The position of woman: actual and ideal / with preface by Sir Oliver Lodge.

Date:
1911
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The position of woman: actual and ideal / with preface by Sir Oliver Lodge. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    biologist, and whether they have tried to dis- criminate, in comparing Man and Woman, between the innate qualities of maleness and femaleness, masculinity and femininity, all requiring appropriate liberating stimuli, and those which are individually acquired as the direct result of peculiarities of Nurture. Along with these must be included the defects that are due to disuse, or to the absence of appropriate stimuli. Take one illustration: Long ago, Prof. Karl Vogt pointed out that women were awkward manipulators. Thomas answers well: “The awkwardness in manual manipulation shown by these girls was also surely due to lack of practice. The fastest type- writer in the world is to-day a woman; the record for roping steers (a feat depending on manual dexterity rather than physical force) is held by a woman; and anyone who has watched girls making change before the pneumatic tubes in the great department stores about Christmas time will experience the same wonder one feels on first seeing a professional gambler shuffling cards! This consideration is extremely important in relation to mental ability.” The mind is in great part a social product. As Thomas puts it: “ The mind and personality are largely built up from the outside, and if the sug- gestions are limited and particular, so will be the TAM.” oe) a iw, AE Reset we seem. jus tified in inferring that the differences in mental