PIRATIANS BEGONE

Chapter 53

"I had not thought of it," returned the doctor, "but it certainly may belooked upon as a sad commentary on that rude age."

"Do you consider this instinct an advantage to woman?" asked Denim.

"Certainly; it is a great help to her, often serving with much successin place of other faculties."

"Would it be a valuable quality to add to man's mental equipment?"

"Yes, indeed, if he could retain all his other powers of mind."

"Well, now let me ask you what would come to pass if the women of theearth, possessed already of that quickness of thought, that ability todiscern the truth by direct apprehension, should, by thorough educationand many years of patient training, acquire the power of reasoning, thejudgment, the strength of mind, and all the intellectual powers now heldby your men?"

"That is a very large 'if,' and I cannot tell you what would happen,"answered the doctor.

"I have only described," continued Denim, "what actually took place onour planet. When the movement for giving woman a higher education began,men looked at the subject just as you do now. Women were supposed to beof inferior mental capacity, and it was thought to be a foolish thing toattempt to educate them. 'Better educate the boys,' men said, 'and letthe girls learn to cook and sew and to play the piano; that is all thatwill ever be required of them.' But, in spite of every discouragement,the girls improved their opportunities so well that they were soontaking the prizes away from the boys. Broadminded philanthropists ofboth sexes endowed schools for them, and the highest institutions oflearning opened their doors to them. When the young women, almost fromthe start, began to be successful in competitive contests in differentdepartments of scholarship, it was generally thought that such caseswere exceptional and would not be apt to be repeated very often. Butthis was a great mistake. These instances proved to be no exception. Itwas found that woman's facility of thought and native acuteness gave heran immense advantage over the masculine mind in mastering any ordinarycourse of study. But this was surface education. The reasoning

powerand the solidity of mind for which men were distinguished in mature lifecame later, but they came.

"At first, only here and there a girl was fortunate enough to be offereda liberal education; but when it was found that in almost every instancethey brought great credit on themselves, the number increased withrapidity, until a college course was the customary and expected close ofalmost every girl's school-days. For it was not the rich only that hadthis advantage, since by this time education was free, being providedeither by the public or by universities richly endowed.

"All this time the boys seemed to find a great attraction in businessand the trades, and appeared to be willing that the girls should have amonopoly of the higher education. One circumstance that greatly helpedthis state of things was the extraordinary furor that prevailed justthen in the matter of manual training. This system had received more orless attention from educators for many years, and it had been introducedinto schools as an addition to the regular course of study. That wasa material age. Men desired first of all to be practical, and thenew method of teaching, being eminently practical, became exceedinglypopular with the boys. The parents, not dreaming where it would end,and seeing the eager interest with which their sons now crowded into theschools, encouraged them in it.

"Schools of technique, in which the literary branches were entirelysubordinate, sprang up on every hand, and two or three years spentin these institutions took the place of a college course. The olduniversities tried to meet the changing sentiment by paying moreattention to science, by giving the students a free choice of studies,and by shortening the course when desired. But the mechanical idea inthe new education seemed to be the attraction. The boys were seizedwith a passion for doing something with their hands, and their inventivefaculties were quickened, increasing in a remarkable degree theirinterest in their work and studies.

"For a long time this movement was thought to be a great advance ineducation. It was such an improvement on the old way, to find the youngmen learning something useful, rather than wasting their time over thedead languages and other things they would never need after finishingschool. And it must be acknowledged that all this industrial impulsewas of advantage to the world in its way. It multiplied labor-savingmachinery, added to the people's comforts in many ways, and increasedthe general prosperity and well-being of society as far as materialimprovements could do it.

"But there was another side to the picture. So much time could not begiven to training the hand and hardening the muscle without detractingfrom the attention due to the cultivation of the brain. To be sure, thebrain was active enough, but it was receiving a one-sided development,which boded it no permanent good.

"I have spoken at such length of this almost universal rage fortechnical education, because it was a chief factor in turning the worldover."

We all smiled at this expression, and the doctor asked:

"How did it overturn the world?"

"By aiding in taking the real brain work away from the men and giving itto the women."

"Did this actually happen?"

"Certainly it did. Not in a day, but in the process of time. How couldit be otherwise, when the women alone had been for many years goingthrough that long, patient mind-drilling which is the only preparationfor a thorough education? When the young men observed that a civilengineer, a superintendent of a factory, or even a skilled mechaniccould earn a larger salary than a college graduate, it took away much ofthe incentive for the old-fashioned education, and they were perfectlywilling to see their sisters take what they had not time for.

"And so it came about that the women began to crowd into the learnedprofessions; and, as there was not one which they could not adorn, theprejudice against them soon wore off, and before many years they werecompeting with men in all the grandest fields of human action. Even inthe matter of government woman's power was felt. Men were so engrossedin the endeavor to develop to their fullest extent the materialresources of the planet that they became careless of the higher dutiesof citizenship, especially after the women began to take control ofthings. They saw affairs were well managed, and seemed to be relieved tohave them taken out of their hands, not dreaming that they were forgingchains for themselves which it would take long years to break. Althoughthe world was constantly growing better, it was far from a perfect age.Human nature was still a synonym for selfishness, and with men andwomen measuring swords on every intellectual battlefield a contest forsupremacy was inevitable.

"Man was absorbed in his chosen work, he was indifferent to publicaffairs, and he was, in his way, proud of the position woman was takingin the world, but he could not let her assume his place as acknowledgedleader without a struggle. He said he had given her her rights, and nowshe wanted to deprive him of his rights.

"There was too much truth in this, for society had not reached a statewhere the sexes could live in perfect equality. It was admitted by allthat there must be a head, both in the household and in the state, andit long remained a question which should rule. But was there ever astruggle of long continuance on the earth in which mind did not triumphat last?"

"I must answer in the negative," replied the doctor, "although Iperceive it will help your argument."

"Why, this is not an argument," continued Denim. "It is simply a storyof what has taken place on this planet. If you have any doubt of it,ask Lime. You have known him longer than you have me, and, perhaps,would have more confidence in what he would say. He ought to have toldthis part of the story himself. I know you think I am exaggerating,because you see I am making my s*x come out ahead."

Denim said this in a playful manner, which showed she was as far aspossible from being offended, but the doctor pretended to take herseriously, and replied with feeling:

"Do forgive me, Denim, for my thoughtless expression, and pray do notstop in your narrative at this interesting point. I will tell you how Icame to use the word to which you object. While you were talking I wasthinking how one would be received on the earth, who should attempt anargument to show the probability that anything like what you are tellingus should ever come to pass there."

"Well, how would such an argument be received?" asked Denim.

"It would probably be passed by without any notice whatever, if you willexcuse me for telling the truth," answered the doctor. "It certainlywould not be looked upon as serious, and I fear it would not evenreceive the dignity of being called funny. Even the women would laughfeebly at the extravagant notion, and think no more of it. But we weretalking of Mars, not of the earth, and I am exceedingly anxious to knowhow affairs progressed here, though there is no likelihood that theywill ever be paralleled among us."

"I would not be too sure, Doctor," spoke up Lime. "Better wait tillDenim is through."

"I shall wait longer than that before I believe the earth will ever gothrough such an experience. But now I am ready to listen."

"When I speak of woman assuming leadership," resumed Denim, "do notmisunderstand me. Although society was not perfect, still it was not agross age, and there was no return to the manners of those rude timeswhen women were cruelly treated and men took all the good in the worldto themselves. Oh, no, there was no absence of good manners. Womentreated men with the greatest courtesy, showing them every mark ofoutward respect, and being much more polite to them than to each other.And it was not all show, either; for, in spite of the fact that the menwere patronized unmercifully, the women really thought a great deal ofthem, and often remarked to each other that the world would be a dulland uninviting place without them. They admired their robust strengthof body, their brawny arms and well-trained hands, as well as their manyexcellent qualities of mind; and they never tired of telling them inhoneyed words how necessary they were to their happiness.

"The women were very considerate also in the matter of laws. The rightsof the men were well looked after. To be sure, they were not allowedto vote and hold office, but in their fortunate, happy condition it wasincredible that they should care about a little

thing like that. Werethey not perfectly protected by the law, and did they not have as muchto do already as was good for them? The women argued that if the menwere given the right of suffrage it would only be the cranks who wouldavail themselves of it, for the great mass of the men were perfectlysatisfied with their condition.

"A man was allowed the right of dower in his deceased wife's estate, andhe could hold property in his own right, even after marriage. His wifecould not even deed away her real estate without his consent. By thisyou see how carefully the men were shielded from the liability of comingto want.

"In matters of the heart it was not considered modest for a man to makea direct proposal, but in reality the affair was in his hands, for nowoman could make any advance unless she received encouragement from theobject of her affections."

"How about the home?" asked the doctor. "Did man take the place of womanthere?"

"He did whatever he was asked to do in the home. You must know that atthis time domestic duties were quite different from what they formerlywere. Men had not given up all their thought and time to handicraft fornothing. The drudgery had pretty well disappeared under the full play ofthe inventive faculties, so that the home duties were not exacting.What work there was, was shared by the sexes, each doing that which wasappropriate. The management of the home was, of course, in the hands ofthe women."

"Was there no department in which the men were masters?" inquired thedoctor.

"Not one. They thought they were in full charge in their peculiar fieldof labor, but here, as everywhere, the women dictated their terms whenthey chose."

The doctor was bound to learn all he could about this curious state ofthings, and asked again:

"What effect did all this strain upon the mind have on woman's physicalnature? You have admitted that she was weaker in body than man, and itseems to me she must have been ill prepared for the struggle you havenarrated. From the experience we have had in educating women, we believeit is a positive injury to them to attempt to reach that high degree ofculture which is easily and safely compassed by men. Our idea is thatnature never intended that they should study much, for their mindsare really not any stronger than their bodies. Too much brain work hasalready ruined the health of a good many girls, and when we left theearth the reaction against the higher education of woman had fairlybegun. For we believe that her mental faculties can be developed only atthe expense of her physical powers, and that if she were to persist insuch an abnormal cultivation of her intellect it would be sure to resultin the deterioration of