What Women Should Know/Chapter 1
The Two Sexes.—"So God made man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." No disrespect to the revered chronicle is intended in taking from it a text, as it were, for my discourse. Humanity, thus created male and female, presents, in each of the two parts of which it is composed, distinct characteristics, distinct functions and distinct capabilities, both mental and physical. Whether these distinctive features or differences are to be accepted as proof positive that the work of the two sexes in the world should be totally different; whether both should perform the same work, only independently and in a different manner; or whether they should be mutually helpful in the same labor,—I will leave for others to discuss. My sole aim now is to impart to those who need it information on important matters, accompanied by plain and practical advice based upon experience and common sense. If now and then I temporarily turn aside from the straight path I have marked out for myself into the domain of theory and speculation, it is from a sincere conviction that I am justified by facts in doing so. And now let us, first of all, examine into the physical points of difference between the sexes.
Comparative Height of the Two Sexes.—The average stature of woman is less than that of man. The average height of mankind varies in different countries and different races. Even inhabitants in different sections of the same country show different averages of height. Nevertheless, the relative stature of the two sexes remains about the same.
Differences in the Bony Structure.—The whole osseous structure of woman is more delicate and less extended than that of man. The skull is smaller, and the bones of the cranium thinner and more pliant. The ribs of woman join more nearly at right angles with the spine, and are broader and flatter than in man. The thorax is consequently shorter and its upper part larger. The sternum is shorter and flatter, and the clavicles crookeder and shorter. The angles of the bones in general are less projecting, and their articulations or connections better concealed. The most noticeable difference, however, in the bony structure of the two sexes is observable in the pelvis. That of man is constructed simply to subserve the purposes of strength and motion; that of woman, in addition to this, is destined to become the first cradle of the yet unborn babe, and finally to allow the safe transit of the child through its base. Its diameters, therefore, are broader. This larger and broader pelvis gives a greater breadth to the hips.
Muscular System.—While the muscular system of woman is not so marked or so well developed as that of man, it possesses greater mobility, delicacy and sensibility. Thus a woman is compensated by her quickness and dexterity for her lack of strength.
Nervous System.—The nervous system is more refined and delicate in woman than in man. This fact renders it liable to diseases and complications of diseases of which men have no experience. On the other hand, this disadvantage is compensated for by its extreme sensibility and susceptibility to impressions, giving to woman not only a greater capacity for pain, but a greater capacity for pleasure also. This extreme sensitiveness to suffering bestowed upon the half of humanity which is destined by nature to suffer the most would seem unjust, were it not counterbalanced by a power of endurance far exceeding that of the other sex. In denying woman this, as many writers do, the greatest injustice is done her. For, notwithstanding her extreme nervous sensibility, how bravely, patiently and almost uncomplainingly does woman bear the pains and sufferings of childbed!—pains and sufferings of which men can form but the remotest idea.
Sanguiniferous System.—In woman the circulation of the blood is carried on with more rapidity, but with less force, than in man. The arteries are smaller, more easily urged into action, and this action is more easily subdued. The veins are more strongly marked upon the surface of the body, are fuller and more disposed to become varicose.
Cellular System.—The cellular system of woman differs decidedly from that of man. It is more abundant, more flexible and better supplied with moisture. It surrounds the frame more completely, especially about the joints, and gives a roundness and softness of outline to woman which is lacking in man.
The Skin.—The texture of the skin is much finer, more elastic, more transparent and more sensitive in woman than in man. Thus we often find women whose sense of touch is far superior to that of men. They seem to literally see in the dark, not with their visual organs, but with the ends of their fingers. A man, if he wishes to find anything at night, takes a lamp to aid him in his search, while a woman in the same case will be likely to go in the dark, and determine the whereabouts of the object of her search by the use of her fingers alone.
Observable Difference in Form.—A man, standing erect, is like an inverted cone, his feet representing the apex and his shoulders the base. A well-developed man will present the greatest breadth of body across the shoulders, his hips will be small, his limbs showing muscular development. A woman's shoulders are narrow, her bust full, her hips broad; and even if her limbs are more or less developed muscularly, this development is hidden by the cellular tissue which fills all hollows and rounds all angles.
Is Woman Undeveloped Man?—It has been suggested by some who have claimed to give the matter consideration that woman is undeveloped man. Such a theory is absurd upon its very face. A woman's physical organs are more complex, her functions and capabilities more numerous and more varied. She is subject to greater extremes of pain and of joy.
Is Man Undeveloped Woman?—If I were to argue from these points, I might rather contend that man was undeveloped woman. And such a declaration would have some show of reason from the well-known facts that if a woman, through the exigencies of disease, is obliged to have her ovaries removed—the physical features which essentially constitute her womanhood—she becomes gradually more masculine in appearance and character, her voice assumes a gruffer tone, and even traces of a beard become sometimes discernible. On the other hand, an emasculated man does not become feminine in his nature. His physical development increases, while he loses all the softening and humanizing characteristics which are the best and noblest traits of manhood. He becomes. in fact, a splendid brute. In both cases it must be deterioration, though the theorists to which I have referred would have to declare, to be consistent with their theories, that in suffering this physical mutilation a woman became more perfectly developed.
Both Theories Incorrect.—But these theories—the one which I have quoted and the one which I suppose myself to advance—are both equally erroraeous. Neither man nor woman is the duplicate of the other, superiorly or inferiorly developed. They are each halves of a perfect whole. Their very differences, while they render either sex incapable of comparison with the other, contribute to constitute perfection when they are united.
Disadvantages and Corresponding Advantages of Womanhood.—What a woman lacks in strength she makes up in adroitness, skill and delicacy of touch. What disadvantages she suffers from over-sensibility of organization are atoned for by greater powers of endurance. Her brain is smaller, but its tissues are finer.
Feminine Intuitions.—If a woman cannot reason as directly and logically as a man (and that is one of the grave charges brought against her), she reaches as certain a conclusion far sooner by means of her intuitions, and having reached that conclusion, she turns about and begins to reason backward toward the starting-point, astonishing the man by meeting him halfway, going in a direction the exact opposite of his own. This intuition is a wonderful faculty. It leads a woman to make her statement first and study out the why and wherefore afterward. This may not seem a logical proceeding to men, but as women constitute fully one-half the human race, I do not know that the other, an interested half, is capable of giving an unbiased decision in this matter. It is as though two men were engaged in a lawsuit, and one of them should elect himself umpire and decide the case for them both. The best and wisest of the other sex are ready to give our intuitions all the consideration we claim for them, and to acknowledge that the reasonings of even a wise man possess little authority or claim for credence until they are supported by the intuitions of a good and wise woman. The masculine process of reasoning is the sum in arithmetic; the feminine is the proving of that sum by working it backward. Thus, in its mental processes, as in its physical organization, each sex becomes the complement of the other.