our androcentric culture-第30节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


country；　by　the　Woman's　Clubs。　　Little　groups　of　women；　drawing　together
in　human　relation；　at　first；　perhaps；　with　no　better　purpose　than　to
〃improve　their　minds；〃　have　grown　and　spread；　combined　and　federated；
and　in　their　great　reports；　representing　hundreds　of　thousands　of
womenwe　find　a　splendid　record　of　human　work。　　They　strive　always　to
improve　something；　to　take　care　of　something；　to　help　and　serve　and
benefit。　　In　〃village　improvement；〃　in　traveling　libraries；　in　lecture
courses　and　exhibitions；　in　promoting　good　legislation；　in　many　a　line
of　noble　effort　our　Women's　Clubs　show　what　women　want　to　do。

Men　do　not　have　to　do　these　things　through　their　clubs；　which　are　mainly
for　pleasure；　they　can　accomplish　what　they　wish　to　through　regular
channels。　　But　the　character　and　direction　of　the　influence　of　women　in
human　affairs　is　conclusively　established　by　the　things　they　already　do
and　try　to　do。　　In　those　countries；　and　in　our　own　states；　where　they
are　already　full　citizens；　the　legislation　introduced　and　promoted　by
them　is　of　the　same　beneficent　character。　　The　normal　woman　is　a　strong
creature；　loving　and　serviceable。　　The　kind　of　woman　men　are　afraid　to
entrust　with　political　power；　selfish；　idle；　over…sexed；　or　ignorant　and
narrow…minded；　is　not　normal；　but　is　the　creature　of　conditions　men　have
made。　　We　need　have　no　fear　of　her；　for　she　will　disappear　with　the
conditions　which　created　her。

In　older　days；　without　knowledge　of　the　natural　sciences；　we　accepted
life　as　static。　　If；　being　born　in　China；　we　grew　up　with　foot…bound
women；　we　assumed　that　women　were　such；　and　must　so　remain。　　Born　in
India；　we　accepted　the　child…wife；　the　pitiful　child…widow；　the　ecstatic
_suttee_；　as　natural　expressions　of　womanhood。　　In　each　age；　each
country；　we　have　assumed　life　to　be　necessarily　what　it　wasa　moveless
fact。

All　this　is　giving　way　fast　in　our　new　knowledge　of　the　laws　of　life。　
We　find　that　Growth　is　the　eternal　law；　and　that　even　rocks　are　slowly
changing。　　Human　life　is　seen　to　be　as　dynamic　as　any　other　form；　and
the　most　certain　thing　about　it　is　that　it　will　change。　　In　the　light　of
this　knowledge　we　need　no　longer　accept　the　load　of　what　we　call　〃sin；〃
the　grouped　misery　of　poverty；　disease　and　crime；　the　cumbrous；
inefficatious；　wasteful　processes　of　life　today；　as　needful　or
permanent。

We　have　but　to　learn　the　_real_　elements　in　humanity；　its　true　powers
and　natural　characteristics；　to　see　wherein　we　are　hampered　by　the　wrong
ideas　and　inherited　habits　of　earlier　generations；　and　break　loose　from
themthen　we　can　safely　and　swiftly　introduce　a　far　nobler　grade　of
living。

Of　all　crippling　hindrances　in　false　ideas；　we　have　none　more
universally　mischievous　than　this　root　error　about　men　and　women。　　Given
the　old　androcentric　theory；　and　we　have　an　androcentric　culturethe
kind　we　so　far　know；　this　short　stretch　we　call　〃history；〃　with　its
proud　and　pitiful　record。　　We　have　done　wonders　of　upward　growthfor
growth　is　the　main　law；　and　may　not　be　wholly　resisted。　　But　we　have
hindered；　perverted；　temporarily　checked　that　growth；　age　after　age；　and
again　and　again　has　a　given　nation；　far　advanced　and　promising；　sunk　to
ruin；　and　left　another　to　take　up　its　task　of　social　evolution；　repeat
its　errorsand　its　failure。

One　major　cause　of　the　decay　of　nations　is　〃the　social　evil〃a　thing
wholly　due　to　the　androcentric　culture。　　Another　steady　endless　check　is
warfaredue　to　the　same　cause。　　Largest　of　all　is　poverty；　that
spreading　disease　which　grows　with　our　social　growth　and　shows　most
horribly　when　and　where　we　are　most　proud；　keeping　step；　as　it　were；
with　private　wealth。　　This　too；　in　large　measure；　is　due　to　the　false
ideas　on　industry　and　economics；　based；　like　the　others　mentioned；　on　a
wholly　masculine　view　of　life。

By　changing　our　underlying　theory　in　this　matter　we　change　all　the
resultant　assumptions；　and　it　is　this　alteration　in　our　basic　theory　of
life　which　is　being　urged。

The　scope　and　purpose　of　human　life　is　entirely　above　and　beyond　the
field　of　sex　relationship。　　Women　are　human　beings；　as　much　as　men；　by
nature；　and　as　women；　are　even　more　sympathetic　with　human　processes。　
To　develop　human　life　in　its　true　powers　we　need　full　equal　citizenship
for　women。

The　great　woman's　movement　and　labor　movement　of　to…day　are　parts　of　the
same　pressure；　the　same　world…progress。　　An　economic　democracy　must　rest
on　a　free　womanhood；　and　a　free　womanhood　inevitably　leads　to　an
economic　democracy。






End