Part 36 (1/2)
”Well, how would such an argument be received?” asked Zenith.
”It would probably be pa.s.sed by without any notice whatever, if you will excuse me for telling the truth,” answered the doctor. ”It certainly would not be looked upon as serious, and I fear it would not even receive the dignity of being called funny. Even the women would laugh feebly at the extravagant notion, and think no more of it. But we were talking of Mars, not of the earth, and I am exceedingly anxious to know how affairs progressed here, though there is no likelihood that they will ever be paralleled among us.”
”I would not be too sure, Doctor,” spoke up Thorwald. ”Better wait till Zenith is through.”
”I shall wait longer than that before I believe the earth will ever go through such an experience. But now I am ready to listen.”
”When I speak of woman a.s.suming leaders.h.i.+p,” resumed Zenith, ”do not misunderstand me. Although society was not perfect, still it was not a gross age, and there was no return to the manners of those rude times when women were cruelly treated and men took all the good in the world to themselves. Oh, no, there was no absence of good manners. Women treated men with the greatest courtesy, showing them every mark of outward 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 men were patronized unmercifully, the women really thought a great deal of them, and often remarked to each other that the world would be a dull and uninviting place without them. They admired their robust strength of body, their brawny arms and well-trained hands, as well as their many excellent qualities of mind; and they never tired of telling them in honeyed words how necessary they were to their happiness.
”The women were very considerate also in the matter of laws. The rights of the men were well looked after. To be sure, they were not allowed to vote and hold office, but in their fortunate, happy condition it was incredible that they should care about a little thing like that. Were they not perfectly protected by the law, and did they not have as much to do already as was good for them? The women argued that if the men were given the right of suffrage it would only be the cranks who would avail themselves of it, for the great ma.s.s of the men were perfectly satisfied with their condition.
”A man was allowed the right of dower in his deceased wife's estate, and he could hold property in his own right, even after marriage. His wife could not even deed away her real estate without his consent. By this you see how carefully the men were s.h.i.+elded from the liability of coming to want.
”In matters of the heart it was not considered modest for a man to make a direct proposal, but in reality the affair was in his hands, for no woman could make any advance unless she received encouragement from the object of her affections.”
”How about the home?” asked the doctor. ”Did man take the place of woman there?”
”He did whatever he was asked to do in the home. You must know that at this time domestic duties were quite different from what they formerly were. Men had not given up all their thought and time to handicraft for nothing. The drudgery had pretty well disappeared under the full play of the inventive faculties, so that the home duties were not exacting.
What work there was, was shared by the s.e.xes, each doing that which was appropriate. The management of the home was, of course, in the hands of the women.”
”Was there no department in which the men were masters?” inquired the doctor.
”Not one. They thought they were in full charge in their peculiar field of labor, but here, as everywhere, the women dictated their terms when they chose.”
The doctor was bound to learn all he could about this curious state of things, and asked again:
”What effect did all this strain upon the mind have on woman's physical nature? You have admitted that she was weaker in body than man, and it seems to me she must have been ill prepared for the struggle you have narrated. From the experience we have had in educating women, we believe it is a positive injury to them to attempt to reach that high degree of culture which is easily and safely compa.s.sed by men. Our idea is that nature never intended that they should study much, for their minds are really not any stronger than their bodies. Too much brain work has already ruined the health of a good many girls, and when we left the earth the reaction against the higher education of woman had fairly begun. For we believe that her mental faculties can be developed only at the expense of her physical powers, and that if she were to persist in such an abnormal cultivation of her intellect it would be sure to result in the deterioration of her offspring and disaster to the race. So, for the sake of the generations unborn, we--that is, the male men of the earth--who still retain our grip on affairs, have about decided to put a stop to this foolish mania among our young women. We will probably pa.s.s laws, setting a limit in the several branches of study beyond which girls shall not be allowed to go, either at school or privately.”
We all laughed heartily at this idea, including the doctor himself, who continued:
”Well, what else can we do to stop them? Stop them we must, or we shall soon become a race of weaklings and mental imbeciles.”
Thorwald had been getting more and more interested, as I could see by his face, and now broke out with:
”Doctor, you surprise me. I have acquired such a respect for your intelligence that I can hardly believe you serious. If Zenith will excuse me, I should like to answer your question. Hard study did not hurt our young women, and it never hurts anyone. It is careless living and a disregard of the laws of health that do the harm. Physical training was an important part of the education of our women. They could never have accomplished what they did without sound bodies, and it must be unnecessary for me to say that the more highly cultured they became the more our race improved. Learning never made poor mothers. Ignorance does that. Do not keep education out of the home. Keep out folly, low desires, sordid ambitions, uncultivated tastes, narrow-mindedness, envy, strife, wastefulness, inordinate pleasures, and every evil thing that comes from an empty, ignorant mind. Keep out the darkness; let in the light. It is not G.o.d's way to give capacity and desire for n.o.ble things, and then shut the door to their attainment.”
”Many thanks, Thorwald,” exclaimed Zenith, ”for your good help. And now, Doctor, will you ask anything further?”
”I must admit,” answered the doctor, ”that your experience gives you more knowledge of the subject than we possess, and perhaps we are wrong.
Of course, we want that to come to pa.s.s which will be best for our race.
But let me ask if the gentler s.e.x, as we call them, did not lose, by such superior culture, their gentleness and their charm. The masculine type of woman is not at all popular with us.”
”This question, Doctor,” answered Zenith, ”shows that you have a poor conception of our condition at that time. This great change in society had been gradual, and I must remind you that by the time it was accomplished the world was much improved in every way, although, as we have seen, it was by no means perfect. In her treatment of man there was none of that domineering spirit which you might expect; and the victory she had achieved was never used harshly. Her reign, if firm, was mild.
And woman herself, in the general betterment of things, had improved, even in the direction you mention. Instead of becoming less womanly, in her changed condition, every admirable quality in her had ripened toward perfection, while she had thrown off much that was disagreeable and unlovely in her disposition. In personal appearance the advance had been remarkable. Being relieved of the severe labor and sordid cares which were once her lot, and with her mind set free by high culture and her artistic tastes developed, nature a.s.serted itself by making her truly a delight to the eye and a comfort to the heart of mankind. Whatever charms she possessed in her old life were now doubled, making her indeed a blessing to the world and preparing her for the next great change, which came with the advent of the present age.”