. PAGE 32 33 33 34 34 35 36 The lady now fallen on evil times; called a parasite and other Has the lady grown obsolete and harmful? Olive Schreiner's deadly grading of womanhood in Woman and Labor. 37 The argument for her position. Mrs. Perkins Gilman's way out of social dangers of parasitism. Meanwhile, is lady of to-day who gives attention to problems Her social usefulness or harmfulness dependent upon her per- Vital criticism of modern lady that of Professor Ferrero against 40 The tendency of lady when on wrong side of womanhood toward To combat this tendency to moral decadence in women of Revolution in woman's work caused by industrial changes makes 41 42 but moral values, not economic, test the modern as they do Large and useful tendency of privileged women of our day PAGE 42 43 44 III THE DRAMA OF THE WOMAN OF GENIUS Denial of genius to any woman. De Goncourt and Otto Weininger in that denial. Dr. Clouston's estimate of average man as four-fifths of human- 45 45 46 46 47 47, 48 But in politics and in the art of government of states, some Yet women as well as men give preëminence in all lines to men. Demand that women show highest fruit of learning before being allowed elementary education unworthy of the "logical sex." No one can tell whether or not any women are capable of su |