Feminism / by Correa Moylan Walsh.

Correa Moylan Walsh

Date:: 1917

Credit: Feminism / by Correa Moylan Walsh. Source: Wellcome Collection.

39/412 page 27

$X SOME FUNDAMENTAL ASSUMPTIONS 27 they begin at the beginning, in advocating co-education through- out childhood 7° and youth, as much as possible under female in- structors. But the ultimate effect, the danger ahead, as shall be more fully pointed out, they do not foresee,— nor do their male abettors.** On the contrary, the hopes of woman’s advancement to a posi- tion beside that of man, without retrogression on his part, are en- couraged by the advance in that direction which undoubtedly has taken place during the last fifty years or so. Women, by receiv- ing a better education, and by being admitted to more and more of men’s occupations so as to be able to support themselves better than before, have become less dependent in their feelings — less home-staying, retiring, modest, and more restive, self-assertive, and ambitious. And because this change has been quickly ef- fected in a couple of generations —and exaggerated in novels which depicted the maids of the early nineteenth century as much coyer and feebler and more easily blushing and fainting than they really were,— the induction is made that the advance, as it is called, will go on and in a couple of generations more will bring women up to the level of men.” But this induction is false, be- cause it overlooks the fact that education of the individual may produce certain changes in his development and then cease, the limit of his capacity being reached; it may increase his knowledge up to a certain point, but not the size of his brain. For the indi- vidual’s capacity is limited by his innate qualities, or character, de- termined by his physical constitution, inherited from his ancestors. 20 *“‘ Co-education, at least during childhood, should be a feminist truism,” says Mrs. Hale, as she recognises that it fosters feminism, What Women Want, 163. 21 Mill, or his wife, made the sapient statement: ‘“‘In the present closeness of as- sociation between the sexes, men cannot retain manliness unless women acquire it,”’ Dissertations, iii, 117. This he as ioe in his speech in Parliament, May 20, 1867, in advocacy of woman suffrage: ‘‘ The time has\come when, if women are not raised to the level of men, men will be pulled down to theirs. [A laugh] ... Those who have reflected on the nature and power of social influences, know that, when there are not manly women, there will not much longer be manly men. [Laughter] When men and women are really companions, if women are frivolous, men will be frivolous; if women care only for personal interests and trifling amusements, men in general will care for little else. The two sexes must now rise or sink together.’”’ But there is no rea- son why women should be frivolous or occupied only with trifling amusements, because they are not admitted to the franchise and to all the occupations of men. On the other hand, never have sporting men been so frivolous as they have become since women have been received as companions in their sports. Similar statements, however, have been repeated. Thus Henry George: ‘‘ Nothing will fully interest men unless it also in- terests women,’ Works, ii. 244. Mrs. Gallichan: ‘‘ Man must fall with woman, and rise with her,” The Truth about Woman, 10. Cf, Tennyson: — **The woman’s cause is man’s: they rise or sink Together.” The Princess, VII. 22 As Godwin would not have the capacity of men under socialism judged by the capacity of present men, (above, ii. 25n.), so the feminists would not have the ca- pacity of women under feminism judged by their present capacity. In each case there is an expectation of a higher being, to be produced soon, however miraculously; only in the case of feminists this expectation requires no more than that women shall not fall short of men.$

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