our androcentric culture-第21章

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spreading　antlers　or　trailing　plumes；　no　monstrosity　of　crest　and
wattles；　to　win　her　favor。

She　is　only　temporarily　interested　in　him。　　The　rest　of　the　time　she　is
getting　her　own　living；　and　caring　for　her　own　young。　　But　our　women　get
their　bread　from　their　husbands；　and　every　other　social　need。　　The　woman
depends　on　the　man　for　her　position　in　life；　as　well　as　the　necessities
of　existence。　　For　herself　and　for　her　children　she　must　win　and　hold
him　who　is　the　source　of　all　supplies。　　Therefore　she　is　forced　to　add
to　her　own　natural　attractions　this　〃dance　of　the　seven　veils；〃　of　the
seventeen　gowns；　of　the　seventy…seven　hats　of　gay　delirium。

There　are　many　who　think　in　one　syllable；　who　say；　〃women　don't　dress　to
please　menthey　dress　to　please　themselvesand　to　outshine　other
women。〃　　To　these　I　would　suggest　a　visit　to　some　summer　shore　resort
during　the　week　and　extending　over　Saturday　night。　　The　women　have　all
the　week　to　please　themselves　and　outshine　one　another；　but　their　array
on　Saturday　seems　to　indicate　the　approach　of　some　new　force　or
attraction。

If　all　this　does　not　satisfy　I　would　then　call　their　attention　to　the
well…known　fact　that　the　young　damsel　previous　to　marriage　spends　far
more　time　and　ingenuity　in　decoration　than　she　does　afterward。　　This　has
long　been　observed　and　deprecated　by　those　who　write　Advice　to　Wives；　on
the　ground　that　this　difference　is　displeasing　to　the　husbandthat　she
loses　her　influence　over　him；　which　is　true。　　But　since　his　own
〃society；〃　knowing　his　weakness；　has　tied　him　to　her　by　law；　why　should
she　keep　up　what　is　after　all　an　unnatural　exertion？

That　excellent　magazine　〃Good　Housekeeping〃　has　been　running　for　some
months　a　rhymed　and　illustrated　story　of　〃Miss　Melissa　Clarissa　McRae；〃
an　extremely　dainty　and　well…dressed　stenographer；　who　captured　and
married　a　fastidious　young　man；　her　employer；　by　the　force　of　her
artificial　attractionsand　then　lost　his　love　after　marriage　by　a
sudden　unaccountable　slovenlinessthe　same　old　story。

If　this　in　not　enough；　let　me　instance　further　the　attitude　toward
〃Fashion〃　of　that　class　of　women　who　live　most　openly　and　directly　upon
the　favor　of　men。　　These　know　their　business。　　To　continually　attract
the　vagrant　fancy　of　the　male；　nature's　born　〃variant；〃　they　must　not
only　pile　on　artificial　charms；　but　change　them　constantly。　　They　do。　
From　the　leaders　of　this　profession　comes　a　steady　stream　of　changing
fashions；　the　more　extreme　and　bizarre；　the　more　successfuland　because
they　are　successful　they　are　imitated。

If　men　did　not　like　changes　in　fashion　be　assured　these　professional
men…pleasers　would　not　change　them；　but　since　Nature's　Variant　tires　of
any　face　in　favor　of　a　new　one；　the　lady　who　would　hold　her　sway　and
cannot　change　her　face　（except　in　color）　must　needs　change　her　hat　and
gown。

But　the　Arbiter；　the　Ruling　Cause；　he　who　not　only　by　choice　demands；
but　as　a　business　manufactures　and　supplies　this　amazing　stream　of
fashions；　again　like　Adam　blames　the　womanfor　accepting　what　he　both
demands　and　supplies。

A　further　proof；　if　more　were　needed；　is　shown　in　this；　that　in　exact
proportion　as　women　grow　independent；　educated；　wise　and　free；　do　they
become　less　submissive　to　men…made　fashions。　　Was　this　improvement
hailed　with　sympathy　and　admirationcrowned　with　masculine　favor？

The　attitude　of　men　toward　those　women　who　have　so　far　presumed　to
〃unsex　themselves〃　is　known　to　all。　　They　like　women　to　be　foolish；
changeable；　always　newly　attractive；　and　while　women　must　〃attract〃　for
a　livingwhy　they　do；　that's　all。

It　is　a　pity。　　It　is　humiliating　to　any　far…seeing　woman　to　have　to
recognize　this　glaring　proof　of　the　dependent；　degraded　position　of　her
sex；　and　it　ought　to　be　humiliating　to　men　to　see　the　results　of　their
mastery。　　These　crazily　decorated　little　creatures　do　not　represent
womanhood。

When　the　artist　uses　the　woman　as　the　type　of　every　highest　ideal；　as
Justice；　Liberty；　Charity；　Truthhe　does　not　represent　her　trimmed。　　In
any　part　of　the　world　where　women　are　even　in　part　economically
independent　there　we　find　less　of　the　absurdities　of　fashion。　　Women　who
work　cannot　be　utterly　absurd。

But　the　idle　woman；　the　Queen　of　Society；　who　must　please　men　within
their　prescribed　bounds；　and　those　of　the　half…world；　who　must　please
them　at　any　costthese　are　the　vehicles　of　fashion。



OUR　ANDROCENTRIC　CULTURE；　or；　THE　MAN~MADE　WORLD


X。

LAW　AND　GOVERNMENT。


It　is　easy　to　assume　that　men　are　naturally　the　lawmakers　and
law…enforcers；　under　the　plain　historic　fact　that　they　have　been　such
since　the　beginning　of　the　patriarchate。

Back　of　law　lies　custom　and　tradition。　　Back　of　government　lies　the
correlative　activity　of　any　organized　group。　　What　group…insects　and
group…animals　evolve　unconsciously　and　fulfill　by　their　social
instincts；　we　evolve　consciously　and　fulfill　by　arbitrary　systems　called
laws　and　governments。　　In　this；　as　in　all　other　fields　of　our　action；　we
must　discriminate　between　the　humanness　of　the　function　in　process　of
development；　and　the　influence　of　the　male　or　female　upon　it。　　Quite
apart　from　what　they　may　like　or　dislike　as　sexes；　from　their　differing
tastes　and　faculties；　lies　the　much　larger　field　of　human　progress；　in
which　they　equally　participate。

On　this　plane　the　evolution　of　law　and　government　proceeds　somewhat　as
follows：The　early　woman…centered　group　organized　on　maternal　lines　of
common　love　and　service。　　The　early　combinations　of　men　were　first　a
grouped　predacityorganized　hunting；　then　a　grouped
belligerency；organized　warfare。

By　special　development　some　minds　are　able　to　perceive　the　need　of
certain　lines　of　conduct　over　others；　and　to　make　this　clear　to　their
fellows；　whereby；　gradually；　our　higher　social　nature　establishes　rules
and　precedents　to　which　we　personally　agree　to　submit。　　The　process　of
social　development　is　one　of　progressive　co…ordination。

From　independent　individual　action　for　individual　ends；　up　to
interdependent　social　action　for　social　ends　we　slowly　move；　the　〃devil〃
in　the　play　being　the　old　Ego；　which　has　to　be　harmonized　with　the　new
social　spirit。　　This　social　process；　like　all　others；　having　been　in
masculine　hands；　we　may　find　in　it　the　same　marks　of　one…sided
Specialization　so　visible　in　our　previous　studies。

The　coersive　attitude　is　essentially　male。　　In　the　ceaseless　age…old
struggle　of　sex　combat　he　developed　the　desire　to　overcome；　which　is
always　stimulated　by　resistance；　and　in　this　later　historic　period　of
his　supremacy；　he　further　developed　the　habit　of　dominance　and　mastery。　
We　may　instance　the　contrast　between　the　conduct　of　a　man　when　〃in　love〃
and　while　courting；　in　which　period　he　falls　into　the　natural　position
of　his　sex　towards　the　othernamely；　that　of　a　wooer；　and　his　behavior
when；　with　marriage；　they　enter　the；　artificial　relation　of　the　master
male　and　servile　female。　　His　〃instinct　of　dominance〃　does　not　assert
itself　during　the　earlier　period；　which　was　a　million　times　longer　than
the　latter；　it　only　appears　in　the　more　modern　and　arbitrary　relation。

Among　other　animals　monogamous　union　is　not　accompanied　by　any　such
discordant　and　unnatural　features。　　However　recent　as　this　habit　is　when
considered　biologically；　it　is　as　old　as　civilization　when　we　consider
it　historically：　quite　old　enough　to　be　a　serious　force。　　Under　its
pressure　we　see　the　legal　systems　and　forms　of　government　slowly
evolving；　the　general　human　growth　always　heavily　perverted　by　the
special　masculine　influence。　　First　we　find　the　mere　force　of　custom
governing　us；　the　_mores_　of　the　ancient　people。　　Then　comes　the　gradual
appearance　of　authority；　from　the　purely　natural　leadership　of　the　best
hunter　or　fighter　up　through　the　unnatural　mastery　of　the　patriarch；
owning　and　governing　his　wives；　children；　slaves　and　cattle；　and　making
such　rules　and　regulations　as　pleased　him。

Our　laws　as　we　support　them　now　are　slow；　wasteful；　cumbrous　systems；
which　require　a　special　caste　to　interpret　and　another　to　enforce；
wherein　the　average　citizen　knows　nothing　of　the　law；　and　cares　only　to
evade　it　when　he　can；　ob