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  VII

  THEMODERNSURRENDEROFWOMAN

  ButinthiscornercalledEngland,atthisendofthecentury,therehashappenedastrangeandstartlingthing。Openlyandtoallappearance,thisancestralconflicthassilentlyandabruptlyended;

  oneofthetwosexeshassuddenlysurrenderedtotheother。

  Bythebeginningofthetwentiethcentury,withinthelastfewyears,thewomanhasinpublicsurrenderedtotheman。

  Shehasseriouslyandofficiallyownedthatthemanhasbeenrightallalong;thatthepublichouse(orParliament)isreallymoreimportantthantheprivatehouse;thatpoliticsarenot(aswomanhadalwaysmaintained)anexcuseforpotsofbeer,butareasacredsolemnitytowhichnewfemaleworshipersmaykneel;

  thatthetalkativepatriotsinthetavernarenotonlyadmirablebutenviable;thattalkisnotawasteoftime,andtherefore(asaconsequence,surely)thattavernsarenotawasteofmoney。

  Allwemenhadgrownusedtoourwivesandmothers,andgrandmothers,andgreatauntsallpouringachorusofcontemptuponourhobbiesofsport,drinkandpartypolitics。

  AndnowcomesMissPankhurstwithtearsinhereyes,owningthatallthewomenwerewrongandallthemenwereright;

  humblyimploringtobeadmittedintosomuchasanoutercourt,fromwhichshemaycatchaglimpseofthosemasculinemeritswhichhererringsistershadsothoughtlesslyscorned。

  Nowthisdevelopmentnaturallyperturbsandevenparalyzesus。

  Males,likefemales,inthecourseofthatoldfightbetweenthepublicandprivatehouse,hadindulgedinoverstatementandextravagance,feelingthattheymustkeepuptheirendofthesee-saw。WetoldourwivesthatParliamenthadsatlateonmostessentialbusiness;

  butitnevercrossedourmindsthatourwiveswouldbelieveit。

  Wesaidthateveryonemusthaveavoteinthecountry;similarlyourwivessaidthatnoonemusthaveapipeinthedrawingroom。

  Inbothcasestheideawasthesame。\"Itdoesnotmattermuch,butifyouletthosethingsslidethereischaos。\"WesaidthatLordHugginsorMr。Bugginswasabsolutelynecessarytothecountry。

  Weknewquitewellthatnothingisnecessarytothecountryexceptthatthemenshouldbemenandthewomenwomen。

  Weknewthis;wethoughtthewomenknewitevenmoreclearly;

  andwethoughtthewomenwouldsayit。Suddenly,withoutwarning,thewomenhavebeguntosayallthenonsensethatweourselveshardlybelievedwhenwesaidit。Thesolemnityofpolitics;

  thenecessityofvotes;thenecessityofHuggins;thenecessityofBuggins;alltheseflowinapellucidstreamfromthelipsofallthesuffragettespeakers。Isupposeineveryfight,howeverold,onehasavagueaspirationtoconquer;butweneverwantedtoconquerwomensocompletelyasthis。Weonlyexpectedthattheymightleaveusalittlemoremarginforournonsense;

  weneverexpectedthattheywouldacceptitseriouslyassense。

  ThereforeIamallatseaabouttheexistingsituation;

  Iscarcelyknowwhethertoberelievedorenragedbythissubstitutionofthefeebleplatformlecturefortheforciblecurtain-lecture。IamlostwithoutthetrenchantandcandidMrs。Caudle。IreallydonotknowwhattodowiththeprostrateandpenitentMissPankhurst。Thissurrenderofthemodemwomanhastakenusallsomuchbysurprisethatitisdesirabletopauseamoment,andcollectourwitsaboutwhatsheisreallysaying。

  AsIhavealreadyremarked,thereisoneverysimpleanswertoallthis;

  thesearenotthemodernwomen,butaboutoneintwothousandofthemodernwomen。Thisfactisimportanttoademocrat;

  butitisofverylittleimportancetothetypicallymodernmind。

  Boththecharacteristicmodernpartiesbelievedinagovernmentbythefew;theonlydifferenceiswhetheritistheConservativefeworProgressivefew。Itmightbeput,somewhatcoarselyperhaps,bysayingthatonebelievesinanyminoritythatisrichandtheotherinanyminoritythatismad。Butinthisstateofthingsthedemocraticargumentobviouslyfallsoutforthemoment;andweareboundtotaketheprominentminority,merelybecauseitisprominent。

  Letuseliminatealtogetherfromourmindsthethousandsofwomenwhodetestthiscause,andthemillionsofwomenwhohavehardlyheardofit。

  LetusconcedethattheEnglishpeopleitselfisnotandwillnotbeforaverylongtimewithinthesphereofpracticalpolitics。

  Letusconfineourselvestosayingthattheseparticularwomenwantavoteandtoaskingthemselveswhatavoteis。Ifweasktheseladiesourselveswhatavoteis,weshallgetaveryvaguereply。

  Itistheonlyquestion,asarule,forwhichtheyarenotprepared。

  Forthetruthisthattheygomainlybyprecedent;bythemerefactthatmenhavevotesalready。Sofarfrombeingamutinousmovement,itisreallyaveryConservativeone;itisinthenarrowestrutoftheBritishConstitution。Letustakealittlewiderandfreersweepofthoughtandaskourselveswhatistheultimatepointandmeaningofthisoddbusinesscalledvoting。

  ***

  VIII

  THEBRANDOFTHEFLEUR-DE-LIS

  Seeminglyfromthedawnofmanallnationshavehadgovernments;

  andallnationshavebeenashamedofthem。Nothingismoreopenlyfallaciousthantofancythatinruderorsimpleragesruling,judgingandpunishingappearedperfectlyinnocentanddignified。

  ThesethingswerealwaysregardedasthepenaltiesoftheFall;

  aspartofthehumiliationofmankind,asbadinthemselves。

  Thatthekingcandonowrongwasneveranythingbutalegalfiction;

  anditisalegalfictionstill。ThedoctrineofDivineRightwasnotapieceofidealism,butratherapieceofrealism,apracticalwayofrulingamidtheruinofhumanity;averypragmatistpieceoffaith。

  Thereligiousbasisofgovernmentwasnotsomuchthatpeopleputtheirtrustinprinces,asthattheydidnotputtheirtrustinanychildofman。Itwassowithalltheuglyinstitutionswhichdisfigurehumanhistory。Tortureandslaverywerenevertalkedofasgoodthings;theywerealwaystalkedofasnecessaryevils。

  Apaganspokeofonemanowningtenslavesjustasamodernbusinessmanspeaksofonemerchantsackingtenclerks:\"It\'sveryhorrible;

  buthowelsecansocietybeconducted?\"Amediaevalscholasticregardedthepossibilityofamanbeingburnedtodeathjustasamodernbusinessmanregardsthepossibilityofamanbeingstarvedtodeath:

  \"Itisashockingtorture;butcanyouorganizeapainlessworld?\"

  Itispossiblethatafuturesocietymayfindawayofdoingwithoutthequestionbyhungeraswehavedonewithoutthequestionbyfire。

  Itisequallypossible,forthematterofthat,thatafuturesocietymayreestablishlegaltorturewiththewholeapparatusofrackandfagot。

  Themostmodernofcountries,America,hasintroducedwithavaguesavorofscience,amethodwhichitcalls\"thethirddegree。\"

  Thisissimplytheextortionofsecretsbynervousfatigue;

  whichissurelyuncommonlyclosetotheirextortionbybodilypain。

  AndthisislegalandscientificinAmerica。AmateurordinaryAmerica,ofcourse,simplyburnspeoplealiveinbroaddaylight,astheydidintheReformationWars。Butthoughsomepunishmentsaremoreinhumanthanothersthereisnosuchthingashumanepunishment。

  Aslongasnineteenmenclaimtherightinanysenseorshapetotakeholdofthetwentiethmanandmakehimevenmildlyuncomfortable,solongthewholeproceedingmustbeahumiliatingoneforallconcerned。

  Andtheproofofhowpoignantlymenhavealwaysfeltthisliesinthefactthattheheadsmanandthehangman,thejailorsandthetorturers,werealwaysregardednotmerelywithfearbutwithcontempt;

  whileallkindsofcarelesssmiters,bankruptknightsandswashbucklersandoutlaws,wereregardedwithindulgenceorevenadmiration。Tokillamanlawlesslywaspardoned。Tokillamanlawfullywasunpardonable。

  Themostbare-facedduelistmightalmostbrandishhisweapon。

  Buttheexecutionerwasalwaysmasked。

  Thisisthefirstessentialelementingovernment,coercion;anecessarybutnotanobleelement。Imayremarkinpassingthatwhenpeoplesaythatgovernmentrestsonforcetheygiveanadmirableinstanceofthefoggyandmuddledcynicismofmodernity。Governmentdoesnotrestonforce。Governmentisforce;itrestsonconsentoraconceptionofjustice。Akingoracommunityholdingacertainthingtobeabnormal,evil,usesthegeneralstrengthtocrushitout;

  thestrengthishistool,butthebeliefishisonlysanction。

  Youmightaswellsaythatglassistherealreasonfortelescopes。

  Butarisingfromwhateverreasontheactofgovernmentiscoerciveandisburdenedwithallthecoarseandpainfulqualitiesofcoercion。

  Andifanyoneaskswhatistheuseofinsistingontheuglinessofthistaskofstateviolencesinceallmankindiscondemnedtoemployit,Ihaveasimpleanswertothat。Itwouldbeuselesstoinsistonitifallhumanitywerecondemnedtoit。

  ButitisnotirrelevanttoinsistonitsuglinesssolongashalfofhumanityiskeptoutofitAllgovernmenttheniscoercive;wehappentohavecreatedagovernmentwhichisnotonlycoercive;butcollective。

  Thereareonlytwokindsofgovernment,asIhavealreadysaid,thedespoticandthedemocratic。Aristocracyisnotagovernment,itisariot;thatmosteffectivekindofriot,ariotoftherich。Themostintelligentapologistsofaristocracy,sophistslikeBurkeandNietzsche,haveneverclaimedforaristocracyanyvirtuesbutthevirtuesofariot,theaccidentalvirtues,courage,varietyandadventure。

  Thereisnocaseanywhereofaristocracyhavingestablishedauniversalandapplicableorder,asdespotsanddemocracieshaveoftendone;

  asthelastCaesarscreatedtheRomanlaw,asthelastJacobinscreatedtheCodeNapoleon。Withthefirstoftheseelementaryformsofgovernment,thatofthekingorchieftain,wearenotinthismatterofthesexesimmediatelyconcerned。Weshallreturntoitlaterwhenweremarkhowdifferentlymankindhasdealtwithfemaleclaimsinthedespoticasagainstthedemocraticfield。

  Butforthemomenttheessentialpointisthatinself-governingcountriesthiscoercionofcriminalsisacollectivecoercion。

  Theabnormalpersonistheoreticallythumpedbyamillionfistsandkickedbyamillionfeet。Ifamanisfloggedweallfloggedhim;ifamanishanged,weallhangedhim。

  Thatistheonlypossiblemeaningofdemocracy,whichcangiveanymeaningtothefirsttwosyllablesandalsotothelasttwo。

  Inthissenseeachcitizenhasthehighresponsibilityofarioter。

  Everystatuteisadeclarationofwar,tobebackedbyarms。

  Everytribunalisarevolutionarytribunal。Inarepublicallpunishmentisassacredandsolemnaslynching。

  ***

  IX

  SINCERITYANDTHEGALLOWS

  When,therefore,itissaidthatthetraditionagainstFemaleSuffragekeepswomenoutofactivity,socialinfluenceandcitizenship,letusalittlemoresoberlyandstrictlyaskourselveswhatitactuallydoeskeepheroutof。Itdoesdefinitelykeepheroutofthecollectiveactofcoercion;theactofpunishmentbyamob。

  Thehumantraditiondoessaythat,iftwentymenhangamanfromatreeorlamp-post,theyshallbetwentymenandnotwomen。

  NowIdonotthinkanyreasonableSuffragistwilldenythatexclusionfromthisfunction,tosaytheleastofit,mightbemaintainedtobeaprotectionaswellasaveto。

  NocandidpersonwillwhollydismissthepropositionthattheideaofhavingaLordChancellorbutnotaLadyChancellormayatleastbeconnectedwiththeideaofhavingaheadsmanbutnotaheadswoman,ahangmanbutnotahangwoman。Norwillitbeadequatetoanswer(asissooftenansweredtothiscontention)thatinmoderncivilizationwomenwouldnotreallyberequiredtocapture,tosentence,ortoslay;thatallthisisdoneindirectly,thatspecialistskillourcriminalsastheykillourcattle。

  Tourgethisisnottourgetherealityofthevote,buttourgeitsunreality。Democracywasmeanttobeamoredirectwayofruling,notamoreindirectway;andifwedonotfeelthatwearealljailers,somuchtheworseforus,andfortheprisoners。

  Ifitisreallyanunwomanlythingtolockuparobberoratyrant,itoughttobenosofteningofthesituationthatthewomandoesnotfeelasifsheweredoingthethingthatshecertainlyisdoing。Itisbadenoughthatmencanonlyassociateonpaperwhocouldonceassociateinthestreet;

  itisbadenoughthatmenhavemadeavoteverymuchofafiction。

  Itismuchworsethatagreatclassshouldclaimthevotebecauseitisafiction,whowouldbesickenedbyitifitwereafact。

  Ifvotesforwomendonotmeanmobsforwomentheydonotmeanwhattheyweremeanttomean。Awomancanmakeacrossonapaperaswellasaman;achildcoulddoitaswellasawoman;

  andachimpanzeeafterafewlessonscoulddoitaswellasachild。

  Butnobodyoughttoregarditmerelyasmakingacrossonpaper;

  everyoneoughttoregarditaswhatitultimatelyis,brandingthefleur-de-lis,markingthebroadarrow,signingthedeathwarrant。

  Bothmenandwomenoughttofacemorefullythethingstheydoorcausetobedone;facethemorleaveoffdoingthem。

  Onthatdisastrousdaywhenpublicexecutionswereabolished,privateexecutionswererenewedandratified,perhapsforever。

  Thingsgrosslyunsuitedtothemoralsentimentofasocietycannotbesafelydoneinbroaddaylight;butIseenoreasonwhyweshouldnotstillberoastinghereticsalive,inaprivateroom。

  Itisverylikely(tospeakinthemannerfoolishlycalledIrish)

  thatiftherewerepublicexecutionstherewouldbenoexecutions。

  Theoldopen-airpunishments,thepilloryandthegibbet,atleastfixedresponsibilityuponthelaw;andinactualpracticetheygavethemobanopportunityofthrowingrosesaswellasrotteneggs;

  ofcrying\"Hosannah\"aswellas\"Crucify。\"ButIdonotlikethepublicexecutionerbeingturnedintotheprivateexecutioner。

  Ithinkitisacrookedoriental,sinistersortofbusiness,andsmellsoftheharemandthedivanratherthanoftheforumandthemarketplace。Inmoderntimestheofficialhaslostallthesocialhonoranddignityofthecommonhangman。

  Heisonlythebearerofthebowstring。

  Here,however,Isuggestapleaforabrutalpublicityonlyinordertoemphasizethefactthatitisthisbrutalpublicityandnothingelsefromwhichwomenhavebeenexcluded。

  Ialsosayittoemphasizethefactthatthemeremodernveilingofthebrutalitydoesnotmakethesituationdifferent,unlessweopenlysaythatwearegivingthesuffrage,notonlybecauseitispowerbutbecauseitisnot,orinotherwords,thatwomenarenotsomuchtovoteastoplayvoting。

  Nosuffragist,Isuppose,willtakeupthatposition;andafewsuffragistswillwhollydenythatthishumannecessityofpainsandpenaltiesisanugly,humiliatingbusiness,andthatgoodmotivesaswellasbadmayhavehelpedtokeepwomenoutofit。

  MorethanonceIhaveremarkedinthesepagesthatfemalelimitationsmaybethelimitsofatempleaswellasofaprison,thedisabilitiesofapriestandnotofapariah。

  Inotedit,Ithink,inthecaseofthepontificalfemininedress。

  Inthesamewayitisnotevidentlyirrational,ifmendecidedthatawoman,likeapriest,mustnotbeashedderofblood。

  ***

  X

  THEHIGHERANARCHY

  Butthereisafurtherfact;forgottenalsobecausewemodernsforgetthatthereisafemalepointofview。

  Thewoman\'swisdomstandspartly,notonlyforawholesomehesitationaboutpunishment,butevenforawholesomehesitationaboutabsoluterules。TherewassomethingfeminineandperverselytrueinthatphraseofWilde\'s,thatpeopleshouldnotbetreatedastherule,butallofthemasexceptions。

  Madebyamantheremarkwasalittleeffeminate;forWildedidlackthemasculinepowerofdogmaandofdemocraticcooperation。

  Butifawomanhadsaidititwouldhavebeensimplytrue;

  awomandoestreateachpersonasapeculiarperson。

  Inotherwords,shestandsforAnarchy;averyancientandarguablephilosophy;notanarchyinthesenseofhavingnocustomsinone\'slife(whichisinconceivable),butanarchyinthesenseofhavingnorulesforone\'smind。

  Toher,almostcertainly,aredueallthoseworkingtraditionsthatcannotbefoundinbooks,especiallythoseofeducation;

  itwasshewhofirstgaveachildastuffedstockingforbeinggoodorstoodhiminthecornerforbeingnaughty。

  Thisunclassifiedknowledgeissometimescalledruleofthumbandsometimesmotherwit。Thelastphrasesuggeststhewholetruth,fornoneevercalleditfatherwit。

  Nowanarchyisonlytactwhenitworksbadly。Tactisonlyanarchywhenitworkswell。Andweoughttorealizethatinonehalfoftheworld——theprivatehouse——itdoesworkwell。Wemodernmenareperpetuallyforgettingthatthecaseforclearrulesandcrudepenaltiesisnotself-evident,thatthereisagreatdealtobesaidforthebenevolentlawlessnessoftheautocrat,especiallyonasmallscale;inshort,thatgovernmentisonlyonesideoflife。

  TheotherhalfiscalledSociety,inwhichwomenareadmittedlydominant。

  Andtheyhavealwaysbeenreadytomaintainthattheirkingdomisbettergovernedthanours,because(inthelogicalandlegalsense)

  itisnotgovernedatall。\"Wheneveryouhavearealdifficulty,\"

  theysay,\"whenaboyisbumptiousoranauntisstingy,whenasillygirlwillmarrysomebody,orawickedmanwon\'tmarrysomebody,allyourlumberingRomanLawandBritishConstitutioncometoastandstill。

  Asnubfromaduchessoraslangingfromafish-wifearemuchmorelikelytoputthingsstraight。\"So,atleast,rangtheancientfemalechallengedowntheagesuntiltherecentfemalecapitulation。

  SostreamedtheredstandardofthehigheranarchyuntilMissPankhursthoistedthewhiteflag。

  Itmustberememberedthatthemodernworldhasdonedeeptreasontotheeternalintellectbybelievingintheswingofthependulum。

  Amanmustbedeadbeforeheswings。Ithassubstitutedanideaoffatalisticalternationforthemediaevalfreedomofthesoulseekingtruth。Allmodernthinkersarereactionaries;fortheirthoughtisalwaysareactionfromwhatwentbefore。Whenyoumeetamodernmanheisalwayscomingfromaplace,notgoingtoit。

  Thus,mankindhasinnearlyallplacesandperiodsseenthatthereisasoulandabodyasplainlyasthatthereisasunandmoon。

  ButbecauseanarrowProtestantsectcalledMaterialistsdeclaredforashorttimethattherewasnosoul,anothernarrowProtestantsectcalledChristianScienceisnowmaintainingthatthereisnobody。

  NowjustinthesamewaytheunreasonableneglectofgovernmentbytheManchesterSchoolhasproduced,notareasonableregardforgovernment,butanunreasonableneglectofeverythingelse。

  Sothattohearpeopletalkto-dayonewouldfancythateveryimportanthumanfunctionmustbeorganizedandavengedbylaw;

  thatalleducationmustbestateeducation,andallemploymentstateemployment;thateverybodyandeverythingmustbebroughttothefootoftheaugustandprehistoricgibbet。

  Butasomewhatmoreliberalandsympatheticexaminationofmankindwillconvinceusthatthecrossisevenolderthanthegibbet,thatvoluntarysufferingwasbeforeandindependentofcompulsory;

  andinshortthatinmostimportantmattersamanhasalwaysbeenfreetoruinhimselfifhechose。Thehugefundamentalfunctionuponwhichallanthropologyturns,thatofsexandchildbirth,hasneverbeeninsidethepoliticalstate,butalwaysoutsideofit。

  Thestateconcerneditselfwiththetrivialquestionofkillingpeople,butwiselyleftalonethewholebusinessofgettingthemborn。

  AEugenistmightindeedplausiblysaythatthegovernmentisanabsent-mindedandinconsistentpersonwhooccupieshimselfwithprovidingfortheoldageofpeoplewhohaveneverbeeninfants。

  IwillnotdealhereinanydetailwiththefactthatsomeEugenistshaveinourtimemadethemaniacalanswerthatthepoliceoughttocontrolmarriageandbirthastheycontrollaboranddeath。

  Exceptforthisinhumanhandful(withwhomIregrettosayIshallhavetodealwithlater)alltheEugenistsIknowdividethemselvesintotwosections:ingeniouspeoplewhooncemeantthis,andratherbewilderedpeoplewhosweartheynevermeantit——noranythingelse。

  Butifitbeconceded(byabreezierestimateofmen)thattheydomostlydesiremarriagetoremainfreefromgovernment,itdoesnotfollowthattheydesireittoremainfreefromeverything。Ifmandoesnotcontrolthemarriagemarketbylaw,isitcontrolledatall?

  Surelytheanswerisbroadlythatmandoesnotcontrolthemarriagemarketbylaw,butthewomandoescontrolitbysympathyandprejudice。

  Therewasuntillatelyalawforbiddingamantomarryhisdeceasedwife\'ssister;yetthethinghappenedconstantly。Therewasnolawforbiddingamantomarryhisdeceasedwife\'sscullery-maid;yetitdidnothappennearlysooften。Itdidnothappenbecausethemarriagemarketismanagedinthespiritandbytheauthorityofwomen;

  andwomenaregenerallyconservativewhereclassesareconcerned。

  Itisthesamewiththatsystemofexclusivenessbywhichladieshavesooftencontrived(asbyaprocessofelimination)

  topreventmarriagesthattheydidnotwantandevensometimesprocurethosetheydid。Thereisnoneedofthebroadarrowandthefleur-delis,theturnkey\'schainsorthehangman\'shalter。

  Youneednotstrangleamanifyoucansilencehim。Thebrandedshoulderislesseffectiveandfinalthanthecoldshoulder;

  andyouneednottroubletolockamaninwhenyoucanlockhimout。

  Thesame,ofcourse,istrueofthecolossalarchitecturewhichwecallinfanteducation:anarchitecturerearedwhollybywomen。

  Nothingcaneverovercomethatoneenormoussexsuperiority,thateventhemalechildisbornclosertohismotherthantohisfather。

  Noone,staringatthatfrightfulfemaleprivilege,canquitebelieveintheequalityofthesexes。Hereandtherewereadofagirlbroughtuplikeatom-boy;buteveryboyisbroughtuplikeatamegirl。Thefleshandspiritoffemininitysurroundhimfromthefirstlikethefourwallsofahouse;andeventhevaguestormostbrutalmanhasbeenwomanizedbybeingborn。

  Manthatisbornofawomanhasshortdaysandfullofmisery;

  butnobodycanpicturetheobscenityandbestialtragedythatwouldbelongtosuchamonsterasmanthatwasbornofaman。

  ***

  XI

  THEQUEENANDTHESUFFRAGETTES

  But,indeed,withthiseducationalmatterImustofnecessityembroilmyselflater。Thefourthsectionofdiscussionissupposedtobeaboutthechild,butIthinkitwillbemostlyaboutthemother。

  InthisplaceIhavesystematicallyinsistedonthelargepartoflifethatisgoverned,notbymanwithhisvote,butbywomanwithhervoice,ormoreoften,withherhorriblesilence。

  Onlyonethingremainstobeadded。Inasprawlingandexplanatorystylehasbeentracedouttheideathatgovernmentisultimatelycoercion,thatcoercionmustmeancolddefinitionsaswellascruelconsequences,andthatthereforethereissomethingtobesaidfortheoldhumanhabitofkeepingone-halfofhumanityoutofsoharshanddirtyabusiness。

  Butthecaseisstrongerstill。

  Votingisnotonlycoercion,butcollectivecoercion。

  IthinkQueenVictoriawouldhavebeenyetmorepopularandsatisfyingifshehadneversignedadeathwarrant。IthinkQueenElizabethwouldhavestoodoutasmoresolidandsplendidinhistoryifshehadnotearned(amongthosewhohappentoknowherhistory)

  thenicknameofBloodyBess。Ithink,inshort,thatthegreathistoricwomanismoreherselfwhensheispersuasiveratherthancoercive。

  ButIfeelallmankindbehindmewhenIsaythatifawomanhasthispoweritshouldbedespoticpower——notdemocraticpower。

  ThereisamuchstrongerhistoricargumentforgivingMissPankhurstathronethanforgivingheravote。Shemighthaveacrown,oratleastacoronet,likesomanyofhersupporters;

  fortheseoldpowersarepurelypersonalandthereforefemale。

  MissPankhurstasadespotmightbeasvirtuousasQueenVictoria,andshecertainlywouldfinditdifficulttobeaswickedasQueenBess,butthepointisthat,goodorbad,shewouldbeirresponsible——

  shewouldnotbegovernedbyaruleandbyaruler。

  Thereareonlytwowaysofgoverning:byaruleandbyaruler。

  Anditisseriouslytruetosayofawoman,ineducationanddomesticity,thatthefreedomoftheautocratappearstobenecessarytoher。

  Sheisneverresponsibleuntilsheisirresponsible。

  Incasethissoundslikeanidlecontradiction,Iconfidentlyappealtothecoldfactsofhistory。Almosteverydespoticoroligarchicstatehasadmittedwomentoitsprivileges。

  ScarcelyonedemocraticstatehaseveradmittedthemtoitsrightsThereasonisverysimple:thatsomethingfemaleisendangeredmuchmorebytheviolenceofthecrowd。Inshort,onePankhurstisanexception,butathousandPankhurstsareanightmare,aBacchicorgie,aWitchesSabbath。Forinalllegendsmenhavethoughtofwomenassublimeseparatelybuthorribleinaherd。

  ***

  XII

  THEMODERNSLAVE

  NowIhaveonlytakenthetestcaseofFemaleSuffragebecauseitistopicalandconcrete;itisnotofgreatmomentformeasapoliticalproposal。Icanquiteimagineanyonesubstantiallyagreeingwithmyviewofwomanasuniversalistandautocratinalimitedarea;andstillthinkingthatshewouldbenonetheworseforaballotpaper。Therealquestioniswhetherthisoldidealofwomanasthegreatamateurisadmittedornot。

  Therearemanymodernthingswhichthreatenitmuchmorethansuffragism;notablytheincreaseofself-supportingwomen,eveninthemostsevereorthemostsqualidemployments。

  Iftherebesomethingagainstnatureintheideaofahordeofwildwomengoverning,thereissomethingtrulyintolerableintheideaofaherdoftamewomenbeinggoverned。

  Andthereareelementsinhumanpsychologythatmakethissituationparticularlypoignantorignominous。

  Theuglyexactitudesofbusiness,thebellsandclocksthefixedhoursandrigiddepartments,wereallmeantforthemale:

  who,asarule,canonlydoonethingandcanonlywiththegreatestdifficultybeinducedtodothat。Ifclerksdonottrytoshirktheirwork,ourwholegreatcommercialsystembreaksdown。

  Itisbreakingdown,undertheinroadofwomenwhoareadoptingtheunprecedentedandimpossiblecourseoftakingthesystemseriouslyanddoingitwell。Theirveryefficiencyisthedefinitionoftheirslavery。Itisgenerallyaverybadsignwhenoneistrustedverymuchbyone\'semployers。

  Andiftheevasiveclerkshavealookofbeingblackguards,theearnestladiesareoftensomethingverylikeblacklegs。

  Butthemoreimmediatepointisthatthemodernworkingwomanbearsadoubleburden,forsheenduresboththegrindingofficialismofthenewofficeandthedistractingscrupulosityoftheoldhome。

  Fewmenunderstandwhatconscientiousnessis。Theyunderstandduty,whichgenerallymeansoneduty;butconscientiousnessisthedutyoftheuniversalist。Itislimitedbynoworkdaysorholidays;itisalawless,limitless,devouringdecorum。

  Ifwomenaretobesubjectedtothedullruleofcommerce,wemustfindsomewayofemancipatingthemfromthewildruleofconscience。ButIratherfancyyouwillfinditeasiertoleavetheconscienceandknockoffthecommerce。

  Asitis,themodernclerkorsecretaryexhaustsherselftoputonethingstraightintheledgerandthengoeshometoputeverythingstraightinthehouse。

  Thiscondition(describedbysomeasemancipated)isatleastthereverseofmyideal。Iwouldgivewoman,notmorerights,butmoreprivileges。Insteadofsendinghertoseeksuchfreedomasnotoriouslyprevailsinbanksandfactories,Iwoulddesignspeciallyahouseinwhichshecanbefree。

  Andwiththatwecometothelastpointofall;thepointatwhichwecanperceivetheneedsofwomen,liketherightsofmen,stoppedandfalsifiedbysomethingwhichitistheobjectofthisbooktoexpose。

  TheFeminist(whichmeans,Ithink,onewhodislikesthechieffemininecharacteristics)hasheardmyloosemonologue,burstingallthetimewithonepent-upprotest。

  Atthispointhewillbreakoutandsay,\"Butwhatarewetodo?

  Thereismoderncommerceanditsclerks;thereisthemodernfamilywithitsunmarrieddaughters;specialismisexpectedeverywhere;

  femalethriftandconscientiousnessaredemandedandsupplied。

  Whatdoesitmatterwhetherweshouldintheabstractprefertheoldhumanandhousekeepingwoman;wemightprefertheGardenofEden。Butsincewomenhavetradestheyoughttohavetradesunions。

  Sincewomenworkinfactories,theyoughttovoteonfactory-acts。Iftheyareunmarriedtheymustbecommercial;iftheyarecommercialtheymustbepolitical。Wemusthavenewrulesforanewworld——

  evenifitbenotabetterone。\"IsaidtoaFeministonce:

  \"Thequestionisnotwhetherwomenaregoodenoughforvotes:

  itiswhethervotesaregoodenoughforwomen。\"Heonlyanswered:

  \"Ah,yougoandsaythattothewomenchain-makersonCradleyHeath。\"

  NowthisistheattitudewhichIattack。ItisthehugeheresyofPrecedent。Itistheviewthatbecausewehavegotintoamesswemustgrowmessiertosuitit;thatbecausewehavetakenawrongturnsometimeagowemustgoforwardandnotbackwards;

  thatbecausewehavelostourwaywemustloseourmapalso;

  andbecausewehavemissedourideal,wemustforgetit。

  \"Therearenumbersofexcellentpeoplewhodonotthinkvotesunfeminine;

  andtheremaybeenthusiastsforourbeautifulmodernindustrywhodonotthinkfactoriesunfeminine。Butifthesethingsareunfeminineitisnoanswertosaythattheyfitintoeachother。

  Iamnotsatisfiedwiththestatementthatmydaughtermusthaveunwomanlypowersbecauseshehasunwomanlywrongs。

  Industrialsootandpoliticalprinter\'sinkaretwoblackswhichdonotmakeawhite。MostoftheFeministswouldprobablyagreewithmethatwomanhoodisundershamefultyrannyintheshopsandmills。

  ButIwanttodestroythetyranny。Theywanttodestroywomanhood。

  Thatistheonlydifference。

  Whetherwecanrecovertheclearvisionofwomanasatowerwithmanywindows,thefixedeternalfemininefromwhichhersons,thespecialists,goforth;whetherwecanpreservethetraditionofacentralthingwhichisevenmorehumanthandemocracyandevenmorepracticalthanpolitics;whether,inword,itispossibletore-establishthefamily,freedfromthefilthycynicismandcrueltyofthecommercialepoch,Ishalldiscussinthelastsectionofthisbook。Butmeanwhiledonottalktomeaboutthepoorchain-makersonCradleyHeath。Iknowallaboutthemandwhattheyaredoing。Theyareengagedinaverywide-spreadandflourishingindustryofthepresentage。

  Theyaremakingchains。

  ***

  PARTFOUR

  EDUCATION:ORTHEMISTAKEABOUTTHECHILD

  ***

  I

  THECALVINISMOFTO-DAY

  WhenIwrotealittlevolumeonmyfriendMr。BernardShaw,itisneedlesstosaythathereviewedit。InaturallyfelttemptedtoanswerandtocriticisethebookfromthesamedisinterestedandimpartialstandpointfromwhichMr。Shawhadcriticisedthesubjectofit。

  Iwasnotwithheldbyanyfeelingthatthejokewasgettingalittleobvious;foranobviousjokeisonlyasuccessfuljoke;itisonlytheunsuccessfulclownswhocomfortthemselveswithbeingsubtle。

  TherealreasonwhyIdidnotanswerMr。Shaw\'samusingattackwasthis:

  thatonesimplephraseinitsurrenderedtomeallthatI

  haveeverwanted,orcouldwantfromhimtoalleternity。

  ItoldMr。Shaw(insubstance)thathewasacharmingandcleverfellow,butacommonCalvinist。Headmittedthatthiswastrue,andthere(sofarasIamconcerned)isanendofthematter。

  Hesaidthat,ofcourse,Calvinwasquiterightinholdingthat\"ifonceamanisbornitistoolatetodamnorsavehim。\"

  Thatisthefundamentalandsubterraneansecret;thatisthelastlieinhell。

  ThedifferencebetweenPuritanismandCatholicismisnotaboutwhethersomepriestlywordorgestureissignificantandsacred。

  Itisaboutwhetheranywordorgestureissignificantandsacred。

  TotheCatholiceveryotherdailyactisdramaticdedicationtotheserviceofgoodorofevil。TotheCalvinistnoactcanhavethatsortofsolemnity,becausethepersondoingithasbeendedicatedfrometernity,andismerelyfillinguphistimeuntilthecrackofdoom。Thedifferenceissomethingsubtlerthanplum-puddingsorprivatetheatricals;

  thedifferenceisthattoaChristianofmykindthisshortearthlylifeisintenselythrillingandprecious;toaCalvinistlikeMr。Shawitisconfessedlyautomaticanduninteresting。

  Tomethesethreescoreyearsandtenarethebattle。

  TotheFabianCalvinist(byhisownconfession)theyareonlyalongprocessionofthevictorsinlaurelsandthevanquishedinchains。

  Tomeearthlylifeisthedrama;tohimitistheepilogue。

  Shaviansthinkabouttheembryo;Spiritualistsabouttheghost;

  Christiansabouttheman。Itisaswelltohavethesethingsclear。

  NowalloursociologyandeugenicsandtherestofitarenotsomuchmaterialistasconfusedlyCalvinist,theyarechieflyoccupiedineducatingthechildbeforeheexists。

  Thewholemovementisfullofasingulardepressionaboutwhatonecandowiththepopulace,combinedwithastrangedisembodiedgayetyaboutwhatmaybedonewithposterity。

  TheseessentialCalvinistshave,indeed,abolishedsomeofthemoreliberalanduniversalpartsofCalvinism,suchasthebeliefinanintellectualdesignoraneverlastinghappiness。

  ButthoughMr。Shawandhisfriendsadmititisasuperstitionthatamanisjudgedafterdeath,theysticktotheircentraldoctrine,thatheisjudgedbeforeheisborn。

  InconsequenceofthisatmosphereofCalvinismintheculturedworldofto-day,itisapparentlynecessarytobeginallargumentsoneducationwithsomementionofobstetricsandtheunknownworldoftheprenatal。

  AllIshallhavetosay,however,onhereditywillbeverybrief,becauseIshallconfinemyselftowhatisknownaboutit,andthatisverynearlynothing。Itisbynomeansself-evident,butitisacurrentmoderndogma,thatnothingactuallyentersthebodyatbirthexceptalifederivedandcompoundedfromtheparents。ThereisatleastquiteasmuchtobesaidfortheChristiantheorythatanelementcomesfromGod,ortheBuddhisttheorythatsuchanelementcomesfrompreviousexistences。

  Butthisisnotareligiouswork,andImustsubmittothoseverynarrowintellectuallimitswhichtheabsenceoftheologyalwaysimposes。

  Leavingthesoulononeside,letussupposeforthesakeofargumentthatthehumancharacterinthefirstcasecomeswhollyfromparents;

  andthenletuscurtlystateourknowledgeratherthanourignorance。

  ***

  II

  THETRIBALTERROR

  Popularscience,likethatofMr。Blatchford,isinthismatterasmildasoldwives\'tales。Mr。Blatchford,withcolossalsimplicity,explainedtomillionsofclerksandworkingmenthatthemotherislikeabottleofbluebeadsandthefatherislikeabottleofyellowbeads;

  andsothechildislikeabottleofmixedbluebeadsandyellow。

  Hemightjustaswellhavesaidthatifthefatherhastwolegsandthemotherhastwolegs,thechildwillhavefourlegs。

  Obviouslyitisnotaquestionofsimpleadditionorsimpledivisionofanumberofharddetached\"qualities,\"likebeads。

  Itisanorganiccrisisandtransformationofthemostmysterioussort;

  sothateveniftheresultisunavoidable,itwillstillbeunexpected。

  Itisnotlikebluebeadsmixedwithyellowbeads;itislikebluemixedwithyellow;theresultofwhichisgreen,atotallynovelanduniqueexperience,anewemotion。Amanmightliveinacompletecosmosofblueandyellow,likethe\"EdinburghReview\";amanmightneverhaveseenanythingbutagoldencornfieldandasapphiresky;

  andstillhemightneverhavehadsowildafancyasgreen。

  Ifyoupaidasovereignforabluebell;ifyouspilledthemustardontheblue-books;ifyoumarriedacanarytoabluebaboon;

  thereisnothinginanyofthesewildweddingsthatcontainsevenahintofgreen。Greenisnotamentalcombination,likeaddition;

  itisaphysicalresultlikebirth。So,apartfromthefactthatnobodyeverreallyunderstandsparentsorchildreneither,yetevenifwecouldunderstandtheparents,wecouldnotmakeanyconjectureaboutthechildren。Eachtimetheforceworksinadifferentway;

  eachtimetheconstituentcolorscombineintoadifferentspectacle。

  Agirlmayactuallyinheritheruglinessfromhermother\'sgoodlooks。

  Aboymayactuallygethisweaknessfromhisfather\'sstrength。

  Evenifweadmititisreallyafate,forusitmustremainafairytale。

  Consideredinregardtoitscauses,theCalvinistsandmaterialistsmayberightorwrong;weleavethemtheirdrearydebate。

  Butconsideredinregardtoitsresultsthereisnodoubtaboutit。

  Thethingisalwaysanewcolor;astrangestar。Everybirthisaslonelyasamiracle。Everychildisasuninvitedasamonstrosity。

  Onallsuchsubjectsthereisnoscience,butonlyasortofardentignorance;andnobodyhaseverbeenabletoofferanytheoriesofmoralhereditywhichjustifiedthemselvesintheonlyscientificsense;

  thatisthatonecouldcalculateonthembeforehand。Therearesixcases,say,ofagrandsonhavingthesametwitchofmouthorviceofcharacterashisgrandfather;orperhapstherearesixteencases,orperhapssixty。Buttherearenottwocases,thereisnotonecase,therearenocasesatall,ofanybodybettinghalfacrownthatthegrandfatherwillhaveagrandsonwiththetwitchorthevice。

  Inshort,wedealwithheredityaswedealwithomens,affinitiesandthefulfillmentofdreams。Thethingsdohappen,andwhentheyhappenwerecordthem;butnotevenalunaticeverreckonsonthem。

  Indeed,heredity,likedreamsandomens,isabarbaricnotion;thatis,notnecessarilyanuntrue,butadim,gropingandunsystematizednotion。

  Acivilizedmanfeelshimselfalittlemorefreefromhisfamily。

  BeforeChristianitythesetalesoftribaldoomoccupiedthesavagenorth;

  andsincetheReformationandtherevoltagainstChristianity(whichisthereligionofacivilizedfreedom)savageryisslowlycreepingbackintheformofrealisticnovelsandproblemplays。

  ThecurseofRougon-MacquartisasheathenandsuperstitiousasthecurseofRavenswood;onlynotsowellwritten。Butinthistwilightbarbaricsensethefeelingofaracialfateisnotirrational,andmaybeallowedlikeahundredotherhalfemotionsthatmakelifewhole。

  Theonlyessentialoftragedyisthatoneshouldtakeitlightly。

  ButevenwhenthebarbariandelugerosetoitshighestinthemaddernovelsofZola(suchasthatcalled\"TheHumanBeast\",agrosslibelonbeastsaswellashumanity),eventhentheapplicationofthehereditaryideatopracticeisavowedlytimidandfumbling。

  Thestudentsofheredityaresavagesinthisvitalsense;thattheystarebackatmarvels,buttheydarenotstareforwardtoschemes。

  Inpracticenooneismadenoughtolegislateoreducateupondogmasofphysicalinheritance;andeventhelanguageofthethingisrarelyusedexceptforspecialmodernpurposes,suchastheendowmentofresearchortheoppressionofthepoor。

  ***

  III

  THETRICKSOFENVIRONMENT

  AfterallthemodernclatterofCalvinism,therefore,itisonlywiththebornchildthatanybodydarestodeal;

  andthequestionisnoteugenicsbuteducation。Oragain,toadoptthatrathertiresometerminologyofpopularscience,itisnotaquestionofhereditybutofenvironment。

  Iwillnotneedlesslycomplicatethisquestionbyurgingatlengththatenvironmentalsoisopentosomeoftheobjectionsandhesitationswhichparalyzetheemploymentofheredity。

  Iwillmerelysuggestinpassingthatevenabouttheeffectofenvironmentmodernpeopletalkmuchtoocheerfullyandcheaply。

  Theideathatsurroundingswillmoldamanisalwaysmixedupwiththetotallydifferentideathattheywillmoldhiminoneparticularway。Totakethebroadestcase,landscapenodoubtaffectsthesoul;buthowitaffectsitisquiteanothermatter。

  Tobebornamongpine-treesmightmeanlovingpine-trees。

  Itmightmeanloathingpine-trees。Itmightquiteseriouslymeanneverhavingseenapine-tree。Oritmightmeananymixtureoftheseoranydegreeofanyofthem。

  Sothatthescientificmethodherelacksalittleinprecision。

  Iamnotspeakingwithoutthebook;onthecontrary,Iamspeakingwiththebluebook,withtheguide-bookandtheatlas。

  ItmaybethattheHighlandersarepoeticalbecausetheyinhabitmountains;butaretheSwissprosaicbecausetheyinhabitmountains?ItmaybetheSwisshavefoughtforfreedombecausetheyhadhills;didtheDutchfightforfreedombecausetheyhadn\'t?PersonallyIshouldthinkitquitelikely。

  Environmentmightworknegativelyaswellaspositively。

  TheSwissmaybesensible,notinspiteoftheirwildskyline,butbecauseoftheirwildskyline。TheFlemingsmaybefantasticartists,notinspiteoftheirdullskyline,butbecauseofit。

  Ionlypauseonthisparenthesistoshowthat,eveninmattersadmittedlywithinitsrange,popularsciencegoesagreatdealtoofast,anddropsenormouslinksoflogic。

  Nevertheless,itremainstheworkingrealitythatwhatwehavetodealwithinthecaseofchildrenis,forallpracticalpurposes,environment;or,tousetheolderword,education。

  Whenallsuchdeductionsaremade,educationisatleastaformofwill-worship;notofcowardlyfact-worship;

  itdealswithadepartmentthatwecancontrol;itdoesnotmerelydarkenuswiththebarbarianpessimismofZolaandtheheredity-hunt。Weshallcertainlymakefoolsofourselves;

  thatiswhatismeantbyphilosophy。Butweshallnotmerelymakebeastsofourselves;whichisthenearestpopulardefinitionformerelyfollowingthelawsofNatureandcoweringunderthevengeanceofthefleshEducationcontainsmuchmoonshine;

  butnotofthesortthatmakesmeremooncalvesandidiotstheslavesofasilvermagnet,theoneeyeoftheworld。

  Inthisdecentarenatherearefads,butnotfrenzies。

  Doubtlessweshalloftenfindamare\'snest;butitwillnotalwaysbethenightmare\'s。

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