THE EVOLUTION OF WOMAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18891, 13 December 1924, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE EVOLUTION OF WOMAN.

«V VIVIISX. I " Why is it." inquire;, mere man. " that ! * woman always answers a question by asking another? " Now whether that query is a simple or a complex one, whether it is merely the . expression of an honest bewilderment seeking information or is really designed as a I subtle thrust at the evasive, enigmatic, ' irrational, irresponsible creature which is i popularly supposed to be woman, there is no denying the fact that the question is justifiable. For it is undeniably i tine {hal woman invariably answers a j jquestion, especially a man's question, by : (instantly proffering a query of her own. | some cynic once said, " Women hate I Bieing tied down to answers, while it's I [questions that men generally object to! " j |j If, tor instance, you irlance a trifle sip- I ; jiiiricantly at some partiicular person in a I k'l'owded room or a passer-by in iha street I r<"d enquire casuallyoori r a woman, "Do i J.vou know So-and-So ? '" she will never ; dream of simply saying " yes " or " no." Ibus will instantly demand, " Why ?" | And if you ask, with perhaps undue emphasis, " Where did you buy this? " she' jwifl certainly parry your question with a | j suspicions " Why? " And if again, with . Van air of critical speculation, you inquire, h" Whe.o did you got that frock?" she I will invariably respond by asking, "Why? Don't you like it ? " or. " Why, do yon I ■ 1 ike it? " according to the tone of your I j voice and the expression on your face i when you spoke. And therein lies the answer to the problem—the fact that sometimes she nays 'Don't you like it?" and sometimes, "Doj i you like it? " For prolsably the truth is j | that Jong centuries of masculine domina- j j tion Bnd feminine acquiescence in the same j | have induced in women the habit of being | I continually on the defrnuive. No doubt it ' was right back in early primitive days, j i when brute force was the crude weapon '. i employed and cave-rnen methods were the only ones understood, that woman first j • learnt to rely on her wits and trust to ! ! her powers of deception and her skill 8+ '■ evasion to save herself from the dreaded j i wrath, complete subjugation or actual j I physical violence at the hands of her lord j ! and master. Always her first thought | ! must have been how to explain satisfac- j ; lovily that which seemed likely to arouse | ; ber lord's anger or suspicion, how to keep j I the peace, how to prevent the all-p r.ve.rful ! | male from discovering innocent delin- j j ouencies or deliberate misdoings which j j might bring his wrath down on her de- , fenceless head. And so. under the stress of necessity, ; she began to develop a quickness of wit. an alertness of mind, a keenness of ohserj valion and perception and insight, a j power of subtle deduction and intuition , t which in these later days have become j at once the despair and the wonder of | modern civilised man. For. though times '' have changed, though human -relation- i i ships have become less crude and more j spiritual and exalted, and human methods , more subtle and refined, yet the old hahit j ! of self-defence., the alert, -wary attitude of, [ the feminine mind, still persists. Modern j woman does not fear physical violence or i complete subjugation at the hands of man ; ; but the centuries of masculine domination I have engendered in her a habit of mind j too strong to be quickly or easily broken. I Consequently, when a man asks her a ' ' leading question, hbr first instinctive | thought is that she must be wary; her' I natural impulse is to probe his reason for j ! tire question, to discover the ulterior j motive behind it before she commits her- j ; self to an answer, one way or the other, j j The same instinct wains her of the apI proach of a rival, guides her in fathoming j a rnariV moods or change of attitude and ! prompts her curiositv or her suspicion in ; regard to his undue interest in new things j or in new people. j During the last few years, however, j } there have been signs that this attitude o? j ' the feminine mind is subtly changing. In ; I the old days w«ro»n was content to be- j j lieve that her lord and master was in] j truth a supeiior being, a magnificent cres- ] i titre. far nobler and more wonderful and i I more mtelhsPHt than ishe herself could | ever hope to be. Her acquiescence in his own estimate of himself was genuine and • whole-hearted. With the passing of the [ centuries, however, she began to suspect i .that in reality he was not so vastly her superior after'nll. but only a human being j subject to the same limitations and temp- J tatious ns herself. But the old instinct promoted her to hide hpr discovery. It | would never do to let him know she had J discovered that she herself was as intelligent as ho. possibly even moTc intelligent. It would only make him angry and might jeopardise such position as she h; -.1. For j I'fT own sake she must foster b's delu-'on, she mu!*t continue to acquiesce, at least j outwurdly. in his comfort ahlo of superiority. The last few years, however, have given woman such opportunities for exercising hi»r powers as have developed in her a sense of security, a confidence, a clearness of vision never previously dreamt of. She is beginning to realise that her power, her j splendid opportunity for self-development, i aud service to others lies, not in deceiving and humouring man. no'i in pandering to his vanitv. not even in trying to prove her equality with him or her superiority to j Mm. but simply in loyal co-operation j with him. Modern man may continue to dec,are helplessly that no man can ever expect to j understand a woman, or he may content j himself with sneering at her intuitions or laughing at her presumptuous claims and impossible ideals. But if he is wise he | will at least, take the trouble to try and understand ber. he will perceive that this j creature whom he has been content to regard as a rarsterv is no longer a mystery at all, and'he will realise that, while] woman on the defensive was both an enigma and a menace to him as a man and to the community at large, woman treated us his eoual in spiritual force, jn iot-Ul-geuee and power to achieve is a being to be developed to her utmost capacity. The realisation of truth and beauty in human life, tins glory of the world, the hope of the fuvirc lies, not in the dnmfn*- j tion of either sex. but in the cementing of I p common ideal between man and woman, in the development of a perfect sympathy between the two. an understanding of each other so complete, so clean and tmo j mid sincere as to make the one in very ] truth the complement of the other.