initial commit of ebook 18504HEADmain

9 files changed, 10885 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6833f05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+* text=auto
+*.txt text
+*.md text
diff --git a/18504-8.txt b/18504-8.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bf87ed0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18504-8.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3532 @@
+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Sex in Education, by Edward H. Clarke
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Sex in Education
+       or, A Fair Chance for Girls
+
+
+Author: Edward H. Clarke
+
+
+
+Release Date: June 5, 2006  [eBook #18504]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SEX IN EDUCATION***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Audrey Longhurst, Jeannie Howse, and the Project
+Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net/) from
+page images generously made available by the Home Economics Archive:
+Research, Tradition and History, Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell
+University (http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/)
+
+
+
+Note: Images of the original pages are available through the
+      Home Economics Archive: Research, Tradition and History,
+      Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell University. See
+      http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=hearth;idno=4765412
+
+
+
+      +------------------------------------------------------------+
+      | Transcriber's Notes:                                       |
+      |                                                            |
+      |    A number of obvious typographical errors have been      |
+      |    corrected in this text. For a complete list, please     |
+      |    see the end of this document.                           |
+      |                                                            |
+      |    This document has inconsistent hyphenation.             |
+      |                                                            |
+      |    Greek has been transliterated and marked with + marks   |
+      |                                                            |
+      +------------------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+
+SEX IN EDUCATION;
+
+Or, A Fair Chance for Girls.
+
+by
+
+EDWARD H. CLARKE, M.D.,
+
+Member of the Massachusetts Medical Society;
+Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences;
+Late Professor of Materia Medica in Harvard College,
+Etc., Etc.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Boston:
+James R. Osgood and Company,
+(Late Ticknor & Fields, and Fields, Osgood, & Co.)
+1875.
+Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by
+Edward H. Clarke,
+In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington
+Boston:
+Stereotyped and Printed by Rand, Avery, & Co.
+
+
+
+
+    "An American female constitution, which collapses just in the
+    middle third of life, and comes out vulcanized India-rubber,
+    if it happen to live through the period when health and
+    strength are most wanted."
+    OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES: _Autocrat of the Breakfast Table_.
+
+
+    "He reverenced and upheld, in every form in which it came
+    before him, _womanhood_.... What a woman should demand is
+    respect for her as she is a woman. Let her first lesson be,
+    with sweet Susan Winstanley, _to reverence her sex_."
+    CHARLES LAMB: _Essays of Elia_.
+
+
+    "We trust that the time now approaches when man's condition
+    shall be progressively improved by the force of reason and
+    truth, when the brute part of nature shall be crushed, that
+    the god-like spirit may unfold."
+    GUIZOT: _History of Civilization_, I., 34.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+PART I.
+
+INTRODUCTORY                                              11
+
+PART II.
+
+CHIEFLY PHYSIOLOGICAL                                     31
+
+PART III.
+
+CHIEFLY CLINICAL                                          61
+
+PART IV.
+
+CO-EDUCATION                                             118
+
+PART V.
+
+THE EUROPEAN WAY                                         162
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+About a year ago the author was honored by an invitation to address
+the New-England Women's Club in Boston. He accepted the invitation,
+and selected for his subject the relation of sex to the education of
+women. The essay excited an unexpected amount of discussion. Brief
+reports of it found their way into the public journals. Teachers and
+others interested in the education of girls, in different parts of the
+country, who read these reports, or heard of them, made inquiry, by
+letter or otherwise, respecting it. Various and conflicting criticisms
+were passed upon it. This manifestation of interest in a brief and
+unstudied lecture to a small club appeared to the author to indicate a
+general appreciation of the importance of the theme he had chosen,
+compelled him to review carefully the statements he had made, and has
+emboldened him to think that their publication in a more comprehensive
+form, with added physiological details and clinical illustrations,
+might contribute something, however little, to the cause of sound
+education. Moreover, his own conviction, not only of the importance of
+the subject, but of the soundness of the conclusions he has reached,
+and of the necessity of bringing physiological facts and laws
+prominently to the notice of all who are interested in education,
+conspires with the interest excited by the theme of his lecture to
+justify him in presenting these pages to the public. The leisure of
+his last professional vacation has been devoted to their preparation.
+The original address, with the exception of a few verbal alterations,
+is incorporated into them.
+
+Great plainness of speech will be observed throughout this essay. The
+nature of the subject it discusses, the general misapprehension both
+of the strong and weak points in the physiology of the woman question,
+and the ignorance displayed by many, of what the co-education of the
+sexes really means, all forbid that ambiguity of language or euphemism
+of expression should be employed in the discussion. The subject is
+treated solely from the standpoint of physiology. Technical terms
+have been employed, only where their use is more exact or less
+offensive than common ones.
+
+If the publication of this brief memoir does nothing more than excite
+discussion and stimulate investigation with regard to a matter of such
+vital moment to the nation as the relation of sex to education, the
+author will be amply repaid for the time and labor of its preparation.
+No one can appreciate more than he its imperfections. Notwithstanding
+these, he hopes a little good may be extracted from it, and so
+commends it to the consideration of all who desire the _best_
+education of the sexes.
+
+  BOSTON, 18 ARLINGTON STREET, October, 1873.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION.
+
+
+The demand for a second edition of this book in little more than a
+week after the publication of the first, indicates the interest which
+the public take in the relation of Sex to Education, and justifies the
+author in appealing to physiology and pathology for light upon the
+vexed question of the appropriate education of girls. Excepting a few
+verbal alterations, and the correction of a few typographical errors,
+there is no difference between this edition and the first. The author
+would have been glad to add to this edition a section upon the
+relation of sex to women's work in life, after their technical
+education is completed, but has not had time to do so.
+
+  BOSTON, 18 ARLINGTON STREET,
+      Nov. 8, 1873.
+
+
+
+
+NOTE TO THE FIFTH EDITION.
+
+
+The attention of the reader is called to the definition of "education"
+on the twentieth page. It is there stated, that, throughout this
+essay, education is not used in the limited sense of mental or
+intellectual training alone, but as comprehending the whole manner of
+life, physical and psychical, during the educational period; that is,
+following Worcester's comprehensive definition, as comprehending
+instruction, discipline, manners, and habits. This, of course,
+includes home-life and social life, as well as school-life; balls and
+parties, as well as books and recitations; walking and riding, as much
+as studying and sewing. When a remission or intermission is necessary,
+the parent must decide what part of education shall be remitted or
+omitted,--the walk, the ball, the school, the party, or all of these.
+None can doubt which will interfere most with Nature's laws,--four
+hours' dancing, or four hours' studying. These remarks may be
+unnecessary. They are made because some who have noticed this essay
+have spoken of it as if it treated only of the school, and seem to
+have forgotten the just and comprehensive signification in which
+education is used throughout this memoir. Moreover, it may be well to
+remind the reader, even at the risk of casting a reflection upon his
+intelligence, that, in these pages, the relation of sex to mature life
+is not discussed, except in a few passages, in which the large
+capacities and great power of woman are alluded to, provided the epoch
+of development is physiologically guided.
+
+
+
+
+SEX IN EDUCATION.
+
+
+PART I.
+
+INTRODUCTORY.
+
+    "Is there any thing better in a State than that both women and
+    men be rendered the very best? There is not."--PLATO.
+
+
+It is idle to say that what is right for man is wrong for woman. Pure
+reason, abstract right and wrong, have nothing to do with sex: they
+neither recognize nor know it. They teach that what is right or wrong
+for man is equally right and wrong for woman. Both sexes are bound by
+the same code of morals; both are amenable to the same divine law.
+Both have a right to do the best they can; or, to speak more justly,
+both should feel the duty, and have the opportunity, to do their
+best. Each must justify its existence by becoming a complete
+development of manhood and womanhood; and each should refuse whatever
+limits or dwarfs that development.
+
+The problem of woman's sphere, to use the modern phrase, is not to be
+solved by applying to it abstract principles of right and wrong. Its
+solution must be obtained from physiology, not from ethics or
+metaphysics. The question must be submitted to Agassiz and Huxley, not
+to Kant or Calvin, to Church or Pope. Without denying the self-evident
+proposition, that whatever a woman can do, she has a right to do, the
+question at once arises, What can she do? And this includes the
+further question, What can she best do? A girl can hold a plough, and
+ply a needle, after a fashion. If she can do both better than a man,
+she ought to be both farmer and seamstress; but if, on the whole, her
+husband can hold best the plough, and she ply best the needle, they
+should divide the labor. He should be master of the plough, and she
+mistress of the loom. The _quæstio vexata_ of woman's sphere will be
+decided by her organization. This limits her power, and reveals her
+divinely-appointed tasks, just as man's organization limits his power,
+and reveals his work. In the development of the organization is to be
+found the way of strength and power for both sexes. Limitation or
+abortion of development leads both to weakness and failure.
+
+Neither is there any such thing as inferiority or superiority in this
+matter. Man is not superior to woman, nor woman to man. The relation
+of the sexes is one of equality, not of better and worse, or of higher
+and lower. By this it is not intended to say that the sexes are the
+same. They are different, widely different from each other, and so
+different that each can do, in certain directions, what the other
+cannot; and in other directions, where both can do the same things,
+one sex, as a rule, can do them better than the other; and in still
+other matters they seem to be so nearly alike, that they can
+interchange labor without perceptible difference. All this is so well
+known, that it would be useless to refer to it, were it not that much
+of the discussion of the irrepressible woman-question, and many of the
+efforts for bettering her education and widening her sphere, seem to
+ignore any difference of the sexes; seem to treat her as if she were
+identical with man, and to be trained in precisely the same way; as if
+her organization, and consequently her function, were masculine, not
+feminine. There are those who write and act as if their object were to
+assimilate woman as much as possible to man, by dropping all that is
+distinctively feminine out of her, and putting into her as large an
+amount of masculineness as possible. These persons tacitly admit the
+error just alluded to, that woman is inferior to man, and strive to
+get rid of the inferiority by making her a man. There may be some
+subtle physiological basis for such views--some strange quality of
+brain; for some who hold and advocate them are of those, who, having
+missed the symmetry and organic balance that harmonious development
+yields, have drifted into an hermaphroditic condition. One of this
+class, who was glad to have escaped the chains of matrimony, but knew
+the value and lamented the loss of maternity, wished she had been born
+a widow with two children. These misconceptions arise from mistaking
+difference of organization and function for difference of position in
+the scale of being, which is equivalent to saying that man is rated
+higher in the divine order because he has more muscle, and woman lower
+because she has more fat. The loftiest ideal of humanity, rejecting
+all comparisons of inferiority and superiority between the sexes,
+demands that each shall be perfect in its kind, and not be hindered in
+its best work. The lily is not inferior to the rose, nor the oak
+superior to the clover: yet the glory of the lily is one, and the
+glory of the oak is another; and the use of the oak is not the use of
+the clover. That is poor horticulture which would train them all
+alike.
+
+When Col. Higginson asked, not long ago, in one of his charming
+essays, that almost persuade the reader, "Ought women to learn the
+alphabet?" and added, "Give woman, if you dare, the alphabet, then
+summon her to the career," his physiology was not equal to his wit.
+Women will learn the alphabet at any rate; and man will be powerless
+to prevent them, should he undertake so ungracious a task. The real
+question is not, _Shall_ women learn the alphabet? but _How_ shall
+they learn it? In this case, how is more important than ought or
+shall. The principle and duty are not denied. The method is not so
+plain.
+
+The fact that women have often equalled and sometimes excelled men in
+physical labor, intellectual effort, and lofty heroism, is sufficient
+proof that women have muscle, mind, and soul, as well as men; but it
+is no proof that they have had, or should have, the same kind of
+training; nor is it any proof that they are destined for the same
+career as men. The presumption is, that if woman, subjected to a
+masculine training, arranged for the development of a masculine
+organization, can equal man, she ought to excel him if educated by a
+feminine training, arranged to develop a feminine organization.
+Indeed, I have somewhere encountered an author who boldly affirms the
+superiority of women to all existences on this planet, because of the
+complexity of their organization. Without undertaking to indorse such
+an opinion, it may be affirmed, that an appropriate method of
+education for girls--one that should not ignore the mechanism of their
+bodies or blight any of their vital organs--would yield a better
+result than the world has yet seen.
+
+Gail Hamilton's statement is true, that, "a girl can go to school,
+pursue all the studies which Dr. Todd enumerates, except _ad
+infinitum_; know them, not as well as a chemist knows chemistry or a
+botanist botany, but as well as they are known by boys of her age and
+training, as well, indeed, as they are known by many college-taught
+men, enough, at least, to be a solace and a resource to her; then
+graduate before she is eighteen, and come out of school as healthy, as
+fresh, as eager, as she went in."[1] But it is not true that she can
+do all this, and retain uninjured health and a future secure from
+neuralgia, uterine disease, hysteria, and other derangements of the
+nervous system, if she follows the same method that boys are trained
+in. Boys must study and work in a boy's way, and girls in a girl's
+way. They may study the same books, and attain an equal result, but
+should not follow the same method. Mary can master Virgil and Euclid
+as well as George; but both will be dwarfed,--defrauded of their
+rightful attainment,--if both are confined to the same methods. It is
+said that Elena Cornaro, the accomplished professor of six languages,
+whose statue adorns and honors Padua, was educated like a boy. This
+means that she was initiated into, and mastered, the studies that were
+considered to be the peculiar dower of men. It does not mean that her
+life was a man's life, her way of study a man's way of study, or that,
+in acquiring six languages, she ignored her own organization. Women
+who choose to do so can master the humanities and the mathematics,
+encounter the labor of the law and the pulpit, endure the hardness of
+physic and the conflicts of politics; but they must do it all in
+woman's way, not in man's way. In all their work they must respect
+their own organization, and remain women, not strive to be men, or
+they will ignominiously fail. For both sexes, there is no exception to
+the law, that their greatest power and largest attainment lie in the
+perfect development of their organization. "Woman," says a late
+writer, "must be regarded as woman, not as a nondescript animal, with
+greater or less capacity for assimilation to man." If we would give
+our girls a fair chance, and see them become and do their best by
+reaching after and attaining an ideal beauty and power, which shall be
+a crown of glory and a tower of strength to the republic, we must look
+after their complete development as women. Wherein they are men, they
+should be educated as men; wherein they are women, they should be
+educated as women. The physiological motto is, Educate a man for
+manhood, a woman for womanhood, both for humanity. In this lies the
+hope of the race.
+
+Perhaps it should be mentioned in this connection, that, throughout
+this paper, education is not used in the limited and technical sense
+of intellectual or mental training alone. By saying there is a boy's
+way of study and a girl's way of study, it is not asserted that the
+intellectual process which masters Juvenal, German, or chemistry, is
+different for the two sexes. Education is here intended to include
+what its etymology indicates, the drawing out and development of every
+part of the system; and this necessarily includes the whole manner of
+life, physical and psychical, during the educational period.
+"Education," says Worcester, "comprehends all that series of
+instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the
+understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits, of
+youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations." It has
+been and is the misfortune of this country, and particularly of New
+England, that education, stripped of this, its proper signification,
+has popularly stood for studying, without regard to the physical
+training or no training that the schools afford. The cerebral
+processes by which the acquisition of knowledge is made are the same
+for each sex; but the mode of life which gives the finest nurture to
+the brain, and so enables those processes to yield their best result,
+is not the same for each sex. The best educational training for a boy
+is not the best for a girl, nor that for a girl best for a boy.
+
+The delicate bloom, early but rapidly fading beauty, and singular
+pallor of American girls and women have almost passed into a proverb.
+The first observation of a European that lands upon our shores is,
+that our women are a feeble race; and, if he is a physiological
+observer, he is sure to add, They will give birth to a feeble race,
+not of women only, but of men as well. "I never saw before so many
+pretty girls together," said Lady Amberley to the writer, after a
+visit to the public schools of Boston; and then added, "They all
+looked sick." Circumstances have repeatedly carried me to Europe,
+where I am always surprised by the red blood that fills and colors
+the faces of ladies and peasant girls, reminding one of the canvas of
+Rubens and Murillo; and am always equally surprised on my return, by
+crowds of pale, bloodless female faces, that suggest consumption,
+scrofula, anemia, and neuralgia. To a large extent, our present system
+of educating girls is the cause of this palor and weakness. How our
+schools, through their methods of education, contribute to this
+unfortunate result, and how our colleges that have undertaken to
+educate girls like boys, that is, in the same way, have succeeded in
+intensifying the evils of the schools, will be pointed out in another
+place.
+
+It has just been said that the educational methods of our schools and
+colleges for girls are, to a large extent, the cause of "the thousand
+ills" that beset American women. Let it be remembered that this is not
+asserting that such methods of education are the sole cause of female
+weaknesses, but only that they are one cause, and one of the most
+important causes of it. An immense loss of female power may be fairly
+charged to irrational cooking and indigestible diet. We live in the
+zone of perpetual pie and dough-nut; and our girls revel in those
+unassimilable abominations. Much also may be credited to artificial
+deformities strapped to the spine, or piled on the head, much to
+corsets and skirts, and as much to the omission of clothing where it
+is needed as to excess where the body does not require it; but, after
+the amplest allowance for these as causes of weakness, there remains a
+large margin of disease unaccounted for. Those grievous maladies which
+torture a woman's earthly existence, called leucorrhoea, amenorrhoea,
+dysmenorrhoea, chronic and acute ovaritis, prolapsus uteri, hysteria,
+neuralgia, and the like, are indirectly affected by food, clothing,
+and exercise; they are directly and largely affected by the causes
+that will be presently pointed out, and which arise from a neglect of
+the peculiarities of a woman's organization. The regimen of our
+schools fosters this neglect. The regimen of a college arranged for
+boys, if imposed on girls, would foster it still more.
+
+The scope of this paper does not permit the discussion of these other
+causes of female weaknesses. Its object is to call attention to the
+errors of physical training that have crept into, and twined
+themselves about, our ways of educating girls, both in public and
+private schools, and which now threaten to attain a larger
+development, and inflict a consequently greater injury, by their
+introduction into colleges and large seminaries of learning, that have
+adopted, or are preparing to adopt, the co-education of the sexes.
+Even if there were space to do so, it would not be necessary to
+discuss here the other causes alluded to. They are receiving the
+amplest attention elsewhere. The gifted authoress of "The Gates Ajar"
+has blown her trumpet with no uncertain sound, in explanation and
+advocacy of a new-clothes philosophy, which her sisters will do well
+to heed rather than to ridicule. It would be a blessing to the race,
+if some inspired prophet of clothes would appear, who should teach
+the coming woman how, in pharmaceutical phrase, to fit, put on, wear,
+and take off her dress,--
+
+    "Cito, Tuto, et Jucunde."
+
+Corsets that embrace the waist with a grip that tightens respiration
+into pain, and skirts that weight the hips with heavier than maternal
+burdens, have often caused grievous maladies, and imposed a needless
+invalidism. Yet, recognizing all this, it must not be forgotten that
+breeches do not make a man, nor the want of them unmake a woman.
+
+Let the statement be emphasized and reiterated until it is heeded,
+that woman's neglect of her own organization, though not the sole
+explanation and cause of her many weaknesses, more than any single
+cause, adds to their number, and intensifies their power. It limits
+and lowers her action very much, as man is limited and degraded by
+dissipation. The saddest part of it all is, that this neglect of
+herself in girlhood, when her organization is ductile and impressible,
+breeds the germs of diseases that in later life yield torturing or
+fatal maladies. Every physician's note-book affords copious
+illustrations of these statements. The number of them which the writer
+has seen prompted this imperfect essay upon a subject in which the
+public has a most vital interest, and with regard to which it acts
+with the courage of ignorance.
+
+Two considerations deserve to be mentioned in this connection. One is,
+that no organ or function in plant, animal, or human kind, can be
+properly regarded as a disability or source of weakness. Through
+ignorance or misdirection, it may limit or enfeeble the animal or
+being that misguides it; but, rightly guided and developed, it is
+either in itself a source of power and grace to its parent stock, or a
+necessary stage in the development of larger grace and power. The
+female organization is no exception to this law; nor are the
+particular set of organs and their functions with which this essay has
+to deal an exception to it. The periodical movements which
+characterize and influence woman's structure for more than half her
+terrestrial life, and which, in their ebb and flow, sway every fibre
+and thrill every nerve of her body a dozen times a year, and the
+occasional pregnancies which test her material resources, and cradle
+the race, are, or are evidently intended to be, fountains of power,
+not hinderances, to her. They are not infrequently spoken of by women
+themselves with half-smothered anathemas; often endured only as a
+necessary evil and sign of inferiority; and commonly ignored, till
+some steadily-advancing malady whips the recalcitrant sufferer into
+acknowledgment of their power, and respect for their function. All
+this is a sad mistake. It is a foolish and criminal delicacy that has
+persuaded woman to be so ashamed of the temple God built for her as to
+neglect one of its most important services. On account of this
+neglect, each succeeding generation, obedient to the law of hereditary
+transmission, has become feebler than its predecessor. Our
+great-grandmothers are pointed at as types of female physical
+excellence; their great-grand-daughters as illustrations of female
+physical degeneracy. There is consolation, however, in the hope, based
+on substantial physiological data, that our great-grand-daughters may
+recapture their ancestors' bloom and force. "Three generations of
+wholesome life," says Mr. Greg, "might suffice to eliminate the
+ancestral poison, for the _vis medicatrix naturæ_ has wonderful
+efficacy when allowed free play; and perhaps the time may come when
+the worst cases shall deem it a plain duty to curse no future
+generations with the _damnosa hereditas_, which has caused such bitter
+wretchedness to themselves."[2]
+
+The second consideration is the acknowledged influence of beauty.
+"When one sees a god-like countenance," said Socrates to Phædrus, "or
+some bodily form that represents beauty, he reverences it as a god,
+and would sacrifice to it." From the days of Plato till now, all have
+felt the power of woman's beauty, and been more than willing to
+sacrifice to it. The proper, not exclusive search for it is a
+legitimate inspiration. The way for a girl to obtain her portion of
+this radiant halo is by the symmetrical development of every part of
+her organization, muscle, ovary, stomach and nerve, and by a
+physiological management of every function that correlates every
+organ; not by neglecting or trying to stifle or abort any of the vital
+and integral parts of her structure, and supplying the deficiency by
+invoking the aid of the milliner's stuffing, the colorist's pencil,
+the druggist's compounds, the doctor's pelvic supporter, and the
+surgeon's spinal brace.
+
+When travelling in the East, some years ago, it was my fortune to be
+summoned as a physician into a harem. With curious and not unwilling
+step I obeyed the summons. While examining the patient, nearly a dozen
+Syrian girls--a grave Turk's wifely crowd, a result and illustration
+of Mohammedan female education--pressed around the divan with eyes and
+ears intent to see and hear a Western Hakim's medical examination. As
+I looked upon their well-developed forms, their brown skins, rich
+with the blood and sun of the East, and their unintelligent, sensuous
+faces, I thought that if it were possible to marry the Oriental care
+of woman's organization to the Western liberty and culture of her
+brain, there would be a new birth and loftier type of womanly grace
+and force.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] Woman's Wrongs, p. 59.
+
+[2] Enigmas of Life, p. 34.
+
+
+
+
+PART II.
+
+CHIEFLY PHYSIOLOGICAL.
+
+    "She girdeth her loins with strength."--SOLOMON.
+
+
+Before describing the special forms of ill that exist among our
+American, certainly among our New-England girls and women, and that
+are often caused and fostered by our methods of education and social
+customs, it is important to refer in considerable detail to a few
+physiological matters. Physiology serves to disclose the cause, and
+explain the _modus operandi_, of these ills, and offers the only
+rational clew to their prevention and relief. The order in which the
+physiological data are presented that bear upon this discussion is not
+essential; their relation to the subject matter of it will be obvious
+as we proceed.
+
+The sacred number, three, dominates the human frame. There is a
+trinity in our anatomy. Three systems, to which all the organs are
+directly or indirectly subsidiary, divide and control the body. First,
+there is the nutritive system, composed of stomach, intestines, liver,
+pancreas, glands, and vessels, by which food is elaborated, effete
+matter removed, the blood manufactured, and the whole organization
+nourished. This is the commissariat. Secondly, there is the nervous
+system, which co-ordinates all the organs and functions; which enables
+man to entertain relations with the world around him, and with his
+fellows; and through which intellectual power is manifested, and human
+thought and reason made possible. Thirdly, there is the reproductive
+system, by which the race is continued, and its grasp on the earth
+assured. The first two of these systems are alike in each sex. They
+are so alike, that they require a similar training in each, and yield
+in each a similar result. The machinery of them is the same. No
+scalpel has disclosed any difference between a man's and a woman's
+liver. No microscope has revealed any structure, fibre, or cell, in
+the brain of man or woman, that is not common to both. No analysis or
+dynamometer has discovered or measured any chemical action or
+nerve-force that stamps either of these systems as male or female.
+From these anatomical and physiological data alone, the inference is
+legitimate, that intellectual power, the correlation and measure of
+cerebral structure and metamorphosis, is capable of equal development
+in both sexes. With regard to the reproductive system, the case is
+altogether different. Woman, in the interest of the race, is dowered
+with a set of organs peculiar to herself, whose complexity, delicacy,
+sympathies, and force are among the marvels of creation. If properly
+nurtured and cared for, they are a source of strength and power to
+her. If neglected and mismanaged, they retaliate upon their possessor
+with weakness and disease, as well of the mind as of the body. God was
+not in error, when, after Eve's creation, he looked upon his work,
+and pronounced it good. Let Eve take a wise care of the temple God
+made for her, and Adam of the one made for him, and both will enter
+upon a career whose glory and beauty no seer has foretold or poet
+sung.
+
+Ever since the time of Hippocrates, woman has been physiologically
+described as enjoying, and has always recognized herself as enjoying,
+or at least as possessing, a tri-partite life. The first period
+extends from birth to about the age of twelve or fifteen years; the
+second, from the end of the first period to about the age of
+forty-five; and the third, from the last boundary to the final passage
+into the unknown. The few years that are necessary for the voyage from
+the first to the second period, and those from the second to the
+third, are justly called critical ones. Mothers are, or should be,
+wisely anxious about the first passage for their daughters, and women
+are often unduly apprehensive about the second passage for themselves.
+All this is obvious and known; and yet, in our educational
+arrangements, little heed is paid to the fact, that the first of
+these critical voyages is made during a girl's educational life, and
+extends over a very considerable portion of it.
+
+This brief statement only hints at the vital physiological truths it
+contains: it does not disclose them. Let us look at some of them a
+moment. Remember, that we are now concerned only with the first of
+these passages, that from a girl's childhood to her maturity. In
+childhood, boys and girls are very nearly alike. If they are natural,
+they talk and romp, chase butterflies and climb fences, love and hate,
+with an innocent _abandon_ that is ignorant of sex. Yet even then the
+difference is apparent to the observing. Inspired by the divine
+instinct of motherhood, the girl that can only creep to her mother's
+knees will caress a doll, that her tottling brother looks coldly upon.
+The infant Achilles breaks the thin disguise of his gown and sleeves
+by dropping the distaff, and grasping the sword. As maturity
+approaches, the sexes diverge. An unmistakable difference marks the
+form and features of each, and reveals the demand for a special
+training. This divergence, however, is limited in its sweep and its
+duration. The difference exists for a definite purpose, and goes only
+to a definite extent. The curves of separation swell out as childhood
+recedes, like an ellipse, and, as old age draws on, approach, till
+they unite like an ellipse again. In old age, the second childhood,
+the difference of sex becomes of as little note as it was during the
+first. At that period, the picture of the
+
+         "Lean and slippered pantaloon,
+    With spectacles on nose, and pouch on side,
+           *       *       *       *       *
+    Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans every thing,"
+
+is faithful to either sex. Not as man or woman, but as a sexless
+being, does advanced age enter and pass the portals of what is called
+death.
+
+During the first of these critical periods, when the divergence of the
+sexes becomes obvious to the most careless observer, the complicated
+apparatus peculiar to the female enters upon a condition of functional
+activity. "The ovaries, which constitute," says Dr. Dalton, "the
+'essential parts'[3] of this apparatus, and certain accessory organs,
+are now rapidly developed." Previously they were inactive. During
+infancy and childhood all of them existed, or rather all the germs of
+them existed; but they were incapable of function. At this period they
+take on a process of rapid growth and development. Coincident with
+this process, indicating it, and essential to it, are the periodical
+phenomena which characterize woman's physique till she attains the
+third division of her tripartite life. The growth of this peculiar and
+marvellous apparatus, in the perfect development of which humanity has
+so large an interest, occurs during the few years of a girl's
+educational life. No such extraordinary task, calling for such rapid
+expenditure of force, building up such a delicate and extensive
+mechanism within the organism,--a house within a house, an engine
+within an engine,--is imposed upon the male physique at the same
+epoch.[4] The organization of the male grows steadily, gradually, and
+equally, from birth to maturity. The importance of having our methods
+of female education recognize this peculiar demand for growth, and of
+so adjusting themselves to it, as to allow a sufficient opportunity
+for the healthy development of the ovaries and their accessory organs,
+and for the establishment of their periodical functions, cannot be
+overestimated. Moreover, unless the work is accomplished at that
+period, unless the reproductive mechanism is built and put in good
+working order at that time, it is never perfectly accomplished
+afterwards. "It is not enough," says Dr. Charles West, the
+accomplished London physician, and lecturer on diseases of women, "it
+is not enough to take precautions till menstruation has for the first
+time occurred: the period for its return should, even in the
+healthiest girl, be watched for, and all previous precautions should
+be once more repeated; and this should be done again and again, until
+at length the _habit_ of regular, healthy menstruation is established.
+If this be not accomplished during the first few years of womanhood,
+it will, in all probability, never be attained."[5] There have been
+instances, and I have seen such, of females in whom the special
+mechanism we are speaking of remained germinal,--undeveloped. It
+seemed to have been aborted. They graduated from school or college
+excellent scholars, but with undeveloped ovaries. Later they married,
+and were sterile.[6]
+
+The system never does two things well at the same time. The muscles
+and the brain cannot _functionate_ in their best way at the same
+moment. One cannot meditate a poem and drive a saw simultaneously,
+without dividing his force. He may poetize fairly, and saw poorly; or
+he may saw fairly, and poetize poorly; or he may both saw and poetize
+indifferently. Brain-work and stomach-work interfere with each other
+if attempted together. The digestion of a dinner calls force to the
+stomach, and temporarily slows the brain. The experiment of trying to
+digest a hearty supper, and to sleep during the process, has sometimes
+cost the careless experimenter his life. The physiological principle
+of doing only one thing at a time, if you would do it well, holds as
+truly of the growth of the organization as it does of the performance
+of any of its special functions. If excessive labor, either mental or
+physical, is imposed upon children, male or female, their development
+will be in some way checked. If the schoolmaster overworks the brains
+of his pupils, he diverts force to the brain that is needed elsewhere.
+He spends in the study of geography and arithmetic, of Latin, Greek
+and chemistry, in the brain-work of the school room, force that should
+have been spent in the manufacture of blood, muscle, and nerve, that
+is, in growth. The results are monstrous brains and puny bodies;
+abnormally active cerebration, and abnormally weak digestion; flowing
+thought and constipated bowels; lofty aspirations and neuralgic
+sensations;
+
+    "A youth of study an old age of _nerves_."
+
+Nature has reserved the catamenial week for the process of ovulation,
+and for the development and perfectation of the reproductive system.
+Previously to the age of eighteen or twenty, opportunity must be
+periodically allowed for the accomplishment of this task. Both
+muscular and brain labor must be remitted enough to yield sufficient
+force for the work. If the reproductive machinery is not manufactured
+then, it will not be later. If it is imperfectly made then, it can
+only be patched up, not made perfect, afterwards. To be well made, it
+must be carefully managed. Force must be allowed to flow thither in an
+ample stream, and not diverted to the brain by the school, or to the
+arms by the factory, or to the feet by dancing. "Every physician,"
+says a recent writer, "can point to students whose splendid cerebral
+development has been paid for by emaciated limbs, enfeebled digestion,
+and disordered lungs. Every biography of the intellectual great
+records the dangers they have encountered, often those to which they
+have succumbed, in overstepping the ordinary bounds of human capacity;
+and while beckoning onward to the glories of their almost
+preternatural achievements, register, by way of warning, the fearful
+penalty of disease, suffering, and bodily infirmity, which Nature
+exacts as the price for this partial and inharmonious grandeur. It
+cannot be otherwise. The brain cannot take more than its share without
+injury to other organs. It cannot _do_ more than its share without
+depriving other organs of that exercise and nourishment which are
+essential to their health and vigor. It is in the power of the
+individual to throw, as it were, the whole vigor of the constitution
+into any one part, and, by giving to this part exclusive or excessive
+attention, to develop it at the expense, and to the neglect, of the
+others."[7]
+
+In the system of lichens, Nylander reckons all organs of equal
+value.[8] No one of them can be neglected without evil to the whole
+organization. From lichens to men and women there is no exception to
+the law, that, if one member suffers, all the members suffer. What is
+true of the neglect of a single organ, is true in a geometrical ratio
+of the neglect of a system of organs. If the nutritive system is
+wrong, the evil of poor nourishment and bad assimilation infects the
+whole economy. Brain and thought are enfeebled, because the stomach
+and liver are in error. If the nervous system is abnormally developed,
+every organ feels the _twist_ in the nerves. The balance and
+co-ordination of movement and function are destroyed, and the ill
+percolates into an unhappy posterity. If the reproductive system is
+aborted, there may be no future generations to pay the penalty of the
+abortion, but what is left of the organism suffers sadly. When this
+sort of arrest of development occurs in a man, it takes the element of
+masculineness out of him, and replaces it with adipose effeminacy.
+When it occurs in a woman, it not only substitutes in her case a wiry
+and perhaps thin bearded masculineness for distinctive feminine traits
+and power, making her an epicene, but it entails a variety of
+prolonged weaknesses, that dwarf her rightful power in almost every
+direction. The persistent neglect and ignoring by women, and
+especially by girls, ignorantly more than wilfully, of that part of
+their organization which they hold in trust for the future of the
+race, has been fearfully punished here in America, where, of all the
+world, they are least trammelled and should be the best, by all sorts
+of female troubles. "Nature," says Lord Bacon, "is often hidden,
+sometimes overcome, seldom extinguished." In the education of our
+girls, the attempt to hide or overcome nature by training them as boys
+has almost extinguished them as girls. Let the fact be accepted, that
+there is nothing to be ashamed of in a woman's organization, and let
+her whole education and life be guided by the divine requirements of
+her system.
+
+The blood, which is our life, is a complex fluid. It contains the
+materials out of which the tissues are made, and also the _débris_
+which results from the destruction of the same tissues,--the worn-out
+cells of brain and muscle,--the cast-off clothes of emotion, thought,
+and power. It is a common carrier, conveying unceasingly to every
+gland and tissue, to every nerve and organ, the fibrin and albumen
+which repair their constant waste, thus supplying their daily bread;
+and as unceasingly conveying away from every gland and tissue, from
+every nerve and organ, the oxidized refuse, which are both the result
+and measure of their work. Like the water flowing through the canals
+of Venice, that carries health and wealth to the portals of every
+house, and filth and disease from every doorway, the blood flowing
+through the canals of the organization carries nutriment to all the
+tissues, and refuse from them. Its current sweeps nourishment in, and
+waste out. The former, it yields to the body for assimilation; the
+latter, it deposits with the organs of elimination for rejection. In
+order to have good blood, then, two things are essential: first, a
+regular and sufficient supply of nutriment, and, secondly, an equally
+regular and sufficient removal of waste. Insufficient nourishment
+starves the blood; insufficient elimination poisons it. A wise
+housekeeper will look as carefully after the condition of his drains
+as after the quality of his food.
+
+The principal organs of elimination, common to both sexes, are the
+bowels, kidneys, lungs, and skin. A neglect of their functions is
+punished in each alike. To woman is intrusted the exclusive management
+of another process of elimination, viz., the catamenial function.
+This, using the blood for its channel of operation, performs, like the
+blood, double duty. It is necessary to ovulation, and to the integrity
+of every part of the reproductive apparatus; it also serves as a means
+of elimination for the blood itself. A careless management of this
+function, at any period of life during its existence, is apt to be
+followed by consequences that may be serious; but a neglect of it
+during the epoch of development, that is, from the age of fourteen to
+eighteen or twenty, not only produces great evil at the time of the
+neglect, but leaves a large legacy of evil to the future. The system
+is then peculiarly susceptible; and disturbances of the delicate
+mechanism we are considering, induced during the catamenial weeks of
+that critical age by constrained positions, muscular effort, brain
+work, and all forms of mental and physical excitement, germinate a
+host of ills. Sometimes these causes, which pervade more or less the
+methods of instruction in our public and private schools, which our
+social customs ignore, and to which operatives of all sorts pay little
+heed, produce an excessive performance of the catamenial function; and
+this is equivalent to a periodical hemorrhage. Sometimes they produce
+an insufficient performance of it; and this, by closing an avenue of
+elimination, poisons the blood, and depraves the organization. The
+host of ills thus induced are known to physicians and to the sufferers
+as amenorrhoea, menorrhagia, dysmenorrhoea, hysteria, anemia, chorea,
+and the like. Some of these fasten themselves on their victim for a
+lifetime, and some are shaken off. Now and then they lead to an
+abortion of the function, and consequent sterility. Fortunate is the
+girls' school or college that does not furnish abundant examples of
+these sad cases. The more completely any such school or college
+succeeds, while adopting every detail and method of a boy's school,
+in ignoring and neglecting the physiological conditions of sexual
+development, the larger will be the number of these pathological cases
+among its graduates. Clinical illustrations of these statements will
+be given in another place.
+
+The mysterious process which physiologists call metamorphosis of
+tissue, or intestitial change, deserves attention in connection with
+our subject. It interests both sexes alike. Unless it goes on
+normally, neither boys, girls, men, nor women, can have bodies or
+brains worth talking about. It is a process, without which not a step
+can be taken, or muscle moved, or food digested, or nutriment
+assimilated, or any function, physical or mental, performed. By its
+aid, growth and development are carried on. Youth, maturity, and old
+age result from changes in its character. It is alike the support and
+the guide of health convalescence, and disease. It is the means by
+which, in the human system, force is developed, and growth and decay
+rendered possible. The process, in itself, is one of the simplest. It
+is merely the replacing of one microscopic cell by another; and yet
+upon this simple process hang the issues of life and death, of thought
+and power.
+
+Carpenter, in his physiology, reports the discovery, which we owe to
+German investigation, "that the whole structure originates in a single
+cell; that this cell gives birth to others, analogous to itself, and
+these again to many future generations; and that all the varied
+tissues of the animal body are developed from cells."[9] A more recent
+writer adds, "In the higher animals and plants, we are presented with
+structures which may be regarded as essentially aggregates of cells;
+and there is now a physiological division of labor, some of the cells
+being concerned with the nutriment of the organism, whilst others are
+set apart, and dedicated to the function of reproduction. Every cell
+in such an aggregate leads a life, which, in a certain limited sense,
+may be said to be independent; and each discharges its own function in
+the general economy. Each cell has a period of development, growth,
+and active life, and each ultimately perishes; the life of the
+organism not only not depending upon the life of its elemental
+factors, but actually being kept up by their constant destruction and
+as constant renewal."[10] Growth, health, and disease are cellular
+manifestations. With every act of life, the movement of a finger, the
+pulsation of a heart, the uttering of a word, the coining of a
+thought, the thrill of an emotion, there is the destruction of a
+certain number of cells. Their destruction evolves or sets free the
+force that we recognize as movement, speech, thought, and emotion. The
+number of cells destroyed depends upon the intensity and duration of
+the effort that correlates their destruction. When a blacksmith wields
+a hammer for an hour, he uses up the number of cells necessary to
+yield that amount of muscular force. When a girl studies Latin for an
+hour, she uses up the number of brain-cells necessary to yield that
+amount of intellectual force. As fast as one cell is destroyed,
+another is generated. The death of one is followed instantly by the
+birth of its successor. This continual process of cellular death and
+birth, the income and outgo of cells, that follow each other like the
+waves of the sea, each different yet each the same, is metamorphosis
+of tissue. This is life. It corresponds very nearly to Bichat's
+definition that, "life is organization in action." The finer sense of
+Shakspeare dictated a truer definition than the science of the French
+physiologist,--
+
+                "What's yet in this
+That bears the name of life? Yet in this life
+Lie hid more thousand deaths."
+
+    _Measure for Measure_, Act iii. Scene 1.
+
+No physical or psychical act is possible without this change. It is a
+process of continual waste and repair. Subject to its inevitable
+power, the organization is continually wasting away and continually
+being repaired.
+
+The old notion that our bodies are changed every seven years, science
+has long since exploded. "The matter," said Mr. John Goodsir, "of the
+organized frame to its minutest parts is in a continual flux." Our
+bodies are never the same for any two successive days. The feet that
+Mary shall dance with next Christmas Eve will not be the same feet
+that bore her triumphantly through the previous Christmas holidays.
+The brain that she learns German with to-day does not contain a cell
+in its convolutions that was spent in studying French one year ago.
+Whether her present feet can dance better or worse than those of a
+year ago, and whether her present brain can _do_ more or less German
+and French than the one of the year before, depends upon how she has
+used her feet and brain during the intervening time, that is, upon the
+metamorphosis of her tissue.
+
+From birth to adult age, the cells of muscle, organ, and brain that
+are spent in the activities of life, such as digesting, growing,
+studying, playing, working, and the like, are replaced by others of
+better quality and larger number. At least, such is the case where
+metamorphosis is permitted to go on normally. The result is growth and
+development. This growing period or formative epoch extends from birth
+to the age of twenty or twenty-five years. Its duration is shorter for
+a girl than for a boy. She ripens quicker than he. In the four years
+from fourteen to eighteen, she accomplishes an amount of physiological
+cell change and growth which Nature does not require of a boy in less
+than twice that number of years. It is obvious, that to secure the
+best kind of growth during this period, and the best development at
+the end of it, the waste of tissue produced by study, work, and
+fashion must not be so great that repair will only equal it. It is
+equally obvious that a girl upon whom Nature, for a limited period and
+for a definite purpose, imposes so great a physiological task, will
+not have as much power left for the tasks of the school, as the boy of
+whom Nature requires less at the corresponding epoch. A margin must
+be allowed for growth. The repair must be greater and better than the
+waste.
+
+During middle age, life's active period, there is an equilibrium
+between the body's waste and repair: one equals the other. The
+machine, when properly managed, then holds its own. A French
+physiologist fixes the close of this period for the ideal man of the
+future at eighty, when, he says, old age begins. Few have such
+inherited power, and live with such physiological wisdom, as to keep
+their machine in good repair,--in good working-order,--to that late
+period. From the age of twenty-five or thirty, however, to that of
+sixty or sixty-five, this equilibrium occurs. Repair then equals
+waste; reconstruction equals destruction. The female organization,
+like the male, is now developed: its tissues are consolidated; its
+functions are established. With decent care, it can perform an immense
+amount of physical and mental labor. It is now capable of its best
+work. But, in order to do its best, it must obey the law of
+periodicity; just as the male organization, to do its best, must obey
+the law of sustained effort.
+
+When old age begins, whether, normally, at seventy or eighty, or,
+prematurely, at fifty or thirty, repair does not equal waste, and
+degeneration of tissue results. More cells are destroyed by wear and
+tear than are made up from nutriment. The friction of the machine rubs
+the stuff of life away faster than it can be replaced. The muscles
+stiffen, the hair turns white, the joints crack, the arteries ossify,
+the nerve-centres harden or soften: all sorts of degeneration creep on
+till death appears,--_Mors janua vitæ._ There the curves unite, and
+men and women are alike again.
+
+Sleep, whose inventor received the benediction of Sancho Panza, and
+whose power Dryden apostrophized,--
+
+
+              "Of all the powers the best:
+    Oh! peace of mind, repairer of decay,
+    Whose balm renews the limbs to labor of the day,"--
+
+is a most important physiological factor. Our schools are as apt in
+frightening it away as our churches are in inviting it. Sleep is the
+opportunity for repair. During its hours of quiet rest, when muscular
+and nervous effort are stilled, millions of microscopic cells are busy
+in the penetralia of the organism, like coral insects in the depths of
+the sea, repairing the waste which the day's study and work have
+caused. Dr. B.W. Richardson of London, one of the most ingenious and
+accomplished physiologists of the present day, describes the labor of
+sleep in the following language: "During this period of natural sleep,
+the most important changes of nutrition are in progress: the body is
+renovating, and, if young, is actually growing. If the body be
+properly covered, the animal heat is being conserved, and laid up for
+expenditure during the waking hours that are to follow; the
+respiration is reduced, the inspirations being lessened in the
+proportion of six to seven, as compared with the number made when the
+body is awake; the action of the heart is reduced; the voluntary
+muscles, relieved of all fatigue, and with the extensors more relaxed
+than the flexors, are undergoing repair of structure, and recruiting
+their excitability; and the voluntary nervous system, dead for the
+time to the external vibration, or, as the older men called it,
+'stimulus' from without, is also undergoing rest and repair, so that,
+when it comes again into work, it may receive better the impressions
+it may have to gather up, and influence more effectively the muscles
+it may be called upon to animate, direct, control."[11] An American
+observer and physiologist, Dr. William A. Hammond, confirms the views
+of his English colleague. He tells us that "the state of general
+repose which accompanies sleep is of especial value to the organism,
+in allowing the nutrition of the nervous tissue to go on at a greater
+rate than its destructive metamorphosis." In another place he adds,
+"For the brain, there is no rest except during sleep." And, again, he
+says, "The more active the mind, the greater the necessity for sleep;
+just as with a steamer, the greater the number of revolutions its
+engine makes, the more imperative is the demand for fuel."[12] These
+statements justify and explain the instinctive demand for sleep. They
+also show why it is that infants require more sleep than children, and
+children than middle-age folk, and middle-age folk than old people.
+Infants must have sleep for repair and rapid growth; children, for
+repair and moderate growth; middle-age folk, for repair without
+growth; and old people, only for the minimum of repair. Girls, between
+the ages of fourteen and eighteen, must have sleep, not only for
+repair and growth, like boys, but for the additional task of
+constructing, or, more properly speaking, of developing and perfecting
+then, a reproductive system,--the engine within an engine. The bearing
+of this physiological fact upon education is obvious. Work of the
+school is work of the brain. Work of the brain eats the brain away.
+Sleep is the chance and laboratory of repair. If a child's brain-work
+and sleep are normally proportioned to each other, each night will
+more than make good each day's loss. Clear heads will greet each
+welcome morn. But if the reverse occurs, the night will not repair the
+day; and aching heads will signalize the advance of neuralgia,
+tubercle, and disease. So Nature punishes disobedience.
+
+It is apparent, from these physiological considerations, that, in
+order to give girls a fair chance in education, four conditions at
+least must be observed: first, a sufficient supply of appropriate
+nutriment; secondly, a normal management of the catamenial functions,
+including the building of the reproductive apparatus; thirdly, mental
+and physical work so apportioned, that repair shall exceed waste, and
+a margin be left for general and sexual development; and fourthly,
+sufficient sleep. Evidence of the results brought about by a disregard
+of these conditions will next be given.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[3] Human Physiology, p. 546.
+
+[4] As might be expected, the mortality of girls is greater at this
+period than that of boys, an additional reason for imposing less labor
+on the former at that time. According to the authority of MM. Quetelet
+and Smits, the mortality of the two sexes is equal in childhood, or
+that of the male is greatest; but that of the female rises between the
+ages of fourteen and sixteen to 1.28 to one male death. For the next
+four years, it falls again to 1.05 females to one male death.--_Sur la
+Reproduction et la Mortalité de l'Homme. 8vo. Bruxelles._
+
+[5] Lectures on Diseases of Women. Am. ed., p. 48.
+
+[6] "Much less uncommon than the absence of either ovary is the
+persistence of both through the whole or greater part of life in the
+condition which they present in infancy and early childhood, with
+scarcely a trace of graafian vesicles in their tissue. This want of
+development of the ovaries is generally, though not invariably,
+associated with want of development of the uterus and other sexual
+organs; and I need not say that women in whom it exists are
+sterile."--_Lectures on the Diseases of Women, by Charles West, M.D.
+Am. ed., p. 37._
+
+[7] Enigmas of Life, pp. 165-8.
+
+[8] Tuckerman's Genera Lichenum, Introduction, p. v.
+
+[9] Carpenter's Human Physiology, p. 455.
+
+[10] Nicholson, Study of Biology, p. 79.
+
+[11] Popular Science Monthly, August, 1872, p. 411.
+
+[12] Sleep and its Derangements, pp. 9, 10, 13.
+
+
+
+
+PART III.
+
+CHIEFLY CLINICAL.
+
+    "Et l'on nous persuadera difficilement que lorsque les hommes
+    ont tant de peine à être hommes, les femmes puissent, tout en
+    restant femmes, devenir hommes aussi, mettant ainsi la main
+    sur les deux rôles, exerçant la double mission, résumant le
+    double caractère de l'humanité! Nous perdrons la femme, et
+    nous n'aurons pas l'homme. Voila ce qui nous arrivera. On nous
+    donnera ce quelque chose de monstreux, cet être répugnant, qui
+    déjà parait à notre horizon."--LE COMTE A. DE GASPARIN.
+
+    "Facts given in evidence are premises from which a conclusion
+    is to be drawn. The first step in the exercise of this duty is
+    to acquire a belief of the truth of the facts."--RAM,
+    _on Facts_.
+
+
+Clinical observation confirms the teachings of physiology. The sick
+chamber, not the schoolroom; the physician's private consultation, not
+the committee's public examination; the hospital, not the college,
+the workshop, or the parlor,--disclose the sad results which modern
+social customs, modern education, and modern ways of labor, have
+entailed on women. Examples of them may be found in every walk of
+life. On the luxurious couches of Beacon Street; in the palaces of
+Fifth Avenue; among the classes of our private, common, and normal
+schools; among the female graduates of our colleges; behind the
+counters of Washington Street and Broadway; in our factories,
+workshops, and homes,--may be found numberless pale, weak, neuralgic,
+dyspeptic, hysterical, menorrhagic, dysmenorrhoeic girls and women,
+that are living illustrations of the truth of this brief monograph. It
+is not asserted here that improper methods of study, and a disregard
+of the reproductive apparatus and its functions, during the
+educational life of girls, are the sole causes of female diseases;
+neither is it asserted that all the female graduates of our schools
+and colleges are pathological specimens. But it is asserted that the
+number of these graduates who have been permanently disabled to a
+greater or less degree by these causes is so great, as to excite the
+gravest alarm, and to demand the serious attention of the community.
+If these causes should continue for the next half-century, and
+increase in the same ratio as they have for the last fifty years, it
+requires no prophet to foretell that the wives who are to be mothers
+in our republic must be drawn from trans-atlantic homes. The sons of
+the New World will have to re-act, on a magnificent scale, the old
+story of unwived Rome and the Sabines.
+
+We have previously seen that the blood is the life, and that the loss
+of it is the loss of so much life. Deluded by strange theories, and
+groping in physiological darkness, our fathers' physicians were too
+often Sangrados. Nourishing food, pure air, and hæmatized blood were
+stigmatized as the friends of disease and the enemies of
+convalescence. Oxygen was shut out from and carbonic acid shut into
+the chambers of phthisis and fever; and veins were opened, that the
+currents of blood and disease might flow out together. Happily, those
+days of ignorance, which God winked at, and which the race survived,
+have passed by. Air and food and blood are recognized as Nature's
+restoratives. No physician would dare, nowadays, to bleed either man
+or woman once a month, year in and year out, for a quarter of a
+century continuously. But girls often have the courage, or the
+ignorance, to do this to themselves. And the worst of it is, that the
+organization of our schools and workshops, and the demands of social
+life and polite society, encourage them in this slow suicide. It has
+already been stated that the excretory organs, by constantly
+eliminating from the system its effete and used material, the measure
+and source of its force, keep the machine in clean, healthy, and
+working order, and that the reproductive apparatus of woman uses the
+blood as one of its agents of elimination. Kept within natural limits,
+this elimination is a source of strength, a perpetual fountain of
+health, a constant renewal of life. Beyond these limits it is a
+hemorrhage, that, by draining away the life, becomes a source of
+weakness and a perpetual fountain of disease.
+
+The following case illustrates one of the ways in which our present
+school methods of teaching girls generate a menorrhagia and its
+consequent evils. Miss A----, a healthy, bright, intelligent girl,
+entered a female school, an institution that is commonly but oddly
+called a _seminary_ for girls, in the State of New York, at the age of
+fifteen. She was then sufficiently well-developed, and had a good
+color; all the functions appeared to act normally, and the catamenia
+were fairly established. She was ambitious as well as capable, and
+aimed to be among the first in the school. Her temperament was what
+physiologists call nervous,--an expression that does not denote a
+fidgety make, but refers to a relative activity of the nervous system.
+She was always anxious about her recitations. No matter how carefully
+she prepared for them, she was ever fearful lest she should trip a
+little, and appear to less advantage than she hoped. She went to
+school regularly every week, and every day of the school year, just as
+boys do. She paid no more attention to the periodical tides of her
+organization than her companions; and that was none at all. She
+recited standing at all times, or at least whenever a standing
+recitation was the order of the hour. She soon found, and this history
+is taken from her own lips, that for a few days during every fourth
+week, the effort of reciting produced an extraordinary physical
+result. The attendant anxiety and excitement relaxed the sluices of
+the system that were already physiologically open, and determined a
+hemorrhage as the concomitant of a recitation. Subjected to the
+inflexible rules of the school, unwilling to seek advice from any one,
+almost ashamed of her own physique, she ingeniously protected herself
+against exposure, and went on intellectually leading her companions,
+and physically defying nature. At the end of a year, she went home
+with a gratifying report from her teachers, and pale cheeks and a
+variety of aches. Her parents were pleased, and perhaps a little
+anxious. She is a good scholar, said her father; somewhat over-worked
+possibly; and so he gave her a trip among the mountains, and a week or
+two at the seashore. After her vacation she returned to school, and
+repeated the previous year's experience,--constant, sustained work,
+recitation and study for all days alike, a hemorrhage once a month
+that would make the stroke oar of the University crew falter, and a
+brilliant scholar. Before the expiration of the second year, Nature
+began to assert her authority. The paleness of Miss A's complexion
+increased. An unaccountable and uncontrollable twitching of a
+rhythmical sort got into the muscles of her face, and made her hands
+go and feet jump. She was sent home, and her physician called, who at
+once diagnosticated chorea (St. Vitus' dance), and said she had
+studied too hard, and wisely prescribed no study and a long vacation.
+Her parents took her to Europe. A year of the sea and the Alps, of
+England and the Continent, the Rhine and Italy, worked like a charm.
+The sluiceways were controlled, the blood saved, and color and health
+returned. She came back seemingly well, and at the age of eighteen
+went to her old school once more. During all this time not a word had
+been said to her by her parents, her physician, or her teachers, about
+any periodical care of herself; and the rules of the school did not
+acknowledge the catamenia. The labor and regimen of the school soon
+brought on the old menorrhagic trouble in the old way, with the
+addition of occasional faintings to emphasize Nature's warnings. She
+persisted in getting her education, however, and graduated at
+nineteen, the first scholar, and an invalid. Again her parents were
+gratified and anxious. She is overworked, said they, and wondered why
+girls break down so. To insure her recovery, a second and longer
+travel was undertaken. Egypt and Asia were added to Europe, and nearly
+two years were allotted to the cure. With change of air and scene her
+health improved, but not so rapidly as with the previous journey. She
+returned to America better than she went away, and married at the age
+of twenty-two. Soon after that time she consulted the writer on
+account of prolonged dyspepsia, neuralgia, and dysmenorrhoea, which
+had replaced menorrhagia. Then I learned the long history of her
+education, and of her efforts to study just as boys do. Her attention
+had never been called before to the danger she had incurred while at
+school. She is now what is called getting better, but has the delicacy
+and weaknesses of American women, and, so far, is without children.
+
+It is not difficult, in this case, either to discern the cause of the
+trouble, or to trace its influence, through the varying phases of
+disease, from Miss A----'s school-days, to her matronly life. She was
+well, and would have been called robust, up to her first critical
+period. She then had two tasks imposed upon her at once, both of which
+required for their perfect accomplishment a few years of time and a
+large share of vital force: one was the education of the brain, the
+other of the reproductive system. The schoolmaster superintended the
+first, and Nature the second. The school, with puritanic
+inflexibility, demanded every day of the month; Nature, kinder than
+the school, demanded less than a fourth of the time,--a seventh or an
+eighth of it would have probably answered. The schoolmaster might have
+yielded somewhat, but would not; Nature could not. The pupil,
+therefore, was compelled to undertake both tasks at the same time.
+Ambitious, earnest, and conscientious, she obeyed the visible power
+and authority of the school, and disobeyed, or rather ignorantly
+sought to evade, the invisible power and authority of her
+organization. She put her will into the education of her brain, and
+withdrew it from elsewhere. The system does not do two things well at
+the same time. One or the other suffers from neglect, when the attempt
+is made. Miss A---- made her brain and muscles work actively, and
+diverted blood and force to them when her organization demanded
+active work, with blood and force for evolution in another region. At
+first the schoolmaster seemed to be successful. He not only made his
+pupil's brain manipulate Latin, chemistry, philosophy, geography,
+grammar, arithmetic, music, French, German, and the whole
+extraordinary catalogue of an American young lady's school curriculum,
+with acrobatic skill; but he made her do this irrespective of the
+periodical tides of her organism, and made her perform her
+intellectual and muscular calisthenics, obliging her to stand, walk,
+and recite, at the seasons of highest tide. For a while she got on
+nicely. Presently, however, the strength of the loins, that even
+Solomon put in as a part of his ideal woman, changed to weakness.
+Periodical hemorrhages were the first warning of this. As soon as loss
+of blood occurred regularly and largely, the way to imperfect
+development and invalidism was open, and the progress easy and rapid.
+The nerves and their centres lacked nourishment. There was more waste
+than repair,--no margin for growth. St. Vitus' dance was a warning not
+to be neglected, and the schoolmaster resigned to the doctor. A long
+vacation enabled the system to retrace its steps, and recover force
+for evolution. Then the school resumed its sway, and physiological
+laws were again defied. Fortunately graduation soon occurred, and
+unintermitted, sustained labor was no longer enforced. The menorrhagia
+ceased, but persistent dysmenorrhoea now indicates the neuralgic
+friction of an imperfectly developed reproductive apparatus. Doubtless
+the evil of her education will infect her whole life.
+
+The next case is drawn from different social surroundings. Early
+associations and natural aptitude inclined Miss B---- to the stage;
+and the need of bread and butter sent her upon it as a child, at what
+age I do not know. At fifteen she was an actress, determined to do her
+best, and ambitious of success. She strenuously taxed muscle and
+brain at all times in her calling. She worked in a man's sustained
+way, ignoring all demands for special development, and essaying first
+to dis-establish, and then to bridle, the catamenia. At twenty she was
+eminent. The excitement and effort of acting periodically produced the
+same result with her that a recitation did under similar conditions
+with Miss A----. If she had been a physiologist, she would have known
+how this course of action would end. As she was an actress, and not a
+physiologist, she persisted in the slow suicide of frequent
+hemorrhages, and encouraged them by her method of professional
+education, and later by her method of practising her profession. She
+tried to ward off disease, and repair the loss of force, by consulting
+various doctors, taking drugs, and resorting to all sorts of
+expedients; but the hemorrhages continued, and were repeated at
+irregular and abnormally frequent intervals. A careful local
+examination disclosed no local disturbance. There was neither
+ulceration, hypertrophy, or congestion of the os or cervix uteri; no
+displacement of any moment, of ovarian tenderness. In spite of all her
+difficulties, however, she worked on courageously and steadily in a
+man's way and with a woman's will. After a long and discouraging
+experience of doctors, work, and weaknesses, when rather over thirty
+years old, she came to Boston to consult the writer, who learned at
+that time the details just recited. She was then pale and weak. A
+murmur in the veins, which a French savant, by way of dedication to
+the Devil, christened _bruit de diable_, a baptismal name that science
+has retained, was audible over her jugulars, and a similar murmur over
+her heart. Palpitation and labored respiration accompanied and impeded
+effort. She complained most of her head, which felt "queer," would not
+go to sleep as formerly, and often gave her turns, in which there was
+a mingling of dizziness, semi-consciousness, and fear. Her education
+and work, or rather method of work, had wrought out for her anemia and
+epileptiform attacks. She got two or three physiological lectures,
+was ordered to take iron, and other nourishing food, allow time for
+sleep, and, above all, to arrange her professional work in harmony
+with the rhythmical or periodical action of woman's constitution. She
+made the effort to do this, and, in six months, reported herself in
+better health--though far from well--than she had been for six years
+before.
+
+This case scarcely requires analysis in order to see how it bears on
+the question of a girl's education and woman's work. A gifted and
+healthy girl, obliged to get her education and earn her bread at the
+same time, labored upon the two tasks zealously, perhaps over-much,
+and did this at the epoch when the female organization is busy with
+the development of its reproductive apparatus. Nor is this all. She
+labored continuously, yielding nothing to Nature's periodical demand
+for force. She worked her engine up to highest pressure, just as much
+at flood-tide as at other times. Naturally there was not nervous power
+enough developed in the uterine and associated ganglia to restrain
+the laboring orifices of the circulation, to close the gates; and the
+flood of blood gushed through. With the frequent repetition of the
+flooding, came inevitably the evils she suffered from,--Nature's
+penalties. She now reports herself better; but whether convalescence
+will continue will depend upon her method of work for the future.
+
+Let us take the next illustration from a walk in life different from
+either of the foregoing. Miss C---- was a bookkeeper in a mercantile
+house. The length of time she remained in the employ of the house, and
+its character, are a sufficient guaranty that she did her work well.
+Like the other clerks, she was at her post, _standing_, during
+business hours, from Monday morning till Saturday night. The female
+pelvis being wider than that of the male, the weight of the body, in
+the upright posture, tends to press the upper extremities of the
+thighs out laterally in females more than in males. Hence the former
+can stand less long with comfort than the latter. Miss C----, however,
+believed in doing her work in a man's way, infected by the not
+uncommon notion that womanliness means manliness. Moreover, she would
+not, or could not, make any more allowance for the periodicity of her
+organization than for the shape of her skeleton. When about twenty
+years of age, perhaps a year or so older, she applied to me for advice
+in consequence of neuralgia, back-ache, menorrhagia, leucorrhoea, and
+general debility. She was anemic, and looked pale, care-worn, and
+anxious. There was no evidence of any local organic affection of the
+pelvic organs. "Get a woman's periodical remission from labor, if
+intermission is impossible, and do your work in a woman's way, not
+copying a man's fashion, and you will need very little apothecary's
+stuff," was the advice she received. "I _must_ go on as I am doing,"
+was her answer. She tried iron, sitz-baths, and the like: of course
+they were of no avail. Latterly I have lost sight of her, and, from
+her appearance at her last visit to me, presume she has gone to a
+world where back-ache and male and female skeletons are unknown.
+
+Illustrations of this sort might be multiplied but these three are
+sufficient to show how an abnormal method of study and work may and
+does open the flood-gates of the system, and, by letting blood out,
+lets all sorts of evil in. Let us now look at another phase; for
+menorrhagia and its consequences are not the only punishments that
+girls receive for being educated and worked just like boys. Nature's
+methods of punishing men and women are as numerous as their organs and
+functions, and her penalties as infinite in number and gradation as
+her blessings.
+
+Amenorrhoea is perhaps more common than menorrhagia. It often happens,
+however, during the first critical epoch, which is isochronal with the
+technical educational period of a girl, that after a few occasions of
+catamenial hemorrhage, moderate perhaps but still hemorrhage, which
+are not heeded, the conservative force of Nature steps in, and saves
+the blood by arresting the function. In such instances, amenorrhoea is
+a result of menorrhagia. In this way, and in others that we need not
+stop to inquire into, the regimen of our schools, colleges, and social
+life, that requires girls to walk, work, stand, study, recite, and
+dance at all times as boys can and should, may shut the uterine
+portals of the blood up, and keep poison in, as well as open them, and
+let life out. Which of these two evils is worse in itself, and which
+leaves the largest legacy of ills behind, it is difficult to say. Let
+us examine some illustrations of this sort of arrest.
+
+Miss D---- entered Vassar College at the age of fourteen. Up to that
+age, she had been a healthy girl, judged by the standard of American
+girls. Her parents were apparently strong enough to yield her a fair
+dower of force. The catamenial function first showed signs of activity
+in her Sophomore Year, when she was fifteen years old. Its appearance
+at this age[13] is confirmatory evidence of the normal state of her
+health at that period of her college career. Its commencement was
+normal, without pain or excess. She performed all her college duties
+regularly and steadily. She studied, recited, stood at the blackboard,
+walked, and went through her gymnastic exercises, from the beginning
+to the end of the term, just as boys do. Her account of her regimen
+there was so nearly that of a boy's regimen, that it would puzzle a
+physiologist to determine, from the account alone, whether the subject
+of it was male or female. She was an average scholar, who maintained a
+fair position in her class, not one of the anxious sort, that are
+ambitious of leading all the rest. Her first warning was fainting
+away, while exercising in the gymnasium, at a time when she should
+have been comparatively quiet, both mentally and physically. This
+warning was repeated several times, under the same circumstances.
+Finally she was compelled to renounce gymnastic exercises altogether.
+In her Junior Year, the organism's periodical function began to be
+performed with pain, moderate at first, but more and more severe with
+each returning month. When between seventeen and eighteen years old,
+dysmenorrhoea was established as the order of that function.
+Coincident with the appearance of pain, there was a diminution of
+excretion; and, as the former increased, the latter became more
+marked. In other respects she was well; and, in all respects, she
+appeared to be well to her companions and to the faculty of the
+college. She graduated before nineteen, with fair honors and a poor
+physique. The year succeeding her graduation was one of
+steadily-advancing invalidism. She was tortured for two or three days
+out of every month; and, for two or three days after each season of
+torture, was weak and miserable, so that about one sixth or fifth of
+her time was consumed in this way. The excretion from the blood, which
+had been gradually lessening, after a time substantially stopped,
+though a periodical effort to keep it up was made. She now suffered
+from what is called amenorrhoea. At the same time she became pale,
+hysterical, nervous in the ordinary sense, and almost constantly
+complained of headache. Physicians were applied to for aid: drugs were
+administered; travelling, with consequent change of air and scene, was
+undertaken; and all with little apparent avail. After this experience,
+she was brought to Boston for advice, when the writer first saw her,
+and learned all these details. She presented no evidence of local
+uterine congestion, inflammation, ulceration, or displacement. The
+evidence was altogether in favor of an arrest of the development of
+the reproductive apparatus, at a stage when the development was nearly
+complete. Confirmatory proof of such an arrest was found in examining
+her breast, where the milliner had supplied the organs Nature should
+have grown. It is unnecessary for our present purpose to detail what
+treatment was advised. It is sufficient to say, that she probably
+never will become physically what she would have been had her
+education been physiologically guided.
+
+This case needs very little comment: its teachings are obvious. Miss
+D---- went to college in good physical condition. During the four
+years of her college life, her parents and the college faculty
+required her to get what is popularly called an education. Nature
+required her, during the same period, to build and put in
+working-order a large and complicated reproductive mechanism, a matter
+that is popularly ignored,--shoved out of sight like a disgrace. She
+naturally obeyed the requirements of the faculty, which she could see,
+rather than the requirements of the mechanism within her, that she
+could not see. Subjected to the college regimen, she worked four years
+in getting a liberal education. Her way of work was sustained and
+continuous, and out of harmony with the rhythmical periodicity of the
+female organization. The stream of vital and constructive force
+evolved within her was turned steadily to the brain, and away from the
+ovaries and their accessories. The result of this sort of education
+was, that these last-mentioned organs, deprived of sufficient
+opportunity and nutriment, first began to perform their functions with
+pain, a warning of error that was unheeded; then, to cease to
+grow;[14] next, to set up once a month a grumbling torture that made
+life miserable; and, lastly, the brain and the whole nervous system,
+disturbed, in obedience to the law, that, if one member suffers, all
+the members suffer, became neuralgic and hysterical. And so Miss
+D---- spent the few years next succeeding her graduation in conflict
+with dysmenorrhoea, headache, neuralgia, and hysteria. Her parents
+marvelled at her ill-health; and she furnished another text for the
+often-repeated sermon on the delicacy of American girls.
+
+It may not be unprofitable to give the history of one more case of
+this sort. Miss E---- had an hereditary right to a good brain and to
+the best cultivation of it. Her father was one of our ripest and
+broadest American scholars, and her mother one of our most
+accomplished American women. They both enjoyed excellent health. Their
+daughter had a literary training,--an intellectual, moral, and
+æsthetic half of education, such as their supervision would be likely
+to give, and one that few young men of her age receive. Her health did
+not seem to suffer at first. She studied, recited, walked, worked,
+stood, and the like, in the steady and sustained way that is normal to
+the male organization. She _seemed_ to evolve force enough to acquire
+a number of languages, to become familiar with the natural sciences,
+to take hold of philosophy and mathematics, and to keep in good
+physical case while doing all this. At the age of twenty-one she
+might have been presented to the public, on Commencement Day, by the
+president of Vassar College or of Antioch College or of Michigan
+University, as the wished-for result of American liberal female
+culture. Just at this time, however, the catamenial function began to
+show signs of failure of power. No severe or even moderate illness
+overtook her. She was subjected to no unusual strain. She was only
+following the regimen of continued and sustained work, regardless of
+Nature's periodical demands for a portion of her time and force, when,
+without any apparent cause, the failure of power was manifested by
+moderate dysmenorrhoea and diminished excretion. Soon after this the
+function ceased altogether; and up to this present writing, a period
+of six or eight years, it has shown no more signs of activity than an
+amputated arm. In the course of a year or so after the cessation of
+the function, her head began to trouble her. First there was headache,
+then a frequent congested condition, which she described as a "rush
+of blood" to her head; and, by and by, vagaries and forebodings and
+despondent feelings began to crop out. Coincident with this mental
+state, her skin became rough and coarse, and an inveterate acne
+covered her face. She retained her appetite, ability to exercise and
+sleep. A careful local examination of the pelvic organs, by an expert,
+disclosed no lesion or displacement there, no ovaritis or other
+inflammation. Appropriate treatment faithfully persevered in was
+unsuccessful in recovering the lost function. I was finally obliged to
+consign her to an asylum.
+
+The arrest of development of the reproductive system is most obvious
+to the superficial observer in that part of it which the milliner is
+called upon to cover up with pads, and which was alluded to in the
+case of Miss D----. This, however, is too important a matter to be
+dismissed with a bare allusion. A recent writer has pointed out the
+fact and its significance with great clearness. "There is another
+marked change," says Dr. Nathan Allen, "going on in the female
+organization at the present day, which is very significant of
+something wrong. In the normal state, Nature has made ample provision
+in the structure of the female for nursing her offspring. In order to
+furnish this nourishment, pure in quality and abundant in quantity,
+she must possess a good development of the sanguine and lymphatic
+temperament, together with vigorous and healthy digestive organs.
+Formerly such an organization was very generally possessed by American
+women, and they found but little difficulty in nursing their infants.
+It was only occasionally, in case of some defect in the organization,
+or where sickness of some kind had overtaken the mother, that it
+became necessary to resort to the wet-nurse or to feeding by hand. And
+the English, the Scotch, the German, the Canadian French, and the
+Irish women now living in this country, generally nurse their
+children: the exceptions are rare. But how is it with our American
+women who become mothers? To those who have never considered this
+subject, and even to medical men who have never carefully looked into
+it, the facts, when correctly and fully presented, will be surprising.
+It has been supposed by some that all, or nearly all, our American
+women could nurse their offspring just as well as not; that the
+disposition only was wanting, and that they did not care about having
+the trouble or confinement necessarily attending it. But this is a
+great mistake. This very indifference or aversion shows something
+wrong in the organization as well as in the disposition: if the
+physical system were all right, the mind and natural instincts would
+generally be right also. While there may be here and there cases of
+this kind, such an indisposition is not always found. It is a fact,
+that large numbers of our women are anxious to nurse their offspring,
+and make the attempt: they persevere for a while,--perhaps for weeks
+or months,--and then fail.... There is still another class that cannot
+nurse at all, _having neither the organs nor nourishment_ requisite
+even to make a beginning.... Why should there be such a difference
+between the women of our times and their mothers or grandmothers? Why
+should there be such a difference between our American women and those
+of foreign origin residing in the same locality, and surrounded by the
+same external influences? The explanation is simple: they have not the
+right kind of organization; there is a want of proper development of
+the lymphatic and sanguine temperaments,--a marked deficiency in the
+organs of nutrition and secretion. You cannot draw water without good,
+flowing springs. _The brain and nervous system have, for a long time,
+made relatively too large a demand upon_ the organs of digestion and
+assimilation, while the exercise and _development of certain other
+tissues in the body have been sadly neglected_.... In consequence of
+the great neglect of physical exercise, and the _continuous
+application to study_, together with various other influences, large
+numbers of our American women have altogether an undue predominance
+of the nervous temperament. If only here and there an individual were
+found with such an organization, not much harm comparatively would
+result; but, when a majority or nearly all have it, the evil becomes
+one of no small magnitude."[15] And the evil, it should be added, is
+not simply the inability to nurse; for, if one member suffers, all the
+members suffer. A woman, whether married or unmarried, whether called
+to the offices of maternity or relieved from them, who has been
+defrauded by her education or otherwise of such an essential part of
+her development, is not so much of a woman, intellectually and morally
+as well as physically, in consequence of this defect. Her nervous
+system and brain, her instincts and character, are on a lower plane,
+and incapable of their harmonious and best development, if she is
+possessed, on reaching adult age, of only a portion of a breast and an
+ovary, or none at all.
+
+When arrested development of the reproductive system is nearly or
+quite complete, it produces a change in the character, and a loss of
+power, which it is easy to recognize, but difficult to describe. As
+this change is an occasional attendant or result of amenorrhoea, when
+the latter, brought about at an early age, is part of an early arrest,
+it should not be passed by without an allusion. In these cases, which
+are not of frequent occurrence at present, but which may be evolved by
+our methods of education more numerously in the future, the system
+tolerates the absence of the catamenia, and the consequent
+non-elimination of impurities from the blood. Acute or chronic
+disease, the ordinary result of this condition, is not set up, but,
+instead, there is a change in the character and development of the
+brain and nervous system. There are in individuals of this class less
+adipose and more muscular tissue than is commonly seen, a coarser
+skin, and, generally, a tougher and more angular make-up. There is a
+corresponding change in the intellectual and psychical condition,--a
+dropping out of maternal instincts, and an appearance of Amazonian
+coarseness and force. Such persons are analogous to the sexless class
+of termites. Naturalists tell us that these insects are divided into
+males and females, and a third class called workers and soldiers, who
+have no reproductive apparatus, and who, in their structure and
+instincts, are unlike the fertile individuals.
+
+A closer analogy than this, however, exists between these human
+individuals and the eunuchs of Oriental civilization. Except the
+secretary of the treasury, in the cabinet of Candace, queen of
+Ethiopia, who was baptized by Philip and Narses, Justinian's general,
+none of that class have made any impression on the world's life, that
+history has recorded. It may be reasonably doubted if arrested
+development of the female reproductive system, producing a class of
+agenes,[16] not epicenes, will yield a better result of intellectual
+and moral power in the nineteenth century, than the analogous class of
+Orientals exhibited. Clinical illustrations of this type of arrested
+growth might be given, but my pen refuses the ungracious task.
+
+Another result of the present methods of educating girls, and one
+different from any of the preceding, remains to be noticed. Schools
+and colleges, as we have seen, require girls to work their brains with
+full force and sustained power, at the time when their organization
+periodically requires a portion of their force for the performance of
+a periodical function, and a portion of their power for the building
+up of a peculiar, complicated, and important mechanism,--the engine
+within an engine. They are required to do two things equally well at
+the same time. They are urged to meditate a lesson and drive a machine
+simultaneously, and to do them both with all their force. Their
+organizations are expected to make good sound brains and nerves by
+working over the humanities, the sciences, and the arts, and, at the
+same time, to make good sound reproductive apparatuses, not only
+without any especial attention to the latter, but while all available
+force is withdrawn from the latter and sent to the former. It is not
+materialism to say, that, as the brain is, so will thought be. Without
+discussing the French physiologist's dictum, that the brain secretes
+thought as the liver does bile, we may be sure, that without brain
+there will be no thought. The quality of the latter depends on the
+quality of the former. The metamorphoses of brain manifest, measure,
+limit, enrich, and color thought. Brain tissue, including both
+quantity and quality, correlates mental power. The brain is
+manufactured from the blood; its quantity and quality are determined
+by the quantity and quality of its blood supply. Blood is made from
+food; but it may be lost by careless hemorrhage, or poisoned by
+deficient elimination. When frequently and largely lost or poisoned,
+as I have too frequent occasion to know it often is, it becomes
+impoverished,--anemic. Then the brain suffers, and mental power is
+lost. The steps are few and direct, from frequent loss of blood,
+impoverished blood, and abnormal brain and nerve metamorphosis, to
+loss of mental force and nerve disease. Ignorance or carelessness
+leads to anemic blood, and that to an anemic mind. As the blood, so
+the brain; as the brain, so the mind.
+
+The cases which have hitherto been presented illustrate some of the
+evils which the reproductive system is apt to receive in consequence
+of obvious derangement of its growth and functions. But it may, and
+often does, happen that the catamenia are normally performed, and that
+the reproductive system is fairly made up during the educational
+period. Then force is withdrawn from the brain and nerves and
+ganglia. These are dwarfed or checked or arrested in their
+development. In the process of waste and repair, of destructive and
+constructive metamorphosis, by which brains as well as bones are built
+up and consolidated, education often leaves insufficient margin for
+growth. Income derived from air, food, and sleep, which should
+largely, may only moderately exceed expenditure upon study and work,
+and so leave but little surplus for growth in any direction; or, what
+more commonly occurs, the income which the brain receives is all spent
+upon study, and little or none upon its development, while that which
+the nutritive and reproductive systems receive is retained by them,
+and devoted to their own growth. When the school makes the same steady
+demand for force from girls who are approaching puberty, ignoring
+Nature's periodical demands, that it does from boys, who are not
+called upon for an equal effort, there must be failure somewhere.
+Generally either the reproductive system or the nervous system
+suffers. We have looked at several instances of the former sort of
+failure; let us now examine some of the latter.
+
+Miss F---- was about twenty years old when she completed her technical
+education. She inherited a nervous diathesis as well as a large dower
+of intellectual and æsthetic graces. She was a good student, and
+conscientiously devoted all her time, with the exception of ordinary
+vacations, to the labor of her education. She made herself mistress of
+several languages, and accomplished in many ways. The catamenial
+function appeared normally, and, with the exception of occasional
+slight attacks of menorrhagia, was normally performed during the whole
+period of her education. She got on without any sort of serious
+illness. There were few belonging to my clientele who required less
+professional advice for the same period than she. With the ending of
+her school life, when she should have been in good trim and well
+equipped, physically as well as intellectually, for life's work,
+there commenced, without obvious cause, a long period of invalidism.
+It would be tedious to the reader, and useless for our present
+purpose, to detail the history and describe the protean shapes of her
+sufferings. With the exception of small breasts, the reproductive
+system was well developed. Repeated and careful examinations failed to
+detect any derangement of the uterine mechanism. Her symptoms all
+pointed to the nervous system as the _fons et origo mali_. First
+general debility, that concealed but ubiquitous leader of innumerable
+armies of weakness and ill, laid siege to her, and captured her. Then
+came insomnia, that worried her nights for month after month, and made
+her beg for opium, alcohol, chloral, bromides, any thing that would
+bring sleep. Neuralgia in every conceivable form tormented her, most
+frequently in her back, but often, also, in her head, sometimes in her
+sciatic nerves, sometimes setting up a tic douloureux, sometimes
+causing a fearful dysmenorrhoea and frequently making her head ache
+for days together. At other times hysteria got hold of her, and made
+her fancy herself the victim of strange diseases. Mental effort of the
+slightest character distressed her, and she could not bear physical
+exercise of any amount. This condition, or rather these varying
+conditions, continued for some years. She followed a careful and
+systematic regimen, and was rewarded by a slow and gradual return of
+health and strength, when a sudden accident killed her, and terminated
+her struggle with weakness and pain.
+
+Words fail to convey the lesson of this case to others with any thing
+like the force that the observation of it conveyed its moral to those
+about Miss F----, and especially to the physician who watched her
+career through her educational life, and saw it lead to its logical
+conclusion of invalidism and thence towards recovery, till life ended.
+When she finished school, as the phrase goes, she was considered to be
+well. The principal of any seminary or head of any college, judging
+by her looks alone, would not have hesitated to call her rosy and
+strong. At that time the symptoms of failure which began to appear
+were called signs of previous overwork. This was true, but not so much
+in the sense of overwork as of erroneously-arranged work. While a
+student, she wrought continuously,--just as much during each
+catamenial week as at other times. As a consequence, in her
+metamorphosis of tissue, repair did little more than make up waste.
+There were constant demands of force for constant growth of the system
+generally, equally constant demands of force for the labor of
+education, and periodical demands of force for a periodical function.
+The regimen she followed did not permit all these demands to be
+satisfied, and the failure fell on the nervous system. She
+accomplished intellectually a good deal, but not more than she might
+have done, and retained her health, had the order of her education
+been a physiological one. It was not Latin, French, German,
+mathematics, or philosophy that undermined her nerves; nor was it
+because of any natural inferiority to boys that she failed; nor
+because she undertook to master what women have no right to learn: she
+lost her health simply because she undertook to do her work in a boy's
+way and not in a girl's way.
+
+Let us learn the lesson of one more case. These details may be
+tedious; but the justification of their presence here are the
+importance of the subject they illustrate and elucidate, and the
+necessity of acquiring a belief of the truth of the facts of female
+education.
+
+Miss G---- worked her way through New-England primary, grammar, and
+high schools to a Western college, which she entered with credit to
+herself, and from which she graduated, confessedly its first scholar,
+leading the male and female youth alike. All that need be told of her
+career is that she worked as a student, continuously and
+perseveringly, through the years of her first critical epoch, and for
+a few years after it, without any sort of regard to the periodical
+type of her organization. It never appeared that she studied
+excessively in other respects, or that her system was weakened while
+in college by fevers or other sickness. Not a great while after
+graduation, she began to show signs of failure, and some years later
+died under the writer's care. A post-mortem examination was made,
+which disclosed no disease in any part of the body, except in the
+brain, where the microscope revealed commencing degeneration.
+
+This was called an instance of death from over-work. Like the
+preceding case, it was not so much the result of over-work as of
+un-physiological work. She was unable to make a good brain, that could
+stand the wear and tear of life, and a good reproductive system that
+should serve the race, at the same time that she was continuously
+spending her force in intellectual labor. Nature asked for a
+periodical remission, and did not get it. And so Miss G---- died, not
+because she had mastered the wasps of Aristophanes and the Mécanique
+Céleste, not because she had made the acquaintance of Kant and
+Kölliker, and ventured to explore the anatomy of flowers and the
+secrets of chemistry, but because, while pursuing these studies, while
+doing all this work, she steadily ignored her woman's make. Believing
+that woman can do what man can, for she held that faith, she strove
+with noble but ignorant bravery to compass man's intellectual
+attainment in a man's way, and died in the effort. If she had aimed at
+the same goal, disregarding masculine and following feminine methods,
+she would be alive now, a grand example of female culture, attainment,
+and power.
+
+These seven clinical observations are sufficient to illustrate the
+fact that our modern methods of education do not give the female
+organization a fair chance, but that they check development, and
+invite weakness. It would be easy to multiply such observations, from
+the writer's own notes alone, and, by doing so, to swell this essay
+into a portly volume; but the reader is spared the needless
+infliction. Other observers have noticed similar facts, and have
+urgently called attention to them.
+
+Dr. Fisher, in a recent excellent monograph on insanity, says, "A few
+examples of injury from _continued_ study will show how mental strain
+affects the health of young girls particularly. Every physician could,
+no doubt, furnish many similar ones."
+
+"Miss A---- graduated with honor at the normal school after several
+years of close study, much of the time out of school; never attended
+balls or parties; sank into a low state of health at once with
+depression. Was very absurdly allowed to marry while in this state,
+and soon after became violently insane, and is likely to remain so."
+
+"Miss A---- graduated at the grammar school, not only first, but
+_perfect_, and at once entered the normal school; was very ambitious
+to sustain her reputation, and studied hard out of school; was slow to
+learn, but had a retentive memory; could seldom be induced to go to
+parties, and, when she did go, studied while dressing, and on the way;
+was assigned extra tasks at school, because she performed them so
+well; was a _fine healthy girl in appearance_, but broke down
+permanently at end of second year, and is now a victim of hysteria and
+depression."
+
+"Miss C----, of a nervous organization, and quick to learn; her health
+suffered in normal school, so that her physician predicted insanity if
+her studies were not discontinued. She persevered, however, and is now
+an inmate of a hospital, with hysteria and depression."
+
+"A certain proportion of girls are predisposed to mental or nervous
+derangement. The same girls are apt to be quick, brilliant, ambitious,
+and persistent at study, and need not stimulation, but repression. For
+the sake of a temporary reputation for scholarship, they risk their
+health at the _most susceptible period_ of their lives, and break down
+_after the excitement of school-life has passed away_. For _sexual
+reasons_ they cannot compete with boys, whose out-door habits still
+further increase the difference in their favor. If it was a question
+of school-teachers instead of school-girls, the list would be long of
+young women whose health of mind has become bankrupt by a
+_continuation_ of the mental strain commenced at school. Any method of
+relief in our school-system to these over-susceptible minds should be
+welcomed, even at the cost of the intellectual supremacy of woman in
+the next generation."[17]
+
+The fact which Dr. Fisher alludes to, that many girls break down not
+during but _after_ the excitement of school or college life, is an
+important one, and is apt to be overlooked. The process by which the
+development of the reproductive system is arrested, or degeneration of
+brain and nerve-tissue set a going, is an insidious one. At its
+beginning, and for a long time after it is well on in its progress, it
+would not be recognized by the superficial observer. A class of girls
+might, and often do, graduate from our schools, higher seminaries,
+and colleges, that appear to be well and strong at the time of their
+graduation, but whose development has already been checked, and whose
+health is on the verge of giving way. Their teachers have known
+nothing of the amenorrhoea, menorrhagia, dysmenorrhoea, or leucorrhoea
+which the pupils have sedulously concealed and disregarded; and the
+cunning devices of dress have covered up all external evidences of
+defect; and so, on graduation day, they are pointed out by their
+instructors to admiring committees as rosy specimens of both physical
+and intellectual education. A closer inspection by competent experts
+would reveal the secret weakness which the labor of life that they are
+about to enter upon too late discloses.
+
+The testimony of Dr. Anstie of London, as to the gravity of the evils
+incurred by the sort of erroneous education we are considering, is
+decided and valuable. He says, "For, be it remembered, the epoch of
+sexual development is one in which an enormous addition is being made
+to the expenditure of vital energy; besides the continuous processes
+of growth of the tissues and organs generally, the sexual apparatus,
+with its nervous supply, is making _by its development heavy demands_
+upon the nutritive powers of the organism; and it is scarcely possible
+but that portions of the nervous centres, not directly connected with
+it, should proportionally suffer in their nutrition, probably through
+defective blood supply. When we add to this the abnormal strain that
+is being put on the brain, in many cases, by a forcing plan of mental
+education, we shall perceive a source not merely of exhaustive
+expenditure of nervous power, but of secondary irritation of centres
+like the medulla oblongata that are probably already somewhat lowered
+in power of vital resistance, and proportionably _irritable_."[18] A
+little farther on, Dr. Anstie adds, "But I confess, that, with me, the
+result of close attention given to the pathology of neuralgia has been
+the ever-growing conviction, that, next to the influence of neurotic
+inheritance, there is no such frequently powerful factor in the
+construction of the neuralgic habit as mental warp of a certain kind,
+the product of an unwise education." In another place, speaking of the
+liability of the brain to suffer from an unwise education, and
+referring to the sexual development that we are discussing in these
+pages, he makes the following statement, which no intelligent
+physician will deny, and which it would be well for all teachers who
+care for the best education of the girls intrusted to their charge to
+ponder seriously. "I would also go farther, and express the opinion,
+that peripheral influences of an extremely powerful and _continuous_
+kind, where they concur with one of those critical periods of life at
+which the central nervous system is relatively weak and unstable, can
+occasionally set going a non-inflammatory centric atrophy, which may
+localize itself in those nerves upon whose centres the morbific
+peripheral influence is perpetually pouring in. Even such influences
+as the psychical and emotional, be it remembered, must be considered
+peripheral."[19] The brain of Miss G----, whose case was related a few
+pages back, is a clinical illustration of the accuracy of this
+opinion.
+
+Dr. Weir Mitchell, one of our most eminent American physiologists, has
+recently borne most emphatic testimony to the evils we have pointed
+out: "Worst of all," he says, "to my mind, most destructive in every
+way, is the American view of female education. The time taken for the
+more serious instruction of girls extends to the age of eighteen, and
+rarely over this. During these years, they are undergoing such organic
+development as renders them remarkably sensitive." ... "To show more
+precisely how the growing girl is injured by the causes just
+mentioned" (forced and continued study at the sexual epoch) "would
+carry me upon subjects unfit for full discussion in these pages; but
+no thoughtful reader can be much at a loss as to my meaning." ...
+"To-day the American woman is, to speak plainly, physically unfit for
+her duties as woman, and is, perhaps, of all civilized females, the
+least qualified to undertake those weightier tasks which tax so
+heavily the nervous system of man. She is not fairly up to what Nature
+asks from her as wife and mother. How will she sustain herself under
+the pressure of those yet more exacting duties which now-a-days she is
+eager to share with the man?"[20]
+
+In our schools it is the ambitious and conscientious girls, those who
+have in them the stuff of which the noblest women are made, that
+suffer, not the romping or lazy sort; and thus our modern ways of
+education provide for the "non-survival of the fittest." A speaker
+told an audience of women at Wesleyan Hall not long ago, that he once
+attended the examination of a Western college, where a girl beat the
+boys in unravelling the intracacies of Juvenal. He did not report the
+consumption of blood and wear of brain tissue that in her college way
+of study correlated her Latin, or hint at the possibility of arrested
+development. Girls of bloodless skins and intellectual faces may be
+seen any day, by those who desire the spectacle, among the scholars of
+our high and normal schools,--faces that crown, and skins that cover,
+curving spines, which should be straight, and neuralgic nerves that
+should know no pain. Later on, when marriage and maternity overtake
+these girls, and they "live laborious days" in a sense not intended by
+Milton's line, they bend and break beneath the labor, like loaded
+grain before a storm, and bear little fruit again. A training that
+yields this result is neither fair to the girls nor to the race.
+
+Let us quote the authority of such an acute and sagacious observer as
+Dr. Maudsley, in support of the physiological and pathological views
+that have been here presented. Referring to the physiological
+condition and phenomena of the first critical epoch, he says, "In the
+great mental revolution caused by the development of the sexual system
+at puberty, we have the most striking example of the intimate and
+essential sympathy between the brain, as a mental organ, and other
+organs of the body. The change of character at this period is not by
+any means _limited to the appearance of the sexual feelings_, and
+their sympathetic ideas, but, when traced to its ultimate reach, will
+be found to extend to the highest feelings of mankind, social, moral,
+and even religious."[21] He points out the fact that it is very easy
+by improper training and forced work, during this susceptible period,
+to turn a physiological into a pathological state. "The great mental
+revolution which occurs at puberty may go beyond its physiological
+limits in some instances, and become pathological." "The time of this
+mental revolution is at best a trying period for youth." "The monthly
+activity of the ovaries, which marks the advent of puberty in women,
+has a notable effect upon the mind and body; wherefore it may become
+an important cause of mental and physical derangement."[22] With
+regard to the physiological effects of arrested development of the
+reproductive apparatus in women, Dr. Maudsley uses the following plain
+and emphatic language: "The forms and habits of mutilated men approach
+those of women; and women, whose ovaries and uterus remain for some
+cause in a state of complete inaction, approach the forms and habits
+of men. It is said, too, that, in hermaphrodites, the mental
+character, like the physical, participates equally in that of both
+sexes. While woman preserves her sex, she will necessarily be feebler
+than man, and, having her special bodily and mental characters, will
+have, to a certain extent, her own sphere of activity; where she has
+become thoroughly masculine in nature, or hermaphrodite in
+mind,--when, in fact, she has pretty well divested herself of her
+sex,--then she may take his ground, and do his work; but she will have
+lost her feminine attractions, and probably also her chief feminine
+functions."[23] It has been reserved for our age and country, by its
+methods of female education, to demonstrate that it is possible in
+some cases to divest a woman of her chief feminine functions; in
+others, to produce grave and even fatal disease of the brain and
+nervous system; in others, to engender torturing derangements and
+imperfections of the reproductive apparatus that imbitter a lifetime.
+Such, we know, is not the object of a liberal female education. Such
+is not the consummation which the progress of the age demands.
+Fortunately, it is only necessary to point out and prove the existence
+of such erroneous methods and evil results to have them avoided. That
+they can be avoided, and that woman can have a liberal education that
+shall develop all her powers, without mutilation or disease, up to the
+loftiest ideal of womanhood, is alike the teaching of physiology and
+the hope of the race.
+
+In concluding this part of our subject, it is well to remember the
+statement made at the beginning of our discussion, to the following
+effect, viz., that it is not asserted here, that improper methods of
+study and a disregard of the reproductive apparatus and its functions,
+during the educational life of girls, are the _sole_ causes of female
+diseases; neither is it asserted that _all_ the female graduates of
+our schools and colleges are pathological specimens. But it is
+asserted that the number of these graduates who have been permanently
+disabled to a greater or less degree, or fatally injured, by these
+causes, is such as to excite the _gravest alarm_, and to demand the
+serious attention of the community.
+
+The preceding physiological and pathological data naturally open the
+way to a consideration of the co-education of the sexes.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[13] It appears, from the researches of Mr. Whitehead on this point,
+that an examination of four thousand cases gave fifteen years six and
+three-quarter months as the average age in England for the appearance
+of the catamenia.--WHITEHEAD, _on Abortion, &c._
+
+[14] The arrest of development of the uterus, in connection with
+amenorrhoea, is sometimes very marked. In the New-York Medical Journal
+for June, 1873, three such cases are recorded, that came under the eye
+of those excellent observers, Dr. E.R. Peaslee and Dr. T.G. Thomas. In
+one of these cases, the uterine cavity measured one and a half inches;
+in another, one and seven-eighths inches; and, in a third, one and a
+quarter inches. Recollecting that the normal measurement is from two
+and a half to three inches, it appears that the arrest of development
+in these cases occurred when the uterus was half or less than half
+grown. Liberal education should avoid such errors.
+
+[15] Physical Degeneracy. By Nathan Allen, M.D., Journal of
+Psychological Medicine. October, 1870.
+
+[16] According to the biblical account, woman was formed by
+subtracting a rib from man. If, in the evolution of the future, a
+third division of the human race is to be formed by subtracting sex
+from woman,--a retrograde development,--I venture to propose the term
+agene (+a+ without, +genos+ sex) as an appropriate designation for the
+new development. Count Gasparin prophesies it thus: "Quelque chose de
+monstreux, cet être répugnant, qui déjà parait à notre horizon," a
+free translation of Virgil's earlier description:--
+
+"Monstrum horrendum, informe, ingens, cui lumen ademtum." _3d, 658
+line_.
+
+[17] Plain Talk about Insanity. By T.W. Fisher, M.D. Boston. Pp. 23,
+24.
+
+[18] Neuralgia, and the Diseases that resemble it. By Francis E.
+Anstie, M.D. Pp. 122. English ed.
+
+[19] Op. cit., p. 160.
+
+[20] Wear and Tear. By S. Weir Mitchell, M.D.
+
+[21] Body and Mind. By Henry Maudsley, M.D. Lond. p. 31
+
+[22] Op. cit., p. 87.
+
+[23] Op. cit., p. 32.
+
+
+
+
+PART IV.
+
+CO-EDUCATION.
+
+    "_Pistoc._ Where, then, should I take my place?
+
+    _1st Bacch._ Near myself, that, with a she wit, a he wit may
+    be reclining at our repast."--BACCHIDES OF PLAUTUS.
+
+    "The woman's-rights movement, with its conventions, its
+    speech-makings, its crudities, and eccentricities, is
+    nevertheless a part of a healthful and necessary movement of
+    the human race towards progress."--HARRIET BEECHER STOWE.
+
+
+Guided by the laws of development which we have found physiology to
+teach, and warned by the punishments, in the shape of weakness and
+disease, which we have shown their infringement to bring about, and of
+which our present methods of female education furnish innumerable
+examples, it is not difficult to discern certain physiological
+principles that limit and control the education, and, consequently,
+the co-education of our youth. These principles we have learned to
+be, three for the two sexes in common, and one for the peculiarities
+of the female sex. The three common to both, the three to which both
+are subjected, and for which wise methods of education will provide in
+the case of both, are, 1st, a sufficient supply of appropriate
+nutriment. This of course includes good air and good water and
+sufficient warmth, as much as bread and butter; oxygen and sunlight,
+as much as meat. 2d, Mental and physical work and regimen so
+apportioned, that repair shall exceed waste, and a margin be left for
+development. This includes out-of-door exercise and appropriate ways
+of dressing, as much as the hours of study, and the number and sort of
+studies. 3d, Sufficient sleep. This includes the best time for
+sleeping, as well as the proper number of hours for sleep. It excludes
+the "murdering of sleep," by late hours of study and the crowding of
+studies, as much as by wine or tea or dissipation. All these guide and
+limit the education of the two sexes very much alike. The principle
+or condition peculiar to the female sex is the management of the
+catamenial function, which, from the age of fourteen to nineteen,
+includes the building of the reproductive apparatus. This imposes upon
+women, and especially upon the young woman, a great care, a
+corresponding duty, and compensating privileges. There is only a
+feeble counterpart to it in the male organization; and, in his moral
+constitution, there cannot be found the fine instincts and quick
+perceptions that have their root in this mechanism, and correlate its
+functions. This lends to her development and to all her work a
+rhythmical or periodical order, which must be recognized and obeyed.
+"In this recognition of the chronometry of organic process, there is
+unquestionably great promise for the future; for it is plain that the
+observance of time in the motions of organic molecules is as certain
+and universal, if not as exact, as that of the heavenly bodies."[24]
+Periodicity characterizes the female organization, and developes
+feminine force. Persistence characterizes the male organization, and
+develops masculine force. Education will draw the best out of each by
+adjusting its methods to the periodicity of one and the persistence of
+the other.
+
+Before going farther, it is essential to acquire a definite notion of
+what is meant, or, at least, of what we mean in this discussion, by
+the term co-education. Following its etymology, _con-educare_, it
+signifies to draw out together, or to unite in education; and this
+union refers to the time and place, rather than to the methods and
+kinds of education. In this sense any school or college may utilize
+its buildings, apparatus, and instructors to give appropriate
+education to the two sexes as well as to different ages of the same
+sex. This is juxtaposition in education. When the Massachusetts
+Institute of Technology teaches one class of young men chemistry, and
+another class engineering, in the same building and at the same time,
+it co-educates those two classes. In this sense it is possible that
+many advantages might be obtained from the co-education of the sexes,
+that would more than counterbalance the evils of crowding large
+numbers of them together. This sort of co-education does not exclude
+appropriate classification, nor compel the two sexes to follow the
+same methods or the same regimen.
+
+Another signification of co-education, and, as we apprehend, the one
+in which it is commonly used, includes time, place, government,
+methods, studies, and regimen. This is identical co-education. This
+means, that boys and girls shall be taught the same things, at the
+same time, in the same place, by the same faculty, with the same
+methods, and under the same regimen. This admits age and proficiency,
+but not sex, as a factor in classification. It is against the
+co-education of the sexes, in this sense of identical co-education,
+that physiology protests; and it is this identity of education, the
+prominent characteristic of our American school-system, that has
+produced the evils described in the clinical part of this essay, and
+that threatens to push the degeneration of the female sex still
+farther on. In these pages, co-education of the sexes is used in its
+common acceptation of identical co-education.
+
+Let us look for a moment at what identical co-education is. The law
+has, or had, a maxim, that a man and his wife are one, and that the
+one is the man. Modern American education has a maxim, that boys'
+schools and girls' schools are one, and that the one is the boys'
+school. Schools have been arranged, accordingly, to meet the
+requirements of the masculine organization. Studies have been selected
+that experience has proved to be appropriate to a boy's intellectual
+development, and a regimen adopted, while pursuing them, appropriate
+to his physical development. His school and college life, his methods
+of study, recitations, exercises, and recreations, are ordered upon
+the supposition, that, barring disease or infirmity, punctual
+attendance upon the hours of recitation, and upon all other duties in
+their season and order, may be required of him continuously, in spite
+of ennui, inclement weather, or fatigue; that there is no week in the
+month, or day in the week, or hour in the day, when it is a physical
+necessity to relieve him from standing or from studying,--from
+physical effort or mental labor; that the chapel-bell may safely call
+him to morning prayer from New Year to Christmas, with the assurance,
+that, if the going does not add to his stock of piety, it will not
+diminish his stock of health; that he may be sent to the gymnasium and
+the examination-hall, to the theatres of physical and intellectual
+display at any time,--in short, that he develops health and strength,
+blood and nerve, intellect and life, by a regular, uninterrupted, and
+sustained course of work. And all this is justified both by experience
+and physiology.
+
+Obedient to the American educational maxim, that boys' schools and
+girls' schools are one, and that the one is the boys' school, the
+female schools have copied the methods which have grown out of the
+requirements of the male organization. Schools for girls have been
+modelled after schools for boys. Were it not for differences of dress
+and figure, it would be impossible, even for an expert, after visiting
+a high school for boys and one for girls, to tell which was arranged
+for the male and which for the female organization. Our girls'
+schools, whether public or private, have imposed upon their pupils a
+boy's regimen; and it is now proposed, in some quarters, to carry this
+principle still farther, by burdening girls, after they leave school,
+with a quadrennium of masculine college regimen. And so girls are to
+learn the alphabet in college, as they have learned it in the
+grammar-school, just as boys do. This is grounded upon the supposition
+that sustained regularity of action and attendance may be as safely
+required of a girl as of a boy; that there is no physical necessity
+for periodically relieving her from walking, standing, reciting, or
+studying; that the chapel-bell may call her, as well as him, to a
+daily morning walk, with a standing prayer at the end of it,
+regardless of the danger that such exercises, by deranging the tides
+of her organization, may add to her piety at the expense of her
+blood; that she may work her brain over mathematics, botany,
+chemistry, German, and the like, with equal and sustained force on
+every day of the month, and so safely divert blood from the
+reproductive apparatus to the head; in short, that she, like her
+brother, develops health and strength, blood and nerve, intellect and
+life, by a regular, uninterrupted, and sustained course of work. All
+this is not justified, either by experience or physiology. The
+gardener may plant, if he choose, the lily and the rose, the oak and
+the vine, within the same enclosure; let the same soil nourish them,
+the same air visit them, and the same sunshine warm and cheer them;
+still, he trains each of them with a separate art, warding from each
+its peculiar dangers, developing within each its peculiar powers, and
+teaching each to put forth to the utmost its divine and peculiar gifts
+of strength and beauty. Girls lose health, strength, blood, and nerve,
+by a regimen that ignores the periodical tides and reproductive
+apparatus of their organization. The mothers and instructors, the
+homes and schools, of our country's daughters, would profit by
+occasionally reading the old Levitical law. The race has not yet quite
+outgrown the physiology of Moses.
+
+Co-education, then, signifies in common acceptation identical
+co-education. This identity of training is what many at the present
+day seem to be praying for and working for. Appropriate education of
+the two sexes, carried as far as possible, is a consummation most
+devoutly to be desired; identical education of the two sexes is a
+crime before God and humanity, that physiology protests against, and
+that experience weeps over. Because the education of boys has met with
+tolerable success, hitherto,--but only tolerable it must be
+confessed,--in developing them into men, there are those who would
+make girls grow into women by the same process. Because a gardener has
+nursed an acorn till it grew into an oak, they would have him cradle a
+grape in the same soil and way, and make it a vine. Identical
+education, or identical co-education, of the sexes defrauds one sex or
+the other, or perhaps both. It defies the Roman maxim, which
+physiology has fully justified, _mens sana in corpore sano_. The
+sustained regimen, regular recitation, erect posture, daily walk,
+persistent exercise, and unintermitted labor that toughens a boy, and
+makes a man of him, can only be partially applied to a girl. The
+regimen of intermittance, periodicity of exercise and rest, work
+three-fourths of each month, and remission, if not abstinence, the
+other fourth, physiological interchange of the erect and reclining
+posture, care of the reproductive system that is the cradle of the
+race, all this, that toughens a girl and makes a woman of her, will
+emasculate a lad. A combination of the two methods of education, a
+compromise between them, would probably yield an average result,
+excluding the best of both. It would give a fair chance neither to a
+boy nor a girl. Of all compromises, such a physiological one is the
+worst. It cultivates mediocrity, and cheats the future of its
+rightful legacy of lofty manhood and womanhood. It emasculates boys,
+stunts girls; makes semi-eunuchs of one sex, and agenes of the other.
+
+The error which has led to the identical education of the two sexes,
+and which prophecies their identical co-education in colleges and
+universities, is not confined to technical education. It permeates
+society. It is found in the home, the workshop, the factory, and in
+all the ramifications of social life. The identity of boys and girls,
+of men and women, is practically asserted out of the school as much as
+in it, and it is theoretically proclaimed from the pulpit and the
+rostrum. Woman seems to be looking up to man and his development, as
+the goal and ideal of womanhood. The new gospel of female development
+glorifies what she possesses in common with him, and tramples under
+her feet, as a source of weakness and badge of inferiority, the
+mechanism and functions peculiar to herself. In consequence of this
+wide-spread error, largely the result of physiological ignorance,
+girls are almost universally trained in masculine methods of living
+and working as well as of studying. The notion is practically found
+everywhere, that boys and girls are one, and that the boys make the
+one. Girls, young ladies, to use the polite phrase, who are about
+leaving or have left school for society, dissipation, or self-culture,
+rarely permit any of Nature's periodical demands to interfere with
+their morning calls, or evening promenades, or midnight dancing, or
+sober study. Even the home draws the sacred mantle of modesty so
+closely over the reproductive function as not only to cover but to
+smother it. Sisters imitate brothers in persistent work at all times.
+Female clerks in stores strive to emulate the males by unremitting
+labor, seeking to develop feminine force by masculine methods. Female
+operatives of all sorts, in factories and elsewhere, labor in the same
+way; and, when the day is done, are as likely to dance half the night,
+regardless of any pressure upon them of a peculiar function, as their
+fashionable sisters in the polite world. All unite in pushing the
+hateful thing out of sight and out of mind; and all are punished by
+similar weakness, degeneration, and disease.
+
+There are two reasons why female operatives of all sorts are likely to
+suffer less, and actually do suffer less, from such persistent work,
+than female students; why Jane in the factory can work more steadily
+with the loom, than Jane in college with the dictionary; why the girl
+who makes the bed can safely work more steadily the whole year
+through, than her little mistress of sixteen who goes to school. The
+first reason is, that the female operative, of whatever sort, has, as
+a rule, passed through the first critical epoch of woman's life: she
+has got fairly by it. In her case, as a rule, unfortunately there are
+too many exceptions to it, the catamenia have been established; the
+function is in good running order; the reproductive apparatus--the
+engine within an engine--has been constructed, and she will not be
+called upon to furnish force for building it again. The female
+student, on the contrary, has got these tasks before her, and must
+perform them while getting her education; for the period of female
+sexual development coincides with the educational period. The same
+five years of life must be given to both tasks. After the function is
+normally established, and the apparatus made, woman can labor mentally
+or physically, or both, with very much greater persistence and
+intensity, than during the age of development. She still retains the
+type of periodicity; and her best work, both as to quality and amount,
+is accomplished when the order of her labor partakes of the rhythmic
+order of her constitution. Still the fact remains, that she can do
+more than before; her fibre has acquired toughness; the system is
+consolidated; its fountains are less easily stirred. It should be
+mentioned in this connection, what has been previously adverted to,
+that the toughness and power of after life are largely in proportion
+to the normality of sexual development. If there is error then, the
+organization never fully recovers. This is an additional motive for a
+strict physiological regimen during a girl's student life, and, just
+so far, an argument against the identical co-education of the sexes.
+The second reason why female operatives are less likely to suffer, and
+actually do suffer less, than school-girls, from persistent work
+straight through the year, is because the former work their brains
+less. To use the language of Herbert Spencer, "That antagonism between
+body and brain which we see in those, who, pushing brain-activity to
+an extreme, enfeeble their bodies,"[25] does not often exist in female
+operatives, any more than in male. On the contrary, they belong to the
+class of those who, in the words of the same author, by "pushing
+bodily activity to an extreme, make their brains inert."[26] Hence
+they have stronger bodies, a reproductive apparatus more normally
+constructed, and a catamenial function less readily disturbed by
+effort, than their student sisters, who are not only younger than
+they, but are trained to push "brain-activity to an extreme." Give
+girls a fair chance for physical development at school, and they will
+be able in after life, with reasonable care of themselves, to answer
+the demands that may be made upon them.
+
+The identical education of the sexes has borne the fruit which we have
+pointed out. Their identical co-education will intensify the evils of
+separate identical education; for it will introduce the element of
+emulation, and it will introduce this element in its strongest form.
+It is easy to frame a theoretical emulation, in which results only are
+compared and tested, that would be healthy and invigorating; but such
+theoretical competition of the sexes is not at all the sort of steady,
+untiring, day-after-day competition that identical co-education
+implies. It is one thing to put up a goal a long way off,--five or six
+months or three or four years distant,--and tell boys and girls, each
+in their own way, to strive for it, and quite a different thing to
+put up the same goal, at the same distance, and oblige each sex to run
+their race for it side by side on the same road, in daily competition
+with each other, and with equal expenditure of force at all times.
+Identical co-education is racing in the latter way. The inevitable
+results of it have been shown in some of the cases we have narrated.
+The trial of it on a larger scale would only yield a larger number of
+similar degenerations, weaknesses, and sacrifices of noble lives. Put
+a boy and girl together upon the same course of study, with the same
+lofty ideal before them, and hold up to their eyes the daily
+incitements of comparative progress, and there will be awakened within
+them a stimulus unknown before, and that separate study does not
+excite. The unconscious fires that have their seat deep down in the
+recesses of the sexual organization will flame up through every
+tissue, permeate every vessel, burn every nerve, flash from the eye,
+tingle in the brain, and work the whole machine at highest pressure.
+There need not be, and generally will not be, any low or sensual
+desire in all this elemental action. It is only making youth work over
+the tasks of sober study with the wasting force of intense passion. Of
+course such strenuous labor will yield brilliant, though temporary,
+results. The fire is kept alive by the waste of the system, and soon
+burns up its source. The first sex to suffer in this exhilarating and
+costly competition must be, as experience shows it is, the one that
+has the largest amount of force in readiness for immediate call; and
+this is the female sex. At the age of development, Nature mobilizes
+the forces of a girl's organization for the purpose of establishing a
+function that shall endure for a generation, and for constructing an
+apparatus that shall cradle and nurse a race. These mobilized forces,
+which, at the technical educational period, the girl possesses and
+controls largely in excess of the boy, under the passionate stimulus
+of identical co-education, are turned from their divinely-appointed
+field of operations, to the region of brain activity. The result is a
+most brilliant show of cerebral pyrotechnics, and degenerations that
+we have described.
+
+That undue and disproportionate brain activity exerts a sterilizing
+influence upon both sexes is alike a doctrine of physiology, and an
+induction from experience. And both physiology and experience also
+teach that this influence is more potent upon the female than upon the
+male. The explanation of the latter fact--of the greater aptitude of
+the female organization to become thus modified by excessive brain
+activity--is probably to be found in the larger size, more complicated
+relations, and more important functions, of the female reproductive
+apparatus. This delicate and complex mechanism is liable to be aborted
+or deranged by the withdrawal of force that is needed for its
+construction and maintenance. It is, perhaps, idle to speculate upon
+the prospective evil that would accrue to the human race, should such
+an organic modification, introduced by abnormal education, be pushed
+to its ultimate limit. But inasmuch as the subject is not only
+germain to our inquiry, but has attracted the attention of a recent
+writer, whose bold and philosophic speculations, clothed in forcible
+language, have startled the best thought of the age, it may be well to
+quote him briefly on this point. Referring to the fact, that, in our
+modern civilization, the cultivated classes have smaller families than
+the uncultivated ones, he says, "If the superior sections and
+specimens of humanity are to lose, relatively, their procreative power
+in virtue of, and in proportion to, that superiority, how is culture
+or progress to be propagated so as to benefit the species as a whole,
+and how are those gradually amended organizations from which we hope
+so much to be secured? If, indeed, it were ignorance, stupidity, and
+destitution, instead of mental and moral development, that were the
+_sterilizing_ influences, then the improvement of the race would go on
+swimmingly, and in an ever-accelerating ratio. But since the
+conditions are exactly reversed, how should not an exactly opposite
+direction be pursued? How should the race _not_ deteriorate, when
+those who morally and physically are fitted to perpetuate it are
+(relatively), by a law of physiology, those least likely to do
+so?"[27] The answer to Mr. Greg's inquiry is obvious. If the culture
+of the race moves on into the future in the same rut and by the same
+methods that limit and direct it now; if the education of the sexes
+remains identical, instead of being appropriate and special; and
+especially if the intense and passionate stimulus of the identical
+co-education of the sexes is added to their identical education,--then
+the sterilizing influence of such a training, acting with tenfold more
+force upon the female than upon the male, will go on, and the race
+will be propagated from its inferior classes.[28] The stream of life
+that is to flow into the future will be Celtic rather than American:
+it will come from the collieries, and not from the peerage.
+Fortunately, the reverse of this picture is equally possible. The race
+holds its destinies in its own hands. The highest wisdom will secure
+the survival and propagation of the fittest. Physiology teaches that
+this result, the attainment of which our hopes prophecy, is to be
+secured, not by an identical education, or an identical co-education
+of the sexes, but by _a special and appropriate education, that shall
+produce a just and harmonious development of every part_.
+
+Let one remark be made here. It has been asserted that the chief
+reason why the higher and educated classes have smaller families than
+the lower and uneducated is, that the former criminally prevent or
+destroy increase. The pulpit,[29] as well as the medical press, has
+cried out against this enormity. That a disposition to do this thing
+exists, and is often carried into effect, is not to be denied, and
+cannot be too strongly condemned. On the other hand, it should be
+proclaimed, to the credit and honor of our cultivated women, and as a
+reproach to the identical education of the sexes, that many of them
+bear in silence the accusation of self-tampering, who are denied the
+oft-prayed-for trial, blessing, and responsibility of offspring. As a
+matter of personal experience, my advice has been much more frequently
+and earnestly sought by those of our best classes who desired to know
+how to obtain, than by those who wished to escape, the offices of
+maternity.
+
+The experiment of the identical co-education of the sexes has been set
+on foot by some of our Western colleges. It has not yet been tried
+long enough to show much more than its first fruits, viz., its results
+while the students are in college; and of these the only obvious ones
+are increased emulation, and intellectual development and attainments.
+The defects of the reproductive mechanism, and the friction of its
+action, are not exhibited there; nor is there time or opportunity in
+college for the evils which these defects entail to be exhibited.
+President Magoun of Iowa College tells us, that, in the institution
+over which he presides, "Forty-two young men and fifty-three young
+ladies have pursued college courses;" and adds, "Nothing needs to be
+said as to the control of the two sexes in the college. The young
+ladies are placed under the supervision of a lady principal and
+assistant as to deportment, and every thing besides recitations (in
+which they are under the supervision of the same professors and other
+teachers with the young men, reciting with them); and one simple rule
+as to social intercourse governs every thing. The moral and religious
+influences attending the arrangement have been most happy."[30] From
+this it is evident that Iowa College is trying the identical
+co-education of the sexes; and the president reports the happy moral
+and religious results of the experiment, but leaves us ignorant of its
+physiological results. It may never have occurred to him, that a class
+of a hundred young ladies might graduate from Iowa College or Antioch
+College or Michigan University, whose average health during their
+college course had appeared to the president and faculty as good as
+that of their male classmates who had made equal intellectual progress
+with them, upon whom no scandal had dropped its venom, who might be
+presented to the public on Commencement Day as specimens of as good
+health as their uneducated sisters, with roses in their cheeks as
+natural as those in their hands, the major part of whom might,
+notwithstanding all this, have physical defects that a physiologist
+could easily discover, and that would produce, sooner or later, more
+or less of the sad results we have previously described. A
+philanthropist and an intelligent observer, who has for a long time
+taken an active part in promoting the best education of the sexes, and
+who still holds some sort of official connection with a college
+occupied with identical co-education, told the writer a few months
+ago, that he had endeavored to trace the post-college history of the
+female graduates of the institution he was interested in. His object
+was to ascertain how their physique behaved under the stress,--the
+wear and tear of woman's work in life. The conclusion that resulted
+from his inquiry he formulated in the statement, that "the
+co-education of the sexes is intellectually a success, physically a
+failure." Another gentleman, more closely connected with a similar
+institution of education than the person just referred to, has arrived
+at a similar conclusion. Only a few female graduates of colleges have
+consulted the writer professionally. All sought his advice two, three,
+or more years after graduation; and, in all, the difficulties under
+which they labored could be distinctly traced to their college order
+of life and study, that is, to identical co-education. If physicians
+who are living in the neighborhood of the present residences of these
+graduates have been consulted by them in the same proportion with him,
+the inference is inevitable, that the ratio of invalidism among female
+college graduates is greater than even among the graduates of our
+common, high, and normal schools. All such observations as these,
+however, are only of value, at present, as indications of the drift of
+identical co-education, not as proofs of its physical fruits, or of
+their influence on mental force. Two or three generations, at least,
+of the female college graduates of this sort of co-education must come
+and go before any sufficient idea can be formed of the harvest it will
+yield. The physiologist dreads to see the costly experiment tried. The
+urgent reformer, who cares less for human suffering and human life
+than for the trial of his theories, will regard the experiment with
+equanimity if not with complacency.
+
+If, then, the identical co-education of the sexes is condemned both by
+physiology and experience, may it not be that their _special and
+appropriate co-education_ would yield a better result than their
+special and appropriate _separate_ education? This is a most important
+question, and one difficult to resolve. The discussion of it must be
+referred to those who are engaged in the practical work of
+instruction, and the decision will rest with experience. Physiology
+advocates, as we have seen, the special and appropriate education of
+the sexes, and has only a single word to utter with regard to simple
+co-education, or juxtaposition in education.
+
+That word is with regard to the common belief in the danger of
+improprieties and scandal as a part of co-education. There is some
+danger in this respect; but not a serious or unavoidable one.
+Doubtless there would be occasional lapses in a double-sexed college;
+and so there are outside of schoolhouses and seminaries of learning.
+Even the church and the clergy are not exempt from reproach in such
+things. There are sects, professing to commingle religion and love,
+who illustrate the dangers of juxtaposition even in things holy. "No
+physiologist can well doubt that the holy kiss of love in such cases
+owes all its warmth to the sexual feeling which consciously or
+unconsciously inspires it, or that the mystical union of the sexes
+lies very close to a union that is nowise mystical, when it does not
+lead to madness."[31] There is less, or certainly no more danger in
+having the sexes unite at the repasts of knowledge, than, as Plautus
+bluntly puts it, having he wits and she wits recline at the repasts of
+fashion. Isolation is more likely to breed pruriency than commingling
+to provoke indulgence. The virtue of the cloister and the cell
+scarcely deserves the name. A girl has her honor in her own keeping.
+If she can be trusted with boys and men at the lecture-room and in
+church, she can be trusted with them at school and in college. Jean
+Paul says, "To insure modesty, I would advise the education of the
+sexes together; for two boys will preserve twelve girls, or two girls
+twelve boys, innocent amidst winks, jokes, and improprieties, merely
+by that instinctive sense which is the forerunner of matured modesty.
+But I will guarantee nothing in a school where girls are alone
+together, and still less when boys are." A certain amount of
+juxta-position is an advantage to each sex. More than a certain amount
+is an evil to both. Instinct and common sense can be safely left to
+draw the line of demarcation. At the same time it is well to remember
+that juxtaposition may be carried too far. Temptations enough beset
+the young, without adding to them. Let learning and purity go hand in
+hand.
+
+There are two considerations appertaining to this subject, which,
+although they do not belong to the physiology of the matter, deserve
+to be mentioned in this connection. One amounts to a practical
+prohibition, for the present at least, of the experiment of the
+special and appropriate co-education of the sexes; and the other is an
+inherent difficulty in the experiment itself. The former can be
+removed whenever those who heartily believe in the success of the
+experiment choose to get rid of it; and the latter by patient and
+intelligent effort.
+
+The present practical prohibition of the experiment is the poverty of
+our colleges. Identical co-education can be easily tried with the
+existing organization of collegiate instruction. This has been tried,
+and is still going on in separate and double-sexed schools of all
+sorts, and has failed. Special and appropriate co-education requires
+in many ways, not in all, re-arrangement of the organization of
+instruction; and this will cost money and a good deal of it. Harvard
+College, for example, rich as it is supposed to be, whose banner, to
+use Mr. Higginson's illustration, is the red flag that the bulls of
+female reform are just now pitching into,--Harvard College could not
+undertake the task of special and appropriate co-education, in such a
+way as to give the two sexes a fair chance, which means the _best_
+chance, and the only chance it ought to give or will ever give,
+without an endowment, additional to its present resources, of from one
+to two millions of dollars; and it probably would require the larger
+rather than the smaller sum. And this I say advisedly. By which I
+mean, not with the advice and consent of the president and fellows of
+the college, but as an opinion founded on nearly twenty years'
+personal acquaintance, as an instructor in one of the departments of
+the university, with the organization of instruction in it, and upon
+the demands which physiology teaches the special and appropriate
+education of girls would make upon it. To make boys half-girls, and
+girls half-boys, can never be the legitimate function of any college.
+But such a result, the natural child of identical co-education, is
+sure to follow the training of a college that has not the pecuniary
+means to prevent it. This obstacle is of course a removable one. It
+is only necessary for those who wish to get it out of the way to put
+their hands in their pockets, and produce a couple of millions. The
+offer of such a sum, conditioned upon the liberal education of women,
+might influence even a body as soulless as the corporation of Harvard
+College is sometimes represented to be.
+
+The inherent difficulty in the experiment of special and appropriate
+co-education is the difficulty of adjusting, in the same institution,
+the methods of instruction to the physiological needs of each sex; to
+the persistent type of one, and the periodical type of the other; to
+the demand for a margin in metamorphosis of tissue, beyond what study
+causes, for general growth in one sex, and to a larger margin in the
+other sex, that shall permit not only general growth, but also the
+construction of the reproductive apparatus. This difficulty can only
+be removed by patient and intelligent effort. The first step in the
+direction of removing it is to see plainly what errors or dangers lie
+in the way. These, or some of them, we have endeavored to point out.
+"Nothing is so conducive to a right appreciation of the truth as a
+right appreciation of the error by which it is surrounded."[32] When
+we have acquired a belief of the facts concerning the identical
+education, the identical co-education, the appropriate education, and
+the appropriate co-education of the sexes, we shall be in a condition
+to draw just conclusions from them.
+
+The intimate connection of mind and brain, the correlation of mental
+power and cerebral metamorphosis, explains and justifies the
+physiologist's demand, that in the education of girls, as well as of
+boys, the machinery and methods of instruction shall be carefully
+adjusted to their organization. If it were possible, they should be
+adjusted to the organization of each individual. None doubt the
+importance of age, acquirement, idiosyncrasy, and probable career in
+life, as factors in classification. Sex goes deeper than any or all of
+these. To neglect this is to neglect the chief factor of the problem.
+Rightly interpreted and followed, it will yield the grandest results.
+Disregarded, it will balk the best methods of teaching and the genius
+of the best teachers. Sex is not concerned with studies as such.
+These, for any thing that appears to the contrary physiologically, may
+be the same for the intellectual development of females as of males;
+but, as we have seen, it is largely concerned about an appropriate way
+of pursuing them. Girls will have a fair chance, and women the largest
+freedom and greatest power, now that legal hinderances are removed,
+and all bars let down, when they are taught to develop and are willing
+to respect their own organization. How to bring about this development
+and insure this respect, in a double-sexed college, is one of the
+problems of co-education.
+
+It does not come within the scope of this essay to speculate upon the
+ways--the regimen, methods of instruction, and other details of
+college life,--by which the inherent difficulties of co-education may
+be obviated. Here tentative and judicious experiment is better than
+speculation. It would seem to be the part of wisdom, however, to make
+the simplest and least costly experiment first; that is, to discard
+the identical separate education of girls as boys, and to ascertain
+what their appropriate separate education is, and what it will
+accomplish. Aided by the light of such an experiment, it would be
+comparatively easy to solve the more difficult problem of the
+appropriate co-education of the sexes.
+
+It may be well to mention two or three details, which are so important
+that no system of _appropriate_ female education, separate or mixed,
+can neglect them. They have been implied throughout the whole of the
+present discussion, but not distinctly enunciated. One is, that during
+the period of rapid development, that is, from fourteen to
+eighteen,[33] a girl should not study as many hours a day as a boy.
+"In most of our schools," says a distinguished physiological authority
+previously quoted, "the hours are too many for both boys and girls.
+From a quarter of nine or nine, until half-past two, is with us
+(Philadelphia schools for girls) the common schooltime in private
+seminaries. The usual recess is twenty minutes or half an hour, and it
+is not filled by enforced exercise. In certain schools,--would it were
+the rule,--ten minutes' recess is given after every hour. To these
+hours, we must add the time spent in study out of school. This, for
+some reason, nearly always exceeds the time stated by teachers to be
+necessary; and most girls between the age of thirteen and seventeen
+thus expend two or three hours. Does any physician believe that it is
+good for a growing girl to be so occupied seven or eight hours a day?
+or that it is right for her to use her brains as long a time as the
+mechanic employs his muscles? But this is only a part of the evil. The
+multiplicity of studies, the number of teachers,--each eager to get
+the most he can out of his pupil,--the severer drill of our day, and
+the greater intensity of application demanded, produce effects on the
+growing brain, which, in a vast number of cases, can be only
+disastrous. Even in girls of from fourteen to eighteen, such as crowd
+the normal school in Philadelphia, this sort of tension and this
+variety of study occasion an amount of ill-health which is sadly
+familiar to many physicians."[34]
+
+Experience teaches that a healthy and growing boy may spend six hours
+of force daily upon his studies, and leave sufficient margin for
+physical growth. A girl cannot spend more than four, or, in
+occasional instances, five hours of force daily upon her studies, and
+leave sufficient margin for the general physical growth that she must
+make in common with a boy, and also for constructing a reproductive
+apparatus. If she puts as much force into her brain education as a
+boy, the brain or the special apparatus will suffer. Appropriate
+education and appropriate co-education must adjust their methods and
+regimen to this law.
+
+Another detail is, that, during every fourth week, there should be a
+remission, and sometimes an intermission, of both study and exercise.
+Some individuals require, at that time, a complete intermission from
+mental and physical effort for a single day; others for two or three
+days; others require only a remission, and can do half work safely for
+two or three days, and their usual work after that. The diminished
+labor, which shall give Nature an opportunity to accomplish her
+special periodical task and growth, is a physiological necessity for
+all, however robust they may seem to be. The apportionment of study
+and exercise to individual needs cannot be decided by general rules,
+nor can the decision of it be safely left to the pupil's caprice or
+ambition. Each case must be decided upon its own merits. The
+organization of studies and instruction must be flexible enough to
+admit of the periodical and temporary absence of each pupil, without
+loss of rank, or necessity of making up work, from recitation, and
+exercise of all sorts. The periodical type of woman's way of work must
+be harmonized with the persistent type of man's way of work in any
+successful plan of co-education.
+
+The keen eye and rapid hand of gain, of what Jouffroy calls
+self-interest well understood, is sometimes quicker than the brain and
+will of philanthropy to discern and inaugurate reform. An illustration
+of this statement, and a practical recognition of the physiological
+method of woman's work, lately came under my observation. There is an
+establishment in Boston, owned and carried on by a man, in which ten
+or a dozen girls are constantly employed. Each of them is given and
+required to take a vacation of three days every fourth week. It is
+scarcely necessary to say that their sanitary condition is
+exceptionally good, and that the aggregate yearly amount of work which
+the owner obtains is greater than when persistent attendance and labor
+was required. I have never heard of any female school, public or
+private, in which any such plan has been adopted; nor is it likely
+that any similar plan will be adopted so long as the community
+entertain the conviction that a boy's education and a girl's education
+should be the same, and that the same means the boy's. What is known
+in England as the Ten-hour Act, which Mr. Mundella and Sir John
+Lubbock have recently carried through Parliament, is a step in a
+similar direction. It is an act providing for the special protection
+of women against over-work. It does not recognize, and probably was
+not intended to recognize, the periodical type of woman's
+organization. It is founded on the fact, however, which law has been
+so slow to acknowledge, that the male and female organization are not
+identical.[35]
+
+This is not the place for the discussion of these details, and
+therefore we will not dwell upon them. Our object is rather to show
+good and imperative reason why they should be discussed by others; to
+show how faulty and pregnant of ill the education of American girls
+has been and is, and to demonstrate the truth, that the progress and
+development of the race depend upon the appropriate, and not upon the
+identical education of the sexes. Little good will be done in this
+direction, however, by any advice or argument, by whatever facts
+supported, or by whatever authority presented, unless the women of our
+country are themselves convinced of the evils that they have been
+educated into, and out of which they are determined to educate their
+daughters. They must breed in them the lofty spirit Wallenstein bade
+his be of:--
+
+    "Leave now the puny wish, the girlish feeling,
+    Oh, thrust it far behind thee! Give thou proof
+    Thou'rt the daughter of the Mighty,--his
+    Who where he moves creates the wonderful.
+    Meet and disarm necessity by choice."
+
+      SCHILLER: _The Piccolomini_, act iii. 8.
+        (_Coleridge's Translation._)
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[24] Body and Mind. Op. cit., p. 178.
+
+[25] The Study of Sociology, by Herbert Spencer, chap. 13.
+
+[26] The Study of Sociology, by Herbert Spencer, chap. 13.
+
+[27] Enigmas of Life. Op. cit., by W.R. Greg, p. 142.
+
+[28] It is a fact not to be lost sight of, says Dr. J.C. Toner of
+Washington, that the proportion between the number of American
+children under fifteen years of age, and the number of American women
+between the child-bearing ages of fifteen and fifty, is declining
+steadily. In 1830, there were to every 1,000 marriageable women, 1,952
+children under fifteen years of age. Ten years later, there were
+1,863, or 89 less children to every thousand women than in 1830. In
+1850, this number had declined to 1,720; in 1860, to 1,666; and in
+1870, to 1,568. The total decline in the forty years was 384, or about
+20 per cent of the whole proportional number in 1830, a generation
+ago. The United-States census of 1870 shows that there is, in the city
+of New York, but one child under fifteen years of age, to each
+thousand nubile women, when there ought to be three; and the same is
+true of our other large cities.--_The Nation_, Aug. 28, 1873, p. 145.
+
+[29] Vid. a pamphlet by the Rev. Dr. Todd.
+
+[30] The New Englander, July, 1873. Art., Iowa College.
+
+[31] Body and Mind. Op. cit., p. 85.
+
+[32] Use of the Ophthalmoscope. By T.C. Allbutt. London. P. 5.
+
+[33] Some physiologists consider that the period of growth extends to
+a later age than this. Dr. Anstie fixes the limit at twenty five. He
+says, "The central nervous system is more slow in reaching its fullest
+development; and the brain, especially, is many years later in
+acquiring its maximum of organic consistency and functional
+power."--_Neuralgia, Op. cit._, by F.E. ANSTIE, p. 20.
+
+[34] Wear and Tear. Op. cit., p. 33-4.
+
+[35] It is a curious commentary on the present aspect of the "woman
+question" to see many who honestly advocate the elevation and
+enfranchisement of woman, oppose any movement or law that recognizes
+Nature's fundamental distinction of sex. There are those who insist
+upon the traditional fallacy that man and woman are identical, and
+that the identity is confined to the man, with the energy of
+infatuation. It appears from the Spectator, that Mr. and Mrs. Fawcett
+strongly object to the Ten-hour Act, on the ground that it
+discriminates unfairly against women as compared with men. Upon this
+the Spectator justly remarks, that the true question for an objector
+to the bill to consider is not one of abstract principle, but this:
+"Is the restraint proposed so great as really to diminish the average
+productiveness of woman's labor, or, by _increasing its efficacy_, to
+maintain its level, or even improve it in spite of the hours lost?
+What is the length of labor beyond which an average woman's
+constitution is overtaxed and deteriorated, and within which,
+therefore, the law ought to keep them in spite of their relations, and
+sometimes in spite of themselves."--_Vid. Spectator_, London, June 14,
+1873.
+
+
+
+
+PART V.
+
+THE EUROPEAN WAY.
+
+    "And let it appear that he doth not change his country manners
+    for those of foreign parts, but only prick in some flowers of
+    that he hath learned abroad into the customs of his own
+    country."--LORD BACON.
+
+
+One branch of the stream of travel that flows with steadily-increasing
+volume across the Atlantic, from the western to the eastern continent,
+passes from the United States, through Nova Scotia, to England. The
+traveller who follows this route is struck, almost as soon as he
+leaves the boundaries of the republic, with the difference between the
+physique of the inhabitants he encounters and that of those he has
+left behind him. The difference is most marked between the females of
+the two sections. The firmer step, fuller chest, and ruddier cheek of
+the Nova-Scotian girl foretell still greater differences of color,
+form, and strength that England and the Continent present. These
+differences impressed one who passed through Nova Scotia not long ago
+very strongly. Her observations upon them are an excellent
+illustration of our subject, and they deserve to be read in this
+connection. Her remarks, moreover, are indirect but valuable testimony
+to the evils of our sort of identical education of the sexes. "Nova
+Scotia," she says, "is a country of gracious surprises."
+
+"But most beautiful among her beauties, most wonderful among her
+wonders, are her children. During two weeks' travel in the Provinces,
+I have been constantly more and more impressed by their superiority in
+appearance, size, and health, to the children of the New-England and
+Middle States. In the outset of our journey, I was struck by it; along
+all the roadsides they looked up, boys _and girls_, fair,
+broad-cheeked, sturdy-legged, such as with us are seen only now and
+then. I did not, however, realize at first that this was the
+universal law of the land, and that it pointed to something more than
+climate as a cause. But the first school that I saw, _en masse_, gave
+a startling impetus to the train of observation and influence into
+which I was unconsciously falling. It was a Sunday school in the
+little town of Wolfville, which lies between the Gaspereau and
+Cornwallis Rivers, just beyond the meadows of the Grand Pré, where
+lived Gabriel Lajeunesse, and Benedict Bellefontaine, and the rest of
+the 'simple Acadian farmers.' I arrived too early at one of the
+village churches; and, while I was waiting for a sexton, a door
+opened, and out poured the Sunday school, whose services had just
+ended. On they came, dividing in the centre, and falling to the right
+and left about me, thirty or forty boys and girls, between the ages of
+seven and fifteen. They all had fair skins, red cheeks, and clear
+eyes; they were all broad-shouldered, straight, and sturdy; the
+younger ones were more than sturdy,--they were fat, from the ankles
+up. But perhaps the most noticeable thing of all was the quiet,
+sturdy, unharassed expression which their faces wore; a look which is
+the greatest charm of a child's face, but which we rarely see in
+children over two or three years old. Boys of eleven or twelve were
+there, with shoulders broader than the average of our boys at sixteen,
+and yet with the pure childlike look on their faces. Girls of ten or
+eleven were there, who looked almost like women,--that is, like ideal
+women,--simply because they looked so calm and undisturbed.... Out of
+them all there was but one child who looked sickly. He had evidently
+met with some accident, and was lame. Afterward, as the congregation
+assembled, I watched the fathers and _mothers_ of these children.
+They, too, were broad-shouldered, tall, and straight, _especially the
+women_. Even old women were straight, like the negroes one sees at the
+South walking with burdens on their heads.
+
+"Five days later I saw, in Halifax, the celebration of the anniversary
+of the settlement of the Province. The children of the city and of
+some of the neighboring towns marched in 'Bands of Hope,' and
+processions such as we see in the cities of the States on the Fourth
+of July. This was just the opportunity I wanted. It was the same here
+as in the country. I counted, on that day, just eleven sickly-looking
+children; no more! Such brilliant cheeks, such merry eyes, such
+evident strength,--it was a scene to kindle the dullest soul! There
+were scores of little ones there, whose droll, fat legs would have
+drawn a crowd in Central Park; and they all had that same quiet,
+composed, well-balanced expression of countenance of which I spoke
+before, and of which it would be hard to find an instance in all
+Central Park.
+
+"Climate, undoubtedly, has something to do with this. The air is
+moist; and the mercury rarely rises above 80°, or falls below 10°.
+Also the comparative quiet of their lives helps to make them so
+beautiful and strong. But the most significant fact to my mind is,
+that, until the past year, there have been in Nova Scotia no public
+schools, comparatively few private ones; and in these there is no
+severe pressure brought to bear on the pupils.... I must not be
+understood to argue from the health of the children of Nova Scotia, as
+contrasted with the lack of health among our children, that it is best
+to have no public schools; only that it is better to have no public
+schools than to have such public schools as are now killing off our
+children.... In Massachusetts, the mortality from diseases of the
+brain and nervous system is eleven per cent. In Nova Scotia it is only
+eight per cent."[36]
+
+It would be interesting and instructive to ascertain, if we could, the
+regimen of female education in Europe. The acknowledged and
+unmistakable differences between American and European girls and
+women--the delicate bloom, unnatural weakness, and premature decay of
+the former, contrasted with the bronzed complexion, developed form,
+and enduring force of the latter--are not adequately explained by
+climate. Given sufficient time, difference of climate will produce
+immense differences of form, color, and force in the same species of
+animals and men. But a century does not afford a period long enough
+for the production of great changes. That length of time could not
+transform the sturdy German fraulein and robust English damsel into
+the fragile American miss. Everybody recognizes and laments the change
+that has been and is going on. "The race of strong, hardy, cheerful
+girls, that used to grow up in country places, and made the bright,
+neat, New-England kitchens of olden times,--the girls that could wash,
+iron, brew, bake, harness a horse and drive him, no less than braid
+straw, embroider, draw, paint, and read innumerable books,--this race
+of women, pride of olden time, is daily lessening; and, in their
+stead, come the fragile, easy-fatigued, languid girls of a modern age,
+drilled in book-learning, ignorant of common things."[37] No similar
+change has been wrought, during the past century, upon the mass of
+females in Europe. There--
+
+    "Nature keeps the reverent frame
+    With which her years began."
+
+If we could ascertain the regimen of European female education, so as
+to compare it fairly with the American plan of the identical education
+of the sexes, it is not impossible that the comparison might teach us
+how it is, that conservation of female force makes a part of
+trans-Atlantic, and deterioration of the same force a part of
+cis-Atlantic civilization. It is probable such an inquiry would show
+that the disregard of the female organization, which is a palpable and
+pervading principle of American education, either does not exist at
+all in Europe, or exists only in a limited degree.
+
+With the hope of obtaining information upon this point, the writer
+addressed inquiries to various individuals, who would be likely to
+have the desired knowledge. Only a few answers to his inquiries have
+been received up to the present writing; more are promised by and by.
+The subject is a delicate and difficult one to investigate. The
+reports of committees and examining boards, of ministers of
+instruction, and other officials, throw little or no light upon it.
+The matter belongs so much to the domestic economy of the household
+and school, that it is not easy to learn much that is definite about
+it except by personal inspection and inquiry. The little information
+that has been received, however, is important. It indicates, if it
+does not demonstrate, an essential difference between the regimen or
+organization, using these terms in their broadest sense, of female
+education in America and in Europe.
+
+Dr. H. Hagen, an eminent physician and naturalist of Königsburg,
+Prussia, now connected with the Museum of Comparative Zoology at
+Cambridge, writes from Germany, where he has been lately, in reply to
+these inquiries, as follows:--
+
+    NUREMBERG, July 23, 1873.
+
+    DEAR SIR,--The information, given by two prominent physicians
+    in Berlin, in answer to the questions in your letter, is
+    mostly of a negative character. I believe them to prove that
+    generally girls here are doing very well as to the catamenial
+    function.
+
+    First, most of the girls in North Germany begin this function
+    in the fifteenth year, or even later; of course some few
+    sooner, even in the twelfth year or before; but the rule is
+    after the fifteenth year. Now, nearly all leave the school in
+    the fifteenth year, and then follow some lectures given at
+    home at leisure. The school-girls are of course rarely
+    troubled by the periodical function.
+
+    There is an established kind of tradition giving the rule for
+    the regimen during the catamenial period: this regimen goes
+    from mother to daughter, and the advice of physicians is
+    seldom asked for with regard to it. As a rule, the greatest
+    care is taken to avoid any cold or exposure at this time. If
+    the girls are still school-girls, they go to school, study and
+    write as at other times, _provided the function is normally
+    performed_.
+
+    School-girls never ride in Germany, nor are they invited to
+    parties or to dancing-parties. All this comes after the
+    school. And even then care is taken to _stay at home when the
+    periodical function is present_.
+
+    Concerning the health of the German girls, as compared with
+    American girls, the German physicians have not sufficient
+    information to warrant any statement. But the health of the
+    German girls is commonly good except in the higher classes in
+    the great capitals, where the same obnoxious agencies are to
+    be found in Germany as in the whole world. But here also there
+    is a very strong exception, or, better, a difference between
+    America and Germany, as German girls are never accustomed to
+    the free manners and modes of life of American girls. As a
+    rule, in Germany, the mother directs the manner of living of
+    the daughter entirely.
+
+    I shall have more and better information some time later.
+
+      Yours,
+           H. HAGEN.
+
+A German lady, who was educated in the schools of Dantzic, Prussia,
+afforded information, which, as far as it went, confirmed the above.
+Three customs, or habits, which exert a great influence upon the
+health and development of girls, appear from Dr. Hagen's letter to
+make a part of the German female educational regimen. The first is,
+that girls leave school at about the age of fifteen or sixteen, that
+is, as soon as the epoch of rapid sexual development arrives. It
+appears, moreover, that during this epoch, or the greater part of it,
+a German girl's education is carried on at home, by means of lectures
+or private arrangements. These, of course, are not as inflexible as
+the rigid rules of a technical school, and admit of easy adjustment to
+the periodical demands of the female constitution. The second is the
+traditional motherly supervision and careful regimen of the catamenial
+week. Evidently the notion that a boy's education and a girl's
+education should be the same, and that the same means the boy's, has
+not yet penetrated the German mind. This has not yet evolved the idea
+of the identical education of the sexes. It appears that in Germany,
+schools, studies, parties, walks, rides, dances, and the like, are not
+allowed to displace or derange the demands of Nature. The female
+organization is respected. The third custom is, that German
+school-girls are not invited to parties at all. "All this comes after
+the school," says Dr. Hagen. The brain is not worked by day in the
+labor of study, and tried by night with the excitement of the ball.
+Pleasant recreation for children of both sexes, and abundance of it,
+is provided for them, all over Germany,--is regarded as necessity for
+them,--is made a part of their daily life; but then it is open-air,
+oxygen-surrounding, blood-making, health-giving, innocent recreation;
+not gas, furnaces, low necks, spinal trails, the civilized
+representatives of caudal appendages, and late hours.
+
+Desirous of obtaining, if possible, a more exact notion than even a
+physician could give of the German, traditional method of managing
+the catamenial function for the first few years after its appearance,
+I made inquiries of a German lady, now a mother, whose family name
+holds an honored place, both in German diplomacy and science, and who
+has enjoyed corresponding opportunities for an experimental
+acquaintance with the German regimen of female education. The
+following is her reply. For obvious reasons, the name of the writer is
+not given. She has been much in this country as well as in Germany; a
+fact that explains the knowledge of American customs that her letter
+exhibits.
+
+
+    MY DEAR DOCTOR,--I have great pleasure in answering your
+    inquiries in regard to the course, which, to my knowledge,
+    German mothers adopt with their daughters at the catamenial
+    period. As soon as a girl attains maturity in this respect,
+    which is seldom before the age of sixteen, she is ordered to
+    observe complete rest; not only rest of the body, but rest of
+    the mind. Many mothers oblige their daughters to remain in
+    bed for three days, if they are at all delicate in health; but
+    even those who are physically very strong are obliged to
+    abstain from study, to remain in their rooms for three days,
+    and keep perfectly quiet. During the whole of each period,
+    they are not allowed to run, walk much, ride, skate, or dance.
+    In fact, entire repose is strictly enforced in every
+    well-regulated household and school. A German girl would
+    consider the idea of going to a party at such times as simply
+    preposterous; and the difference that exists in this respect
+    in America is wholly unintelligible to them.
+
+    As a general rule, a married woman in Germany, even after she
+    has had many children, is as strong and healthy, if not more
+    so, than when she was a girl. In America, with a few
+    exceptions, it appears to be the reverse; and, I have no
+    doubt, it is owing to the want of care on the part of girls at
+    this particular time, and to the neglect of their mothers to
+    enforce proper rules in this most important matter.
+
+    It has seemed to me, often, that the difference in the
+    education of girls in America and in Germany, as regards their
+    physical training, is, that in America it is marked by a great
+    degree of recklessness; while in Germany, the erring, if it
+    can be called erring, is on the side of anxious, extreme
+    caution. Therefore beautiful American girls fade rapidly;
+    while the German girls, who do not possess the same natural
+    advantages, do possess, as a rule, good, permanent health,
+    which goes hand-in-hand with happiness and enjoyment of life.
+
+      Believe me,
+            Very truly yours,
+                  ---- ----.
+
+JUNE 21, 1873.
+
+This letter confirms the statement of Dr. Hagen, and shows that the
+educational and social regimen of a German school-girl is widely
+different from that of her American sister. Perhaps, as is intimated
+above, the German way, which is probably the European way also, may
+err on the side of too great confinement and caution; and that a
+medium between that and the recklessness of the American way would
+yield a better result than either one of them.
+
+German peasant girls and women work in the field and shop with and
+like men. None who have seen their stout and brawny arms can doubt the
+force with which they wield the hoe and axe. I once saw, in the
+streets of Coblentz, a woman and a donkey yoked to the same cart,
+while a man, with a whip in his hand, drove the team. The bystanders
+did not seem to look upon the moving group as if it were an unusual
+spectacle. The donkey appeared to be the most intelligent and refined
+of the three. The sight symbolized the physical force and infamous
+degradation of the lower classes of women in Europe. The urgent
+problem of modern civilization is how to retain this force, and get
+rid of the degradation. Physiology declares that the solution of it
+will only be possible when the education of girls is made appropriate
+to their organization. A German girl, yoked with a donkey and dragging
+a cart, is an exhibition of monstrous muscular and aborted brain
+development. An American girl, yoked with a dictionary, and laboring
+with the catamenia, is an exhibition of monstrous brain and aborted
+ovarian development.
+
+The investigations incident to the preparation of this monograph have
+suggested a number of subjects kindred to the one of which it treats,
+that ought to be discussed from the physiological standpoint in the
+interest of sound education. Some, and perhaps the most important, of
+them are the relation of the male organization, so far as it is
+different from the female, to the labor of education and of life; the
+comparative influence of crowding studies, that is of excessive brain
+activity, upon the cerebral metamorphosis of the two sexes; the
+influence of study, or brain activity, upon sleep, and through sleep,
+or the want of it, upon nutrition and development; and, most important
+of all, the true relation of education to the just and harmonious
+development of every part, both of the male and female organization,
+in which the rightful control of the cerebral ganglia over the whole
+system and all its functions shall be assured in each sex, and thus
+each be enabled to obtain the largest possible amount of intellectual
+and spiritual power. The discussion of these subjects at the present
+time would largely exceed the natural limits of this essay. They can
+only be suggested now, with the hope that other and abler observers
+may be induced to examine and discuss them.
+
+In conclusion, let us remember that physiology confirms the hope of
+the race by asserting that the loftiest heights of intellectual and
+spiritual vision and force are free to each sex, and accessible by
+each; but adds that each must climb in its own way, and accept its own
+limitations, and, when this is done, promises that each will find the
+doing of it, not to weaken or diminish, but to develop power.
+Physiology condemns the identical, and pleads for the appropriate
+education of the sexes, so that boys may become men, and girls women,
+and both have a fair chance to do and become their best.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[36] Bits of Talk. By H.H. Pp. 71-75.
+
+[37] House and Home Papers. By Harriet Beecher Stowe. P. 205.
+
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+    +------------------------------------------------------------+
+    | Typographical errors corrected in text:                    |
+    |                                                            |
+    | Page 62:   menorraghic replaced with menorrhagic           |
+    | Page 72:   dysmenorrhea replaced with dysmenorrhoea        |
+    | Page 75:   rythmical replaced with rhythmical              |
+    | Page 117:  permantly replaced with permanently             |
+    | Page 120:  rythmical replaced with rhythmical              |
+    | page 171:  twelth replaced with twelfth                    |
+    | Page 175:  knowedge replaced with knowledge                |
+    |                                                            |
+    +------------------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SEX IN EDUCATION***
+
+
+******* This file should be named 18504-8.txt or 18504-8.zip *******
+
+
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/8/5/0/18504
+
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://www.gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://www.gutenberg.org/about/contact
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
+To donate, please visit:
+http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
diff --git a/18504-8.zip b/18504-8.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c706aca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18504-8.zip
diff --git a/18504-h.zip b/18504-h.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d91d3ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18504-h.zip
diff --git a/18504-h/18504-h.htm b/18504-h/18504-h.htm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d9383aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18504-h/18504-h.htm
@@ -0,0 +1,3805 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
+<html>
+<head>
+<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" />
+<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Sex in Education, by Edward H. Clarke</title>
+    <style type="text/css">
+/*<![CDATA[  XML blockout */
+<!--
+    P {  margin-top: .5em;
+         text-align: justify;
+         margin-bottom: .5em;
+         text-indent: 1em;
+         }
+    H1   {
+         text-align: center; font-family: garamond, serif; /* all headings centered */
+         }
+    H1.pg   {
+         text-align: center; font-family: Times-Roman, serif; /* all headings centered */
+         }
+    H5,H6 {
+         text-align: center; font-family: garamond, serif; /* all headings centered */
+         }
+    H2 {
+         text-align: center; font-family: garamond, serif; /* centered and coloured */
+         }
+    H3 {
+         text-align: center; font-family: garamond, serif; /* centered and coloured */
+         }
+    H4 {
+         text-align: center; font-family: garamond, serif; /* all headings centered */
+         }
+    H3.pg   {
+         text-align: center; font-family: Times-Roman, serif; /* all headings centered */
+         }
+    HR { width: 33%;
+	margin-top: 1em;
+	margin-bottom: 1em;
+       }
+    BODY{margin-left: 10%;
+         margin-right: 10%;
+        }
+    a  {text-decoration: none} /* no lines under links */
+    div.centered {text-align: center;} /* work around for IE centering with CSS problem part 1 */
+    div.centered table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;} /* work around for IE centering with CSS problem part 2 */
+    ul        {list-style-type: none} /* no bullets on lists */
+
+    .cen      {text-align: center; text-indent: 0em;} /* centering paragraphs */
+    .sc       {font-variant: small-caps; font-size: 95%;} /* small caps, normal size */
+    .noin     {text-indent: 0em;} /* no indenting */
+    .linenum  {position: absolute; top: auto; left: 4%;} /* poetry number */
+    .note     {margin-left: 2em; margin-right: 2em; margin-bottom: 1em;} /* footnote */
+    .block    {margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 5%;} /* block indent */
+    .block2   {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} /* block indent */
+    .right    {text-align: right; padding-right: 2em;} /* right aligning paragraphs */
+    .totoc    {position: absolute; right: 2%; font-size: 75%; text-align: right;} /* Table of contents anchor */
+    .totoi    {position: absolute; right: 2%; font-size: 75%; text-align: right;} /* to Table of Illustrations link */
+    .img      {text-align: center; padding: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;} /* centering images */
+    .sidenote {width: 20%; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding-left: 1em; font-size: smaller; float: right; clear: right;}
+    .tdr      {text-align: right;} /* aligning cell content to the right */
+    .tdc      {text-align: center;} /* aligning cell content to the center */
+    .tdl      {text-align: left;}  /* aligning cell content to the left */
+    .tdlsc    {text-align: left; font-variant: small-caps; font-size: 95%; vertical-align: bottom;} /* aligning cell content and small caps */
+    .tdrsc    {text-align: right; font-variant: small-caps;} /* aligning cell content and small caps */
+    .tdcsc    {text-align: center; font-variant: small-caps;} /* aligning cell content and small caps */
+    .tr       {margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; margin-top: 5%; margin-bottom: 5%; padding: 1em; background-color: #f6f2f2; color: black; border: dotted black 1px;} /* transcriber's notes */
+    .right2   {width: 30%; text-align: right; position: absolute; right: 0; padding-right: 15%;}
+
+    .pagenum  { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */
+               /*  visibility: hidden;  */
+               position: absolute; right: 2%; font-size: 65%; text-align: right; color: silver; background-color: inherit;} /* page numbers */
+
+    /* Visually set apart the Greek text and show the transliteration when hovered */
+    .Greek    {border-bottom: 1px dotted gray; font-size: 105%;}
+    .Greek[title]:after{
+              /*Workaround for Gecko*/
+                content: "";
+               }
+    .Greek[title]:hover:after{
+              /*Shows the value of the title attribute when hovered*/
+               content: " [Greek: " attr(title) "]";
+              }
+    /* Visually set apart the Greek text and show the transliteration when hovered */
+
+
+    .footnotes        {border: dashed 1px;}
+    .footnote         {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 90%;}
+    .footnote .label  {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;}
+    .fnanchor         {vertical-align: text-top; font-size: .8em; text-decoration: none;}
+
+    .poem             {margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; text-align: left;}
+    .poem2            {margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 5%; text-align: left;}
+    .poem br          {display: none;}
+    .poem .stanza     {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;}
+    .poem span        {display: block; margin: 0; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+    .poem span.i2     {display: block; margin-left: 2em;}
+    .poem span.i4     {display: block; margin-left: 4em;}
+    .poem span.i10     {display: block; margin-left: 10em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+    .poem span.i5     {display: block; margin-left: 5em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;}
+    hr.full { width: 100%;
+              margin-top: 0em;
+              margin-bottom: 0em;
+              border: solid black;
+              height: 5px; }
+    pre      {font-size: 75%;}
+    // -->
+    /* XML end  ]]>*/
+    </style>
+</head>
+<body>
+<h1 class="pg">The Project Gutenberg eBook, Sex in Education, by Edward H. Clarke</h1>
+<pre>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at <a href = "http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre>
+<p>Title: Sex in Education</p>
+<p>       or, A Fair Chance for Girls</p>
+<p>Author: Edward H. Clarke</p>
+<p>Release Date: June 5, 2006  [eBook #18504]</p>
+<p>Language: English</p>
+<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p>
+<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SEX IN EDUCATION***</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h3 class="pg">E-text prepared by Audrey Longhurst, Jeannie Howse,<br />
+    and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br />
+    (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net/">http://www.pgdp.net/</a>)<br />
+    from page images generously made available by the<br />
+    Home Economics Archive: Research, Tradition and History,<br />
+    Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell University<br />
+    (<a href="http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/">http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/</a>)</h3>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;" cellpadding="10">
+  <tr>
+    <td valign="top">
+      Note:
+    </td>
+    <td>
+      Images of the original pages are available through the
+	  Home Economics Archive: Research, Tradition and History,
+	  Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell University. See
+      <a href="http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=hearth;idno=4765412">
+	  http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=hearth;idno=4765412</a>
+	</td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<div class="tr">
+<p class="cen" style="font-weight: bold;">Transcriber's Note:</p>
+<br />
+<p class="noin">A number of obvious typographical errors have been corrected in this text.
+For a complete list, please see the <a href="#TN">end of this document</a>.</p>
+<p class="noin">This document has inconsistent hyphenation.</p>
+<p class="noin">Hover <span class="Greek" title="like this" style="font-size: 100%;">Greek words</span> for transliteration.</p>
+</div>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h1 style="font-variant: small-caps;">Sex in Education;</h1>
+
+<h5>OR,</h5>
+
+<h3>A FAIR CHANCE FOR GIRLS.</h3>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+
+
+<h5>BY</h5>
+
+<h2>EDWARD H. CLARKE, M.D.,</h2>
+
+<h5>MEMBER OF THE MASSACHUSETTS MEDICAL SOCIETY; FELLOW OF<br />
+THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES;<br />
+LATE PROFESSOR OF MATERIA MEDICA<br />
+IN HARVARD COLLEGE,<br />
+ETC., ETC.</h5>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<h5>BOSTON:<br />
+JAMES R. OSGOOD AND COMPANY,<br />
+(LATE TICKNOR &amp; FIELDS, AND FIELDS, OSGOOD, &amp; CO.)<br />
+1875.</h5>
+
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+
+<h5>Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by<br />
+EDWARD H. CLARKE,<br />
+In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington</h5>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+
+<h5>BOSTON:<br />
+STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY RAND, AVERY, &amp; CO.</h5>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<br />
+
+
+<div class="block2"><p>"An American female constitution, which collapses just in the
+middle third of life, and comes out vulcanized India-rubber,
+if it happen to live through the period when health and
+strength are most wanted."</p>
+
+<p><span class="sc">Oliver Wendell Holmes</span>: <i>Autocrat of the Breakfast
+Table</i>.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>"He reverenced and upheld, in every form in which it came
+before him, <i>womanhood</i>.... What a woman should demand is
+respect for her as she is a woman. Let her first lesson be,
+with sweet Susan Winstanley, <i>to reverence her sex</i>."</p>
+
+<p><span class="sc">Charles Lamb</span>: <i>Essays of Elia</i>.</p>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>"We trust that the time now approaches when man's condition
+shall be progressively improved by the force of reason and
+truth, when the brute part of nature shall be crushed, that
+the god-like spirit may unfold."</p>
+
+<p><span class="sc">Guizot</span>: <i>History of Civilization</i>, I., 34.</p></div>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<a name="toc" id="toc"></a><hr />
+<br />
+
+<h3>CONTENTS.</h3>
+<br />
+
+<div class="centered">
+<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="60%" summary="Table of Contents">
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2" style="padding-top: .5em;">PART I.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td width="80%" class="tdlsc"><a href="#PART_I">Introductory</a></td>
+  <td width="20%" class="tdr">11</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2" style="padding-top: .5em;">PART II.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlsc"><a href="#PART_II">Chiefly Physiological</a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">31</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2" style="padding-top: .5em;">PART III.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlsc"><a href="#PART_III">Chiefly Clinical</a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">61</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2" style="padding-top: .5em;">PART IV.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlsc"><a href="#PART_IV">Co-Education</a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">118</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdc" colspan="2" style="padding-top: .5em;">PART V.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+  <td class="tdlsc"><a href="#PART_V">The European Way</a></td>
+  <td class="tdr">162</td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span><br />
+
+<h3>PREFACE.</h3>
+<br />
+
+<p>About a year ago the author was honored by an invitation to address
+the New-England Women's Club in Boston. He accepted the invitation,
+and selected for his subject the relation of sex to the education of
+women. The essay excited an unexpected amount of discussion. Brief
+reports of it found their way into the public journals. Teachers and
+others interested in the education of girls, in different parts of the
+country, who read these reports, or heard of them, made inquiry, by
+letter or otherwise, respecting it. Various and conflicting criticisms
+were passed upon it. This manifestation of interest in a brief and
+unstudied lecture to a small club appeared to the author to indicate a
+general appreciation of the importance of the theme he had chosen,
+compelled him to review carefully the statements he had made, and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span>has
+emboldened him to think that their publication in a more comprehensive
+form, with added physiological details and clinical illustrations,
+might contribute something, however little, to the cause of sound
+education. Moreover, his own conviction, not only of the importance of
+the subject, but of the soundness of the conclusions he has reached,
+and of the necessity of bringing physiological facts and laws
+prominently to the notice of all who are interested in education,
+conspires with the interest excited by the theme of his lecture to
+justify him in presenting these pages to the public. The leisure of
+his last professional vacation has been devoted to their preparation.
+The original address, with the exception of a few verbal alterations,
+is incorporated into them.</p>
+
+<p>Great plainness of speech will be observed throughout this essay. The
+nature of the subject it discusses, the general misapprehension both
+of the strong and weak points in the physiology of the woman question,
+and the ignorance displayed by many, of what the co-education of the
+sexes really means, all forbid that ambiguity of language or euphemism
+of expression should be employed in the discussion. The subject is
+treated solely <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span>from the standpoint of physiology. Technical terms
+have been employed, only where their use is more exact or less
+offensive than common ones.</p>
+
+<p>If the publication of this brief memoir does nothing more than excite
+discussion and stimulate investigation with regard to a matter of such
+vital moment to the nation as the relation of sex to education, the
+author will be amply repaid for the time and labor of its preparation.
+No one can appreciate more than he its imperfections. Notwithstanding
+these, he hopes a little good may be extracted from it, and so
+commends it to the consideration of all who desire the <i>best</i>
+education of the sexes.</p>
+
+<p class="noin" style="margin-left: 5%;"><span class="sc">Boston, 18 Arlington Street</span>, October, 1873.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span><br />
+
+<h3>PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION.</h3>
+<br />
+
+<p>The demand for a second edition of this book in little more than a
+week after the publication of the first, indicates the interest which
+the public take in the relation of Sex to Education, and justifies the
+author in appealing to physiology and pathology for light upon the
+vexed question of the appropriate education of girls. Excepting a few
+verbal alterations, and the correction of a few typographical errors,
+there is no difference between this edition and the first. The author
+would have been glad to add to this edition a section upon the
+relation of sex to women's work in life, after their technical
+education is completed, but has not had time to do so.</p>
+
+<p class="noin" style="margin-left: 5%;"><span class="sc">Boston, 18 Arlington Street,</span><br />
+<span class="sc" style="margin-left: 1em">Nov. 8, 1873.</span></p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span><br />
+
+<h3>NOTE TO THE FIFTH EDITION.</h3>
+<br />
+
+<p>The attention of the reader is called to the definition of "education"
+on the twentieth page. It is there stated, that, throughout this
+essay, education is not used in the limited sense of mental or
+intellectual training alone, but as comprehending the whole manner of
+life, physical and psychical, during the educational period; that is,
+following Worcester's comprehensive definition, as comprehending
+instruction, discipline, manners, and habits. This, of course,
+includes home-life and social life, as well as school-life; balls and
+parties, as well as books and recitations; walking and riding, as much
+as studying and sewing. When a remission or intermission is necessary,
+the parent must decide what part of education shall be remitted or
+omitted,&mdash;the walk, the ball, the school, the party, or all of these.
+None can doubt which will interfere most with Nature's laws,&mdash;four
+hours' dancing, or four hours' studying. These remarks may be
+unnecessary. They are made because some who have noticed this essay
+have spoken of it as if it treated only of the school, and seem to
+have <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span>forgotten the just and comprehensive signification in which
+education is used throughout this memoir. Moreover, it may be well to
+remind the reader, even at the risk of casting a reflection upon his
+intelligence, that, in these pages, the relation of sex to mature life
+is not discussed, except in a few passages, in which the large
+capacities and great power of woman are alluded to, provided the epoch
+of development is physiologically guided.</p>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<a name="PART_I" id="PART_I"></a><hr />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span><br />
+
+<h2>SEX IN EDUCATION.</h2>
+
+<h3>PART I.<span class="totoc"><a href="#toc">ToC</a></span></h3>
+
+<h4>INTRODUCTORY.</h4>
+
+<div class="block2"><p>"Is there any thing better in a State than that both women and
+men be rendered the very best? There is not."&mdash;<span class="sc">Plato.</span></p></div>
+<br />
+
+<p>It is idle to say that what is right for man is wrong for woman. Pure
+reason, abstract right and wrong, have nothing to do with sex: they
+neither recognize nor know it. They teach that what is right or wrong
+for man is equally right and wrong for woman. Both sexes are bound by
+the same code of morals; both are amenable to the same divine law.
+Both have a right to do the best they can; or, to speak more justly,
+both should feel the duty, and have the opportunity, to do their
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span>best. Each must justify its existence by becoming a complete
+development of manhood and womanhood; and each should refuse whatever
+limits or dwarfs that development.</p>
+
+<p>The problem of woman's sphere, to use the modern phrase, is not to be
+solved by applying to it abstract principles of right and wrong. Its
+solution must be obtained from physiology, not from ethics or
+metaphysics. The question must be submitted to Agassiz and Huxley, not
+to Kant or Calvin, to Church or Pope. Without denying the self-evident
+proposition, that whatever a woman can do, she has a right to do, the
+question at once arises, What can she do? And this includes the
+further question, What can she best do? A girl can hold a plough, and
+ply a needle, after a fashion. If she can do both better than a man,
+she ought to be both farmer and seamstress; but if, on the whole, her
+husband can hold best the plough, and she ply best the needle, they
+should divide the labor. He should be master of the plough, and she
+mistress of the loom. The <i>qu&aelig;stio vexata</i> of woman's sphere <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span>will be
+decided by her organization. This limits her power, and reveals her
+divinely-appointed tasks, just as man's organization limits his power,
+and reveals his work. In the development of the organization is to be
+found the way of strength and power for both sexes. Limitation or
+abortion of development leads both to weakness and failure.</p>
+
+<p>Neither is there any such thing as inferiority or superiority in this
+matter. Man is not superior to woman, nor woman to man. The relation
+of the sexes is one of equality, not of better and worse, or of higher
+and lower. By this it is not intended to say that the sexes are the
+same. They are different, widely different from each other, and so
+different that each can do, in certain directions, what the other
+cannot; and in other directions, where both can do the same things,
+one sex, as a rule, can do them better than the other; and in still
+other matters they seem to be so nearly alike, that they can
+interchange labor without perceptible difference. All this is so well
+known, that it would be useless to refer to it, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span>were it not that much
+of the discussion of the irrepressible woman-question, and many of the
+efforts for bettering her education and widening her sphere, seem to
+ignore any difference of the sexes; seem to treat her as if she were
+identical with man, and to be trained in precisely the same way; as if
+her organization, and consequently her function, were masculine, not
+feminine. There are those who write and act as if their object were to
+assimilate woman as much as possible to man, by dropping all that is
+distinctively feminine out of her, and putting into her as large an
+amount of masculineness as possible. These persons tacitly admit the
+error just alluded to, that woman is inferior to man, and strive to
+get rid of the inferiority by making her a man. There may be some
+subtle physiological basis for such views&mdash;some strange quality of
+brain; for some who hold and advocate them are of those, who, having
+missed the symmetry and organic balance that harmonious development
+yields, have drifted into an hermaphroditic condition. One of this
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span>class, who was glad to have escaped the chains of matrimony, but knew
+the value and lamented the loss of maternity, wished she had been born
+a widow with two children. These misconceptions arise from mistaking
+difference of organization and function for difference of position in
+the scale of being, which is equivalent to saying that man is rated
+higher in the divine order because he has more muscle, and woman lower
+because she has more fat. The loftiest ideal of humanity, rejecting
+all comparisons of inferiority and superiority between the sexes,
+demands that each shall be perfect in its kind, and not be hindered in
+its best work. The lily is not inferior to the rose, nor the oak
+superior to the clover: yet the glory of the lily is one, and the
+glory of the oak is another; and the use of the oak is not the use of
+the clover. That is poor horticulture which would train them all
+alike.</p>
+
+<p>When Col. Higginson asked, not long ago, in one of his charming
+essays, that almost persuade the reader, "Ought women to learn <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span>the
+alphabet?" and added, "Give woman, if you dare, the alphabet, then
+summon her to the career," his physiology was not equal to his wit.
+Women will learn the alphabet at any rate; and man will be powerless
+to prevent them, should he undertake so ungracious a task. The real
+question is not, <i>Shall</i> women learn the alphabet? but <i>How</i> shall
+they learn it? In this case, how is more important than ought or
+shall. The principle and duty are not denied. The method is not so
+plain.</p>
+
+<p>The fact that women have often equalled and sometimes excelled men in
+physical labor, intellectual effort, and lofty heroism, is sufficient
+proof that women have muscle, mind, and soul, as well as men; but it
+is no proof that they have had, or should have, the same kind of
+training; nor is it any proof that they are destined for the same
+career as men. The presumption is, that if woman, subjected to a
+masculine training, arranged for the development of a masculine
+organization, can equal man, she ought to excel him if educated by a
+feminine training, arranged to develop a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span>feminine organization.
+Indeed, I have somewhere encountered an author who boldly affirms the
+superiority of women to all existences on this planet, because of the
+complexity of their organization. Without undertaking to indorse such
+an opinion, it may be affirmed, that an appropriate method of
+education for girls&mdash;one that should not ignore the mechanism of their
+bodies or blight any of their vital organs&mdash;would yield a better
+result than the world has yet seen.</p>
+
+<p>Gail Hamilton's statement is true, that, "a girl can go to school,
+pursue all the studies which Dr. Todd enumerates, except <i>ad
+infinitum</i>; know them, not as well as a chemist knows chemistry or a
+botanist botany, but as well as they are known by boys of her age and
+training, as well, indeed, as they are known by many college-taught
+men, enough, at least, to be a solace and a resource to her; then
+graduate before she is eighteen, and come out of school as healthy, as
+fresh, as eager, as she went in."<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> But it is not true <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span>that she can
+do all this, and retain uninjured health and a future secure from
+neuralgia, uterine disease, hysteria, and other derangements of the
+nervous system, if she follows the same method that boys are trained
+in. Boys must study and work in a boy's way, and girls in a girl's
+way. They may study the same books, and attain an equal result, but
+should not follow the same method. Mary can master Virgil and Euclid
+as well as George; but both will be dwarfed,&mdash;defrauded of their
+rightful attainment,&mdash;if both are confined to the same methods. It is
+said that Elena Cornaro, the accomplished professor of six languages,
+whose statue adorns and honors Padua, was educated like a boy. This
+means that she was initiated into, and mastered, the studies that were
+considered to be the peculiar dower of men. It does not mean that her
+life was a man's life, her way of study a man's way of study, or that,
+in acquiring six languages, she ignored her own organization. Women
+who choose to do so can master the humanities and the mathematics,
+encounter <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span>the labor of the law and the pulpit, endure the hardness of
+physic and the conflicts of politics; but they must do it all in
+woman's way, not in man's way. In all their work they must respect
+their own organization, and remain women, not strive to be men, or
+they will ignominiously fail. For both sexes, there is no exception to
+the law, that their greatest power and largest attainment lie in the
+perfect development of their organization. "Woman," says a late
+writer, "must be regarded as woman, not as a nondescript animal, with
+greater or less capacity for assimilation to man." If we would give
+our girls a fair chance, and see them become and do their best by
+reaching after and attaining an ideal beauty and power, which shall be
+a crown of glory and a tower of strength to the republic, we must look
+after their complete development as women. Wherein they are men, they
+should be educated as men; wherein they are women, they should be
+educated as women. The physiological motto is, Educate a man for
+manhood, a woman for womanhood, both for humanity. In this lies the
+hope of the race.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span>Perhaps it should be mentioned in this connection, that, throughout
+this paper, education is not used in the limited and technical sense
+of intellectual or mental training alone. By saying there is a boy's
+way of study and a girl's way of study, it is not asserted that the
+intellectual process which masters Juvenal, German, or chemistry, is
+different for the two sexes. Education is here intended to include
+what its etymology indicates, the drawing out and development of every
+part of the system; and this necessarily includes the whole manner of
+life, physical and psychical, during the educational period.
+"Education," says Worcester, "comprehends all that series of
+instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the
+understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits, of
+youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations." It has
+been and is the misfortune of this country, and particularly of New
+England, that education, stripped of this, its proper signification,
+has popularly stood for studying, without regard to the physical
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span>training or no training that the schools afford. The cerebral
+processes by which the acquisition of knowledge is made are the same
+for each sex; but the mode of life which gives the finest nurture to
+the brain, and so enables those processes to yield their best result,
+is not the same for each sex. The best educational training for a boy
+is not the best for a girl, nor that for a girl best for a boy.</p>
+
+<p>The delicate bloom, early but rapidly fading beauty, and singular
+pallor of American girls and women have almost passed into a proverb.
+The first observation of a European that lands upon our shores is,
+that our women are a feeble race; and, if he is a physiological
+observer, he is sure to add, They will give birth to a feeble race,
+not of women only, but of men as well. "I never saw before so many
+pretty girls together," said Lady Amberley to the writer, after a
+visit to the public schools of Boston; and then added, "They all
+looked sick." Circumstances have repeatedly carried me to Europe,
+where I am always surprised by the red blood that fills <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span>and colors
+the faces of ladies and peasant girls, reminding one of the canvas of
+Rubens and Murillo; and am always equally surprised on my return, by
+crowds of pale, bloodless female faces, that suggest consumption,
+scrofula, anemia, and neuralgia. To a large extent, our present system
+of educating girls is the cause of this palor and weakness. How our
+schools, through their methods of education, contribute to this
+unfortunate result, and how our colleges that have undertaken to
+educate girls like boys, that is, in the same way, have succeeded in
+intensifying the evils of the schools, will be pointed out in another
+place.</p>
+
+<p>It has just been said that the educational methods of our schools and
+colleges for girls are, to a large extent, the cause of "the thousand
+ills" that beset American women. Let it be remembered that this is not
+asserting that such methods of education are the sole cause of female
+weaknesses, but only that they are one cause, and one of the most
+important causes of it. An immense loss of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span>female power may be fairly
+charged to irrational cooking and indigestible diet. We live in the
+zone of perpetual pie and dough-nut; and our girls revel in those
+unassimilable abominations. Much also may be credited to artificial
+deformities strapped to the spine, or piled on the head, much to
+corsets and skirts, and as much to the omission of clothing where it
+is needed as to excess where the body does not require it; but, after
+the amplest allowance for these as causes of weakness, there remains a
+large margin of disease unaccounted for. Those grievous maladies which
+torture a woman's earthly existence, called leucorrh&oelig;a,
+amenorrh&oelig;a, dysmenorrh&oelig;a, chronic and acute ovaritis, prolapsus
+uteri, hysteria, neuralgia, and the like, are indirectly affected by
+food, clothing, and exercise; they are directly and largely affected
+by the causes that will be presently pointed out, and which arise from
+a neglect of the peculiarities of a woman's organization. The regimen
+of our schools fosters this neglect. The regimen of a college arranged
+for <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span>boys, if imposed on girls, would foster it still more.</p>
+
+<p>The scope of this paper does not permit the discussion of these other
+causes of female weaknesses. Its object is to call attention to the
+errors of physical training that have crept into, and twined
+themselves about, our ways of educating girls, both in public and
+private schools, and which now threaten to attain a larger
+development, and inflict a consequently greater injury, by their
+introduction into colleges and large seminaries of learning, that have
+adopted, or are preparing to adopt, the co-education of the sexes.
+Even if there were space to do so, it would not be necessary to
+discuss here the other causes alluded to. They are receiving the
+amplest attention elsewhere. The gifted authoress of "The Gates Ajar"
+has blown her trumpet with no uncertain sound, in explanation and
+advocacy of a new-clothes philosophy, which her sisters will do well
+to heed rather than to ridicule. It would be a blessing to the race,
+if some inspired prophet of clothes would <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span>appear, who should teach
+the coming woman how, in pharmaceutical phrase, to fit, put on, wear,
+and take off her dress,&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Cito, Tuto, et Jucunde."<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p class="noin">Corsets that embrace the waist with a grip that tightens respiration
+into pain, and skirts that weight the hips with heavier than maternal
+burdens, have often caused grievous maladies, and imposed a needless
+invalidism. Yet, recognizing all this, it must not be forgotten that
+breeches do not make a man, nor the want of them unmake a woman.</p>
+
+<p>Let the statement be emphasized and reiterated until it is heeded,
+that woman's neglect of her own organization, though not the sole
+explanation and cause of her many weaknesses, more than any single
+cause, adds to their number, and intensifies their power. It limits
+and lowers her action very much, as man is limited and degraded by
+dissipation. The saddest part of it all is, that this neglect of
+herself in girlhood, when her organization is ductile and impressible,
+breeds the germs <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span>of diseases that in later life yield torturing or
+fatal maladies. Every physician's note-book affords copious
+illustrations of these statements. The number of them which the writer
+has seen prompted this imperfect essay upon a subject in which the
+public has a most vital interest, and with regard to which it acts
+with the courage of ignorance.</p>
+
+<p>Two considerations deserve to be mentioned in this connection. One is,
+that no organ or function in plant, animal, or human kind, can be
+properly regarded as a disability or source of weakness. Through
+ignorance or misdirection, it may limit or enfeeble the animal or
+being that misguides it; but, rightly guided and developed, it is
+either in itself a source of power and grace to its parent stock, or a
+necessary stage in the development of larger grace and power. The
+female organization is no exception to this law; nor are the
+particular set of organs and their functions with which this essay has
+to deal an exception to it. The periodical movements which
+characterize and influence woman's structure for <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span>more than half her
+terrestrial life, and which, in their ebb and flow, sway every fibre
+and thrill every nerve of her body a dozen times a year, and the
+occasional pregnancies which test her material resources, and cradle
+the race, are, or are evidently intended to be, fountains of power,
+not hinderances, to her. They are not infrequently spoken of by women
+themselves with half-smothered anathemas; often endured only as a
+necessary evil and sign of inferiority; and commonly ignored, till
+some steadily-advancing malady whips the recalcitrant sufferer into
+acknowledgment of their power, and respect for their function. All
+this is a sad mistake. It is a foolish and criminal delicacy that has
+persuaded woman to be so ashamed of the temple God built for her as to
+neglect one of its most important services. On account of this
+neglect, each succeeding generation, obedient to the law of hereditary
+transmission, has become feebler than its predecessor. Our
+great-grandmothers are pointed at as types of female physical
+excellence; their <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span>great-grand-daughters as illustrations of female
+physical degeneracy. There is consolation, however, in the hope, based
+on substantial physiological data, that our great-grand-daughters may
+recapture their ancestors' bloom and force. "Three generations of
+wholesome life," says Mr. Greg, "might suffice to eliminate the
+ancestral poison, for the <i>vis medicatrix natur&aelig;</i> has wonderful
+efficacy when allowed free play; and perhaps the time may come when
+the worst cases shall deem it a plain duty to curse no future
+generations with the <i>damnosa hereditas</i>, which has caused such bitter
+wretchedness to themselves."<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a></p>
+
+<p>The second consideration is the acknowledged influence of beauty.
+"When one sees a god-like countenance," said Socrates to Ph&aelig;drus, "or
+some bodily form that represents beauty, he reverences it as a god,
+and would sacrifice to it." From the days of Plato till now, all have
+felt the power of woman's beauty, and been more than willing <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span>to
+sacrifice to it. The proper, not exclusive search for it is a
+legitimate inspiration. The way for a girl to obtain her portion of
+this radiant halo is by the symmetrical development of every part of
+her organization, muscle, ovary, stomach and nerve, and by a
+physiological management of every function that correlates every
+organ; not by neglecting or trying to stifle or abort any of the vital
+and integral parts of her structure, and supplying the deficiency by
+invoking the aid of the milliner's stuffing, the colorist's pencil,
+the druggist's compounds, the doctor's pelvic supporter, and the
+surgeon's spinal brace.</p>
+
+<p>When travelling in the East, some years ago, it was my fortune to be
+summoned as a physician into a harem. With curious and not unwilling
+step I obeyed the summons. While examining the patient, nearly a dozen
+Syrian girls&mdash;a grave Turk's wifely crowd, a result and illustration
+of Mohammedan female education&mdash;pressed around the divan with eyes and
+ears intent to see and hear a Western Hakim's medical examination. As
+I looked <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span>upon their well-developed forms, their brown skins, rich
+with the blood and sun of the East, and their unintelligent, sensuous
+faces, I thought that if it were possible to marry the Oriental care
+of woman's organization to the Western liberty and culture of her
+brain, there would be a new birth and loftier type of womanly grace
+and force.</p>
+
+<br />
+<hr style="width: 15%;" />
+<br />
+
+<h4>FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Woman's Wrongs, p. 59.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> Enigmas of Life, p. 34.</p></div>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<a name="PART_II" id="PART_II"></a><hr />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span><br />
+
+<h3>PART II.<span class="totoc"><a href="#toc">ToC</a></span></h3>
+
+<h4>CHIEFLY PHYSIOLOGICAL.</h4>
+
+<p class="cen">"She girdeth her loins with strength."&mdash;<span class="sc">Solomon</span>.</p>
+<br />
+
+<p>Before describing the special forms of ill that exist among our
+American, certainly among our New-England girls and women, and that
+are often caused and fostered by our methods of education and social
+customs, it is important to refer in considerable detail to a few
+physiological matters. Physiology serves to disclose the cause, and
+explain the <i>modus operandi</i>, of these ills, and offers the only
+rational clew to their prevention and relief. The order in which the
+physiological data are presented that bear upon this discussion is not
+essential; their relation to the subject matter of it will be obvious
+as we proceed.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span>The sacred number, three, dominates the human frame. There is a
+trinity in our anatomy. Three systems, to which all the organs are
+directly or indirectly subsidiary, divide and control the body. First,
+there is the nutritive system, composed of stomach, intestines, liver,
+pancreas, glands, and vessels, by which food is elaborated, effete
+matter removed, the blood manufactured, and the whole organization
+nourished. This is the commissariat. Secondly, there is the nervous
+system, which co-ordinates all the organs and functions; which enables
+man to entertain relations with the world around him, and with his
+fellows; and through which intellectual power is manifested, and human
+thought and reason made possible. Thirdly, there is the reproductive
+system, by which the race is continued, and its grasp on the earth
+assured. The first two of these systems are alike in each sex. They
+are so alike, that they require a similar training in each, and yield
+in each a similar result. The machinery of them is the same. No
+scalpel has disclosed any difference between <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span>a man's and a woman's
+liver. No microscope has revealed any structure, fibre, or cell, in
+the brain of man or woman, that is not common to both. No analysis or
+dynamometer has discovered or measured any chemical action or
+nerve-force that stamps either of these systems as male or female.
+From these anatomical and physiological data alone, the inference is
+legitimate, that intellectual power, the correlation and measure of
+cerebral structure and metamorphosis, is capable of equal development
+in both sexes. With regard to the reproductive system, the case is
+altogether different. Woman, in the interest of the race, is dowered
+with a set of organs peculiar to herself, whose complexity, delicacy,
+sympathies, and force are among the marvels of creation. If properly
+nurtured and cared for, they are a source of strength and power to
+her. If neglected and mismanaged, they retaliate upon their possessor
+with weakness and disease, as well of the mind as of the body. God was
+not in error, when, after Eve's creation, he looked upon his work,
+and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span>pronounced it good. Let Eve take a wise care of the temple God
+made for her, and Adam of the one made for him, and both will enter
+upon a career whose glory and beauty no seer has foretold or poet
+sung.</p>
+
+<p>Ever since the time of Hippocrates, woman has been physiologically
+described as enjoying, and has always recognized herself as enjoying,
+or at least as possessing, a tri-partite life. The first period
+extends from birth to about the age of twelve or fifteen years; the
+second, from the end of the first period to about the age of
+forty-five; and the third, from the last boundary to the final passage
+into the unknown. The few years that are necessary for the voyage from
+the first to the second period, and those from the second to the
+third, are justly called critical ones. Mothers are, or should be,
+wisely anxious about the first passage for their daughters, and women
+are often unduly apprehensive about the second passage for themselves.
+All this is obvious and known; and yet, in our educational
+arrangements, little heed is paid to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span>the fact, that the first of
+these critical voyages is made during a girl's educational life, and
+extends over a very considerable portion of it.</p>
+
+<p>This brief statement only hints at the vital physiological truths it
+contains: it does not disclose them. Let us look at some of them a
+moment. Remember, that we are now concerned only with the first of
+these passages, that from a girl's childhood to her maturity. In
+childhood, boys and girls are very nearly alike. If they are natural,
+they talk and romp, chase butterflies and climb fences, love and hate,
+with an innocent <i>abandon</i> that is ignorant of sex. Yet even then the
+difference is apparent to the observing. Inspired by the divine
+instinct of motherhood, the girl that can only creep to her mother's
+knees will caress a doll, that her tottling brother looks coldly upon.
+The infant Achilles breaks the thin disguise of his gown and sleeves
+by dropping the distaff, and grasping the sword. As maturity
+approaches, the sexes diverge. An unmistakable difference marks the
+form and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span>features of each, and reveals the demand for a special
+training. This divergence, however, is limited in its sweep and its
+duration. The difference exists for a definite purpose, and goes only
+to a definite extent. The curves of separation swell out as childhood
+recedes, like an ellipse, and, as old age draws on, approach, till
+they unite like an ellipse again. In old age, the second childhood,
+the difference of sex becomes of as little note as it was during the
+first. At that period, the picture of the</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i5">"Lean and slippered pantaloon,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">With spectacles on nose, and pouch on side,<br /></span>
+<span class="i5"> &nbsp; * &nbsp; * &nbsp; * &nbsp; * &nbsp; * &nbsp; * &nbsp; * &nbsp; * &nbsp; * &nbsp; * <br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans every thing,"<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p class="noin">is faithful to either sex. Not as man or woman, but as a sexless
+being, does advanced age enter and pass the portals of what is called
+death.</p>
+
+<p>During the first of these critical periods, when the divergence of the
+sexes becomes obvious to the most careless observer, the complicated
+apparatus peculiar to the female enters upon a condition of functional
+activity. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span>"The ovaries, which constitute," says Dr. Dalton, "the
+'essential parts'<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> of this apparatus, and certain accessory organs,
+are now rapidly developed." Previously they were inactive. During
+infancy and childhood all of them existed, or rather all the germs of
+them existed; but they were incapable of function. At this period they
+take on a process of rapid growth and development. Coincident with
+this process, indicating it, and essential to it, are the periodical
+phenomena which characterize woman's physique till she attains the
+third division of her tripartite life. The growth of this peculiar and
+marvellous apparatus, in the perfect development of which humanity has
+so large an interest, occurs during the few years of a girl's
+educational life. No such extraordinary task, calling for such rapid
+expenditure of force, building up such a delicate and extensive
+mechanism within the organism,&mdash;a house within a house, an engine
+within an engine,&mdash;is imposed upon the male <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span>physique at the same
+epoch.<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> The organization of the male grows steadily, gradually, and
+equally, from birth to maturity. The importance of having our methods
+of female education recognize this peculiar demand for growth, and of
+so adjusting themselves to it, as to allow a sufficient opportunity
+for the healthy development of the ovaries and their accessory organs,
+and for the establishment of their periodical functions, cannot be
+overestimated. Moreover, unless the work is accomplished at that
+period, unless the reproductive mechanism is built and put in good
+working order at that time, it is never perfectly accomplished
+afterwards. "It is not enough," says Dr. Charles <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span>West, the
+accomplished London physician, and lecturer on diseases of women, "it
+is not enough to take precautions till menstruation has for the first
+time occurred: the period for its return should, even in the
+healthiest girl, be watched for, and all previous precautions should
+be once more repeated; and this should be done again and again, until
+at length the <i>habit</i> of regular, healthy menstruation is established.
+If this be not accomplished during the first few years of womanhood,
+it will, in all probability, never be attained."<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> There have been
+instances, and I have seen such, of females in whom the special
+mechanism we are speaking of remained germinal,&mdash;undeveloped. It
+seemed to have been aborted. They graduated from school or college
+excellent scholars, but with undeveloped ovaries. Later they married,
+and were sterile.<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a></p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span>The system never does two things well at the same time. The muscles
+and the brain cannot <i>functionate</i> in their best way at the same
+moment. One cannot meditate a poem and drive a saw simultaneously,
+without dividing his force. He may poetize fairly, and saw poorly; or
+he may saw fairly, and poetize poorly; or he may both saw and poetize
+indifferently. Brain-work and stomach-work interfere with each other
+if attempted together. The digestion of a dinner calls force to the
+stomach, and temporarily slows the brain. The experiment of trying to
+digest a hearty supper, and to sleep during the process, has sometimes
+cost the careless experimenter his life. The physiological principle
+of doing only one thing at a time, if you would do it well, holds as
+truly of the growth of the organization as it does of the performance
+of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span>any of its special functions. If excessive labor, either mental or
+physical, is imposed upon children, male or female, their development
+will be in some way checked. If the schoolmaster overworks the brains
+of his pupils, he diverts force to the brain that is needed elsewhere.
+He spends in the study of geography and arithmetic, of Latin, Greek
+and chemistry, in the brain-work of the school room, force that should
+have been spent in the manufacture of blood, muscle, and nerve, that
+is, in growth. The results are monstrous brains and puny bodies;
+abnormally active cerebration, and abnormally weak digestion; flowing
+thought and constipated bowels; lofty aspirations and neuralgic
+sensations;</p>
+
+<div class="block2"><p>"A youth of study an old age of <i>nerves</i>."</p></div>
+
+<p class="noin">Nature has reserved the catamenial week for the process of ovulation,
+and for the development and perfectation of the reproductive system.
+Previously to the age of eighteen or twenty, opportunity must be
+periodically allowed for the accomplishment of this task. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span>Both
+muscular and brain labor must be remitted enough to yield sufficient
+force for the work. If the reproductive machinery is not manufactured
+then, it will not be later. If it is imperfectly made then, it can
+only be patched up, not made perfect, afterwards. To be well made, it
+must be carefully managed. Force must be allowed to flow thither in an
+ample stream, and not diverted to the brain by the school, or to the
+arms by the factory, or to the feet by dancing. "Every physician,"
+says a recent writer, "can point to students whose splendid cerebral
+development has been paid for by emaciated limbs, enfeebled digestion,
+and disordered lungs. Every biography of the intellectual great
+records the dangers they have encountered, often those to which they
+have succumbed, in overstepping the ordinary bounds of human capacity;
+and while beckoning onward to the glories of their almost
+preternatural achievements, register, by way of warning, the fearful
+penalty of disease, suffering, and bodily infirmity, which Nature
+exacts as the price for this <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span>partial and inharmonious grandeur. It
+cannot be otherwise. The brain cannot take more than its share without
+injury to other organs. It cannot <i>do</i> more than its share without
+depriving other organs of that exercise and nourishment which are
+essential to their health and vigor. It is in the power of the
+individual to throw, as it were, the whole vigor of the constitution
+into any one part, and, by giving to this part exclusive or excessive
+attention, to develop it at the expense, and to the neglect, of the
+others."<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></p>
+
+<p>In the system of lichens, Nylander reckons all organs of equal
+value.<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a> No one of them can be neglected without evil to the whole
+organization. From lichens to men and women there is no exception to
+the law, that, if one member suffers, all the members suffer. What is
+true of the neglect of a single organ, is true in a geometrical ratio
+of the neglect of a system of organs. If the nutritive system is
+wrong, the evil of poor nourishment and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span>bad assimilation infects the
+whole economy. Brain and thought are enfeebled, because the stomach
+and liver are in error. If the nervous system is abnormally developed,
+every organ feels the <i>twist</i> in the nerves. The balance and
+co-ordination of movement and function are destroyed, and the ill
+percolates into an unhappy posterity. If the reproductive system is
+aborted, there may be no future generations to pay the penalty of the
+abortion, but what is left of the organism suffers sadly. When this
+sort of arrest of development occurs in a man, it takes the element of
+masculineness out of him, and replaces it with adipose effeminacy.
+When it occurs in a woman, it not only substitutes in her case a wiry
+and perhaps thin bearded masculineness for distinctive feminine traits
+and power, making her an epicene, but it entails a variety of
+prolonged weaknesses, that dwarf her rightful power in almost every
+direction. The persistent neglect and ignoring by women, and
+especially by girls, ignorantly more than wilfully, of that part of
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span>their organization which they hold in trust for the future of the
+race, has been fearfully punished here in America, where, of all the
+world, they are least trammelled and should be the best, by all sorts
+of female troubles. "Nature," says Lord Bacon, "is often hidden,
+sometimes overcome, seldom extinguished." In the education of our
+girls, the attempt to hide or overcome nature by training them as boys
+has almost extinguished them as girls. Let the fact be accepted, that
+there is nothing to be ashamed of in a woman's organization, and let
+her whole education and life be guided by the divine requirements of
+her system.</p>
+
+<p>The blood, which is our life, is a complex fluid. It contains the
+materials out of which the tissues are made, and also the <i>d&eacute;bris</i>
+which results from the destruction of the same tissues,&mdash;the worn-out
+cells of brain and muscle,&mdash;the cast-off clothes of emotion, thought,
+and power. It is a common carrier, conveying unceasingly to every
+gland and tissue, to every nerve and organ, the fibrin <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span>and albumen
+which repair their constant waste, thus supplying their daily bread;
+and as unceasingly conveying away from every gland and tissue, from
+every nerve and organ, the oxidized refuse, which are both the result
+and measure of their work. Like the water flowing through the canals
+of Venice, that carries health and wealth to the portals of every
+house, and filth and disease from every doorway, the blood flowing
+through the canals of the organization carries nutriment to all the
+tissues, and refuse from them. Its current sweeps nourishment in, and
+waste out. The former, it yields to the body for assimilation; the
+latter, it deposits with the organs of elimination for rejection. In
+order to have good blood, then, two things are essential: first, a
+regular and sufficient supply of nutriment, and, secondly, an equally
+regular and sufficient removal of waste. Insufficient nourishment
+starves the blood; insufficient elimination poisons it. A wise
+housekeeper will look as carefully after the condition of his drains
+as after the quality of his food.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span>The principal organs of elimination, common to both sexes, are the
+bowels, kidneys, lungs, and skin. A neglect of their functions is
+punished in each alike. To woman is intrusted the exclusive management
+of another process of elimination, viz., the catamenial function.
+This, using the blood for its channel of operation, performs, like the
+blood, double duty. It is necessary to ovulation, and to the integrity
+of every part of the reproductive apparatus; it also serves as a means
+of elimination for the blood itself. A careless management of this
+function, at any period of life during its existence, is apt to be
+followed by consequences that may be serious; but a neglect of it
+during the epoch of development, that is, from the age of fourteen to
+eighteen or twenty, not only produces great evil at the time of the
+neglect, but leaves a large legacy of evil to the future. The system
+is then peculiarly susceptible; and disturbances of the delicate
+mechanism we are considering, induced during the catamenial weeks of
+that critical age by constrained positions, muscular effort, brain
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span>work, and all forms of mental and physical excitement, germinate a
+host of ills. Sometimes these causes, which pervade more or less the
+methods of instruction in our public and private schools, which our
+social customs ignore, and to which operatives of all sorts pay little
+heed, produce an excessive performance of the catamenial function; and
+this is equivalent to a periodical hemorrhage. Sometimes they produce
+an insufficient performance of it; and this, by closing an avenue of
+elimination, poisons the blood, and depraves the organization. The
+host of ills thus induced are known to physicians and to the sufferers
+as amenorrh&oelig;a, menorrhagia, dysmenorrh&oelig;a, hysteria, anemia,
+chorea, and the like. Some of these fasten themselves on their victim
+for a lifetime, and some are shaken off. Now and then they lead to an
+abortion of the function, and consequent sterility. Fortunate is the
+girls' school or college that does not furnish abundant examples of
+these sad cases. The more completely any such school or college
+succeeds, while adopting every detail and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span>method of a boy's school,
+in ignoring and neglecting the physiological conditions of sexual
+development, the larger will be the number of these pathological cases
+among its graduates. Clinical illustrations of these statements will
+be given in another place.</p>
+
+<p>The mysterious process which physiologists call metamorphosis of
+tissue, or intestitial change, deserves attention in connection with
+our subject. It interests both sexes alike. Unless it goes on
+normally, neither boys, girls, men, nor women, can have bodies or
+brains worth talking about. It is a process, without which not a step
+can be taken, or muscle moved, or food digested, or nutriment
+assimilated, or any function, physical or mental, performed. By its
+aid, growth and development are carried on. Youth, maturity, and old
+age result from changes in its character. It is alike the support and
+the guide of health convalescence, and disease. It is the means by
+which, in the human system, force is developed, and growth and decay
+rendered possible. The process, in itself, is one of the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span>simplest. It
+is merely the replacing of one microscopic cell by another; and yet
+upon this simple process hang the issues of life and death, of thought
+and power.</p>
+
+<p>Carpenter, in his physiology, reports the discovery, which we owe to
+German investigation, "that the whole structure originates in a single
+cell; that this cell gives birth to others, analogous to itself, and
+these again to many future generations; and that all the varied
+tissues of the animal body are developed from cells."<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> A more recent
+writer adds, "In the higher animals and plants, we are presented with
+structures which may be regarded as essentially aggregates of cells;
+and there is now a physiological division of labor, some of the cells
+being concerned with the nutriment of the organism, whilst others are
+set apart, and dedicated to the function of reproduction. Every cell
+in such an aggregate leads a life, which, in a certain limited sense,
+may be said to be independent; and each discharges its own function in
+the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span>general economy. Each cell has a period of development, growth,
+and active life, and each ultimately perishes; the life of the
+organism not only not depending upon the life of its elemental
+factors, but actually being kept up by their constant destruction and
+as constant renewal."<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a> Growth, health, and disease are cellular
+manifestations. With every act of life, the movement of a finger, the
+pulsation of a heart, the uttering of a word, the coining of a
+thought, the thrill of an emotion, there is the destruction of a
+certain number of cells. Their destruction evolves or sets free the
+force that we recognize as movement, speech, thought, and emotion. The
+number of cells destroyed depends upon the intensity and duration of
+the effort that correlates their destruction. When a blacksmith wields
+a hammer for an hour, he uses up the number of cells necessary to
+yield that amount of muscular force. When a girl studies Latin for an
+hour, she uses up the number of brain-cells necessary <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span>to yield that
+amount of intellectual force. As fast as one cell is destroyed,
+another is generated. The death of one is followed instantly by the
+birth of its successor. This continual process of cellular death and
+birth, the income and outgo of cells, that follow each other like the
+waves of the sea, each different yet each the same, is metamorphosis
+of tissue. This is life. It corresponds very nearly to Bichat's
+definition that, "life is organization in action." The finer sense of
+Shakspeare dictated a truer definition than the science of the French
+physiologist,&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i5">"What's yet in this</span><br />
+<span class="i0">That bears the name of life? Yet in this life<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Lie hid more thousand deaths."<br /></span>
+</div>
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i4"><i>Measure for Measure</i>, Act iii. Scene 1.</span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>No physical or psychical act is possible without this change. It is a
+process of continual waste and repair. Subject to its inevitable
+power, the organization is continually wasting away and continually
+being repaired.</p>
+
+<p>The old notion that our bodies are changed <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span>every seven years, science
+has long since exploded. "The matter," said Mr. John Goodsir, "of the
+organized frame to its minutest parts is in a continual flux." Our
+bodies are never the same for any two successive days. The feet that
+Mary shall dance with next Christmas Eve will not be the same feet
+that bore her triumphantly through the previous Christmas holidays.
+The brain that she learns German with to-day does not contain a cell
+in its convolutions that was spent in studying French one year ago.
+Whether her present feet can dance better or worse than those of a
+year ago, and whether her present brain can <i>do</i> more or less German
+and French than the one of the year before, depends upon how she has
+used her feet and brain during the intervening time, that is, upon the
+metamorphosis of her tissue.</p>
+
+<p>From birth to adult age, the cells of muscle, organ, and brain that
+are spent in the activities of life, such as digesting, growing,
+studying, playing, working, and the like, are <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span>replaced by others of
+better quality and larger number. At least, such is the case where
+metamorphosis is permitted to go on normally. The result is growth and
+development. This growing period or formative epoch extends from birth
+to the age of twenty or twenty-five years. Its duration is shorter for
+a girl than for a boy. She ripens quicker than he. In the four years
+from fourteen to eighteen, she accomplishes an amount of physiological
+cell change and growth which Nature does not require of a boy in less
+than twice that number of years. It is obvious, that to secure the
+best kind of growth during this period, and the best development at
+the end of it, the waste of tissue produced by study, work, and
+fashion must not be so great that repair will only equal it. It is
+equally obvious that a girl upon whom Nature, for a limited period and
+for a definite purpose, imposes so great a physiological task, will
+not have as much power left for the tasks of the school, as the boy of
+whom Nature requires less at the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span>corresponding epoch. A margin must
+be allowed for growth. The repair must be greater and better than the
+waste.</p>
+
+<p>During middle age, life's active period, there is an equilibrium
+between the body's waste and repair: one equals the other. The
+machine, when properly managed, then holds its own. A French
+physiologist fixes the close of this period for the ideal man of the
+future at eighty, when, he says, old age begins. Few have such
+inherited power, and live with such physiological wisdom, as to keep
+their machine in good repair,&mdash;in good working-order,&mdash;to that late
+period. From the age of twenty-five or thirty, however, to that of
+sixty or sixty-five, this equilibrium occurs. Repair then equals
+waste; reconstruction equals destruction. The female organization,
+like the male, is now developed: its tissues are consolidated; its
+functions are established. With decent care, it can perform an immense
+amount of physical and mental labor. It is now capable of its best
+work. But, in order to do its best, it must <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span>obey the law of
+periodicity; just as the male organization, to do its best, must obey
+the law of sustained effort.</p>
+
+<p>When old age begins, whether, normally, at seventy or eighty, or,
+prematurely, at fifty or thirty, repair does not equal waste, and
+degeneration of tissue results. More cells are destroyed by wear and
+tear than are made up from nutriment. The friction of the machine rubs
+the stuff of life away faster than it can be replaced. The muscles
+stiffen, the hair turns white, the joints crack, the arteries ossify,
+the nerve-centres harden or soften: all sorts of degeneration creep on
+till death appears,&mdash;<i>Mors janua vit&aelig;.</i> There the curves unite, and
+men and women are alike again.</p>
+
+<p>Sleep, whose inventor received the benediction of Sancho Panza, and
+whose power Dryden apostrophized,&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i5">"Of all the powers the best:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Oh! peace of mind, repairer of decay,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Whose balm renews the limbs to labor of the day,"&mdash;<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p class="noin">is a most important physiological factor. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span>Our schools are as apt in
+frightening it away as our churches are in inviting it. Sleep is the
+opportunity for repair. During its hours of quiet rest, when muscular
+and nervous effort are stilled, millions of microscopic cells are busy
+in the penetralia of the organism, like coral insects in the depths of
+the sea, repairing the waste which the day's study and work have
+caused. Dr. B.W. Richardson of London, one of the most ingenious and
+accomplished physiologists of the present day, describes the labor of
+sleep in the following language: "During this period of natural sleep,
+the most important changes of nutrition are in progress: the body is
+renovating, and, if young, is actually growing. If the body be
+properly covered, the animal heat is being conserved, and laid up for
+expenditure during the waking hours that are to follow; the
+respiration is reduced, the inspirations being lessened in the
+proportion of six to seven, as compared with the number made when the
+body is awake; the action of the heart is reduced; the voluntary
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span>muscles, relieved of all fatigue, and with the extensors more relaxed
+than the flexors, are undergoing repair of structure, and recruiting
+their excitability; and the voluntary nervous system, dead for the
+time to the external vibration, or, as the older men called it,
+'stimulus' from without, is also undergoing rest and repair, so that,
+when it comes again into work, it may receive better the impressions
+it may have to gather up, and influence more effectively the muscles
+it may be called upon to animate, direct, control."<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a> An American
+observer and physiologist, Dr. William A. Hammond, confirms the views
+of his English colleague. He tells us that "the state of general
+repose which accompanies sleep is of especial value to the organism,
+in allowing the nutrition of the nervous tissue to go on at a greater
+rate than its destructive metamorphosis." In another place he adds,
+"For the brain, there is no rest except during sleep." And, again, he
+says, "The more active the mind, the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span>greater the necessity for sleep;
+just as with a steamer, the greater the number of revolutions its
+engine makes, the more imperative is the demand for fuel."<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> These
+statements justify and explain the instinctive demand for sleep. They
+also show why it is that infants require more sleep than children, and
+children than middle-age folk, and middle-age folk than old people.
+Infants must have sleep for repair and rapid growth; children, for
+repair and moderate growth; middle-age folk, for repair without
+growth; and old people, only for the minimum of repair. Girls, between
+the ages of fourteen and eighteen, must have sleep, not only for
+repair and growth, like boys, but for the additional task of
+constructing, or, more properly speaking, of developing and perfecting
+then, a reproductive system,&mdash;the engine within an engine. The bearing
+of this physiological fact upon education is obvious. Work of the
+school is work of the brain. Work of the brain eats the brain away.
+Sleep is the chance <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span>and laboratory of repair. If a child's brain-work
+and sleep are normally proportioned to each other, each night will
+more than make good each day's loss. Clear heads will greet each
+welcome morn. But if the reverse occurs, the night will not repair the
+day; and aching heads will signalize the advance of neuralgia,
+tubercle, and disease. So Nature punishes disobedience.</p>
+
+<p>It is apparent, from these physiological considerations, that, in
+order to give girls a fair chance in education, four conditions at
+least must be observed: first, a sufficient supply of appropriate
+nutriment; secondly, a normal management of the catamenial functions,
+including the building of the reproductive apparatus; thirdly, mental
+and physical work so apportioned, that repair shall exceed waste, and
+a margin be left for general and sexual development; and fourthly,
+sufficient sleep. Evidence of the results brought about by a disregard
+of these conditions will next be given.</p>
+
+<br />
+<hr style="width: 15%;" />
+<br />
+
+<h4>FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> Human Physiology, p. 546.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> As might be expected, the mortality of girls is greater
+at this period than that of boys, an additional reason for imposing
+less labor on the former at that time. According to the authority of
+MM. Quetelet and Smits, the mortality of the two sexes is equal in
+childhood, or that of the male is greatest; but that of the female
+rises between the ages of fourteen and sixteen to 1.28 to one male
+death. For the next four years, it falls again to 1.05 females to one
+male death.&mdash;<i>Sur la Reproduction et la Mortalit&eacute; de l'Homme. 8vo.
+Bruxelles.</i></p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> Lectures on Diseases of Women. Am. ed., p. 48.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> "Much less uncommon than the absence of either ovary is
+the persistence of both through the whole or greater part of life in
+the condition which they present in infancy and early childhood, with
+scarcely a trace of graafian vesicles in their tissue. This want of
+development of the ovaries is generally, though not invariably,
+associated with want of development of the uterus and other sexual
+organs; and I need not say that women in whom it exists are
+sterile."&mdash;<i>Lectures on the Diseases of Women, by Charles West, M.D.
+Am. ed., p. 37.</i></p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> Enigmas of Life, pp. 165-8.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> Tuckerman's Genera Lichenum, Introduction, p. v.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> Carpenter's Human Physiology, p. 455.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a> Nicholson, Study of Biology, p. 79.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a> Popular Science Monthly, August, 1872, p. 411.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a> Sleep and its Derangements, pp. 9, 10, 13.</p></div>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<a name="PART_III" id="PART_III"></a><hr />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span><br />
+
+<h3>PART III.<span class="totoc"><a href="#toc">ToC</a></span></h3>
+
+<h4>CHIEFLY CLINICAL.</h4>
+
+<div class="block2"><p>"Et l'on nous persuadera difficilement que lorsque les hommes
+ont tant de peine &agrave; &ecirc;tre hommes, les femmes puissent, tout en
+restant femmes, devenir hommes aussi, mettant ainsi la main
+sur les deux r&ocirc;les, exer&ccedil;ant la double mission, r&eacute;sumant le
+double caract&egrave;re de l'humanit&eacute;! Nous perdrons la femme, et
+nous n'aurons pas l'homme. Voila ce qui nous arrivera. On nous
+donnera ce quelque chose de monstreux, cet &ecirc;tre r&eacute;pugnant, qui
+d&eacute;j&agrave; parait &agrave; notre horizon."&mdash;<span class="sc">Le Comte A. De
+Gasparin</span>.</p></div>
+
+<div class="block2"><p>"Facts given in evidence are premises from which a conclusion
+is to be drawn. The first step in the exercise of this duty is
+to acquire a belief of the truth of the facts."&mdash;<span class="sc">Ram</span>,
+<i>on Facts</i>.</p></div>
+<br />
+
+<p>Clinical observation confirms the teachings of physiology. The sick
+chamber, not the schoolroom; the physician's private consultation, not
+the committee's public examination; the hospital, not the college,
+the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span>workshop, or the parlor,&mdash;disclose the sad results which modern
+social customs, modern education, and modern ways of labor, have
+entailed on women. Examples of them may be found in every walk of
+life. On the luxurious couches of Beacon Street; in the palaces of
+Fifth Avenue; among the classes of our private, common, and normal
+schools; among the female graduates of our colleges; behind the
+counters of Washington Street and Broadway; in our factories,
+workshops, and homes,&mdash;may be found numberless pale, weak, neuralgic,
+dyspeptic, hysterical, menorrhagic, dysmenorrh&oelig;ic girls and women,
+that are living illustrations of the truth of this brief monograph. It
+is not asserted here that improper methods of study, and a disregard
+of the reproductive apparatus and its functions, during the
+educational life of girls, are the sole causes of female diseases;
+neither is it asserted that all the female graduates of our schools
+and colleges are pathological specimens. But it is asserted that the
+number of these graduates who have been <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span>permanently disabled to a
+greater or less degree by these causes is so great, as to excite the
+gravest alarm, and to demand the serious attention of the community.
+If these causes should continue for the next half-century, and
+increase in the same ratio as they have for the last fifty years, it
+requires no prophet to foretell that the wives who are to be mothers
+in our republic must be drawn from trans-atlantic homes. The sons of
+the New World will have to re-act, on a magnificent scale, the old
+story of unwived Rome and the Sabines.</p>
+
+<p>We have previously seen that the blood is the life, and that the loss
+of it is the loss of so much life. Deluded by strange theories, and
+groping in physiological darkness, our fathers' physicians were too
+often Sangrados. Nourishing food, pure air, and h&aelig;matized blood were
+stigmatized as the friends of disease and the enemies of
+convalescence. Oxygen was shut out from and carbonic acid shut into
+the chambers of phthisis and fever; and veins were opened, that the
+currents of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span>blood and disease might flow out together. Happily, those
+days of ignorance, which God winked at, and which the race survived,
+have passed by. Air and food and blood are recognized as Nature's
+restoratives. No physician would dare, nowadays, to bleed either man
+or woman once a month, year in and year out, for a quarter of a
+century continuously. But girls often have the courage, or the
+ignorance, to do this to themselves. And the worst of it is, that the
+organization of our schools and workshops, and the demands of social
+life and polite society, encourage them in this slow suicide. It has
+already been stated that the excretory organs, by constantly
+eliminating from the system its effete and used material, the measure
+and source of its force, keep the machine in clean, healthy, and
+working order, and that the reproductive apparatus of woman uses the
+blood as one of its agents of elimination. Kept within natural limits,
+this elimination is a source of strength, a perpetual fountain of
+health, a constant renewal of life. Beyond <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span>these limits it is a
+hemorrhage, that, by draining away the life, becomes a source of
+weakness and a perpetual fountain of disease.</p>
+
+<p>The following case illustrates one of the ways in which our present
+school methods of teaching girls generate a menorrhagia and its
+consequent evils. Miss A&mdash;&mdash;, a healthy, bright, intelligent girl,
+entered a female school, an institution that is commonly but oddly
+called a <i>seminary</i> for girls, in the State of New York, at the age of
+fifteen. She was then sufficiently well-developed, and had a good
+color; all the functions appeared to act normally, and the catamenia
+were fairly established. She was ambitious as well as capable, and
+aimed to be among the first in the school. Her temperament was what
+physiologists call nervous,&mdash;an expression that does not denote a
+fidgety make, but refers to a relative activity of the nervous system.
+She was always anxious about her recitations. No matter how carefully
+she prepared for them, she was ever fearful lest she should trip a
+little, and appear to less advantage <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span>than she hoped. She went to
+school regularly every week, and every day of the school year, just as
+boys do. She paid no more attention to the periodical tides of her
+organization than her companions; and that was none at all. She
+recited standing at all times, or at least whenever a standing
+recitation was the order of the hour. She soon found, and this history
+is taken from her own lips, that for a few days during every fourth
+week, the effort of reciting produced an extraordinary physical
+result. The attendant anxiety and excitement relaxed the sluices of
+the system that were already physiologically open, and determined a
+hemorrhage as the concomitant of a recitation. Subjected to the
+inflexible rules of the school, unwilling to seek advice from any one,
+almost ashamed of her own physique, she ingeniously protected herself
+against exposure, and went on intellectually leading her companions,
+and physically defying nature. At the end of a year, she went home
+with a gratifying report from her teachers, and pale cheeks and a
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span>variety of aches. Her parents were pleased, and perhaps a little
+anxious. She is a good scholar, said her father; somewhat over-worked
+possibly; and so he gave her a trip among the mountains, and a week or
+two at the seashore. After her vacation she returned to school, and
+repeated the previous year's experience,&mdash;constant, sustained work,
+recitation and study for all days alike, a hemorrhage once a month
+that would make the stroke oar of the University crew falter, and a
+brilliant scholar. Before the expiration of the second year, Nature
+began to assert her authority. The paleness of Miss A's complexion
+increased. An unaccountable and uncontrollable twitching of a
+rhythmical sort got into the muscles of her face, and made her hands
+go and feet jump. She was sent home, and her physician called, who at
+once diagnosticated chorea (St. Vitus' dance), and said she had
+studied too hard, and wisely prescribed no study and a long vacation.
+Her parents took her to Europe. A year of the sea and the Alps, of
+England <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span>and the Continent, the Rhine and Italy, worked like a charm.
+The sluiceways were controlled, the blood saved, and color and health
+returned. She came back seemingly well, and at the age of eighteen
+went to her old school once more. During all this time not a word had
+been said to her by her parents, her physician, or her teachers, about
+any periodical care of herself; and the rules of the school did not
+acknowledge the catamenia. The labor and regimen of the school soon
+brought on the old menorrhagic trouble in the old way, with the
+addition of occasional faintings to emphasize Nature's warnings. She
+persisted in getting her education, however, and graduated at
+nineteen, the first scholar, and an invalid. Again her parents were
+gratified and anxious. She is overworked, said they, and wondered why
+girls break down so. To insure her recovery, a second and longer
+travel was undertaken. Egypt and Asia were added to Europe, and nearly
+two years were allotted to the cure. With change of air and scene her
+health <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span>improved, but not so rapidly as with the previous journey. She
+returned to America better than she went away, and married at the age
+of twenty-two. Soon after that time she consulted the writer on
+account of prolonged dyspepsia, neuralgia, and dysmenorrh&oelig;a, which
+had replaced menorrhagia. Then I learned the long history of her
+education, and of her efforts to study just as boys do. Her attention
+had never been called before to the danger she had incurred while at
+school. She is now what is called getting better, but has the delicacy
+and weaknesses of American women, and, so far, is without children.</p>
+
+<p>It is not difficult, in this case, either to discern the cause of the
+trouble, or to trace its influence, through the varying phases of
+disease, from Miss A&mdash;&mdash;'s school-days, to her matronly life. She was
+well, and would have been called robust, up to her first critical
+period. She then had two tasks imposed upon her at once, both of which
+required for their perfect accomplishment a few years of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span>time and a
+large share of vital force: one was the education of the brain, the
+other of the reproductive system. The schoolmaster superintended the
+first, and Nature the second. The school, with puritanic
+inflexibility, demanded every day of the month; Nature, kinder than
+the school, demanded less than a fourth of the time,&mdash;a seventh or an
+eighth of it would have probably answered. The schoolmaster might have
+yielded somewhat, but would not; Nature could not. The pupil,
+therefore, was compelled to undertake both tasks at the same time.
+Ambitious, earnest, and conscientious, she obeyed the visible power
+and authority of the school, and disobeyed, or rather ignorantly
+sought to evade, the invisible power and authority of her
+organization. She put her will into the education of her brain, and
+withdrew it from elsewhere. The system does not do two things well at
+the same time. One or the other suffers from neglect, when the attempt
+is made. Miss A&mdash;&mdash; made her brain and muscles work actively, and
+diverted <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span>blood and force to them when her organization demanded
+active work, with blood and force for evolution in another region. At
+first the schoolmaster seemed to be successful. He not only made his
+pupil's brain manipulate Latin, chemistry, philosophy, geography,
+grammar, arithmetic, music, French, German, and the whole
+extraordinary catalogue of an American young lady's school curriculum,
+with acrobatic skill; but he made her do this irrespective of the
+periodical tides of her organism, and made her perform her
+intellectual and muscular calisthenics, obliging her to stand, walk,
+and recite, at the seasons of highest tide. For a while she got on
+nicely. Presently, however, the strength of the loins, that even
+Solomon put in as a part of his ideal woman, changed to weakness.
+Periodical hemorrhages were the first warning of this. As soon as loss
+of blood occurred regularly and largely, the way to imperfect
+development and invalidism was open, and the progress easy and rapid.
+The nerves and their centres <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span>lacked nourishment. There was more waste
+than repair,&mdash;no margin for growth. St. Vitus' dance was a warning not
+to be neglected, and the schoolmaster resigned to the doctor. A long
+vacation enabled the system to retrace its steps, and recover force
+for evolution. Then the school resumed its sway, and physiological
+laws were again defied. Fortunately graduation soon occurred, and
+unintermitted, sustained labor was no longer enforced. The menorrhagia
+ceased, but persistent dysmenorrh&oelig;a now indicates the neuralgic
+friction of an imperfectly developed reproductive apparatus. Doubtless
+the evil of her education will infect her whole life.</p>
+
+<p>The next case is drawn from different social surroundings. Early
+associations and natural aptitude inclined Miss B&mdash;&mdash; to the stage;
+and the need of bread and butter sent her upon it as a child, at what
+age I do not know. At fifteen she was an actress, determined to do her
+best, and ambitious of success. She strenuously taxed muscle and
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span>brain at all times in her calling. She worked in a man's sustained
+way, ignoring all demands for special development, and essaying first
+to dis-establish, and then to bridle, the catamenia. At twenty she was
+eminent. The excitement and effort of acting periodically produced the
+same result with her that a recitation did under similar conditions
+with Miss A&mdash;&mdash;. If she had been a physiologist, she would have known
+how this course of action would end. As she was an actress, and not a
+physiologist, she persisted in the slow suicide of frequent
+hemorrhages, and encouraged them by her method of professional
+education, and later by her method of practising her profession. She
+tried to ward off disease, and repair the loss of force, by consulting
+various doctors, taking drugs, and resorting to all sorts of
+expedients; but the hemorrhages continued, and were repeated at
+irregular and abnormally frequent intervals. A careful local
+examination disclosed no local disturbance. There was neither
+ulceration, hypertrophy, or congestion of the os or cervix <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span>uteri; no
+displacement of any moment, of ovarian tenderness. In spite of all her
+difficulties, however, she worked on courageously and steadily in a
+man's way and with a woman's will. After a long and discouraging
+experience of doctors, work, and weaknesses, when rather over thirty
+years old, she came to Boston to consult the writer, who learned at
+that time the details just recited. She was then pale and weak. A
+murmur in the veins, which a French savant, by way of dedication to
+the Devil, christened <i>bruit de diable</i>, a baptismal name that science
+has retained, was audible over her jugulars, and a similar murmur over
+her heart. Palpitation and labored respiration accompanied and impeded
+effort. She complained most of her head, which felt "queer," would not
+go to sleep as formerly, and often gave her turns, in which there was
+a mingling of dizziness, semi-consciousness, and fear. Her education
+and work, or rather method of work, had wrought out for her anemia and
+epileptiform attacks. She got two or three physiological <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span>lectures,
+was ordered to take iron, and other nourishing food, allow time for
+sleep, and, above all, to arrange her professional work in harmony
+with the rhythmical or periodical action of woman's constitution. She
+made the effort to do this, and, in six months, reported herself in
+better health&mdash;though far from well&mdash;than she had been for six years
+before.</p>
+
+<p>This case scarcely requires analysis in order to see how it bears on
+the question of a girl's education and woman's work. A gifted and
+healthy girl, obliged to get her education and earn her bread at the
+same time, labored upon the two tasks zealously, perhaps over-much,
+and did this at the epoch when the female organization is busy with
+the development of its reproductive apparatus. Nor is this all. She
+labored continuously, yielding nothing to Nature's periodical demand
+for force. She worked her engine up to highest pressure, just as much
+at flood-tide as at other times. Naturally there was not nervous power
+enough developed in the uterine and associated <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span>ganglia to restrain
+the laboring orifices of the circulation, to close the gates; and the
+flood of blood gushed through. With the frequent repetition of the
+flooding, came inevitably the evils she suffered from,&mdash;Nature's
+penalties. She now reports herself better; but whether convalescence
+will continue will depend upon her method of work for the future.</p>
+
+<p>Let us take the next illustration from a walk in life different from
+either of the foregoing. Miss C&mdash;&mdash; was a bookkeeper in a mercantile
+house. The length of time she remained in the employ of the house, and
+its character, are a sufficient guaranty that she did her work well.
+Like the other clerks, she was at her post, <i>standing</i>, during
+business hours, from Monday morning till Saturday night. The female
+pelvis being wider than that of the male, the weight of the body, in
+the upright posture, tends to press the upper extremities of the
+thighs out laterally in females more than in males. Hence the former
+can stand less long with comfort than the latter. Miss C&mdash;&mdash;, however,
+believed in doing her <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span>work in a man's way, infected by the not
+uncommon notion that womanliness means manliness. Moreover, she would
+not, or could not, make any more allowance for the periodicity of her
+organization than for the shape of her skeleton. When about twenty
+years of age, perhaps a year or so older, she applied to me for advice
+in consequence of neuralgia, back-ache, menorrhagia, leucorrh&oelig;a,
+and general debility. She was anemic, and looked pale, care-worn, and
+anxious. There was no evidence of any local organic affection of the
+pelvic organs. "Get a woman's periodical remission from labor, if
+intermission is impossible, and do your work in a woman's way, not
+copying a man's fashion, and you will need very little apothecary's
+stuff," was the advice she received. "I <i>must</i> go on as I am doing,"
+was her answer. She tried iron, sitz-baths, and the like: of course
+they were of no avail. Latterly I have lost sight of her, and, from
+her appearance at her last visit to me, presume she has gone to a
+world where back-ache and male and female skeletons are unknown.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span>Illustrations of this sort might be multiplied but these three are
+sufficient to show how an abnormal method of study and work may and
+does open the flood-gates of the system, and, by letting blood out,
+lets all sorts of evil in. Let us now look at another phase; for
+menorrhagia and its consequences are not the only punishments that
+girls receive for being educated and worked just like boys. Nature's
+methods of punishing men and women are as numerous as their organs and
+functions, and her penalties as infinite in number and gradation as
+her blessings.</p>
+
+<p>Amenorrh&oelig;a is perhaps more common than menorrhagia. It often
+happens, however, during the first critical epoch, which is isochronal
+with the technical educational period of a girl, that after a few
+occasions of catamenial hemorrhage, moderate perhaps but still
+hemorrhage, which are not heeded, the conservative force of Nature
+steps in, and saves the blood by arresting the function. In such
+instances, amenorrh&oelig;a is a result of menorrhagia. In this way, and
+in others that we <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span>need not stop to inquire into, the regimen of our
+schools, colleges, and social life, that requires girls to walk, work,
+stand, study, recite, and dance at all times as boys can and should,
+may shut the uterine portals of the blood up, and keep poison in, as
+well as open them, and let life out. Which of these two evils is worse
+in itself, and which leaves the largest legacy of ills behind, it is
+difficult to say. Let us examine some illustrations of this sort of
+arrest.</p>
+
+<p>Miss D&mdash;&mdash; entered Vassar College at the age of fourteen. Up to that
+age, she had been a healthy girl, judged by the standard of American
+girls. Her parents were apparently strong enough to yield her a fair
+dower of force. The catamenial function first showed signs of activity
+in her Sophomore Year, when she was fifteen years old. Its appearance
+at this age<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a> is confirmatory <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span>evidence of the normal state of her
+health at that period of her college career. Its commencement was
+normal, without pain or excess. She performed all her college duties
+regularly and steadily. She studied, recited, stood at the blackboard,
+walked, and went through her gymnastic exercises, from the beginning
+to the end of the term, just as boys do. Her account of her regimen
+there was so nearly that of a boy's regimen, that it would puzzle a
+physiologist to determine, from the account alone, whether the subject
+of it was male or female. She was an average scholar, who maintained a
+fair position in her class, not one of the anxious sort, that are
+ambitious of leading all the rest. Her first warning was fainting
+away, while exercising in the gymnasium, at a time when she should
+have been comparatively quiet, both mentally and physically. This
+warning was repeated several times, under the same circumstances.
+Finally she was compelled to renounce gymnastic exercises altogether.
+In her Junior Year, the organism's periodical <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span>function began to be
+performed with pain, moderate at first, but more and more severe with
+each returning month. When between seventeen and eighteen years old,
+dysmenorrh&oelig;a was established as the order of that function.
+Coincident with the appearance of pain, there was a diminution of
+excretion; and, as the former increased, the latter became more
+marked. In other respects she was well; and, in all respects, she
+appeared to be well to her companions and to the faculty of the
+college. She graduated before nineteen, with fair honors and a poor
+physique. The year succeeding her graduation was one of
+steadily-advancing invalidism. She was tortured for two or three days
+out of every month; and, for two or three days after each season of
+torture, was weak and miserable, so that about one sixth or fifth of
+her time was consumed in this way. The excretion from the blood, which
+had been gradually lessening, after a time substantially stopped,
+though a periodical effort to keep it up was made. She now suffered
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span>from what is called amenorrh&oelig;a. At the same time she became pale,
+hysterical, nervous in the ordinary sense, and almost constantly
+complained of headache. Physicians were applied to for aid: drugs were
+administered; travelling, with consequent change of air and scene, was
+undertaken; and all with little apparent avail. After this experience,
+she was brought to Boston for advice, when the writer first saw her,
+and learned all these details. She presented no evidence of local
+uterine congestion, inflammation, ulceration, or displacement. The
+evidence was altogether in favor of an arrest of the development of
+the reproductive apparatus, at a stage when the development was nearly
+complete. Confirmatory proof of such an arrest was found in examining
+her breast, where the milliner had supplied the organs Nature should
+have grown. It is unnecessary for our present purpose to detail what
+treatment was advised. It is sufficient to say, that she probably
+never will become physically what she would have been had her
+education been physiologically guided.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span>This case needs very little comment: its teachings are obvious. Miss
+D&mdash;&mdash; went to college in good physical condition. During the four
+years of her college life, her parents and the college faculty
+required her to get what is popularly called an education. Nature
+required her, during the same period, to build and put in
+working-order a large and complicated reproductive mechanism, a matter
+that is popularly ignored,&mdash;shoved out of sight like a disgrace. She
+naturally obeyed the requirements of the faculty, which she could see,
+rather than the requirements of the mechanism within her, that she
+could not see. Subjected to the college regimen, she worked four years
+in getting a liberal education. Her way of work was sustained and
+continuous, and out of harmony with the rhythmical periodicity of the
+female organization. The stream of vital and constructive force
+evolved within her was turned steadily to the brain, and away from the
+ovaries and their accessories. The result of this sort of education
+was, that these last-mentioned organs, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span>deprived of sufficient
+opportunity and nutriment, first began to perform their functions with
+pain, a warning of error that was unheeded; then, to cease to
+grow;<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> next, to set up once a month a grumbling torture that made
+life miserable; and, lastly, the brain and the whole nervous system,
+disturbed, in obedience to the law, that, if one member suffers, all
+the members suffer, became neuralgic and hysterical. And so Miss
+D&mdash;&mdash;spent the few years next succeeding her graduation in conflict
+with dysmenorrh&oelig;a, headache, neuralgia, and hysteria. Her parents
+marvelled at her ill-health; and she <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span>furnished another text for the
+often-repeated sermon on the delicacy of American girls.</p>
+
+<p>It may not be unprofitable to give the history of one more case of
+this sort. Miss E&mdash;&mdash; had an hereditary right to a good brain and to
+the best cultivation of it. Her father was one of our ripest and
+broadest American scholars, and her mother one of our most
+accomplished American women. They both enjoyed excellent health. Their
+daughter had a literary training,&mdash;an intellectual, moral, and
+&aelig;sthetic half of education, such as their supervision would be likely
+to give, and one that few young men of her age receive. Her health did
+not seem to suffer at first. She studied, recited, walked, worked,
+stood, and the like, in the steady and sustained way that is normal to
+the male organization. She <i>seemed</i> to evolve force enough to acquire
+a number of languages, to become familiar with the natural sciences,
+to take hold of philosophy and mathematics, and to keep in good
+physical case while doing all this. At the age of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span>twenty-one she
+might have been presented to the public, on Commencement Day, by the
+president of Vassar College or of Antioch College or of Michigan
+University, as the wished-for result of American liberal female
+culture. Just at this time, however, the catamenial function began to
+show signs of failure of power. No severe or even moderate illness
+overtook her. She was subjected to no unusual strain. She was only
+following the regimen of continued and sustained work, regardless of
+Nature's periodical demands for a portion of her time and force, when,
+without any apparent cause, the failure of power was manifested by
+moderate dysmenorrh&oelig;a and diminished excretion. Soon after this the
+function ceased altogether; and up to this present writing, a period
+of six or eight years, it has shown no more signs of activity than an
+amputated arm. In the course of a year or so after the cessation of
+the function, her head began to trouble her. First there was headache,
+then a frequent congested condition, which she <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span>described as a "rush
+of blood" to her head; and, by and by, vagaries and forebodings and
+despondent feelings began to crop out. Coincident with this mental
+state, her skin became rough and coarse, and an inveterate acne
+covered her face. She retained her appetite, ability to exercise and
+sleep. A careful local examination of the pelvic organs, by an expert,
+disclosed no lesion or displacement there, no ovaritis or other
+inflammation. Appropriate treatment faithfully persevered in was
+unsuccessful in recovering the lost function. I was finally obliged to
+consign her to an asylum.</p>
+
+<p>The arrest of development of the reproductive system is most obvious
+to the superficial observer in that part of it which the milliner is
+called upon to cover up with pads, and which was alluded to in the
+case of Miss D&mdash;&mdash;. This, however, is too important a matter to be
+dismissed with a bare allusion. A recent writer has pointed out the
+fact and its significance with great clearness. "There is another
+marked change," <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span>says Dr. Nathan Allen, "going on in the female
+organization at the present day, which is very significant of
+something wrong. In the normal state, Nature has made ample provision
+in the structure of the female for nursing her offspring. In order to
+furnish this nourishment, pure in quality and abundant in quantity,
+she must possess a good development of the sanguine and lymphatic
+temperament, together with vigorous and healthy digestive organs.
+Formerly such an organization was very generally possessed by American
+women, and they found but little difficulty in nursing their infants.
+It was only occasionally, in case of some defect in the organization,
+or where sickness of some kind had overtaken the mother, that it
+became necessary to resort to the wet-nurse or to feeding by hand. And
+the English, the Scotch, the German, the Canadian French, and the
+Irish women now living in this country, generally nurse their
+children: the exceptions are rare. But how is it with our American
+women who become <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span>mothers? To those who have never considered this
+subject, and even to medical men who have never carefully looked into
+it, the facts, when correctly and fully presented, will be surprising.
+It has been supposed by some that all, or nearly all, our American
+women could nurse their offspring just as well as not; that the
+disposition only was wanting, and that they did not care about having
+the trouble or confinement necessarily attending it. But this is a
+great mistake. This very indifference or aversion shows something
+wrong in the organization as well as in the disposition: if the
+physical system were all right, the mind and natural instincts would
+generally be right also. While there may be here and there cases of
+this kind, such an indisposition is not always found. It is a fact,
+that large numbers of our women are anxious to nurse their offspring,
+and make the attempt: they persevere for a while,&mdash;perhaps for weeks
+or months,&mdash;and then fail.... There is still another class that cannot
+nurse at all, <i>having neither the</i> <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span><i>organs nor nourishment</i> requisite
+even to make a beginning.... Why should there be such a difference
+between the women of our times and their mothers or grandmothers? Why
+should there be such a difference between our American women and those
+of foreign origin residing in the same locality, and surrounded by the
+same external influences? The explanation is simple: they have not the
+right kind of organization; there is a want of proper development of
+the lymphatic and sanguine temperaments,&mdash;a marked deficiency in the
+organs of nutrition and secretion. You cannot draw water without good,
+flowing springs. <i>The brain and nervous system have, for a long time,
+made relatively too large a demand upon</i> the organs of digestion and
+assimilation, while the exercise and <i>development of certain other
+tissues in the body have been sadly neglected</i>.... In consequence of
+the great neglect of physical exercise, and the <i>continuous
+application to study</i>, together with various other influences, large
+numbers of our American women have <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span>altogether an undue predominance
+of the nervous temperament. If only here and there an individual were
+found with such an organization, not much harm comparatively would
+result; but, when a majority or nearly all have it, the evil becomes
+one of no small magnitude."<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a> And the evil, it should be added, is
+not simply the inability to nurse; for, if one member suffers, all the
+members suffer. A woman, whether married or unmarried, whether called
+to the offices of maternity or relieved from them, who has been
+defrauded by her education or otherwise of such an essential part of
+her development, is not so much of a woman, intellectually and morally
+as well as physically, in consequence of this defect. Her nervous
+system and brain, her instincts and character, are on a lower plane,
+and incapable of their harmonious and best development, if she is
+possessed, on reaching adult age, of only a portion of a breast and an
+ovary, or none at all.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span>When arrested development of the reproductive system is nearly or
+quite complete, it produces a change in the character, and a loss of
+power, which it is easy to recognize, but difficult to describe. As
+this change is an occasional attendant or result of amenorrh&oelig;a,
+when the latter, brought about at an early age, is part of an early
+arrest, it should not be passed by without an allusion. In these
+cases, which are not of frequent occurrence at present, but which may
+be evolved by our methods of education more numerously in the future,
+the system tolerates the absence of the catamenia, and the consequent
+non-elimination of impurities from the blood. Acute or chronic
+disease, the ordinary result of this condition, is not set up, but,
+instead, there is a change in the character and development of the
+brain and nervous system. There are in individuals of this class less
+adipose and more muscular tissue than is commonly seen, a coarser
+skin, and, generally, a tougher and more angular make-up. There is a
+corresponding change in <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span>the intellectual and psychical condition,&mdash;a
+dropping out of maternal instincts, and an appearance of Amazonian
+coarseness and force. Such persons are analogous to the sexless class
+of termites. Naturalists tell us that these insects are divided into
+males and females, and a third class called workers and soldiers, who
+have no reproductive apparatus, and who, in their structure and
+instincts, are unlike the fertile individuals.</p>
+
+<p>A closer analogy than this, however, exists between these human
+individuals and the eunuchs of Oriental civilization. Except the
+secretary of the treasury, in the cabinet of Candace, queen of
+Ethiopia, who was baptized by Philip and Narses, Justinian's general,
+none of that class have made any impression on the world's life, that
+history has recorded. It may be reasonably doubted if arrested
+development of the female reproductive system, producing a class of
+agenes,<a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a> not epicenes, will yield a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span>better result of intellectual
+and moral power in the nineteenth century, than the analogous class of
+Orientals exhibited. Clinical illustrations of this type of arrested
+growth might be given, but my pen refuses the ungracious task.</p>
+
+<p>Another result of the present methods of educating girls, and one
+different from any of the preceding, remains to be noticed. Schools
+and colleges, as we have seen, require girls to work their brains with
+full force and sustained power, at the time when their organization
+periodically requires a portion of their force for the performance of
+a periodical function, and a portion of their power for the building
+up of a peculiar, complicated, and important mechanism,&mdash;the engine
+within an engine. They are required to do two <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span>things equally well at
+the same time. They are urged to meditate a lesson and drive a machine
+simultaneously, and to do them both with all their force. Their
+organizations are expected to make good sound brains and nerves by
+working over the humanities, the sciences, and the arts, and, at the
+same time, to make good sound reproductive apparatuses, not only
+without any especial attention to the latter, but while all available
+force is withdrawn from the latter and sent to the former. It is not
+materialism to say, that, as the brain is, so will thought be. Without
+discussing the French physiologist's dictum, that the brain secretes
+thought as the liver does bile, we may be sure, that without brain
+there will be no thought. The quality of the latter depends on the
+quality of the former. The metamorphoses of brain manifest, measure,
+limit, enrich, and color thought. Brain tissue, including both
+quantity and quality, correlates mental power. The brain is
+manufactured from the blood; its quantity and quality are determined
+by the quantity <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span>and quality of its blood supply. Blood is made from
+food; but it may be lost by careless hemorrhage, or poisoned by
+deficient elimination. When frequently and largely lost or poisoned,
+as I have too frequent occasion to know it often is, it becomes
+impoverished,&mdash;anemic. Then the brain suffers, and mental power is
+lost. The steps are few and direct, from frequent loss of blood,
+impoverished blood, and abnormal brain and nerve metamorphosis, to
+loss of mental force and nerve disease. Ignorance or carelessness
+leads to anemic blood, and that to an anemic mind. As the blood, so
+the brain; as the brain, so the mind.</p>
+
+<p>The cases which have hitherto been presented illustrate some of the
+evils which the reproductive system is apt to receive in consequence
+of obvious derangement of its growth and functions. But it may, and
+often does, happen that the catamenia are normally performed, and that
+the reproductive system is fairly made up during the educational
+period. Then force is withdrawn from the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span>brain and nerves and
+ganglia. These are dwarfed or checked or arrested in their
+development. In the process of waste and repair, of destructive and
+constructive metamorphosis, by which brains as well as bones are built
+up and consolidated, education often leaves insufficient margin for
+growth. Income derived from air, food, and sleep, which should
+largely, may only moderately exceed expenditure upon study and work,
+and so leave but little surplus for growth in any direction; or, what
+more commonly occurs, the income which the brain receives is all spent
+upon study, and little or none upon its development, while that which
+the nutritive and reproductive systems receive is retained by them,
+and devoted to their own growth. When the school makes the same steady
+demand for force from girls who are approaching puberty, ignoring
+Nature's periodical demands, that it does from boys, who are not
+called upon for an equal effort, there must be failure somewhere.
+Generally either the reproductive <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span>system or the nervous system
+suffers. We have looked at several instances of the former sort of
+failure; let us now examine some of the latter.</p>
+
+<p>Miss F&mdash;&mdash; was about twenty years old when she completed her technical
+education. She inherited a nervous diathesis as well as a large dower
+of intellectual and &aelig;sthetic graces. She was a good student, and
+conscientiously devoted all her time, with the exception of ordinary
+vacations, to the labor of her education. She made herself mistress of
+several languages, and accomplished in many ways. The catamenial
+function appeared normally, and, with the exception of occasional
+slight attacks of menorrhagia, was normally performed during the whole
+period of her education. She got on without any sort of serious
+illness. There were few belonging to my clientele who required less
+professional advice for the same period than she. With the ending of
+her school life, when she should have been in good trim and well
+equipped, physically as well as <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span>intellectually, for life's work,
+there commenced, without obvious cause, a long period of invalidism.
+It would be tedious to the reader, and useless for our present
+purpose, to detail the history and describe the protean shapes of her
+sufferings. With the exception of small breasts, the reproductive
+system was well developed. Repeated and careful examinations failed to
+detect any derangement of the uterine mechanism. Her symptoms all
+pointed to the nervous system as the <i>fons et origo mali</i>. First
+general debility, that concealed but ubiquitous leader of innumerable
+armies of weakness and ill, laid siege to her, and captured her. Then
+came insomnia, that worried her nights for month after month, and made
+her beg for opium, alcohol, chloral, bromides, any thing that would
+bring sleep. Neuralgia in every conceivable form tormented her, most
+frequently in her back, but often, also, in her head, sometimes in her
+sciatic nerves, sometimes setting up a tic douloureux, sometimes
+causing a fearful dysmenorrh&oelig;a and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span>frequently making her head ache
+for days together. At other times hysteria got hold of her, and made
+her fancy herself the victim of strange diseases. Mental effort of the
+slightest character distressed her, and she could not bear physical
+exercise of any amount. This condition, or rather these varying
+conditions, continued for some years. She followed a careful and
+systematic regimen, and was rewarded by a slow and gradual return of
+health and strength, when a sudden accident killed her, and terminated
+her struggle with weakness and pain.</p>
+
+<p>Words fail to convey the lesson of this case to others with any thing
+like the force that the observation of it conveyed its moral to those
+about Miss F&mdash;&mdash;, and especially to the physician who watched her
+career through her educational life, and saw it lead to its logical
+conclusion of invalidism and thence towards recovery, till life ended.
+When she finished school, as the phrase goes, she was considered to be
+well. The principal of any seminary or head of any college, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span>judging
+by her looks alone, would not have hesitated to call her rosy and
+strong. At that time the symptoms of failure which began to appear
+were called signs of previous overwork. This was true, but not so much
+in the sense of overwork as of erroneously-arranged work. While a
+student, she wrought continuously,&mdash;just as much during each
+catamenial week as at other times. As a consequence, in her
+metamorphosis of tissue, repair did little more than make up waste.
+There were constant demands of force for constant growth of the system
+generally, equally constant demands of force for the labor of
+education, and periodical demands of force for a periodical function.
+The regimen she followed did not permit all these demands to be
+satisfied, and the failure fell on the nervous system. She
+accomplished intellectually a good deal, but not more than she might
+have done, and retained her health, had the order of her education
+been a physiological one. It was not Latin, French, German,
+mathematics, or <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span>philosophy that undermined her nerves; nor was it
+because of any natural inferiority to boys that she failed; nor
+because she undertook to master what women have no right to learn: she
+lost her health simply because she undertook to do her work in a boy's
+way and not in a girl's way.</p>
+
+<p>Let us learn the lesson of one more case. These details may be
+tedious; but the justification of their presence here are the
+importance of the subject they illustrate and elucidate, and the
+necessity of acquiring a belief of the truth of the facts of female
+education.</p>
+
+<p>Miss G&mdash;&mdash; worked her way through New-England primary, grammar, and
+high schools to a Western college, which she entered with credit to
+herself, and from which she graduated, confessedly its first scholar,
+leading the male and female youth alike. All that need be told of her
+career is that she worked as a student, continuously and
+perseveringly, through the years of her first critical epoch, and for
+a few years after it, without any <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span>sort of regard to the periodical
+type of her organization. It never appeared that she studied
+excessively in other respects, or that her system was weakened while
+in college by fevers or other sickness. Not a great while after
+graduation, she began to show signs of failure, and some years later
+died under the writer's care. A post-mortem examination was made,
+which disclosed no disease in any part of the body, except in the
+brain, where the microscope revealed commencing degeneration.</p>
+
+<p>This was called an instance of death from over-work. Like the
+preceding case, it was not so much the result of over-work as of
+un-physiological work. She was unable to make a good brain, that could
+stand the wear and tear of life, and a good reproductive system that
+should serve the race, at the same time that she was continuously
+spending her force in intellectual labor. Nature asked for a
+periodical remission, and did not get it. And so Miss G&mdash;&mdash;died, not
+because she had mastered the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span>wasps of Aristophanes and the M&eacute;canique
+C&eacute;leste, not because she had made the acquaintance of Kant and
+K&ouml;lliker, and ventured to explore the anatomy of flowers and the
+secrets of chemistry, but because, while pursuing these studies, while
+doing all this work, she steadily ignored her woman's make. Believing
+that woman can do what man can, for she held that faith, she strove
+with noble but ignorant bravery to compass man's intellectual
+attainment in a man's way, and died in the effort. If she had aimed at
+the same goal, disregarding masculine and following feminine methods,
+she would be alive now, a grand example of female culture, attainment,
+and power.</p>
+
+<p>These seven clinical observations are sufficient to illustrate the
+fact that our modern methods of education do not give the female
+organization a fair chance, but that they check development, and
+invite weakness. It would be easy to multiply such observations, from
+the writer's own notes alone, and, by doing so, to swell this essay
+into a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span>portly volume; but the reader is spared the needless
+infliction. Other observers have noticed similar facts, and have
+urgently called attention to them.</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Fisher, in a recent excellent monograph on insanity, says, "A few
+examples of injury from <i>continued</i> study will show how mental strain
+affects the health of young girls particularly. Every physician could,
+no doubt, furnish many similar ones."</p>
+
+<p>"Miss A&mdash;&mdash; graduated with honor at the normal school after several
+years of close study, much of the time out of school; never attended
+balls or parties; sank into a low state of health at once with
+depression. Was very absurdly allowed to marry while in this state,
+and soon after became violently insane, and is likely to remain so."</p>
+
+<p>"Miss A&mdash;&mdash; graduated at the grammar school, not only first, but
+<i>perfect</i>, and at once entered the normal school; was very ambitious
+to sustain her reputation, and studied hard out of school; was slow to
+learn, but had a retentive memory; could seldom be <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span>induced to go to
+parties, and, when she did go, studied while dressing, and on the way;
+was assigned extra tasks at school, because she performed them so
+well; was a <i>fine healthy girl in appearance</i>, but broke down
+permanently at end of second year, and is now a victim of hysteria and
+depression."</p>
+
+<p>"Miss C&mdash;&mdash;, of a nervous organization, and quick to learn; her health
+suffered in normal school, so that her physician predicted insanity if
+her studies were not discontinued. She persevered, however, and is now
+an inmate of a hospital, with hysteria and depression."</p>
+
+<p>"A certain proportion of girls are predisposed to mental or nervous
+derangement. The same girls are apt to be quick, brilliant, ambitious,
+and persistent at study, and need not stimulation, but repression. For
+the sake of a temporary reputation for scholarship, they risk their
+health at the <i>most susceptible period</i> of their lives, and break down
+<i>after the excitement of school-life has passed away</i>. For <i>sexual
+reasons</i> they cannot compete with boys, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span>whose out-door habits still
+further increase the difference in their favor. If it was a question
+of school-teachers instead of school-girls, the list would be long of
+young women whose health of mind has become bankrupt by a
+<i>continuation</i> of the mental strain commenced at school. Any method of
+relief in our school-system to these over-susceptible minds should be
+welcomed, even at the cost of the intellectual supremacy of woman in
+the next generation."<a name="FNanchor_17_17" id="FNanchor_17_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a></p>
+
+<p>The fact which Dr. Fisher alludes to, that many girls break down not
+during but <i>after</i> the excitement of school or college life, is an
+important one, and is apt to be overlooked. The process by which the
+development of the reproductive system is arrested, or degeneration of
+brain and nerve-tissue set a going, is an insidious one. At its
+beginning, and for a long time after it is well on in its progress, it
+would not be recognized by the superficial observer. A class of girls
+might, and often <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span>do, graduate from our schools, higher seminaries,
+and colleges, that appear to be well and strong at the time of their
+graduation, but whose development has already been checked, and whose
+health is on the verge of giving way. Their teachers have known
+nothing of the amenorrh&oelig;a, menorrhagia, dysmenorrh&oelig;a, or
+leucorrh&oelig;a which the pupils have sedulously concealed and
+disregarded; and the cunning devices of dress have covered up all
+external evidences of defect; and so, on graduation day, they are
+pointed out by their instructors to admiring committees as rosy
+specimens of both physical and intellectual education. A closer
+inspection by competent experts would reveal the secret weakness which
+the labor of life that they are about to enter upon too late
+discloses.</p>
+
+<p>The testimony of Dr. Anstie of London, as to the gravity of the evils
+incurred by the sort of erroneous education we are considering, is
+decided and valuable. He says, "For, be it remembered, the epoch of
+sexual development is one in which an enormous addition <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span>is being made
+to the expenditure of vital energy; besides the continuous processes
+of growth of the tissues and organs generally, the sexual apparatus,
+with its nervous supply, is making <i>by its development heavy demands</i>
+upon the nutritive powers of the organism; and it is scarcely possible
+but that portions of the nervous centres, not directly connected with
+it, should proportionally suffer in their nutrition, probably through
+defective blood supply. When we add to this the abnormal strain that
+is being put on the brain, in many cases, by a forcing plan of mental
+education, we shall perceive a source not merely of exhaustive
+expenditure of nervous power, but of secondary irritation of centres
+like the medulla oblongata that are probably already somewhat lowered
+in power of vital resistance, and proportionably <i>irritable</i>."<a name="FNanchor_18_18" id="FNanchor_18_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a> A
+little farther on, Dr. Anstie adds, "But I confess, that, with me, the
+result of close attention given to the pathology of neuralgia has been
+the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span>ever-growing conviction, that, next to the influence of neurotic
+inheritance, there is no such frequently powerful factor in the
+construction of the neuralgic habit as mental warp of a certain kind,
+the product of an unwise education." In another place, speaking of the
+liability of the brain to suffer from an unwise education, and
+referring to the sexual development that we are discussing in these
+pages, he makes the following statement, which no intelligent
+physician will deny, and which it would be well for all teachers who
+care for the best education of the girls intrusted to their charge to
+ponder seriously. "I would also go farther, and express the opinion,
+that peripheral influences of an extremely powerful and <i>continuous</i>
+kind, where they concur with one of those critical periods of life at
+which the central nervous system is relatively weak and unstable, can
+occasionally set going a non-inflammatory centric atrophy, which may
+localize itself in those nerves upon whose centres the morbific
+peripheral influence is perpetually pouring in. Even such influences
+as the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span>psychical and emotional, be it remembered, must be considered
+peripheral."<a name="FNanchor_19_19" id="FNanchor_19_19"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a> The brain of Miss G&mdash;&mdash;, whose case was related a few
+pages back, is a clinical illustration of the accuracy of this
+opinion.</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Weir Mitchell, one of our most eminent American physiologists, has
+recently borne most emphatic testimony to the evils we have pointed
+out: "Worst of all," he says, "to my mind, most destructive in every
+way, is the American view of female education. The time taken for the
+more serious instruction of girls extends to the age of eighteen, and
+rarely over this. During these years, they are undergoing such organic
+development as renders them remarkably sensitive." ... "To show more
+precisely how the growing girl is injured by the causes just
+mentioned" (forced and continued study at the sexual epoch) "would
+carry me upon subjects unfit for full discussion in these pages; but
+no thoughtful reader can be much at a loss as to my meaning." ...
+"To-day the American woman is, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span>to speak plainly, physically unfit for
+her duties as woman, and is, perhaps, of all civilized females, the
+least qualified to undertake those weightier tasks which tax so
+heavily the nervous system of man. She is not fairly up to what Nature
+asks from her as wife and mother. How will she sustain herself under
+the pressure of those yet more exacting duties which now-a-days she is
+eager to share with the man?"<a name="FNanchor_20_20" id="FNanchor_20_20"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a></p>
+
+<p>In our schools it is the ambitious and conscientious girls, those who
+have in them the stuff of which the noblest women are made, that
+suffer, not the romping or lazy sort; and thus our modern ways of
+education provide for the "non-survival of the fittest." A speaker
+told an audience of women at Wesleyan Hall not long ago, that he once
+attended the examination of a Western college, where a girl beat the
+boys in unravelling the intracacies of Juvenal. He did not report the
+consumption of blood and wear of brain tissue that in her college way
+of study correlated <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span>her Latin, or hint at the possibility of arrested
+development. Girls of bloodless skins and intellectual faces may be
+seen any day, by those who desire the spectacle, among the scholars of
+our high and normal schools,&mdash;faces that crown, and skins that cover,
+curving spines, which should be straight, and neuralgic nerves that
+should know no pain. Later on, when marriage and maternity overtake
+these girls, and they "live laborious days" in a sense not intended by
+Milton's line, they bend and break beneath the labor, like loaded
+grain before a storm, and bear little fruit again. A training that
+yields this result is neither fair to the girls nor to the race.</p>
+
+<p>Let us quote the authority of such an acute and sagacious observer as
+Dr. Maudsley, in support of the physiological and pathological views
+that have been here presented. Referring to the physiological
+condition and phenomena of the first critical epoch, he says, "In the
+great mental revolution caused by the development of the sexual system
+at puberty, we have the most striking example of the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span>intimate and
+essential sympathy between the brain, as a mental organ, and other
+organs of the body. The change of character at this period is not by
+any means <i>limited to the appearance of the sexual feelings</i>, and
+their sympathetic ideas, but, when traced to its ultimate reach, will
+be found to extend to the highest feelings of mankind, social, moral,
+and even religious."<a name="FNanchor_21_21" id="FNanchor_21_21"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a> He points out the fact that it is very easy
+by improper training and forced work, during this susceptible period,
+to turn a physiological into a pathological state. "The great mental
+revolution which occurs at puberty may go beyond its physiological
+limits in some instances, and become pathological." "The time of this
+mental revolution is at best a trying period for youth." "The monthly
+activity of the ovaries, which marks the advent of puberty in women,
+has a notable effect upon the mind and body; wherefore it may become
+an important cause of mental and physical derangement."<a name="FNanchor_22_22" id="FNanchor_22_22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a> <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span>With
+regard to the physiological effects of arrested development of the
+reproductive apparatus in women, Dr. Maudsley uses the following plain
+and emphatic language: "The forms and habits of mutilated men approach
+those of women; and women, whose ovaries and uterus remain for some
+cause in a state of complete inaction, approach the forms and habits
+of men. It is said, too, that, in hermaphrodites, the mental
+character, like the physical, participates equally in that of both
+sexes. While woman preserves her sex, she will necessarily be feebler
+than man, and, having her special bodily and mental characters, will
+have, to a certain extent, her own sphere of activity; where she has
+become thoroughly masculine in nature, or hermaphrodite in
+mind,&mdash;when, in fact, she has pretty well divested herself of her
+sex,&mdash;then she may take his ground, and do his work; but she will have
+lost her feminine attractions, and probably also her chief feminine
+functions."<a name="FNanchor_23_23" id="FNanchor_23_23"></a><a href="#Footnote_23_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a> <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span>It has been reserved for our age and country, by its
+methods of female education, to demonstrate that it is possible in
+some cases to divest a woman of her chief feminine functions; in
+others, to produce grave and even fatal disease of the brain and
+nervous system; in others, to engender torturing derangements and
+imperfections of the reproductive apparatus that imbitter a lifetime.
+Such, we know, is not the object of a liberal female education. Such
+is not the consummation which the progress of the age demands.
+Fortunately, it is only necessary to point out and prove the existence
+of such erroneous methods and evil results to have them avoided. That
+they can be avoided, and that woman can have a liberal education that
+shall develop all her powers, without mutilation or disease, up to the
+loftiest ideal of womanhood, is alike the teaching of physiology and
+the hope of the race.</p>
+
+<p>In concluding this part of our subject, it is well to remember the
+statement made at the beginning of our discussion, to the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span>following
+effect, viz., that it is not asserted here, that improper methods of
+study and a disregard of the reproductive apparatus and its functions,
+during the educational life of girls, are the <i>sole</i> causes of female
+diseases; neither is it asserted that <i>all</i> the female graduates of
+our schools and colleges are pathological specimens. But it is
+asserted that the number of these graduates who have been permanently
+disabled to a greater or less degree, or fatally injured, by these
+causes, is such as to excite the <i>gravest alarm</i>, and to demand the
+serious attention of the community.</p>
+
+<p>The preceding physiological and pathological data naturally open the
+way to a consideration of the co-education of the sexes.</p>
+
+<br />
+<hr style="width: 15%;" />
+<br />
+
+<h4>FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a> It appears, from the researches of Mr. Whitehead on this
+point, that an examination of four thousand cases gave fifteen years
+six and three-quarter months as the average age in England for the
+appearance of the catamenia.&mdash;<span class="sc">Whitehead</span>, <i>on Abortion, &amp;c.</i></p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a> The arrest of development of the uterus, in connection
+with amenorrh&oelig;a, is sometimes very marked. In the New-York Medical
+Journal for June, 1873, three such cases are recorded, that came under
+the eye of those excellent observers, Dr. E.R. Peaslee and Dr. T.G.
+Thomas. In one of these cases, the uterine cavity measured one and a
+half inches; in another, one and seven-eighths inches; and, in a
+third, one and a quarter inches. Recollecting that the normal
+measurement is from two and a half to three inches, it appears that
+the arrest of development in these cases occurred when the uterus was
+half or less than half grown. Liberal education should avoid such
+errors.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a> Physical Degeneracy. By Nathan Allen, M.D., Journal of
+Psychological Medicine. October, 1870.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">[16]</span></a> According to the biblical account, woman was formed by
+subtracting a rib from man. If, in the evolution of the future, a
+third division of the human race is to be formed by subtracting sex
+from woman,&mdash;a retrograde development,&mdash;I venture to propose the term
+agene (<span class="Greek" title="a">&#945;</span> without, <span class="Greek" title="genos">&#947;&#949;&#957;&#959;&#962;</span> sex) as an appropriate
+designation for the new development. Count Gasparin prophesies it
+thus: "Quelque chose de monstreux, cet &ecirc;tre r&eacute;pugnant, qui d&eacute;j&agrave; parait
+&agrave; notre horizon," a free translation of Virgil's earlier
+description:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div style="margin-left: 5%;">
+<p class="noin">"Monstrum horrendum, informe, ingens, cui lumen ademtum."<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;"><i>3d, 658 line</i>.</span></p>
+</div>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_17_17" id="Footnote_17_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_17"><span class="label">[17]</span></a> Plain Talk about Insanity. By T.W. Fisher, M.D. Boston.
+Pp. 23, 24.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_18_18" id="Footnote_18_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_18"><span class="label">[18]</span></a> Neuralgia, and the Diseases that resemble it. By Francis
+E. Anstie, M.D. Pp. 122. English ed.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_19_19" id="Footnote_19_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_19"><span class="label">[19]</span></a> Op. cit., p. 160.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_20_20" id="Footnote_20_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_20"><span class="label">[20]</span></a> Wear and Tear. By S. Weir Mitchell, M.D.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_21_21" id="Footnote_21_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_21"><span class="label">[21]</span></a> Body and Mind. By Henry Maudsley, M.D. Lond. p. 31</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_22_22" id="Footnote_22_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_22"><span class="label">[22]</span></a> Op. cit., p. 87.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_23_23" id="Footnote_23_23"></a><a href="#FNanchor_23_23"><span class="label">[23]</span></a> Op. cit., p. 32.</p></div>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<a name="PART_IV" id="PART_IV"></a><hr />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span><br />
+
+<h3>PART IV.<span class="totoc"><a href="#toc">ToC</a></span></h3>
+
+<h4>CO-EDUCATION.</h4>
+
+<div class="block2"><p>"<i>Pistoc.</i> Where, then, should I take my place?</p>
+
+<p><i>1st Bacch.</i> Near myself, that, with a she wit, a he wit may
+be reclining at our repast."&mdash;<span class="sc">Bacchides of Plautus</span>.</p>
+
+<p>"The woman's-rights movement, with its conventions, its
+speech-makings, its crudities, and eccentricities, is
+nevertheless a part of a healthful and necessary movement of
+the human race towards progress."&mdash;<span class="sc">Harriet Beecher
+Stowe</span>.</p></div>
+<br />
+
+<p>Guided by the laws of development which we have found physiology to
+teach, and warned by the punishments, in the shape of weakness and
+disease, which we have shown their infringement to bring about, and of
+which our present methods of female education furnish innumerable
+examples, it is not difficult to discern certain physiological
+principles that limit and control the education, and, consequently,
+the co-education of our <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span>youth. These principles we have learned to
+be, three for the two sexes in common, and one for the peculiarities
+of the female sex. The three common to both, the three to which both
+are subjected, and for which wise methods of education will provide in
+the case of both, are, 1st, a sufficient supply of appropriate
+nutriment. This of course includes good air and good water and
+sufficient warmth, as much as bread and butter; oxygen and sunlight,
+as much as meat. 2d, Mental and physical work and regimen so
+apportioned, that repair shall exceed waste, and a margin be left for
+development. This includes out-of-door exercise and appropriate ways
+of dressing, as much as the hours of study, and the number and sort of
+studies. 3d, Sufficient sleep. This includes the best time for
+sleeping, as well as the proper number of hours for sleep. It excludes
+the "murdering of sleep," by late hours of study and the crowding of
+studies, as much as by wine or tea or dissipation. All these guide and
+limit the education of the two <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span>sexes very much alike. The principle
+or condition peculiar to the female sex is the management of the
+catamenial function, which, from the age of fourteen to nineteen,
+includes the building of the reproductive apparatus. This imposes upon
+women, and especially upon the young woman, a great care, a
+corresponding duty, and compensating privileges. There is only a
+feeble counterpart to it in the male organization; and, in his moral
+constitution, there cannot be found the fine instincts and quick
+perceptions that have their root in this mechanism, and correlate its
+functions. This lends to her development and to all her work a
+rhythmical or periodical order, which must be recognized and obeyed.
+"In this recognition of the chronometry of organic process, there is
+unquestionably great promise for the future; for it is plain that the
+observance of time in the motions of organic molecules is as certain
+and universal, if not as exact, as that of the heavenly bodies."<a name="FNanchor_24_24" id="FNanchor_24_24"></a><a href="#Footnote_24_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a>
+Periodicity characterizes the female organization, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span>and developes
+feminine force. Persistence characterizes the male organization, and
+develops masculine force. Education will draw the best out of each by
+adjusting its methods to the periodicity of one and the persistence of
+the other.</p>
+
+<p>Before going farther, it is essential to acquire a definite notion of
+what is meant, or, at least, of what we mean in this discussion, by
+the term co-education. Following its etymology, <i>con-educare</i>, it
+signifies to draw out together, or to unite in education; and this
+union refers to the time and place, rather than to the methods and
+kinds of education. In this sense any school or college may utilize
+its buildings, apparatus, and instructors to give appropriate
+education to the two sexes as well as to different ages of the same
+sex. This is juxtaposition in education. When the Massachusetts
+Institute of Technology teaches one class of young men chemistry, and
+another class engineering, in the same building and at the same time,
+it co-educates those two classes. In this sense it is possible that
+many <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span>advantages might be obtained from the co-education of the sexes,
+that would more than counterbalance the evils of crowding large
+numbers of them together. This sort of co-education does not exclude
+appropriate classification, nor compel the two sexes to follow the
+same methods or the same regimen.</p>
+
+<p>Another signification of co-education, and, as we apprehend, the one
+in which it is commonly used, includes time, place, government,
+methods, studies, and regimen. This is identical co-education. This
+means, that boys and girls shall be taught the same things, at the
+same time, in the same place, by the same faculty, with the same
+methods, and under the same regimen. This admits age and proficiency,
+but not sex, as a factor in classification. It is against the
+co-education of the sexes, in this sense of identical co-education,
+that physiology protests; and it is this identity of education, the
+prominent characteristic of our American school-system, that has
+produced the evils described in the clinical part of this essay, and
+that threatens to push the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span>degeneration of the female sex still
+farther on. In these pages, co-education of the sexes is used in its
+common acceptation of identical co-education.</p>
+
+<p>Let us look for a moment at what identical co-education is. The law
+has, or had, a maxim, that a man and his wife are one, and that the
+one is the man. Modern American education has a maxim, that boys'
+schools and girls' schools are one, and that the one is the boys'
+school. Schools have been arranged, accordingly, to meet the
+requirements of the masculine organization. Studies have been selected
+that experience has proved to be appropriate to a boy's intellectual
+development, and a regimen adopted, while pursuing them, appropriate
+to his physical development. His school and college life, his methods
+of study, recitations, exercises, and recreations, are ordered upon
+the supposition, that, barring disease or infirmity, punctual
+attendance upon the hours of recitation, and upon all other duties in
+their season and order, may be required of him continuously, in <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span>spite
+of ennui, inclement weather, or fatigue; that there is no week in the
+month, or day in the week, or hour in the day, when it is a physical
+necessity to relieve him from standing or from studying,&mdash;from
+physical effort or mental labor; that the chapel-bell may safely call
+him to morning prayer from New Year to Christmas, with the assurance,
+that, if the going does not add to his stock of piety, it will not
+diminish his stock of health; that he may be sent to the gymnasium and
+the examination-hall, to the theatres of physical and intellectual
+display at any time,&mdash;in short, that he develops health and strength,
+blood and nerve, intellect and life, by a regular, uninterrupted, and
+sustained course of work. And all this is justified both by experience
+and physiology.</p>
+
+<p>Obedient to the American educational maxim, that boys' schools and
+girls' schools are one, and that the one is the boys' school, the
+female schools have copied the methods which have grown out of the
+requirements of the male organization. Schools for girls have <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span>been
+modelled after schools for boys. Were it not for differences of dress
+and figure, it would be impossible, even for an expert, after visiting
+a high school for boys and one for girls, to tell which was arranged
+for the male and which for the female organization. Our girls'
+schools, whether public or private, have imposed upon their pupils a
+boy's regimen; and it is now proposed, in some quarters, to carry this
+principle still farther, by burdening girls, after they leave school,
+with a quadrennium of masculine college regimen. And so girls are to
+learn the alphabet in college, as they have learned it in the
+grammar-school, just as boys do. This is grounded upon the supposition
+that sustained regularity of action and attendance may be as safely
+required of a girl as of a boy; that there is no physical necessity
+for periodically relieving her from walking, standing, reciting, or
+studying; that the chapel-bell may call her, as well as him, to a
+daily morning walk, with a standing prayer at the end of it,
+regardless of the danger that such exercises, by deranging the tides
+of her <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span>organization, may add to her piety at the expense of her
+blood; that she may work her brain over mathematics, botany,
+chemistry, German, and the like, with equal and sustained force on
+every day of the month, and so safely divert blood from the
+reproductive apparatus to the head; in short, that she, like her
+brother, develops health and strength, blood and nerve, intellect and
+life, by a regular, uninterrupted, and sustained course of work. All
+this is not justified, either by experience or physiology. The
+gardener may plant, if he choose, the lily and the rose, the oak and
+the vine, within the same enclosure; let the same soil nourish them,
+the same air visit them, and the same sunshine warm and cheer them;
+still, he trains each of them with a separate art, warding from each
+its peculiar dangers, developing within each its peculiar powers, and
+teaching each to put forth to the utmost its divine and peculiar gifts
+of strength and beauty. Girls lose health, strength, blood, and nerve,
+by a regimen that ignores the periodical tides and reproductive
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span>apparatus of their organization. The mothers and instructors, the
+homes and schools, of our country's daughters, would profit by
+occasionally reading the old Levitical law. The race has not yet quite
+outgrown the physiology of Moses.</p>
+
+<p>Co-education, then, signifies in common acceptation identical
+co-education. This identity of training is what many at the present
+day seem to be praying for and working for. Appropriate education of
+the two sexes, carried as far as possible, is a consummation most
+devoutly to be desired; identical education of the two sexes is a
+crime before God and humanity, that physiology protests against, and
+that experience weeps over. Because the education of boys has met with
+tolerable success, hitherto,&mdash;but only tolerable it must be
+confessed,&mdash;in developing them into men, there are those who would
+make girls grow into women by the same process. Because a gardener has
+nursed an acorn till it grew into an oak, they would have him cradle a
+grape in the same soil and way, and make <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span>it a vine. Identical
+education, or identical co-education, of the sexes defrauds one sex or
+the other, or perhaps both. It defies the Roman maxim, which
+physiology has fully justified, <i>mens sana in corpore sano</i>. The
+sustained regimen, regular recitation, erect posture, daily walk,
+persistent exercise, and unintermitted labor that toughens a boy, and
+makes a man of him, can only be partially applied to a girl. The
+regimen of intermittance, periodicity of exercise and rest, work
+three-fourths of each month, and remission, if not abstinence, the
+other fourth, physiological interchange of the erect and reclining
+posture, care of the reproductive system that is the cradle of the
+race, all this, that toughens a girl and makes a woman of her, will
+emasculate a lad. A combination of the two methods of education, a
+compromise between them, would probably yield an average result,
+excluding the best of both. It would give a fair chance neither to a
+boy nor a girl. Of all compromises, such a physiological one is the
+worst. It cultivates mediocrity, and cheats <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span>the future of its
+rightful legacy of lofty manhood and womanhood. It emasculates boys,
+stunts girls; makes semi-eunuchs of one sex, and agenes of the other.</p>
+
+<p>The error which has led to the identical education of the two sexes,
+and which prophecies their identical co-education in colleges and
+universities, is not confined to technical education. It permeates
+society. It is found in the home, the workshop, the factory, and in
+all the ramifications of social life. The identity of boys and girls,
+of men and women, is practically asserted out of the school as much as
+in it, and it is theoretically proclaimed from the pulpit and the
+rostrum. Woman seems to be looking up to man and his development, as
+the goal and ideal of womanhood. The new gospel of female development
+glorifies what she possesses in common with him, and tramples under
+her feet, as a source of weakness and badge of inferiority, the
+mechanism and functions peculiar to herself. In consequence of this
+wide-spread error, largely the result of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span>physiological ignorance,
+girls are almost universally trained in masculine methods of living
+and working as well as of studying. The notion is practically found
+everywhere, that boys and girls are one, and that the boys make the
+one. Girls, young ladies, to use the polite phrase, who are about
+leaving or have left school for society, dissipation, or self-culture,
+rarely permit any of Nature's periodical demands to interfere with
+their morning calls, or evening promenades, or midnight dancing, or
+sober study. Even the home draws the sacred mantle of modesty so
+closely over the reproductive function as not only to cover but to
+smother it. Sisters imitate brothers in persistent work at all times.
+Female clerks in stores strive to emulate the males by unremitting
+labor, seeking to develop feminine force by masculine methods. Female
+operatives of all sorts, in factories and elsewhere, labor in the same
+way; and, when the day is done, are as likely to dance half the night,
+regardless of any pressure upon them of a peculiar function, as their
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span>fashionable sisters in the polite world. All unite in pushing the
+hateful thing out of sight and out of mind; and all are punished by
+similar weakness, degeneration, and disease.</p>
+
+<p>There are two reasons why female operatives of all sorts are likely to
+suffer less, and actually do suffer less, from such persistent work,
+than female students; why Jane in the factory can work more steadily
+with the loom, than Jane in college with the dictionary; why the girl
+who makes the bed can safely work more steadily the whole year
+through, than her little mistress of sixteen who goes to school. The
+first reason is, that the female operative, of whatever sort, has, as
+a rule, passed through the first critical epoch of woman's life: she
+has got fairly by it. In her case, as a rule, unfortunately there are
+too many exceptions to it, the catamenia have been established; the
+function is in good running order; the reproductive apparatus&mdash;the
+engine within an engine&mdash;has been constructed, and she will <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span>not be
+called upon to furnish force for building it again. The female
+student, on the contrary, has got these tasks before her, and must
+perform them while getting her education; for the period of female
+sexual development coincides with the educational period. The same
+five years of life must be given to both tasks. After the function is
+normally established, and the apparatus made, woman can labor mentally
+or physically, or both, with very much greater persistence and
+intensity, than during the age of development. She still retains the
+type of periodicity; and her best work, both as to quality and amount,
+is accomplished when the order of her labor partakes of the rhythmic
+order of her constitution. Still the fact remains, that she can do
+more than before; her fibre has acquired toughness; the system is
+consolidated; its fountains are less easily stirred. It should be
+mentioned in this connection, what has been previously adverted to,
+that the toughness and power of after life are largely in proportion
+to the normality of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span>sexual development. If there is error then, the
+organization never fully recovers. This is an additional motive for a
+strict physiological regimen during a girl's student life, and, just
+so far, an argument against the identical co-education of the sexes.
+The second reason why female operatives are less likely to suffer, and
+actually do suffer less, than school-girls, from persistent work
+straight through the year, is because the former work their brains
+less. To use the language of Herbert Spencer, "That antagonism between
+body and brain which we see in those, who, pushing brain-activity to
+an extreme, enfeeble their bodies,"<a name="FNanchor_25_25" id="FNanchor_25_25"></a><a href="#Footnote_25_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a> does not often exist in female
+operatives, any more than in male. On the contrary, they belong to the
+class of those who, in the words of the same author, by "pushing
+bodily activity to an extreme, make their brains inert."<a name="FNanchor_26_26" id="FNanchor_26_26"></a><a href="#Footnote_26_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a> Hence
+they have stronger bodies, a reproductive apparatus more normally
+constructed, and a catamenial function less readily disturbed by
+effort, than <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span>their student sisters, who are not only younger than
+they, but are trained to push "brain-activity to an extreme." Give
+girls a fair chance for physical development at school, and they will
+be able in after life, with reasonable care of themselves, to answer
+the demands that may be made upon them.</p>
+
+<p>The identical education of the sexes has borne the fruit which we have
+pointed out. Their identical co-education will intensify the evils of
+separate identical education; for it will introduce the element of
+emulation, and it will introduce this element in its strongest form.
+It is easy to frame a theoretical emulation, in which results only are
+compared and tested, that would be healthy and invigorating; but such
+theoretical competition of the sexes is not at all the sort of steady,
+untiring, day-after-day competition that identical co-education
+implies. It is one thing to put up a goal a long way off,&mdash;five or six
+months or three or four years distant,&mdash;and tell boys and girls, each
+in their own way, to strive for it, and quite a different thing to
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span>put up the same goal, at the same distance, and oblige each sex to run
+their race for it side by side on the same road, in daily competition
+with each other, and with equal expenditure of force at all times.
+Identical co-education is racing in the latter way. The inevitable
+results of it have been shown in some of the cases we have narrated.
+The trial of it on a larger scale would only yield a larger number of
+similar degenerations, weaknesses, and sacrifices of noble lives. Put
+a boy and girl together upon the same course of study, with the same
+lofty ideal before them, and hold up to their eyes the daily
+incitements of comparative progress, and there will be awakened within
+them a stimulus unknown before, and that separate study does not
+excite. The unconscious fires that have their seat deep down in the
+recesses of the sexual organization will flame up through every
+tissue, permeate every vessel, burn every nerve, flash from the eye,
+tingle in the brain, and work the whole machine at highest pressure.
+There need not be, and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span>generally will not be, any low or sensual
+desire in all this elemental action. It is only making youth work over
+the tasks of sober study with the wasting force of intense passion. Of
+course such strenuous labor will yield brilliant, though temporary,
+results. The fire is kept alive by the waste of the system, and soon
+burns up its source. The first sex to suffer in this exhilarating and
+costly competition must be, as experience shows it is, the one that
+has the largest amount of force in readiness for immediate call; and
+this is the female sex. At the age of development, Nature mobilizes
+the forces of a girl's organization for the purpose of establishing a
+function that shall endure for a generation, and for constructing an
+apparatus that shall cradle and nurse a race. These mobilized forces,
+which, at the technical educational period, the girl possesses and
+controls largely in excess of the boy, under the passionate stimulus
+of identical co-education, are turned from their divinely-appointed
+field of operations, to the region of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span>brain activity. The result is a
+most brilliant show of cerebral pyrotechnics, and degenerations that
+we have described.</p>
+
+<p>That undue and disproportionate brain activity exerts a sterilizing
+influence upon both sexes is alike a doctrine of physiology, and an
+induction from experience. And both physiology and experience also
+teach that this influence is more potent upon the female than upon the
+male. The explanation of the latter fact&mdash;of the greater aptitude of
+the female organization to become thus modified by excessive brain
+activity&mdash;is probably to be found in the larger size, more complicated
+relations, and more important functions, of the female reproductive
+apparatus. This delicate and complex mechanism is liable to be aborted
+or deranged by the withdrawal of force that is needed for its
+construction and maintenance. It is, perhaps, idle to speculate upon
+the prospective evil that would accrue to the human race, should such
+an organic modification, introduced by abnormal education, be pushed
+to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span>its ultimate limit. But inasmuch as the subject is not only
+germain to our inquiry, but has attracted the attention of a recent
+writer, whose bold and philosophic speculations, clothed in forcible
+language, have startled the best thought of the age, it may be well to
+quote him briefly on this point. Referring to the fact, that, in our
+modern civilization, the cultivated classes have smaller families than
+the uncultivated ones, he says, "If the superior sections and
+specimens of humanity are to lose, relatively, their procreative power
+in virtue of, and in proportion to, that superiority, how is culture
+or progress to be propagated so as to benefit the species as a whole,
+and how are those gradually amended organizations from which we hope
+so much to be secured? If, indeed, it were ignorance, stupidity, and
+destitution, instead of mental and moral development, that were the
+<i>sterilizing</i> influences, then the improvement of the race would go on
+swimmingly, and in an ever-accelerating ratio. But since the
+conditions are exactly reversed, how <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span>should not an exactly opposite
+direction be pursued? How should the race <i>not</i> deteriorate, when
+those who morally and physically are fitted to perpetuate it are
+(relatively), by a law of physiology, those least likely to do
+so?"<a name="FNanchor_27_27" id="FNanchor_27_27"></a><a href="#Footnote_27_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a> The answer to Mr. Greg's inquiry is obvious. If the culture
+of the race moves on into the future in the same rut and by the same
+methods that limit and direct it now; if the education of the sexes
+remains identical, instead of being appropriate and special; and
+especially if the intense and passionate stimulus of the identical
+co-education of the sexes is added to their identical education,&mdash;then
+the sterilizing influence of such a training, acting with tenfold more
+force upon the female than upon the male, will go on, and the race
+will be propagated from its inferior classes.<a name="FNanchor_28_28" id="FNanchor_28_28"></a><a href="#Footnote_28_28" class="fnanchor">[28]</a> <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span>The stream of life
+that is to flow into the future will be Celtic rather than American:
+it will come from the collieries, and not from the peerage.
+Fortunately, the reverse of this picture is equally possible. The race
+holds its destinies in its own hands. The highest wisdom will secure
+the survival and propagation of the fittest. Physiology teaches that
+this result, the attainment of which our hopes prophecy, is to be
+secured, not by an identical education, or an identical co-education
+of the sexes, but by <i>a special and appropriate education, that shall
+produce a just and harmonious development of every part</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Let one remark be made here. It has been asserted that the chief
+reason why the higher <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span>and educated classes have smaller families than
+the lower and uneducated is, that the former criminally prevent or
+destroy increase. The pulpit,<a name="FNanchor_29_29" id="FNanchor_29_29"></a><a href="#Footnote_29_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a> as well as the medical press, has
+cried out against this enormity. That a disposition to do this thing
+exists, and is often carried into effect, is not to be denied, and
+cannot be too strongly condemned. On the other hand, it should be
+proclaimed, to the credit and honor of our cultivated women, and as a
+reproach to the identical education of the sexes, that many of them
+bear in silence the accusation of self-tampering, who are denied the
+oft-prayed-for trial, blessing, and responsibility of offspring. As a
+matter of personal experience, my advice has been much more frequently
+and earnestly sought by those of our best classes who desired to know
+how to obtain, than by those who wished to escape, the offices of
+maternity.</p>
+
+<p>The experiment of the identical co-education of the sexes has been set
+on foot by some of our Western colleges. It has not yet <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span>been tried
+long enough to show much more than its first fruits, viz., its results
+while the students are in college; and of these the only obvious ones
+are increased emulation, and intellectual development and attainments.
+The defects of the reproductive mechanism, and the friction of its
+action, are not exhibited there; nor is there time or opportunity in
+college for the evils which these defects entail to be exhibited.
+President Magoun of Iowa College tells us, that, in the institution
+over which he presides, "Forty-two young men and fifty-three young
+ladies have pursued college courses;" and adds, "Nothing needs to be
+said as to the control of the two sexes in the college. The young
+ladies are placed under the supervision of a lady principal and
+assistant as to deportment, and every thing besides recitations (in
+which they are under the supervision of the same professors and other
+teachers with the young men, reciting with them); and one simple rule
+as to social intercourse governs every thing. The moral and religious
+influences <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span>attending the arrangement have been most happy."<a name="FNanchor_30_30" id="FNanchor_30_30"></a><a href="#Footnote_30_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a> From
+this it is evident that Iowa College is trying the identical
+co-education of the sexes; and the president reports the happy moral
+and religious results of the experiment, but leaves us ignorant of its
+physiological results. It may never have occurred to him, that a class
+of a hundred young ladies might graduate from Iowa College or Antioch
+College or Michigan University, whose average health during their
+college course had appeared to the president and faculty as good as
+that of their male classmates who had made equal intellectual progress
+with them, upon whom no scandal had dropped its venom, who might be
+presented to the public on Commencement Day as specimens of as good
+health as their uneducated sisters, with roses in their cheeks as
+natural as those in their hands, the major part of whom might,
+notwithstanding all this, have physical defects that a physiologist
+could easily discover, and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span>that would produce, sooner or later, more
+or less of the sad results we have previously described. A
+philanthropist and an intelligent observer, who has for a long time
+taken an active part in promoting the best education of the sexes, and
+who still holds some sort of official connection with a college
+occupied with identical co-education, told the writer a few months
+ago, that he had endeavored to trace the post-college history of the
+female graduates of the institution he was interested in. His object
+was to ascertain how their physique behaved under the stress,&mdash;the
+wear and tear of woman's work in life. The conclusion that resulted
+from his inquiry he formulated in the statement, that "the
+co-education of the sexes is intellectually a success, physically a
+failure." Another gentleman, more closely connected with a similar
+institution of education than the person just referred to, has arrived
+at a similar conclusion. Only a few female graduates of colleges have
+consulted the writer professionally. All sought his advice two, three,
+or <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span>more years after graduation; and, in all, the difficulties under
+which they labored could be distinctly traced to their college order
+of life and study, that is, to identical co-education. If physicians
+who are living in the neighborhood of the present residences of these
+graduates have been consulted by them in the same proportion with him,
+the inference is inevitable, that the ratio of invalidism among female
+college graduates is greater than even among the graduates of our
+common, high, and normal schools. All such observations as these,
+however, are only of value, at present, as indications of the drift of
+identical co-education, not as proofs of its physical fruits, or of
+their influence on mental force. Two or three generations, at least,
+of the female college graduates of this sort of co-education must come
+and go before any sufficient idea can be formed of the harvest it will
+yield. The physiologist dreads to see the costly experiment tried. The
+urgent reformer, who cares less for human suffering and human life
+than for the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span>trial of his theories, will regard the experiment with
+equanimity if not with complacency.</p>
+
+<p>If, then, the identical co-education of the sexes is condemned both by
+physiology and experience, may it not be that their <i>special and
+appropriate co-education</i> would yield a better result than their
+special and appropriate <i>separate</i> education? This is a most important
+question, and one difficult to resolve. The discussion of it must be
+referred to those who are engaged in the practical work of
+instruction, and the decision will rest with experience. Physiology
+advocates, as we have seen, the special and appropriate education of
+the sexes, and has only a single word to utter with regard to simple
+co-education, or juxtaposition in education.</p>
+
+<p>That word is with regard to the common belief in the danger of
+improprieties and scandal as a part of co-education. There is some
+danger in this respect; but not a serious or unavoidable one.
+Doubtless there would be occasional lapses in a double-sexed college;
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span>and so there are outside of schoolhouses and seminaries of learning.
+Even the church and the clergy are not exempt from reproach in such
+things. There are sects, professing to commingle religion and love,
+who illustrate the dangers of juxtaposition even in things holy. "No
+physiologist can well doubt that the holy kiss of love in such cases
+owes all its warmth to the sexual feeling which consciously or
+unconsciously inspires it, or that the mystical union of the sexes
+lies very close to a union that is nowise mystical, when it does not
+lead to madness."<a name="FNanchor_31_31" id="FNanchor_31_31"></a><a href="#Footnote_31_31" class="fnanchor">[31]</a> There is less, or certainly no more danger in
+having the sexes unite at the repasts of knowledge, than, as Plautus
+bluntly puts it, having he wits and she wits recline at the repasts of
+fashion. Isolation is more likely to breed pruriency than commingling
+to provoke indulgence. The virtue of the cloister and the cell
+scarcely deserves the name. A girl has her honor in her own keeping.
+If she can be trusted with <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span>boys and men at the lecture-room and in
+church, she can be trusted with them at school and in college. Jean
+Paul says, "To insure modesty, I would advise the education of the
+sexes together; for two boys will preserve twelve girls, or two girls
+twelve boys, innocent amidst winks, jokes, and improprieties, merely
+by that instinctive sense which is the forerunner of matured modesty.
+But I will guarantee nothing in a school where girls are alone
+together, and still less when boys are." A certain amount of
+juxta-position is an advantage to each sex. More than a certain amount
+is an evil to both. Instinct and common sense can be safely left to
+draw the line of demarcation. At the same time it is well to remember
+that juxtaposition may be carried too far. Temptations enough beset
+the young, without adding to them. Let learning and purity go hand in
+hand.</p>
+
+<p>There are two considerations appertaining to this subject, which,
+although they do not belong to the physiology of the matter, deserve
+to be mentioned in this connection. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span>One amounts to a practical
+prohibition, for the present at least, of the experiment of the
+special and appropriate co-education of the sexes; and the other is an
+inherent difficulty in the experiment itself. The former can be
+removed whenever those who heartily believe in the success of the
+experiment choose to get rid of it; and the latter by patient and
+intelligent effort.</p>
+
+<p>The present practical prohibition of the experiment is the poverty of
+our colleges. Identical co-education can be easily tried with the
+existing organization of collegiate instruction. This has been tried,
+and is still going on in separate and double-sexed schools of all
+sorts, and has failed. Special and appropriate co-education requires
+in many ways, not in all, re-arrangement of the organization of
+instruction; and this will cost money and a good deal of it. Harvard
+College, for example, rich as it is supposed to be, whose banner, to
+use Mr. Higginson's illustration, is the red flag that the bulls of
+female reform are just now pitching into,&mdash;Harvard College could not
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span>undertake the task of special and appropriate co-education, in such a
+way as to give the two sexes a fair chance, which means the <i>best</i>
+chance, and the only chance it ought to give or will ever give,
+without an endowment, additional to its present resources, of from one
+to two millions of dollars; and it probably would require the larger
+rather than the smaller sum. And this I say advisedly. By which I
+mean, not with the advice and consent of the president and fellows of
+the college, but as an opinion founded on nearly twenty years'
+personal acquaintance, as an instructor in one of the departments of
+the university, with the organization of instruction in it, and upon
+the demands which physiology teaches the special and appropriate
+education of girls would make upon it. To make boys half-girls, and
+girls half-boys, can never be the legitimate function of any college.
+But such a result, the natural child of identical co-education, is
+sure to follow the training of a college that has not the pecuniary
+means to prevent it. This obstacle is of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span>course a removable one. It
+is only necessary for those who wish to get it out of the way to put
+their hands in their pockets, and produce a couple of millions. The
+offer of such a sum, conditioned upon the liberal education of women,
+might influence even a body as soulless as the corporation of Harvard
+College is sometimes represented to be.</p>
+
+<p>The inherent difficulty in the experiment of special and appropriate
+co-education is the difficulty of adjusting, in the same institution,
+the methods of instruction to the physiological needs of each sex; to
+the persistent type of one, and the periodical type of the other; to
+the demand for a margin in metamorphosis of tissue, beyond what study
+causes, for general growth in one sex, and to a larger margin in the
+other sex, that shall permit not only general growth, but also the
+construction of the reproductive apparatus. This difficulty can only
+be removed by patient and intelligent effort. The first step in the
+direction of removing it is to see plainly what errors or dangers lie
+in <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span>the way. These, or some of them, we have endeavored to point out.
+"Nothing is so conducive to a right appreciation of the truth as a
+right appreciation of the error by which it is surrounded."<a name="FNanchor_32_32" id="FNanchor_32_32"></a><a href="#Footnote_32_32" class="fnanchor">[32]</a> When
+we have acquired a belief of the facts concerning the identical
+education, the identical co-education, the appropriate education, and
+the appropriate co-education of the sexes, we shall be in a condition
+to draw just conclusions from them.</p>
+
+<p>The intimate connection of mind and brain, the correlation of mental
+power and cerebral metamorphosis, explains and justifies the
+physiologist's demand, that in the education of girls, as well as of
+boys, the machinery and methods of instruction shall be carefully
+adjusted to their organization. If it were possible, they should be
+adjusted to the organization of each individual. None doubt the
+importance of age, acquirement, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span>idiosyncrasy, and probable career in
+life, as factors in classification. Sex goes deeper than any or all of
+these. To neglect this is to neglect the chief factor of the problem.
+Rightly interpreted and followed, it will yield the grandest results.
+Disregarded, it will balk the best methods of teaching and the genius
+of the best teachers. Sex is not concerned with studies as such.
+These, for any thing that appears to the contrary physiologically, may
+be the same for the intellectual development of females as of males;
+but, as we have seen, it is largely concerned about an appropriate way
+of pursuing them. Girls will have a fair chance, and women the largest
+freedom and greatest power, now that legal hinderances are removed,
+and all bars let down, when they are taught to develop and are willing
+to respect their own organization. How to bring about this development
+and insure this respect, in a double-sexed college, is one of the
+problems of co-education.</p>
+
+<p>It does not come within the scope of this <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span>essay to speculate upon the
+ways&mdash;the regimen, methods of instruction, and other details of
+college life,&mdash;by which the inherent difficulties of co-education may
+be obviated. Here tentative and judicious experiment is better than
+speculation. It would seem to be the part of wisdom, however, to make
+the simplest and least costly experiment first; that is, to discard
+the identical separate education of girls as boys, and to ascertain
+what their appropriate separate education is, and what it will
+accomplish. Aided by the light of such an experiment, it would be
+comparatively easy to solve the more difficult problem of the
+appropriate co-education of the sexes.</p>
+
+<p>It may be well to mention two or three details, which are so important
+that no system of <i>appropriate</i> female education, separate or mixed,
+can neglect them. They have been implied throughout the whole of the
+present discussion, but not distinctly enunciated. One is, that during
+the period of rapid development, that is, from fourteen <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span>to
+eighteen,<a name="FNanchor_33_33" id="FNanchor_33_33"></a><a href="#Footnote_33_33" class="fnanchor">[33]</a> a girl should not study as many hours a day as a boy.
+"In most of our schools," says a distinguished physiological authority
+previously quoted, "the hours are too many for both boys and girls.
+From a quarter of nine or nine, until half-past two, is with us
+(Philadelphia schools for girls) the common schooltime in private
+seminaries. The usual recess is twenty minutes or half an hour, and it
+is not filled by enforced exercise. In certain schools,&mdash;would it were
+the rule,&mdash;ten minutes' recess is given after every hour. To these
+hours, we must add the time spent in study out of school. This, for
+some reason, nearly always exceeds the time stated by teachers to be
+necessary; and most girls between the age of thirteen and seventeen
+thus expend two or three hours. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span>Does any physician believe that it is
+good for a growing girl to be so occupied seven or eight hours a day?
+or that it is right for her to use her brains as long a time as the
+mechanic employs his muscles? But this is only a part of the evil. The
+multiplicity of studies, the number of teachers,&mdash;each eager to get
+the most he can out of his pupil,&mdash;the severer drill of our day, and
+the greater intensity of application demanded, produce effects on the
+growing brain, which, in a vast number of cases, can be only
+disastrous. Even in girls of from fourteen to eighteen, such as crowd
+the normal school in Philadelphia, this sort of tension and this
+variety of study occasion an amount of ill-health which is sadly
+familiar to many physicians."<a name="FNanchor_34_34" id="FNanchor_34_34"></a><a href="#Footnote_34_34" class="fnanchor">[34]</a></p>
+
+<p>Experience teaches that a healthy and growing boy may spend six hours
+of force daily upon his studies, and leave sufficient margin for
+physical growth. A girl cannot spend more than four, or, in
+occasional <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span>instances, five hours of force daily upon her studies, and
+leave sufficient margin for the general physical growth that she must
+make in common with a boy, and also for constructing a reproductive
+apparatus. If she puts as much force into her brain education as a
+boy, the brain or the special apparatus will suffer. Appropriate
+education and appropriate co-education must adjust their methods and
+regimen to this law.</p>
+
+<p>Another detail is, that, during every fourth week, there should be a
+remission, and sometimes an intermission, of both study and exercise.
+Some individuals require, at that time, a complete intermission from
+mental and physical effort for a single day; others for two or three
+days; others require only a remission, and can do half work safely for
+two or three days, and their usual work after that. The diminished
+labor, which shall give Nature an opportunity to accomplish her
+special periodical task and growth, is a physiological necessity for
+all, however robust they may seem to be. The apportionment <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span>of study
+and exercise to individual needs cannot be decided by general rules,
+nor can the decision of it be safely left to the pupil's caprice or
+ambition. Each case must be decided upon its own merits. The
+organization of studies and instruction must be flexible enough to
+admit of the periodical and temporary absence of each pupil, without
+loss of rank, or necessity of making up work, from recitation, and
+exercise of all sorts. The periodical type of woman's way of work must
+be harmonized with the persistent type of man's way of work in any
+successful plan of co-education.</p>
+
+<p>The keen eye and rapid hand of gain, of what Jouffroy calls
+self-interest well understood, is sometimes quicker than the brain and
+will of philanthropy to discern and inaugurate reform. An illustration
+of this statement, and a practical recognition of the physiological
+method of woman's work, lately came under my observation. There is an
+establishment in Boston, owned and carried on by a man, in which ten
+or a dozen girls are <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span>constantly employed. Each of them is given and
+required to take a vacation of three days every fourth week. It is
+scarcely necessary to say that their sanitary condition is
+exceptionally good, and that the aggregate yearly amount of work which
+the owner obtains is greater than when persistent attendance and labor
+was required. I have never heard of any female school, public or
+private, in which any such plan has been adopted; nor is it likely
+that any similar plan will be adopted so long as the community
+entertain the conviction that a boy's education and a girl's education
+should be the same, and that the same means the boy's. What is known
+in England as the Ten-hour Act, which Mr. Mundella and Sir John
+Lubbock have recently carried through Parliament, is a step in a
+similar direction. It is an act providing for the special protection
+of women against over-work. It does not recognize, and probably was
+not intended to recognize, the periodical type of woman's
+organization. It is founded on the fact, however, which law <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span>has been
+so slow to acknowledge, that the male and female organization are not
+identical.<a name="FNanchor_35_35" id="FNanchor_35_35"></a><a href="#Footnote_35_35" class="fnanchor">[35]</a></p>
+
+<p>This is not the place for the discussion of these details, and
+therefore we will not dwell upon them. Our object is rather to show
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span>good and imperative reason why they should be discussed by others; to
+show how faulty and pregnant of ill the education of American girls
+has been and is, and to demonstrate the truth, that the progress and
+development of the race depend upon the appropriate, and not upon the
+identical education of the sexes. Little good will be done in this
+direction, however, by any advice or argument, by whatever facts
+supported, or by whatever authority presented, unless the women of our
+country are themselves convinced of the evils that they have been
+educated into, and out of which they are determined to educate their
+daughters. They must breed in them the lofty spirit Wallenstein bade
+his be of:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Leave now the puny wish, the girlish feeling,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Oh, thrust it far behind thee! Give thou proof<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thou'rt the daughter of the Mighty,&mdash;his<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Who where he moves creates the wonderful.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Meet and disarm necessity by choice."<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+<p class="noin" style="margin-left: 15%;"><span class="sc">Schiller:</span> <i>The Piccolomini</i>, act iii. 8.
+(<i>Coleridge's Translation.</i>)</p>
+
+<br />
+<hr style="width: 15%;" />
+<br />
+
+<h4>FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_24_24" id="Footnote_24_24"></a><a href="#FNanchor_24_24"><span class="label">[24]</span></a> Body and Mind. Op. cit., p. 178.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_25_25" id="Footnote_25_25"></a><a href="#FNanchor_25_25"><span class="label">[25]</span></a> The Study of Sociology, by Herbert Spencer, chap. 13.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_26_26" id="Footnote_26_26"></a><a href="#FNanchor_26_26"><span class="label">[26]</span></a> The Study of Sociology, by Herbert Spencer, chap. 13.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_27_27" id="Footnote_27_27"></a><a href="#FNanchor_27_27"><span class="label">[27]</span></a> Enigmas of Life. Op. cit., by W.R. Greg, p. 142.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_28_28" id="Footnote_28_28"></a><a href="#FNanchor_28_28"><span class="label">[28]</span></a> It is a fact not to be lost sight of, says Dr. J.C.
+Toner of Washington, that the proportion between the number of
+American children under fifteen years of age, and the number of
+American women between the child-bearing ages of fifteen and fifty, is
+declining steadily. In 1830, there were to every 1,000 marriageable
+women, 1,952 children under fifteen years of age. Ten years later,
+there were 1,863, or 89 less children to every thousand women than in
+1830. In 1850, this number had declined to 1,720; in 1860, to 1,666;
+and in 1870, to 1,568. The total decline in the forty years was 384,
+or about 20 per cent of the whole proportional number in 1830, a
+generation ago. The United-States census of 1870 shows that there is,
+in the city of New York, but one child under fifteen years of age, to
+each thousand nubile women, when there ought to be three; and the same
+is true of our other large cities.&mdash;<i>The Nation</i>, Aug. 28, 1873, p.
+145.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_29_29" id="Footnote_29_29"></a><a href="#FNanchor_29_29"><span class="label">[29]</span></a> Vid. a pamphlet by the Rev. Dr. Todd.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_30_30" id="Footnote_30_30"></a><a href="#FNanchor_30_30"><span class="label">[30]</span></a> The New Englander, July, 1873. Art., Iowa College.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_31_31" id="Footnote_31_31"></a><a href="#FNanchor_31_31"><span class="label">[31]</span></a> Body and Mind. Op. cit., p. 85.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_32_32" id="Footnote_32_32"></a><a href="#FNanchor_32_32"><span class="label">[32]</span></a> Use of the Ophthalmoscope. By T.C. Allbutt. London. P.
+5.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_33_33" id="Footnote_33_33"></a><a href="#FNanchor_33_33"><span class="label">[33]</span></a> Some physiologists consider that the period of growth
+extends to a later age than this. Dr. Anstie fixes the limit at twenty
+five. He says, "The central nervous system is more slow in reaching
+its fullest development; and the brain, especially, is many years
+later in acquiring its maximum of organic consistency and functional
+power."&mdash;<i>Neuralgia, Op. cit.</i>, by <span class="sc">F.E. Anstie</span>, p. 20.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_34_34" id="Footnote_34_34"></a><a href="#FNanchor_34_34"><span class="label">[34]</span></a> Wear and Tear. Op. cit., p. 33-4.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_35_35" id="Footnote_35_35"></a><a href="#FNanchor_35_35"><span class="label">[35]</span></a> It is a curious commentary on the present aspect of the
+"woman question" to see many who honestly advocate the elevation and
+enfranchisement of woman, oppose any movement or law that recognizes
+Nature's fundamental distinction of sex. There are those who insist
+upon the traditional fallacy that man and woman are identical, and
+that the identity is confined to the man, with the energy of
+infatuation. It appears from the Spectator, that Mr. and Mrs. Fawcett
+strongly object to the Ten-hour Act, on the ground that it
+discriminates unfairly against women as compared with men. Upon this
+the Spectator justly remarks, that the true question for an objector
+to the bill to consider is not one of abstract principle, but this:
+"Is the restraint proposed so great as really to diminish the average
+productiveness of woman's labor, or, by <i>increasing its efficacy</i>, to
+maintain its level, or even improve it in spite of the hours lost?
+What is the length of labor beyond which an average woman's
+constitution is overtaxed and deteriorated, and within which,
+therefore, the law ought to keep them in spite of their relations, and
+sometimes in spite of themselves."&mdash;<i>Vid. Spectator</i>, London, June 14,
+1873.</p></div>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<a name="PART_V" id="PART_V"></a><hr />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span><br />
+
+<h3>PART V.<span class="totoc"><a href="#toc">ToC</a></span></h3>
+
+<h4>THE EUROPEAN WAY.</h4>
+
+<div class="block2"><p>"And let it appear that he doth not change his country manners
+for those of foreign parts, but only prick in some flowers of
+that he hath learned abroad into the customs of his own
+country."&mdash;<span class="sc">Lord Bacon.</span></p></div>
+<br />
+
+<p>One branch of the stream of travel that flows with steadily-increasing
+volume across the Atlantic, from the western to the eastern continent,
+passes from the United States, through Nova Scotia, to England. The
+traveller who follows this route is struck, almost as soon as he
+leaves the boundaries of the republic, with the difference between the
+physique of the inhabitants he encounters and that of those he has
+left behind him. The difference is most marked between the females of
+the two sections. The firmer <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span>step, fuller chest, and ruddier cheek of
+the Nova-Scotian girl foretell still greater differences of color,
+form, and strength that England and the Continent present. These
+differences impressed one who passed through Nova Scotia not long ago
+very strongly. Her observations upon them are an excellent
+illustration of our subject, and they deserve to be read in this
+connection. Her remarks, moreover, are indirect but valuable testimony
+to the evils of our sort of identical education of the sexes. "Nova
+Scotia," she says, "is a country of gracious surprises."</p>
+
+<p>"But most beautiful among her beauties, most wonderful among her
+wonders, are her children. During two weeks' travel in the Provinces,
+I have been constantly more and more impressed by their superiority in
+appearance, size, and health, to the children of the New-England and
+Middle States. In the outset of our journey, I was struck by it; along
+all the roadsides they looked up, boys <i>and girls</i>, fair,
+broad-cheeked, sturdy-legged, such as with us are seen only now and
+then. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span>I did not, however, realize at first that this was the
+universal law of the land, and that it pointed to something more than
+climate as a cause. But the first school that I saw, <i>en masse</i>, gave
+a startling impetus to the train of observation and influence into
+which I was unconsciously falling. It was a Sunday school in the
+little town of Wolfville, which lies between the Gaspereau and
+Cornwallis Rivers, just beyond the meadows of the Grand Pr&eacute;, where
+lived Gabriel Lajeunesse, and Benedict Bellefontaine, and the rest of
+the 'simple Acadian farmers.' I arrived too early at one of the
+village churches; and, while I was waiting for a sexton, a door
+opened, and out poured the Sunday school, whose services had just
+ended. On they came, dividing in the centre, and falling to the right
+and left about me, thirty or forty boys and girls, between the ages of
+seven and fifteen. They all had fair skins, red cheeks, and clear
+eyes; they were all broad-shouldered, straight, and sturdy; the
+younger ones were more than sturdy,&mdash;they were fat, from the ankles
+up. <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span>But perhaps the most noticeable thing of all was the quiet,
+sturdy, unharassed expression which their faces wore; a look which is
+the greatest charm of a child's face, but which we rarely see in
+children over two or three years old. Boys of eleven or twelve were
+there, with shoulders broader than the average of our boys at sixteen,
+and yet with the pure childlike look on their faces. Girls of ten or
+eleven were there, who looked almost like women,&mdash;that is, like ideal
+women,&mdash;simply because they looked so calm and undisturbed.... Out of
+them all there was but one child who looked sickly. He had evidently
+met with some accident, and was lame. Afterward, as the congregation
+assembled, I watched the fathers and <i>mothers</i> of these children.
+They, too, were broad-shouldered, tall, and straight, <i>especially the
+women</i>. Even old women were straight, like the negroes one sees at the
+South walking with burdens on their heads.</p>
+
+<p>"Five days later I saw, in Halifax, the celebration of the anniversary
+of the settlement of the Province. The children of the city and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span>of
+some of the neighboring towns marched in 'Bands of Hope,' and
+processions such as we see in the cities of the States on the Fourth
+of July. This was just the opportunity I wanted. It was the same here
+as in the country. I counted, on that day, just eleven sickly-looking
+children; no more! Such brilliant cheeks, such merry eyes, such
+evident strength,&mdash;it was a scene to kindle the dullest soul! There
+were scores of little ones there, whose droll, fat legs would have
+drawn a crowd in Central Park; and they all had that same quiet,
+composed, well-balanced expression of countenance of which I spoke
+before, and of which it would be hard to find an instance in all
+Central Park.</p>
+
+<p>"Climate, undoubtedly, has something to do with this. The air is
+moist; and the mercury rarely rises above 80&deg;, or falls below 10&deg;.
+Also the comparative quiet of their lives helps to make them so
+beautiful and strong. But the most significant fact to my mind is,
+that, until the past year, there have been in Nova Scotia no public
+schools, comparatively few <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span>private ones; and in these there is no
+severe pressure brought to bear on the pupils.... I must not be
+understood to argue from the health of the children of Nova Scotia, as
+contrasted with the lack of health among our children, that it is best
+to have no public schools; only that it is better to have no public
+schools than to have such public schools as are now killing off our
+children.... In Massachusetts, the mortality from diseases of the
+brain and nervous system is eleven per cent. In Nova Scotia it is only
+eight per cent."<a name="FNanchor_36_36" id="FNanchor_36_36"></a><a href="#Footnote_36_36" class="fnanchor">[36]</a></p>
+
+<p>It would be interesting and instructive to ascertain, if we could, the
+regimen of female education in Europe. The acknowledged and
+unmistakable differences between American and European girls and
+women&mdash;the delicate bloom, unnatural weakness, and premature decay of
+the former, contrasted with the bronzed complexion, developed form,
+and enduring force of the latter&mdash;are not <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span>adequately explained by
+climate. Given sufficient time, difference of climate will produce
+immense differences of form, color, and force in the same species of
+animals and men. But a century does not afford a period long enough
+for the production of great changes. That length of time could not
+transform the sturdy German fraulein and robust English damsel into
+the fragile American miss. Everybody recognizes and laments the change
+that has been and is going on. "The race of strong, hardy, cheerful
+girls, that used to grow up in country places, and made the bright,
+neat, New-England kitchens of olden times,&mdash;the girls that could wash,
+iron, brew, bake, harness a horse and drive him, no less than braid
+straw, embroider, draw, paint, and read innumerable books,&mdash;this race
+of women, pride of olden time, is daily lessening; and, in their
+stead, come the fragile, easy-fatigued, languid girls of a modern age,
+drilled in book-learning, ignorant of common things."<a name="FNanchor_37_37" id="FNanchor_37_37"></a><a href="#Footnote_37_37" class="fnanchor">[37]</a> No <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span>similar
+change has been wrought, during the past century, upon the mass of
+females in Europe. There&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Nature keeps the reverent frame<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">With which her years began."<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>If we could ascertain the regimen of European female education, so as
+to compare it fairly with the American plan of the identical education
+of the sexes, it is not impossible that the comparison might teach us
+how it is, that conservation of female force makes a part of
+trans-Atlantic, and deterioration of the same force a part of
+cis-Atlantic civilization. It is probable such an inquiry would show
+that the disregard of the female organization, which is a palpable and
+pervading principle of American education, either does not exist at
+all in Europe, or exists only in a limited degree.</p>
+
+<p>With the hope of obtaining information upon this point, the writer
+addressed inquiries to various individuals, who would be likely to
+have the desired knowledge. Only a few answers to his inquiries have
+been received up to the present writing; more are promised by and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span>by.
+The subject is a delicate and difficult one to investigate. The
+reports of committees and examining boards, of ministers of
+instruction, and other officials, throw little or no light upon it.
+The matter belongs so much to the domestic economy of the household
+and school, that it is not easy to learn much that is definite about
+it except by personal inspection and inquiry. The little information
+that has been received, however, is important. It indicates, if it
+does not demonstrate, an essential difference between the regimen or
+organization, using these terms in their broadest sense, of female
+education in America and in Europe.</p>
+
+<p>Dr. H. Hagen, an eminent physician and naturalist of K&ouml;nigsburg,
+Prussia, now connected with the Museum of Comparative Zoology at
+Cambridge, writes from Germany, where he has been lately, in reply to
+these inquiries, as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="block">
+<p class="right"><span class="sc">Nuremberg</span>, July 23, 1873.</p>
+
+<p><span class="sc">Dear Sir</span>,&mdash;The information, given by two prominent
+physicians in Berlin, in <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span>answer to the questions in your
+letter, is mostly of a negative character. I believe them to
+prove that generally girls here are doing very well as to the
+catamenial function.</p>
+
+<p>First, most of the girls in North Germany begin this function
+in the fifteenth year, or even later; of course some few
+sooner, even in the twelfth year or before; but the rule is
+after the fifteenth year. Now, nearly all leave the school in
+the fifteenth year, and then follow some lectures given at
+home at leisure. The school-girls are of course rarely
+troubled by the periodical function.</p>
+
+<p>There is an established kind of tradition giving the rule for
+the regimen during the catamenial period: this regimen goes
+from mother to daughter, and the advice of physicians is
+seldom asked for with regard to it. As a rule, the greatest
+care is taken to avoid any cold or exposure at this time. If
+the girls are still school-girls, they go to school, study and
+write as at other times, <i>provided the function is normally
+performed</i>.</p>
+
+<p>School-girls never ride in Germany, nor are <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span>they invited to
+parties or to dancing-parties. All this comes after the
+school. And even then care is taken to <i>stay at home when the
+periodical function is present</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Concerning the health of the German girls, as compared with
+American girls, the German physicians have not sufficient
+information to warrant any statement. But the health of the
+German girls is commonly good except in the higher classes in
+the great capitals, where the same obnoxious agencies are to
+be found in Germany as in the whole world. But here also there
+is a very strong exception, or, better, a difference between
+America and Germany, as German girls are never accustomed to
+the free manners and modes of life of American girls. As a
+rule, in Germany, the mother directs the manner of living of
+the daughter entirely.</p>
+
+<p>I shall have more and better information some time later.</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 30%;">Yours,<br /></span>
+<span style="margin-left: 35%;" class="sc">H. Hagen.</span><br />
+</p>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span>A German lady, who was educated in the schools of Dantzic, Prussia,
+afforded information, which, as far as it went, confirmed the above.
+Three customs, or habits, which exert a great influence upon the
+health and development of girls, appear from Dr. Hagen's letter to
+make a part of the German female educational regimen. The first is,
+that girls leave school at about the age of fifteen or sixteen, that
+is, as soon as the epoch of rapid sexual development arrives. It
+appears, moreover, that during this epoch, or the greater part of it,
+a German girl's education is carried on at home, by means of lectures
+or private arrangements. These, of course, are not as inflexible as
+the rigid rules of a technical school, and admit of easy adjustment to
+the periodical demands of the female constitution. The second is the
+traditional motherly supervision and careful regimen of the catamenial
+week. Evidently the notion that a boy's education and a girl's
+education should be the same, and that the same means the boy's, has
+not yet penetrated the German <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span>mind. This has not yet evolved the idea
+of the identical education of the sexes. It appears that in Germany,
+schools, studies, parties, walks, rides, dances, and the like, are not
+allowed to displace or derange the demands of Nature. The female
+organization is respected. The third custom is, that German
+school-girls are not invited to parties at all. "All this comes after
+the school," says Dr. Hagen. The brain is not worked by day in the
+labor of study, and tried by night with the excitement of the ball.
+Pleasant recreation for children of both sexes, and abundance of it,
+is provided for them, all over Germany,&mdash;is regarded as necessity for
+them,&mdash;is made a part of their daily life; but then it is open-air,
+oxygen-surrounding, blood-making, health-giving, innocent recreation;
+not gas, furnaces, low necks, spinal trails, the civilized
+representatives of caudal appendages, and late hours.</p>
+
+<p>Desirous of obtaining, if possible, a more exact notion than even a
+physician could give of the German, traditional method of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span>managing
+the catamenial function for the first few years after its appearance,
+I made inquiries of a German lady, now a mother, whose family name
+holds an honored place, both in German diplomacy and science, and who
+has enjoyed corresponding opportunities for an experimental
+acquaintance with the German regimen of female education. The
+following is her reply. For obvious reasons, the name of the writer is
+not given. She has been much in this country as well as in Germany; a
+fact that explains the knowledge of American customs that her letter
+exhibits.</p>
+
+
+<div class="block">
+<p><span class="sc">My Dear Doctor</span>,&mdash;I have great pleasure in answering
+your inquiries in regard to the course, which, to my
+knowledge, German mothers adopt with their daughters at the
+catamenial period. As soon as a girl attains maturity in this
+respect, which is seldom before the age of sixteen, she is
+ordered to observe complete rest; not only rest of the body,
+but rest of the mind. Many mothers <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span>oblige their daughters to
+remain in bed for three days, if they are at all delicate in
+health; but even those who are physically very strong are
+obliged to abstain from study, to remain in their rooms for
+three days, and keep perfectly quiet. During the whole of each
+period, they are not allowed to run, walk much, ride, skate,
+or dance. In fact, entire repose is strictly enforced in every
+well-regulated household and school. A German girl would
+consider the idea of going to a party at such times as simply
+preposterous; and the difference that exists in this respect
+in America is wholly unintelligible to them.</p>
+
+<p>As a general rule, a married woman in Germany, even after she
+has had many children, is as strong and healthy, if not more
+so, than when she was a girl. In America, with a few
+exceptions, it appears to be the reverse; and, I have no
+doubt, it is owing to the want of care on the part of girls at
+this particular time, and to the neglect of their mothers to
+enforce proper rules in this most important matter.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span>It has seemed to me, often, that the difference in the
+education of girls in America and in Germany, as regards their
+physical training, is, that in America it is marked by a great
+degree of recklessness; while in Germany, the erring, if it
+can be called erring, is on the side of anxious, extreme
+caution. Therefore beautiful American girls fade rapidly;
+while the German girls, who do not possess the same natural
+advantages, do possess, as a rule, good, permanent health,
+which goes hand-in-hand with happiness and enjoyment of life.</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 25%;">Believe me,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 30%;">Very truly yours,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 40%;">&mdash;&mdash; &mdash;&mdash;.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="sc">June 21, 1873.</span><br />
+</p>
+</div>
+
+<br />
+
+<p>This letter confirms the statement of Dr. Hagen, and shows that the
+educational and social regimen of a German school-girl is widely
+different from that of her American sister. Perhaps, as is intimated
+above, the German way, which is probably the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span>European way also, may
+err on the side of too great confinement and caution; and that a
+medium between that and the recklessness of the American way would
+yield a better result than either one of them.</p>
+
+<p>German peasant girls and women work in the field and shop with and
+like men. None who have seen their stout and brawny arms can doubt the
+force with which they wield the hoe and axe. I once saw, in the
+streets of Coblentz, a woman and a donkey yoked to the same cart,
+while a man, with a whip in his hand, drove the team. The bystanders
+did not seem to look upon the moving group as if it were an unusual
+spectacle. The donkey appeared to be the most intelligent and refined
+of the three. The sight symbolized the physical force and infamous
+degradation of the lower classes of women in Europe. The urgent
+problem of modern civilization is how to retain this force, and get
+rid of the degradation. Physiology declares that the solution of it
+will only be possible when the education of girls is made <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span>appropriate
+to their organization. A German girl, yoked with a donkey and dragging
+a cart, is an exhibition of monstrous muscular and aborted brain
+development. An American girl, yoked with a dictionary, and laboring
+with the catamenia, is an exhibition of monstrous brain and aborted
+ovarian development.</p>
+
+<p>The investigations incident to the preparation of this monograph have
+suggested a number of subjects kindred to the one of which it treats,
+that ought to be discussed from the physiological standpoint in the
+interest of sound education. Some, and perhaps the most important, of
+them are the relation of the male organization, so far as it is
+different from the female, to the labor of education and of life; the
+comparative influence of crowding studies, that is of excessive brain
+activity, upon the cerebral metamorphosis of the two sexes; the
+influence of study, or brain activity, upon sleep, and through sleep,
+or the want of it, upon nutrition and development; and, most important
+of all, the true relation of education to <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span>the just and harmonious
+development of every part, both of the male and female organization,
+in which the rightful control of the cerebral ganglia over the whole
+system and all its functions shall be assured in each sex, and thus
+each be enabled to obtain the largest possible amount of intellectual
+and spiritual power. The discussion of these subjects at the present
+time would largely exceed the natural limits of this essay. They can
+only be suggested now, with the hope that other and abler observers
+may be induced to examine and discuss them.</p>
+
+<p>In conclusion, let us remember that physiology confirms the hope of
+the race by asserting that the loftiest heights of intellectual and
+spiritual vision and force are free to each sex, and accessible by
+each; but adds that each must climb in its own way, and accept its own
+limitations, and, when this is done, promises that each will find the
+doing of it, not to weaken or diminish, but to develop power.
+Physiology condemns the identical, and pleads for the appropriate
+education of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span>the sexes, so that boys may become men, and girls women,
+and both have a fair chance to do and become their best.</p>
+
+<br />
+<hr style="width: 15%;" />
+<br />
+
+<h4>FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_36_36" id="Footnote_36_36"></a><a href="#FNanchor_36_36"><span class="label">[36]</span></a> Bits of Talk. By H.H. Pp. 71-75.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p class="noin"><a name="Footnote_37_37" id="Footnote_37_37"></a><a href="#FNanchor_37_37"><span class="label">[37]</span></a> House and Home Papers. By Harriet Beecher Stowe. P.
+205.</p></div>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+
+<div class="tr">
+<p class="cen"><a name="TN" id="TN"></a>Typographical errors corrected in text:</p>
+<br />
+Page &nbsp; 62: &nbsp; menorraghic replaced with menorrhagic<br />
+Page &nbsp; 72: &nbsp; dysmenorrhea replaced with dysmenorrh&oelig;a<br />
+Page &nbsp; 75: &nbsp; rythmical replaced with rhythmical<br />
+Page 117: &nbsp; permantly replaced with permanently<br />
+Page 120: &nbsp; rythmical replaced with rhythmical<br />
+page 171: &nbsp; twelth replaced with twelfth<br />
+Page 175: &nbsp; knowedge replaced with knowledge<br />
+</div>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SEX IN EDUCATION***</p>
+<p>******* This file should be named 18504-h.txt or 18504-h.zip *******</p>
+<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br />
+<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/8/5/0/18504">http://www.gutenberg.org/1/8/5/0/18504</a></p>
+<p>Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.</p>
+
+<p>Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.</p>
+
+
+
+<pre>
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license">http://www.gutenberg.org/license)</a>.
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS,' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://www.gutenberg.org/about/contact
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
+To donate, please visit: http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's
+eBook number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII,
+compressed (zipped), HTML and others.
+
+Corrected EDITIONS of our eBooks replace the old file and take over
+the old filename and etext number.  The replaced older file is renamed.
+VERSIONS based on separate sources are treated as new eBooks receiving
+new filenames and etext numbers.
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org">http://www.gutenberg.org</a>
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
+EBooks posted prior to November 2003, with eBook numbers BELOW #10000,
+are filed in directories based on their release date.  If you want to
+download any of these eBooks directly, rather than using the regular
+search system you may utilize the following addresses and just
+download by the etext year.
+
+<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext06/">http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext06/</a>
+
+    (Or /etext 05, 04, 03, 02, 01, 00, 99,
+     98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 92, 91 or 90)
+
+EBooks posted since November 2003, with etext numbers OVER #10000, are
+filed in a different way.  The year of a release date is no longer part
+of the directory path.  The path is based on the etext number (which is
+identical to the filename).  The path to the file is made up of single
+digits corresponding to all but the last digit in the filename.  For
+example an eBook of filename 10234 would be found at:
+
+http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/0/2/3/10234
+
+or filename 24689 would be found at:
+http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/4/6/8/24689
+
+An alternative method of locating eBooks:
+<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/GUTINDEX.ALL">http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/GUTINDEX.ALL</a>
+
+*** END: FULL LICENSE ***
+</pre>
+</body>
+</html>
diff --git a/18504.txt b/18504.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4171f8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18504.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3532 @@
+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Sex in Education, by Edward H. Clarke
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Sex in Education
+       or, A Fair Chance for Girls
+
+
+Author: Edward H. Clarke
+
+
+
+Release Date: June 5, 2006  [eBook #18504]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SEX IN EDUCATION***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Audrey Longhurst, Jeannie Howse, and the Project
+Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net/) from
+page images generously made available by the Home Economics Archive:
+Research, Tradition and History, Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell
+University (http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/)
+
+
+
+Note: Images of the original pages are available through the
+      Home Economics Archive: Research, Tradition and History,
+      Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell University. See
+      http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=hearth;idno=4765412
+
+
+
+      +------------------------------------------------------------+
+      | Transcriber's Notes:                                       |
+      |                                                            |
+      |    A number of obvious typographical errors have been      |
+      |    corrected in this text. For a complete list, please     |
+      |    see the end of this document.                           |
+      |                                                            |
+      |    This document has inconsistent hyphenation.             |
+      |                                                            |
+      |    Greek has been transliterated and marked with + marks   |
+      |                                                            |
+      +------------------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+
+SEX IN EDUCATION;
+
+Or, A Fair Chance for Girls.
+
+by
+
+EDWARD H. CLARKE, M.D.,
+
+Member of the Massachusetts Medical Society;
+Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences;
+Late Professor of Materia Medica in Harvard College,
+Etc., Etc.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Boston:
+James R. Osgood and Company,
+(Late Ticknor & Fields, and Fields, Osgood, & Co.)
+1875.
+Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by
+Edward H. Clarke,
+In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington
+Boston:
+Stereotyped and Printed by Rand, Avery, & Co.
+
+
+
+
+    "An American female constitution, which collapses just in the
+    middle third of life, and comes out vulcanized India-rubber,
+    if it happen to live through the period when health and
+    strength are most wanted."
+    OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES: _Autocrat of the Breakfast Table_.
+
+
+    "He reverenced and upheld, in every form in which it came
+    before him, _womanhood_.... What a woman should demand is
+    respect for her as she is a woman. Let her first lesson be,
+    with sweet Susan Winstanley, _to reverence her sex_."
+    CHARLES LAMB: _Essays of Elia_.
+
+
+    "We trust that the time now approaches when man's condition
+    shall be progressively improved by the force of reason and
+    truth, when the brute part of nature shall be crushed, that
+    the god-like spirit may unfold."
+    GUIZOT: _History of Civilization_, I., 34.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+PART I.
+
+INTRODUCTORY                                              11
+
+PART II.
+
+CHIEFLY PHYSIOLOGICAL                                     31
+
+PART III.
+
+CHIEFLY CLINICAL                                          61
+
+PART IV.
+
+CO-EDUCATION                                             118
+
+PART V.
+
+THE EUROPEAN WAY                                         162
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+About a year ago the author was honored by an invitation to address
+the New-England Women's Club in Boston. He accepted the invitation,
+and selected for his subject the relation of sex to the education of
+women. The essay excited an unexpected amount of discussion. Brief
+reports of it found their way into the public journals. Teachers and
+others interested in the education of girls, in different parts of the
+country, who read these reports, or heard of them, made inquiry, by
+letter or otherwise, respecting it. Various and conflicting criticisms
+were passed upon it. This manifestation of interest in a brief and
+unstudied lecture to a small club appeared to the author to indicate a
+general appreciation of the importance of the theme he had chosen,
+compelled him to review carefully the statements he had made, and has
+emboldened him to think that their publication in a more comprehensive
+form, with added physiological details and clinical illustrations,
+might contribute something, however little, to the cause of sound
+education. Moreover, his own conviction, not only of the importance of
+the subject, but of the soundness of the conclusions he has reached,
+and of the necessity of bringing physiological facts and laws
+prominently to the notice of all who are interested in education,
+conspires with the interest excited by the theme of his lecture to
+justify him in presenting these pages to the public. The leisure of
+his last professional vacation has been devoted to their preparation.
+The original address, with the exception of a few verbal alterations,
+is incorporated into them.
+
+Great plainness of speech will be observed throughout this essay. The
+nature of the subject it discusses, the general misapprehension both
+of the strong and weak points in the physiology of the woman question,
+and the ignorance displayed by many, of what the co-education of the
+sexes really means, all forbid that ambiguity of language or euphemism
+of expression should be employed in the discussion. The subject is
+treated solely from the standpoint of physiology. Technical terms
+have been employed, only where their use is more exact or less
+offensive than common ones.
+
+If the publication of this brief memoir does nothing more than excite
+discussion and stimulate investigation with regard to a matter of such
+vital moment to the nation as the relation of sex to education, the
+author will be amply repaid for the time and labor of its preparation.
+No one can appreciate more than he its imperfections. Notwithstanding
+these, he hopes a little good may be extracted from it, and so
+commends it to the consideration of all who desire the _best_
+education of the sexes.
+
+  BOSTON, 18 ARLINGTON STREET, October, 1873.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION.
+
+
+The demand for a second edition of this book in little more than a
+week after the publication of the first, indicates the interest which
+the public take in the relation of Sex to Education, and justifies the
+author in appealing to physiology and pathology for light upon the
+vexed question of the appropriate education of girls. Excepting a few
+verbal alterations, and the correction of a few typographical errors,
+there is no difference between this edition and the first. The author
+would have been glad to add to this edition a section upon the
+relation of sex to women's work in life, after their technical
+education is completed, but has not had time to do so.
+
+  BOSTON, 18 ARLINGTON STREET,
+      Nov. 8, 1873.
+
+
+
+
+NOTE TO THE FIFTH EDITION.
+
+
+The attention of the reader is called to the definition of "education"
+on the twentieth page. It is there stated, that, throughout this
+essay, education is not used in the limited sense of mental or
+intellectual training alone, but as comprehending the whole manner of
+life, physical and psychical, during the educational period; that is,
+following Worcester's comprehensive definition, as comprehending
+instruction, discipline, manners, and habits. This, of course,
+includes home-life and social life, as well as school-life; balls and
+parties, as well as books and recitations; walking and riding, as much
+as studying and sewing. When a remission or intermission is necessary,
+the parent must decide what part of education shall be remitted or
+omitted,--the walk, the ball, the school, the party, or all of these.
+None can doubt which will interfere most with Nature's laws,--four
+hours' dancing, or four hours' studying. These remarks may be
+unnecessary. They are made because some who have noticed this essay
+have spoken of it as if it treated only of the school, and seem to
+have forgotten the just and comprehensive signification in which
+education is used throughout this memoir. Moreover, it may be well to
+remind the reader, even at the risk of casting a reflection upon his
+intelligence, that, in these pages, the relation of sex to mature life
+is not discussed, except in a few passages, in which the large
+capacities and great power of woman are alluded to, provided the epoch
+of development is physiologically guided.
+
+
+
+
+SEX IN EDUCATION.
+
+
+PART I.
+
+INTRODUCTORY.
+
+    "Is there any thing better in a State than that both women and
+    men be rendered the very best? There is not."--PLATO.
+
+
+It is idle to say that what is right for man is wrong for woman. Pure
+reason, abstract right and wrong, have nothing to do with sex: they
+neither recognize nor know it. They teach that what is right or wrong
+for man is equally right and wrong for woman. Both sexes are bound by
+the same code of morals; both are amenable to the same divine law.
+Both have a right to do the best they can; or, to speak more justly,
+both should feel the duty, and have the opportunity, to do their
+best. Each must justify its existence by becoming a complete
+development of manhood and womanhood; and each should refuse whatever
+limits or dwarfs that development.
+
+The problem of woman's sphere, to use the modern phrase, is not to be
+solved by applying to it abstract principles of right and wrong. Its
+solution must be obtained from physiology, not from ethics or
+metaphysics. The question must be submitted to Agassiz and Huxley, not
+to Kant or Calvin, to Church or Pope. Without denying the self-evident
+proposition, that whatever a woman can do, she has a right to do, the
+question at once arises, What can she do? And this includes the
+further question, What can she best do? A girl can hold a plough, and
+ply a needle, after a fashion. If she can do both better than a man,
+she ought to be both farmer and seamstress; but if, on the whole, her
+husband can hold best the plough, and she ply best the needle, they
+should divide the labor. He should be master of the plough, and she
+mistress of the loom. The _quaestio vexata_ of woman's sphere will be
+decided by her organization. This limits her power, and reveals her
+divinely-appointed tasks, just as man's organization limits his power,
+and reveals his work. In the development of the organization is to be
+found the way of strength and power for both sexes. Limitation or
+abortion of development leads both to weakness and failure.
+
+Neither is there any such thing as inferiority or superiority in this
+matter. Man is not superior to woman, nor woman to man. The relation
+of the sexes is one of equality, not of better and worse, or of higher
+and lower. By this it is not intended to say that the sexes are the
+same. They are different, widely different from each other, and so
+different that each can do, in certain directions, what the other
+cannot; and in other directions, where both can do the same things,
+one sex, as a rule, can do them better than the other; and in still
+other matters they seem to be so nearly alike, that they can
+interchange labor without perceptible difference. All this is so well
+known, that it would be useless to refer to it, were it not that much
+of the discussion of the irrepressible woman-question, and many of the
+efforts for bettering her education and widening her sphere, seem to
+ignore any difference of the sexes; seem to treat her as if she were
+identical with man, and to be trained in precisely the same way; as if
+her organization, and consequently her function, were masculine, not
+feminine. There are those who write and act as if their object were to
+assimilate woman as much as possible to man, by dropping all that is
+distinctively feminine out of her, and putting into her as large an
+amount of masculineness as possible. These persons tacitly admit the
+error just alluded to, that woman is inferior to man, and strive to
+get rid of the inferiority by making her a man. There may be some
+subtle physiological basis for such views--some strange quality of
+brain; for some who hold and advocate them are of those, who, having
+missed the symmetry and organic balance that harmonious development
+yields, have drifted into an hermaphroditic condition. One of this
+class, who was glad to have escaped the chains of matrimony, but knew
+the value and lamented the loss of maternity, wished she had been born
+a widow with two children. These misconceptions arise from mistaking
+difference of organization and function for difference of position in
+the scale of being, which is equivalent to saying that man is rated
+higher in the divine order because he has more muscle, and woman lower
+because she has more fat. The loftiest ideal of humanity, rejecting
+all comparisons of inferiority and superiority between the sexes,
+demands that each shall be perfect in its kind, and not be hindered in
+its best work. The lily is not inferior to the rose, nor the oak
+superior to the clover: yet the glory of the lily is one, and the
+glory of the oak is another; and the use of the oak is not the use of
+the clover. That is poor horticulture which would train them all
+alike.
+
+When Col. Higginson asked, not long ago, in one of his charming
+essays, that almost persuade the reader, "Ought women to learn the
+alphabet?" and added, "Give woman, if you dare, the alphabet, then
+summon her to the career," his physiology was not equal to his wit.
+Women will learn the alphabet at any rate; and man will be powerless
+to prevent them, should he undertake so ungracious a task. The real
+question is not, _Shall_ women learn the alphabet? but _How_ shall
+they learn it? In this case, how is more important than ought or
+shall. The principle and duty are not denied. The method is not so
+plain.
+
+The fact that women have often equalled and sometimes excelled men in
+physical labor, intellectual effort, and lofty heroism, is sufficient
+proof that women have muscle, mind, and soul, as well as men; but it
+is no proof that they have had, or should have, the same kind of
+training; nor is it any proof that they are destined for the same
+career as men. The presumption is, that if woman, subjected to a
+masculine training, arranged for the development of a masculine
+organization, can equal man, she ought to excel him if educated by a
+feminine training, arranged to develop a feminine organization.
+Indeed, I have somewhere encountered an author who boldly affirms the
+superiority of women to all existences on this planet, because of the
+complexity of their organization. Without undertaking to indorse such
+an opinion, it may be affirmed, that an appropriate method of
+education for girls--one that should not ignore the mechanism of their
+bodies or blight any of their vital organs--would yield a better
+result than the world has yet seen.
+
+Gail Hamilton's statement is true, that, "a girl can go to school,
+pursue all the studies which Dr. Todd enumerates, except _ad
+infinitum_; know them, not as well as a chemist knows chemistry or a
+botanist botany, but as well as they are known by boys of her age and
+training, as well, indeed, as they are known by many college-taught
+men, enough, at least, to be a solace and a resource to her; then
+graduate before she is eighteen, and come out of school as healthy, as
+fresh, as eager, as she went in."[1] But it is not true that she can
+do all this, and retain uninjured health and a future secure from
+neuralgia, uterine disease, hysteria, and other derangements of the
+nervous system, if she follows the same method that boys are trained
+in. Boys must study and work in a boy's way, and girls in a girl's
+way. They may study the same books, and attain an equal result, but
+should not follow the same method. Mary can master Virgil and Euclid
+as well as George; but both will be dwarfed,--defrauded of their
+rightful attainment,--if both are confined to the same methods. It is
+said that Elena Cornaro, the accomplished professor of six languages,
+whose statue adorns and honors Padua, was educated like a boy. This
+means that she was initiated into, and mastered, the studies that were
+considered to be the peculiar dower of men. It does not mean that her
+life was a man's life, her way of study a man's way of study, or that,
+in acquiring six languages, she ignored her own organization. Women
+who choose to do so can master the humanities and the mathematics,
+encounter the labor of the law and the pulpit, endure the hardness of
+physic and the conflicts of politics; but they must do it all in
+woman's way, not in man's way. In all their work they must respect
+their own organization, and remain women, not strive to be men, or
+they will ignominiously fail. For both sexes, there is no exception to
+the law, that their greatest power and largest attainment lie in the
+perfect development of their organization. "Woman," says a late
+writer, "must be regarded as woman, not as a nondescript animal, with
+greater or less capacity for assimilation to man." If we would give
+our girls a fair chance, and see them become and do their best by
+reaching after and attaining an ideal beauty and power, which shall be
+a crown of glory and a tower of strength to the republic, we must look
+after their complete development as women. Wherein they are men, they
+should be educated as men; wherein they are women, they should be
+educated as women. The physiological motto is, Educate a man for
+manhood, a woman for womanhood, both for humanity. In this lies the
+hope of the race.
+
+Perhaps it should be mentioned in this connection, that, throughout
+this paper, education is not used in the limited and technical sense
+of intellectual or mental training alone. By saying there is a boy's
+way of study and a girl's way of study, it is not asserted that the
+intellectual process which masters Juvenal, German, or chemistry, is
+different for the two sexes. Education is here intended to include
+what its etymology indicates, the drawing out and development of every
+part of the system; and this necessarily includes the whole manner of
+life, physical and psychical, during the educational period.
+"Education," says Worcester, "comprehends all that series of
+instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the
+understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits, of
+youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations." It has
+been and is the misfortune of this country, and particularly of New
+England, that education, stripped of this, its proper signification,
+has popularly stood for studying, without regard to the physical
+training or no training that the schools afford. The cerebral
+processes by which the acquisition of knowledge is made are the same
+for each sex; but the mode of life which gives the finest nurture to
+the brain, and so enables those processes to yield their best result,
+is not the same for each sex. The best educational training for a boy
+is not the best for a girl, nor that for a girl best for a boy.
+
+The delicate bloom, early but rapidly fading beauty, and singular
+pallor of American girls and women have almost passed into a proverb.
+The first observation of a European that lands upon our shores is,
+that our women are a feeble race; and, if he is a physiological
+observer, he is sure to add, They will give birth to a feeble race,
+not of women only, but of men as well. "I never saw before so many
+pretty girls together," said Lady Amberley to the writer, after a
+visit to the public schools of Boston; and then added, "They all
+looked sick." Circumstances have repeatedly carried me to Europe,
+where I am always surprised by the red blood that fills and colors
+the faces of ladies and peasant girls, reminding one of the canvas of
+Rubens and Murillo; and am always equally surprised on my return, by
+crowds of pale, bloodless female faces, that suggest consumption,
+scrofula, anemia, and neuralgia. To a large extent, our present system
+of educating girls is the cause of this palor and weakness. How our
+schools, through their methods of education, contribute to this
+unfortunate result, and how our colleges that have undertaken to
+educate girls like boys, that is, in the same way, have succeeded in
+intensifying the evils of the schools, will be pointed out in another
+place.
+
+It has just been said that the educational methods of our schools and
+colleges for girls are, to a large extent, the cause of "the thousand
+ills" that beset American women. Let it be remembered that this is not
+asserting that such methods of education are the sole cause of female
+weaknesses, but only that they are one cause, and one of the most
+important causes of it. An immense loss of female power may be fairly
+charged to irrational cooking and indigestible diet. We live in the
+zone of perpetual pie and dough-nut; and our girls revel in those
+unassimilable abominations. Much also may be credited to artificial
+deformities strapped to the spine, or piled on the head, much to
+corsets and skirts, and as much to the omission of clothing where it
+is needed as to excess where the body does not require it; but, after
+the amplest allowance for these as causes of weakness, there remains a
+large margin of disease unaccounted for. Those grievous maladies which
+torture a woman's earthly existence, called leucorrhoea, amenorrhoea,
+dysmenorrhoea, chronic and acute ovaritis, prolapsus uteri, hysteria,
+neuralgia, and the like, are indirectly affected by food, clothing,
+and exercise; they are directly and largely affected by the causes
+that will be presently pointed out, and which arise from a neglect of
+the peculiarities of a woman's organization. The regimen of our
+schools fosters this neglect. The regimen of a college arranged for
+boys, if imposed on girls, would foster it still more.
+
+The scope of this paper does not permit the discussion of these other
+causes of female weaknesses. Its object is to call attention to the
+errors of physical training that have crept into, and twined
+themselves about, our ways of educating girls, both in public and
+private schools, and which now threaten to attain a larger
+development, and inflict a consequently greater injury, by their
+introduction into colleges and large seminaries of learning, that have
+adopted, or are preparing to adopt, the co-education of the sexes.
+Even if there were space to do so, it would not be necessary to
+discuss here the other causes alluded to. They are receiving the
+amplest attention elsewhere. The gifted authoress of "The Gates Ajar"
+has blown her trumpet with no uncertain sound, in explanation and
+advocacy of a new-clothes philosophy, which her sisters will do well
+to heed rather than to ridicule. It would be a blessing to the race,
+if some inspired prophet of clothes would appear, who should teach
+the coming woman how, in pharmaceutical phrase, to fit, put on, wear,
+and take off her dress,--
+
+    "Cito, Tuto, et Jucunde."
+
+Corsets that embrace the waist with a grip that tightens respiration
+into pain, and skirts that weight the hips with heavier than maternal
+burdens, have often caused grievous maladies, and imposed a needless
+invalidism. Yet, recognizing all this, it must not be forgotten that
+breeches do not make a man, nor the want of them unmake a woman.
+
+Let the statement be emphasized and reiterated until it is heeded,
+that woman's neglect of her own organization, though not the sole
+explanation and cause of her many weaknesses, more than any single
+cause, adds to their number, and intensifies their power. It limits
+and lowers her action very much, as man is limited and degraded by
+dissipation. The saddest part of it all is, that this neglect of
+herself in girlhood, when her organization is ductile and impressible,
+breeds the germs of diseases that in later life yield torturing or
+fatal maladies. Every physician's note-book affords copious
+illustrations of these statements. The number of them which the writer
+has seen prompted this imperfect essay upon a subject in which the
+public has a most vital interest, and with regard to which it acts
+with the courage of ignorance.
+
+Two considerations deserve to be mentioned in this connection. One is,
+that no organ or function in plant, animal, or human kind, can be
+properly regarded as a disability or source of weakness. Through
+ignorance or misdirection, it may limit or enfeeble the animal or
+being that misguides it; but, rightly guided and developed, it is
+either in itself a source of power and grace to its parent stock, or a
+necessary stage in the development of larger grace and power. The
+female organization is no exception to this law; nor are the
+particular set of organs and their functions with which this essay has
+to deal an exception to it. The periodical movements which
+characterize and influence woman's structure for more than half her
+terrestrial life, and which, in their ebb and flow, sway every fibre
+and thrill every nerve of her body a dozen times a year, and the
+occasional pregnancies which test her material resources, and cradle
+the race, are, or are evidently intended to be, fountains of power,
+not hinderances, to her. They are not infrequently spoken of by women
+themselves with half-smothered anathemas; often endured only as a
+necessary evil and sign of inferiority; and commonly ignored, till
+some steadily-advancing malady whips the recalcitrant sufferer into
+acknowledgment of their power, and respect for their function. All
+this is a sad mistake. It is a foolish and criminal delicacy that has
+persuaded woman to be so ashamed of the temple God built for her as to
+neglect one of its most important services. On account of this
+neglect, each succeeding generation, obedient to the law of hereditary
+transmission, has become feebler than its predecessor. Our
+great-grandmothers are pointed at as types of female physical
+excellence; their great-grand-daughters as illustrations of female
+physical degeneracy. There is consolation, however, in the hope, based
+on substantial physiological data, that our great-grand-daughters may
+recapture their ancestors' bloom and force. "Three generations of
+wholesome life," says Mr. Greg, "might suffice to eliminate the
+ancestral poison, for the _vis medicatrix naturae_ has wonderful
+efficacy when allowed free play; and perhaps the time may come when
+the worst cases shall deem it a plain duty to curse no future
+generations with the _damnosa hereditas_, which has caused such bitter
+wretchedness to themselves."[2]
+
+The second consideration is the acknowledged influence of beauty.
+"When one sees a god-like countenance," said Socrates to Phaedrus, "or
+some bodily form that represents beauty, he reverences it as a god,
+and would sacrifice to it." From the days of Plato till now, all have
+felt the power of woman's beauty, and been more than willing to
+sacrifice to it. The proper, not exclusive search for it is a
+legitimate inspiration. The way for a girl to obtain her portion of
+this radiant halo is by the symmetrical development of every part of
+her organization, muscle, ovary, stomach and nerve, and by a
+physiological management of every function that correlates every
+organ; not by neglecting or trying to stifle or abort any of the vital
+and integral parts of her structure, and supplying the deficiency by
+invoking the aid of the milliner's stuffing, the colorist's pencil,
+the druggist's compounds, the doctor's pelvic supporter, and the
+surgeon's spinal brace.
+
+When travelling in the East, some years ago, it was my fortune to be
+summoned as a physician into a harem. With curious and not unwilling
+step I obeyed the summons. While examining the patient, nearly a dozen
+Syrian girls--a grave Turk's wifely crowd, a result and illustration
+of Mohammedan female education--pressed around the divan with eyes and
+ears intent to see and hear a Western Hakim's medical examination. As
+I looked upon their well-developed forms, their brown skins, rich
+with the blood and sun of the East, and their unintelligent, sensuous
+faces, I thought that if it were possible to marry the Oriental care
+of woman's organization to the Western liberty and culture of her
+brain, there would be a new birth and loftier type of womanly grace
+and force.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] Woman's Wrongs, p. 59.
+
+[2] Enigmas of Life, p. 34.
+
+
+
+
+PART II.
+
+CHIEFLY PHYSIOLOGICAL.
+
+    "She girdeth her loins with strength."--SOLOMON.
+
+
+Before describing the special forms of ill that exist among our
+American, certainly among our New-England girls and women, and that
+are often caused and fostered by our methods of education and social
+customs, it is important to refer in considerable detail to a few
+physiological matters. Physiology serves to disclose the cause, and
+explain the _modus operandi_, of these ills, and offers the only
+rational clew to their prevention and relief. The order in which the
+physiological data are presented that bear upon this discussion is not
+essential; their relation to the subject matter of it will be obvious
+as we proceed.
+
+The sacred number, three, dominates the human frame. There is a
+trinity in our anatomy. Three systems, to which all the organs are
+directly or indirectly subsidiary, divide and control the body. First,
+there is the nutritive system, composed of stomach, intestines, liver,
+pancreas, glands, and vessels, by which food is elaborated, effete
+matter removed, the blood manufactured, and the whole organization
+nourished. This is the commissariat. Secondly, there is the nervous
+system, which co-ordinates all the organs and functions; which enables
+man to entertain relations with the world around him, and with his
+fellows; and through which intellectual power is manifested, and human
+thought and reason made possible. Thirdly, there is the reproductive
+system, by which the race is continued, and its grasp on the earth
+assured. The first two of these systems are alike in each sex. They
+are so alike, that they require a similar training in each, and yield
+in each a similar result. The machinery of them is the same. No
+scalpel has disclosed any difference between a man's and a woman's
+liver. No microscope has revealed any structure, fibre, or cell, in
+the brain of man or woman, that is not common to both. No analysis or
+dynamometer has discovered or measured any chemical action or
+nerve-force that stamps either of these systems as male or female.
+From these anatomical and physiological data alone, the inference is
+legitimate, that intellectual power, the correlation and measure of
+cerebral structure and metamorphosis, is capable of equal development
+in both sexes. With regard to the reproductive system, the case is
+altogether different. Woman, in the interest of the race, is dowered
+with a set of organs peculiar to herself, whose complexity, delicacy,
+sympathies, and force are among the marvels of creation. If properly
+nurtured and cared for, they are a source of strength and power to
+her. If neglected and mismanaged, they retaliate upon their possessor
+with weakness and disease, as well of the mind as of the body. God was
+not in error, when, after Eve's creation, he looked upon his work,
+and pronounced it good. Let Eve take a wise care of the temple God
+made for her, and Adam of the one made for him, and both will enter
+upon a career whose glory and beauty no seer has foretold or poet
+sung.
+
+Ever since the time of Hippocrates, woman has been physiologically
+described as enjoying, and has always recognized herself as enjoying,
+or at least as possessing, a tri-partite life. The first period
+extends from birth to about the age of twelve or fifteen years; the
+second, from the end of the first period to about the age of
+forty-five; and the third, from the last boundary to the final passage
+into the unknown. The few years that are necessary for the voyage from
+the first to the second period, and those from the second to the
+third, are justly called critical ones. Mothers are, or should be,
+wisely anxious about the first passage for their daughters, and women
+are often unduly apprehensive about the second passage for themselves.
+All this is obvious and known; and yet, in our educational
+arrangements, little heed is paid to the fact, that the first of
+these critical voyages is made during a girl's educational life, and
+extends over a very considerable portion of it.
+
+This brief statement only hints at the vital physiological truths it
+contains: it does not disclose them. Let us look at some of them a
+moment. Remember, that we are now concerned only with the first of
+these passages, that from a girl's childhood to her maturity. In
+childhood, boys and girls are very nearly alike. If they are natural,
+they talk and romp, chase butterflies and climb fences, love and hate,
+with an innocent _abandon_ that is ignorant of sex. Yet even then the
+difference is apparent to the observing. Inspired by the divine
+instinct of motherhood, the girl that can only creep to her mother's
+knees will caress a doll, that her tottling brother looks coldly upon.
+The infant Achilles breaks the thin disguise of his gown and sleeves
+by dropping the distaff, and grasping the sword. As maturity
+approaches, the sexes diverge. An unmistakable difference marks the
+form and features of each, and reveals the demand for a special
+training. This divergence, however, is limited in its sweep and its
+duration. The difference exists for a definite purpose, and goes only
+to a definite extent. The curves of separation swell out as childhood
+recedes, like an ellipse, and, as old age draws on, approach, till
+they unite like an ellipse again. In old age, the second childhood,
+the difference of sex becomes of as little note as it was during the
+first. At that period, the picture of the
+
+         "Lean and slippered pantaloon,
+    With spectacles on nose, and pouch on side,
+           *       *       *       *       *
+    Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans every thing,"
+
+is faithful to either sex. Not as man or woman, but as a sexless
+being, does advanced age enter and pass the portals of what is called
+death.
+
+During the first of these critical periods, when the divergence of the
+sexes becomes obvious to the most careless observer, the complicated
+apparatus peculiar to the female enters upon a condition of functional
+activity. "The ovaries, which constitute," says Dr. Dalton, "the
+'essential parts'[3] of this apparatus, and certain accessory organs,
+are now rapidly developed." Previously they were inactive. During
+infancy and childhood all of them existed, or rather all the germs of
+them existed; but they were incapable of function. At this period they
+take on a process of rapid growth and development. Coincident with
+this process, indicating it, and essential to it, are the periodical
+phenomena which characterize woman's physique till she attains the
+third division of her tripartite life. The growth of this peculiar and
+marvellous apparatus, in the perfect development of which humanity has
+so large an interest, occurs during the few years of a girl's
+educational life. No such extraordinary task, calling for such rapid
+expenditure of force, building up such a delicate and extensive
+mechanism within the organism,--a house within a house, an engine
+within an engine,--is imposed upon the male physique at the same
+epoch.[4] The organization of the male grows steadily, gradually, and
+equally, from birth to maturity. The importance of having our methods
+of female education recognize this peculiar demand for growth, and of
+so adjusting themselves to it, as to allow a sufficient opportunity
+for the healthy development of the ovaries and their accessory organs,
+and for the establishment of their periodical functions, cannot be
+overestimated. Moreover, unless the work is accomplished at that
+period, unless the reproductive mechanism is built and put in good
+working order at that time, it is never perfectly accomplished
+afterwards. "It is not enough," says Dr. Charles West, the
+accomplished London physician, and lecturer on diseases of women, "it
+is not enough to take precautions till menstruation has for the first
+time occurred: the period for its return should, even in the
+healthiest girl, be watched for, and all previous precautions should
+be once more repeated; and this should be done again and again, until
+at length the _habit_ of regular, healthy menstruation is established.
+If this be not accomplished during the first few years of womanhood,
+it will, in all probability, never be attained."[5] There have been
+instances, and I have seen such, of females in whom the special
+mechanism we are speaking of remained germinal,--undeveloped. It
+seemed to have been aborted. They graduated from school or college
+excellent scholars, but with undeveloped ovaries. Later they married,
+and were sterile.[6]
+
+The system never does two things well at the same time. The muscles
+and the brain cannot _functionate_ in their best way at the same
+moment. One cannot meditate a poem and drive a saw simultaneously,
+without dividing his force. He may poetize fairly, and saw poorly; or
+he may saw fairly, and poetize poorly; or he may both saw and poetize
+indifferently. Brain-work and stomach-work interfere with each other
+if attempted together. The digestion of a dinner calls force to the
+stomach, and temporarily slows the brain. The experiment of trying to
+digest a hearty supper, and to sleep during the process, has sometimes
+cost the careless experimenter his life. The physiological principle
+of doing only one thing at a time, if you would do it well, holds as
+truly of the growth of the organization as it does of the performance
+of any of its special functions. If excessive labor, either mental or
+physical, is imposed upon children, male or female, their development
+will be in some way checked. If the schoolmaster overworks the brains
+of his pupils, he diverts force to the brain that is needed elsewhere.
+He spends in the study of geography and arithmetic, of Latin, Greek
+and chemistry, in the brain-work of the school room, force that should
+have been spent in the manufacture of blood, muscle, and nerve, that
+is, in growth. The results are monstrous brains and puny bodies;
+abnormally active cerebration, and abnormally weak digestion; flowing
+thought and constipated bowels; lofty aspirations and neuralgic
+sensations;
+
+    "A youth of study an old age of _nerves_."
+
+Nature has reserved the catamenial week for the process of ovulation,
+and for the development and perfectation of the reproductive system.
+Previously to the age of eighteen or twenty, opportunity must be
+periodically allowed for the accomplishment of this task. Both
+muscular and brain labor must be remitted enough to yield sufficient
+force for the work. If the reproductive machinery is not manufactured
+then, it will not be later. If it is imperfectly made then, it can
+only be patched up, not made perfect, afterwards. To be well made, it
+must be carefully managed. Force must be allowed to flow thither in an
+ample stream, and not diverted to the brain by the school, or to the
+arms by the factory, or to the feet by dancing. "Every physician,"
+says a recent writer, "can point to students whose splendid cerebral
+development has been paid for by emaciated limbs, enfeebled digestion,
+and disordered lungs. Every biography of the intellectual great
+records the dangers they have encountered, often those to which they
+have succumbed, in overstepping the ordinary bounds of human capacity;
+and while beckoning onward to the glories of their almost
+preternatural achievements, register, by way of warning, the fearful
+penalty of disease, suffering, and bodily infirmity, which Nature
+exacts as the price for this partial and inharmonious grandeur. It
+cannot be otherwise. The brain cannot take more than its share without
+injury to other organs. It cannot _do_ more than its share without
+depriving other organs of that exercise and nourishment which are
+essential to their health and vigor. It is in the power of the
+individual to throw, as it were, the whole vigor of the constitution
+into any one part, and, by giving to this part exclusive or excessive
+attention, to develop it at the expense, and to the neglect, of the
+others."[7]
+
+In the system of lichens, Nylander reckons all organs of equal
+value.[8] No one of them can be neglected without evil to the whole
+organization. From lichens to men and women there is no exception to
+the law, that, if one member suffers, all the members suffer. What is
+true of the neglect of a single organ, is true in a geometrical ratio
+of the neglect of a system of organs. If the nutritive system is
+wrong, the evil of poor nourishment and bad assimilation infects the
+whole economy. Brain and thought are enfeebled, because the stomach
+and liver are in error. If the nervous system is abnormally developed,
+every organ feels the _twist_ in the nerves. The balance and
+co-ordination of movement and function are destroyed, and the ill
+percolates into an unhappy posterity. If the reproductive system is
+aborted, there may be no future generations to pay the penalty of the
+abortion, but what is left of the organism suffers sadly. When this
+sort of arrest of development occurs in a man, it takes the element of
+masculineness out of him, and replaces it with adipose effeminacy.
+When it occurs in a woman, it not only substitutes in her case a wiry
+and perhaps thin bearded masculineness for distinctive feminine traits
+and power, making her an epicene, but it entails a variety of
+prolonged weaknesses, that dwarf her rightful power in almost every
+direction. The persistent neglect and ignoring by women, and
+especially by girls, ignorantly more than wilfully, of that part of
+their organization which they hold in trust for the future of the
+race, has been fearfully punished here in America, where, of all the
+world, they are least trammelled and should be the best, by all sorts
+of female troubles. "Nature," says Lord Bacon, "is often hidden,
+sometimes overcome, seldom extinguished." In the education of our
+girls, the attempt to hide or overcome nature by training them as boys
+has almost extinguished them as girls. Let the fact be accepted, that
+there is nothing to be ashamed of in a woman's organization, and let
+her whole education and life be guided by the divine requirements of
+her system.
+
+The blood, which is our life, is a complex fluid. It contains the
+materials out of which the tissues are made, and also the _debris_
+which results from the destruction of the same tissues,--the worn-out
+cells of brain and muscle,--the cast-off clothes of emotion, thought,
+and power. It is a common carrier, conveying unceasingly to every
+gland and tissue, to every nerve and organ, the fibrin and albumen
+which repair their constant waste, thus supplying their daily bread;
+and as unceasingly conveying away from every gland and tissue, from
+every nerve and organ, the oxidized refuse, which are both the result
+and measure of their work. Like the water flowing through the canals
+of Venice, that carries health and wealth to the portals of every
+house, and filth and disease from every doorway, the blood flowing
+through the canals of the organization carries nutriment to all the
+tissues, and refuse from them. Its current sweeps nourishment in, and
+waste out. The former, it yields to the body for assimilation; the
+latter, it deposits with the organs of elimination for rejection. In
+order to have good blood, then, two things are essential: first, a
+regular and sufficient supply of nutriment, and, secondly, an equally
+regular and sufficient removal of waste. Insufficient nourishment
+starves the blood; insufficient elimination poisons it. A wise
+housekeeper will look as carefully after the condition of his drains
+as after the quality of his food.
+
+The principal organs of elimination, common to both sexes, are the
+bowels, kidneys, lungs, and skin. A neglect of their functions is
+punished in each alike. To woman is intrusted the exclusive management
+of another process of elimination, viz., the catamenial function.
+This, using the blood for its channel of operation, performs, like the
+blood, double duty. It is necessary to ovulation, and to the integrity
+of every part of the reproductive apparatus; it also serves as a means
+of elimination for the blood itself. A careless management of this
+function, at any period of life during its existence, is apt to be
+followed by consequences that may be serious; but a neglect of it
+during the epoch of development, that is, from the age of fourteen to
+eighteen or twenty, not only produces great evil at the time of the
+neglect, but leaves a large legacy of evil to the future. The system
+is then peculiarly susceptible; and disturbances of the delicate
+mechanism we are considering, induced during the catamenial weeks of
+that critical age by constrained positions, muscular effort, brain
+work, and all forms of mental and physical excitement, germinate a
+host of ills. Sometimes these causes, which pervade more or less the
+methods of instruction in our public and private schools, which our
+social customs ignore, and to which operatives of all sorts pay little
+heed, produce an excessive performance of the catamenial function; and
+this is equivalent to a periodical hemorrhage. Sometimes they produce
+an insufficient performance of it; and this, by closing an avenue of
+elimination, poisons the blood, and depraves the organization. The
+host of ills thus induced are known to physicians and to the sufferers
+as amenorrhoea, menorrhagia, dysmenorrhoea, hysteria, anemia, chorea,
+and the like. Some of these fasten themselves on their victim for a
+lifetime, and some are shaken off. Now and then they lead to an
+abortion of the function, and consequent sterility. Fortunate is the
+girls' school or college that does not furnish abundant examples of
+these sad cases. The more completely any such school or college
+succeeds, while adopting every detail and method of a boy's school,
+in ignoring and neglecting the physiological conditions of sexual
+development, the larger will be the number of these pathological cases
+among its graduates. Clinical illustrations of these statements will
+be given in another place.
+
+The mysterious process which physiologists call metamorphosis of
+tissue, or intestitial change, deserves attention in connection with
+our subject. It interests both sexes alike. Unless it goes on
+normally, neither boys, girls, men, nor women, can have bodies or
+brains worth talking about. It is a process, without which not a step
+can be taken, or muscle moved, or food digested, or nutriment
+assimilated, or any function, physical or mental, performed. By its
+aid, growth and development are carried on. Youth, maturity, and old
+age result from changes in its character. It is alike the support and
+the guide of health convalescence, and disease. It is the means by
+which, in the human system, force is developed, and growth and decay
+rendered possible. The process, in itself, is one of the simplest. It
+is merely the replacing of one microscopic cell by another; and yet
+upon this simple process hang the issues of life and death, of thought
+and power.
+
+Carpenter, in his physiology, reports the discovery, which we owe to
+German investigation, "that the whole structure originates in a single
+cell; that this cell gives birth to others, analogous to itself, and
+these again to many future generations; and that all the varied
+tissues of the animal body are developed from cells."[9] A more recent
+writer adds, "In the higher animals and plants, we are presented with
+structures which may be regarded as essentially aggregates of cells;
+and there is now a physiological division of labor, some of the cells
+being concerned with the nutriment of the organism, whilst others are
+set apart, and dedicated to the function of reproduction. Every cell
+in such an aggregate leads a life, which, in a certain limited sense,
+may be said to be independent; and each discharges its own function in
+the general economy. Each cell has a period of development, growth,
+and active life, and each ultimately perishes; the life of the
+organism not only not depending upon the life of its elemental
+factors, but actually being kept up by their constant destruction and
+as constant renewal."[10] Growth, health, and disease are cellular
+manifestations. With every act of life, the movement of a finger, the
+pulsation of a heart, the uttering of a word, the coining of a
+thought, the thrill of an emotion, there is the destruction of a
+certain number of cells. Their destruction evolves or sets free the
+force that we recognize as movement, speech, thought, and emotion. The
+number of cells destroyed depends upon the intensity and duration of
+the effort that correlates their destruction. When a blacksmith wields
+a hammer for an hour, he uses up the number of cells necessary to
+yield that amount of muscular force. When a girl studies Latin for an
+hour, she uses up the number of brain-cells necessary to yield that
+amount of intellectual force. As fast as one cell is destroyed,
+another is generated. The death of one is followed instantly by the
+birth of its successor. This continual process of cellular death and
+birth, the income and outgo of cells, that follow each other like the
+waves of the sea, each different yet each the same, is metamorphosis
+of tissue. This is life. It corresponds very nearly to Bichat's
+definition that, "life is organization in action." The finer sense of
+Shakspeare dictated a truer definition than the science of the French
+physiologist,--
+
+                "What's yet in this
+That bears the name of life? Yet in this life
+Lie hid more thousand deaths."
+
+    _Measure for Measure_, Act iii. Scene 1.
+
+No physical or psychical act is possible without this change. It is a
+process of continual waste and repair. Subject to its inevitable
+power, the organization is continually wasting away and continually
+being repaired.
+
+The old notion that our bodies are changed every seven years, science
+has long since exploded. "The matter," said Mr. John Goodsir, "of the
+organized frame to its minutest parts is in a continual flux." Our
+bodies are never the same for any two successive days. The feet that
+Mary shall dance with next Christmas Eve will not be the same feet
+that bore her triumphantly through the previous Christmas holidays.
+The brain that she learns German with to-day does not contain a cell
+in its convolutions that was spent in studying French one year ago.
+Whether her present feet can dance better or worse than those of a
+year ago, and whether her present brain can _do_ more or less German
+and French than the one of the year before, depends upon how she has
+used her feet and brain during the intervening time, that is, upon the
+metamorphosis of her tissue.
+
+From birth to adult age, the cells of muscle, organ, and brain that
+are spent in the activities of life, such as digesting, growing,
+studying, playing, working, and the like, are replaced by others of
+better quality and larger number. At least, such is the case where
+metamorphosis is permitted to go on normally. The result is growth and
+development. This growing period or formative epoch extends from birth
+to the age of twenty or twenty-five years. Its duration is shorter for
+a girl than for a boy. She ripens quicker than he. In the four years
+from fourteen to eighteen, she accomplishes an amount of physiological
+cell change and growth which Nature does not require of a boy in less
+than twice that number of years. It is obvious, that to secure the
+best kind of growth during this period, and the best development at
+the end of it, the waste of tissue produced by study, work, and
+fashion must not be so great that repair will only equal it. It is
+equally obvious that a girl upon whom Nature, for a limited period and
+for a definite purpose, imposes so great a physiological task, will
+not have as much power left for the tasks of the school, as the boy of
+whom Nature requires less at the corresponding epoch. A margin must
+be allowed for growth. The repair must be greater and better than the
+waste.
+
+During middle age, life's active period, there is an equilibrium
+between the body's waste and repair: one equals the other. The
+machine, when properly managed, then holds its own. A French
+physiologist fixes the close of this period for the ideal man of the
+future at eighty, when, he says, old age begins. Few have such
+inherited power, and live with such physiological wisdom, as to keep
+their machine in good repair,--in good working-order,--to that late
+period. From the age of twenty-five or thirty, however, to that of
+sixty or sixty-five, this equilibrium occurs. Repair then equals
+waste; reconstruction equals destruction. The female organization,
+like the male, is now developed: its tissues are consolidated; its
+functions are established. With decent care, it can perform an immense
+amount of physical and mental labor. It is now capable of its best
+work. But, in order to do its best, it must obey the law of
+periodicity; just as the male organization, to do its best, must obey
+the law of sustained effort.
+
+When old age begins, whether, normally, at seventy or eighty, or,
+prematurely, at fifty or thirty, repair does not equal waste, and
+degeneration of tissue results. More cells are destroyed by wear and
+tear than are made up from nutriment. The friction of the machine rubs
+the stuff of life away faster than it can be replaced. The muscles
+stiffen, the hair turns white, the joints crack, the arteries ossify,
+the nerve-centres harden or soften: all sorts of degeneration creep on
+till death appears,--_Mors janua vitae._ There the curves unite, and
+men and women are alike again.
+
+Sleep, whose inventor received the benediction of Sancho Panza, and
+whose power Dryden apostrophized,--
+
+
+              "Of all the powers the best:
+    Oh! peace of mind, repairer of decay,
+    Whose balm renews the limbs to labor of the day,"--
+
+is a most important physiological factor. Our schools are as apt in
+frightening it away as our churches are in inviting it. Sleep is the
+opportunity for repair. During its hours of quiet rest, when muscular
+and nervous effort are stilled, millions of microscopic cells are busy
+in the penetralia of the organism, like coral insects in the depths of
+the sea, repairing the waste which the day's study and work have
+caused. Dr. B.W. Richardson of London, one of the most ingenious and
+accomplished physiologists of the present day, describes the labor of
+sleep in the following language: "During this period of natural sleep,
+the most important changes of nutrition are in progress: the body is
+renovating, and, if young, is actually growing. If the body be
+properly covered, the animal heat is being conserved, and laid up for
+expenditure during the waking hours that are to follow; the
+respiration is reduced, the inspirations being lessened in the
+proportion of six to seven, as compared with the number made when the
+body is awake; the action of the heart is reduced; the voluntary
+muscles, relieved of all fatigue, and with the extensors more relaxed
+than the flexors, are undergoing repair of structure, and recruiting
+their excitability; and the voluntary nervous system, dead for the
+time to the external vibration, or, as the older men called it,
+'stimulus' from without, is also undergoing rest and repair, so that,
+when it comes again into work, it may receive better the impressions
+it may have to gather up, and influence more effectively the muscles
+it may be called upon to animate, direct, control."[11] An American
+observer and physiologist, Dr. William A. Hammond, confirms the views
+of his English colleague. He tells us that "the state of general
+repose which accompanies sleep is of especial value to the organism,
+in allowing the nutrition of the nervous tissue to go on at a greater
+rate than its destructive metamorphosis." In another place he adds,
+"For the brain, there is no rest except during sleep." And, again, he
+says, "The more active the mind, the greater the necessity for sleep;
+just as with a steamer, the greater the number of revolutions its
+engine makes, the more imperative is the demand for fuel."[12] These
+statements justify and explain the instinctive demand for sleep. They
+also show why it is that infants require more sleep than children, and
+children than middle-age folk, and middle-age folk than old people.
+Infants must have sleep for repair and rapid growth; children, for
+repair and moderate growth; middle-age folk, for repair without
+growth; and old people, only for the minimum of repair. Girls, between
+the ages of fourteen and eighteen, must have sleep, not only for
+repair and growth, like boys, but for the additional task of
+constructing, or, more properly speaking, of developing and perfecting
+then, a reproductive system,--the engine within an engine. The bearing
+of this physiological fact upon education is obvious. Work of the
+school is work of the brain. Work of the brain eats the brain away.
+Sleep is the chance and laboratory of repair. If a child's brain-work
+and sleep are normally proportioned to each other, each night will
+more than make good each day's loss. Clear heads will greet each
+welcome morn. But if the reverse occurs, the night will not repair the
+day; and aching heads will signalize the advance of neuralgia,
+tubercle, and disease. So Nature punishes disobedience.
+
+It is apparent, from these physiological considerations, that, in
+order to give girls a fair chance in education, four conditions at
+least must be observed: first, a sufficient supply of appropriate
+nutriment; secondly, a normal management of the catamenial functions,
+including the building of the reproductive apparatus; thirdly, mental
+and physical work so apportioned, that repair shall exceed waste, and
+a margin be left for general and sexual development; and fourthly,
+sufficient sleep. Evidence of the results brought about by a disregard
+of these conditions will next be given.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[3] Human Physiology, p. 546.
+
+[4] As might be expected, the mortality of girls is greater at this
+period than that of boys, an additional reason for imposing less labor
+on the former at that time. According to the authority of MM. Quetelet
+and Smits, the mortality of the two sexes is equal in childhood, or
+that of the male is greatest; but that of the female rises between the
+ages of fourteen and sixteen to 1.28 to one male death. For the next
+four years, it falls again to 1.05 females to one male death.--_Sur la
+Reproduction et la Mortalite de l'Homme. 8vo. Bruxelles._
+
+[5] Lectures on Diseases of Women. Am. ed., p. 48.
+
+[6] "Much less uncommon than the absence of either ovary is the
+persistence of both through the whole or greater part of life in the
+condition which they present in infancy and early childhood, with
+scarcely a trace of graafian vesicles in their tissue. This want of
+development of the ovaries is generally, though not invariably,
+associated with want of development of the uterus and other sexual
+organs; and I need not say that women in whom it exists are
+sterile."--_Lectures on the Diseases of Women, by Charles West, M.D.
+Am. ed., p. 37._
+
+[7] Enigmas of Life, pp. 165-8.
+
+[8] Tuckerman's Genera Lichenum, Introduction, p. v.
+
+[9] Carpenter's Human Physiology, p. 455.
+
+[10] Nicholson, Study of Biology, p. 79.
+
+[11] Popular Science Monthly, August, 1872, p. 411.
+
+[12] Sleep and its Derangements, pp. 9, 10, 13.
+
+
+
+
+PART III.
+
+CHIEFLY CLINICAL.
+
+    "Et l'on nous persuadera difficilement que lorsque les hommes
+    ont tant de peine a etre hommes, les femmes puissent, tout en
+    restant femmes, devenir hommes aussi, mettant ainsi la main
+    sur les deux roles, exercant la double mission, resumant le
+    double caractere de l'humanite! Nous perdrons la femme, et
+    nous n'aurons pas l'homme. Voila ce qui nous arrivera. On nous
+    donnera ce quelque chose de monstreux, cet etre repugnant, qui
+    deja parait a notre horizon."--LE COMTE A. DE GASPARIN.
+
+    "Facts given in evidence are premises from which a conclusion
+    is to be drawn. The first step in the exercise of this duty is
+    to acquire a belief of the truth of the facts."--RAM,
+    _on Facts_.
+
+
+Clinical observation confirms the teachings of physiology. The sick
+chamber, not the schoolroom; the physician's private consultation, not
+the committee's public examination; the hospital, not the college,
+the workshop, or the parlor,--disclose the sad results which modern
+social customs, modern education, and modern ways of labor, have
+entailed on women. Examples of them may be found in every walk of
+life. On the luxurious couches of Beacon Street; in the palaces of
+Fifth Avenue; among the classes of our private, common, and normal
+schools; among the female graduates of our colleges; behind the
+counters of Washington Street and Broadway; in our factories,
+workshops, and homes,--may be found numberless pale, weak, neuralgic,
+dyspeptic, hysterical, menorrhagic, dysmenorrhoeic girls and women,
+that are living illustrations of the truth of this brief monograph. It
+is not asserted here that improper methods of study, and a disregard
+of the reproductive apparatus and its functions, during the
+educational life of girls, are the sole causes of female diseases;
+neither is it asserted that all the female graduates of our schools
+and colleges are pathological specimens. But it is asserted that the
+number of these graduates who have been permanently disabled to a
+greater or less degree by these causes is so great, as to excite the
+gravest alarm, and to demand the serious attention of the community.
+If these causes should continue for the next half-century, and
+increase in the same ratio as they have for the last fifty years, it
+requires no prophet to foretell that the wives who are to be mothers
+in our republic must be drawn from trans-atlantic homes. The sons of
+the New World will have to re-act, on a magnificent scale, the old
+story of unwived Rome and the Sabines.
+
+We have previously seen that the blood is the life, and that the loss
+of it is the loss of so much life. Deluded by strange theories, and
+groping in physiological darkness, our fathers' physicians were too
+often Sangrados. Nourishing food, pure air, and haematized blood were
+stigmatized as the friends of disease and the enemies of
+convalescence. Oxygen was shut out from and carbonic acid shut into
+the chambers of phthisis and fever; and veins were opened, that the
+currents of blood and disease might flow out together. Happily, those
+days of ignorance, which God winked at, and which the race survived,
+have passed by. Air and food and blood are recognized as Nature's
+restoratives. No physician would dare, nowadays, to bleed either man
+or woman once a month, year in and year out, for a quarter of a
+century continuously. But girls often have the courage, or the
+ignorance, to do this to themselves. And the worst of it is, that the
+organization of our schools and workshops, and the demands of social
+life and polite society, encourage them in this slow suicide. It has
+already been stated that the excretory organs, by constantly
+eliminating from the system its effete and used material, the measure
+and source of its force, keep the machine in clean, healthy, and
+working order, and that the reproductive apparatus of woman uses the
+blood as one of its agents of elimination. Kept within natural limits,
+this elimination is a source of strength, a perpetual fountain of
+health, a constant renewal of life. Beyond these limits it is a
+hemorrhage, that, by draining away the life, becomes a source of
+weakness and a perpetual fountain of disease.
+
+The following case illustrates one of the ways in which our present
+school methods of teaching girls generate a menorrhagia and its
+consequent evils. Miss A----, a healthy, bright, intelligent girl,
+entered a female school, an institution that is commonly but oddly
+called a _seminary_ for girls, in the State of New York, at the age of
+fifteen. She was then sufficiently well-developed, and had a good
+color; all the functions appeared to act normally, and the catamenia
+were fairly established. She was ambitious as well as capable, and
+aimed to be among the first in the school. Her temperament was what
+physiologists call nervous,--an expression that does not denote a
+fidgety make, but refers to a relative activity of the nervous system.
+She was always anxious about her recitations. No matter how carefully
+she prepared for them, she was ever fearful lest she should trip a
+little, and appear to less advantage than she hoped. She went to
+school regularly every week, and every day of the school year, just as
+boys do. She paid no more attention to the periodical tides of her
+organization than her companions; and that was none at all. She
+recited standing at all times, or at least whenever a standing
+recitation was the order of the hour. She soon found, and this history
+is taken from her own lips, that for a few days during every fourth
+week, the effort of reciting produced an extraordinary physical
+result. The attendant anxiety and excitement relaxed the sluices of
+the system that were already physiologically open, and determined a
+hemorrhage as the concomitant of a recitation. Subjected to the
+inflexible rules of the school, unwilling to seek advice from any one,
+almost ashamed of her own physique, she ingeniously protected herself
+against exposure, and went on intellectually leading her companions,
+and physically defying nature. At the end of a year, she went home
+with a gratifying report from her teachers, and pale cheeks and a
+variety of aches. Her parents were pleased, and perhaps a little
+anxious. She is a good scholar, said her father; somewhat over-worked
+possibly; and so he gave her a trip among the mountains, and a week or
+two at the seashore. After her vacation she returned to school, and
+repeated the previous year's experience,--constant, sustained work,
+recitation and study for all days alike, a hemorrhage once a month
+that would make the stroke oar of the University crew falter, and a
+brilliant scholar. Before the expiration of the second year, Nature
+began to assert her authority. The paleness of Miss A's complexion
+increased. An unaccountable and uncontrollable twitching of a
+rhythmical sort got into the muscles of her face, and made her hands
+go and feet jump. She was sent home, and her physician called, who at
+once diagnosticated chorea (St. Vitus' dance), and said she had
+studied too hard, and wisely prescribed no study and a long vacation.
+Her parents took her to Europe. A year of the sea and the Alps, of
+England and the Continent, the Rhine and Italy, worked like a charm.
+The sluiceways were controlled, the blood saved, and color and health
+returned. She came back seemingly well, and at the age of eighteen
+went to her old school once more. During all this time not a word had
+been said to her by her parents, her physician, or her teachers, about
+any periodical care of herself; and the rules of the school did not
+acknowledge the catamenia. The labor and regimen of the school soon
+brought on the old menorrhagic trouble in the old way, with the
+addition of occasional faintings to emphasize Nature's warnings. She
+persisted in getting her education, however, and graduated at
+nineteen, the first scholar, and an invalid. Again her parents were
+gratified and anxious. She is overworked, said they, and wondered why
+girls break down so. To insure her recovery, a second and longer
+travel was undertaken. Egypt and Asia were added to Europe, and nearly
+two years were allotted to the cure. With change of air and scene her
+health improved, but not so rapidly as with the previous journey. She
+returned to America better than she went away, and married at the age
+of twenty-two. Soon after that time she consulted the writer on
+account of prolonged dyspepsia, neuralgia, and dysmenorrhoea, which
+had replaced menorrhagia. Then I learned the long history of her
+education, and of her efforts to study just as boys do. Her attention
+had never been called before to the danger she had incurred while at
+school. She is now what is called getting better, but has the delicacy
+and weaknesses of American women, and, so far, is without children.
+
+It is not difficult, in this case, either to discern the cause of the
+trouble, or to trace its influence, through the varying phases of
+disease, from Miss A----'s school-days, to her matronly life. She was
+well, and would have been called robust, up to her first critical
+period. She then had two tasks imposed upon her at once, both of which
+required for their perfect accomplishment a few years of time and a
+large share of vital force: one was the education of the brain, the
+other of the reproductive system. The schoolmaster superintended the
+first, and Nature the second. The school, with puritanic
+inflexibility, demanded every day of the month; Nature, kinder than
+the school, demanded less than a fourth of the time,--a seventh or an
+eighth of it would have probably answered. The schoolmaster might have
+yielded somewhat, but would not; Nature could not. The pupil,
+therefore, was compelled to undertake both tasks at the same time.
+Ambitious, earnest, and conscientious, she obeyed the visible power
+and authority of the school, and disobeyed, or rather ignorantly
+sought to evade, the invisible power and authority of her
+organization. She put her will into the education of her brain, and
+withdrew it from elsewhere. The system does not do two things well at
+the same time. One or the other suffers from neglect, when the attempt
+is made. Miss A---- made her brain and muscles work actively, and
+diverted blood and force to them when her organization demanded
+active work, with blood and force for evolution in another region. At
+first the schoolmaster seemed to be successful. He not only made his
+pupil's brain manipulate Latin, chemistry, philosophy, geography,
+grammar, arithmetic, music, French, German, and the whole
+extraordinary catalogue of an American young lady's school curriculum,
+with acrobatic skill; but he made her do this irrespective of the
+periodical tides of her organism, and made her perform her
+intellectual and muscular calisthenics, obliging her to stand, walk,
+and recite, at the seasons of highest tide. For a while she got on
+nicely. Presently, however, the strength of the loins, that even
+Solomon put in as a part of his ideal woman, changed to weakness.
+Periodical hemorrhages were the first warning of this. As soon as loss
+of blood occurred regularly and largely, the way to imperfect
+development and invalidism was open, and the progress easy and rapid.
+The nerves and their centres lacked nourishment. There was more waste
+than repair,--no margin for growth. St. Vitus' dance was a warning not
+to be neglected, and the schoolmaster resigned to the doctor. A long
+vacation enabled the system to retrace its steps, and recover force
+for evolution. Then the school resumed its sway, and physiological
+laws were again defied. Fortunately graduation soon occurred, and
+unintermitted, sustained labor was no longer enforced. The menorrhagia
+ceased, but persistent dysmenorrhoea now indicates the neuralgic
+friction of an imperfectly developed reproductive apparatus. Doubtless
+the evil of her education will infect her whole life.
+
+The next case is drawn from different social surroundings. Early
+associations and natural aptitude inclined Miss B---- to the stage;
+and the need of bread and butter sent her upon it as a child, at what
+age I do not know. At fifteen she was an actress, determined to do her
+best, and ambitious of success. She strenuously taxed muscle and
+brain at all times in her calling. She worked in a man's sustained
+way, ignoring all demands for special development, and essaying first
+to dis-establish, and then to bridle, the catamenia. At twenty she was
+eminent. The excitement and effort of acting periodically produced the
+same result with her that a recitation did under similar conditions
+with Miss A----. If she had been a physiologist, she would have known
+how this course of action would end. As she was an actress, and not a
+physiologist, she persisted in the slow suicide of frequent
+hemorrhages, and encouraged them by her method of professional
+education, and later by her method of practising her profession. She
+tried to ward off disease, and repair the loss of force, by consulting
+various doctors, taking drugs, and resorting to all sorts of
+expedients; but the hemorrhages continued, and were repeated at
+irregular and abnormally frequent intervals. A careful local
+examination disclosed no local disturbance. There was neither
+ulceration, hypertrophy, or congestion of the os or cervix uteri; no
+displacement of any moment, of ovarian tenderness. In spite of all her
+difficulties, however, she worked on courageously and steadily in a
+man's way and with a woman's will. After a long and discouraging
+experience of doctors, work, and weaknesses, when rather over thirty
+years old, she came to Boston to consult the writer, who learned at
+that time the details just recited. She was then pale and weak. A
+murmur in the veins, which a French savant, by way of dedication to
+the Devil, christened _bruit de diable_, a baptismal name that science
+has retained, was audible over her jugulars, and a similar murmur over
+her heart. Palpitation and labored respiration accompanied and impeded
+effort. She complained most of her head, which felt "queer," would not
+go to sleep as formerly, and often gave her turns, in which there was
+a mingling of dizziness, semi-consciousness, and fear. Her education
+and work, or rather method of work, had wrought out for her anemia and
+epileptiform attacks. She got two or three physiological lectures,
+was ordered to take iron, and other nourishing food, allow time for
+sleep, and, above all, to arrange her professional work in harmony
+with the rhythmical or periodical action of woman's constitution. She
+made the effort to do this, and, in six months, reported herself in
+better health--though far from well--than she had been for six years
+before.
+
+This case scarcely requires analysis in order to see how it bears on
+the question of a girl's education and woman's work. A gifted and
+healthy girl, obliged to get her education and earn her bread at the
+same time, labored upon the two tasks zealously, perhaps over-much,
+and did this at the epoch when the female organization is busy with
+the development of its reproductive apparatus. Nor is this all. She
+labored continuously, yielding nothing to Nature's periodical demand
+for force. She worked her engine up to highest pressure, just as much
+at flood-tide as at other times. Naturally there was not nervous power
+enough developed in the uterine and associated ganglia to restrain
+the laboring orifices of the circulation, to close the gates; and the
+flood of blood gushed through. With the frequent repetition of the
+flooding, came inevitably the evils she suffered from,--Nature's
+penalties. She now reports herself better; but whether convalescence
+will continue will depend upon her method of work for the future.
+
+Let us take the next illustration from a walk in life different from
+either of the foregoing. Miss C---- was a bookkeeper in a mercantile
+house. The length of time she remained in the employ of the house, and
+its character, are a sufficient guaranty that she did her work well.
+Like the other clerks, she was at her post, _standing_, during
+business hours, from Monday morning till Saturday night. The female
+pelvis being wider than that of the male, the weight of the body, in
+the upright posture, tends to press the upper extremities of the
+thighs out laterally in females more than in males. Hence the former
+can stand less long with comfort than the latter. Miss C----, however,
+believed in doing her work in a man's way, infected by the not
+uncommon notion that womanliness means manliness. Moreover, she would
+not, or could not, make any more allowance for the periodicity of her
+organization than for the shape of her skeleton. When about twenty
+years of age, perhaps a year or so older, she applied to me for advice
+in consequence of neuralgia, back-ache, menorrhagia, leucorrhoea, and
+general debility. She was anemic, and looked pale, care-worn, and
+anxious. There was no evidence of any local organic affection of the
+pelvic organs. "Get a woman's periodical remission from labor, if
+intermission is impossible, and do your work in a woman's way, not
+copying a man's fashion, and you will need very little apothecary's
+stuff," was the advice she received. "I _must_ go on as I am doing,"
+was her answer. She tried iron, sitz-baths, and the like: of course
+they were of no avail. Latterly I have lost sight of her, and, from
+her appearance at her last visit to me, presume she has gone to a
+world where back-ache and male and female skeletons are unknown.
+
+Illustrations of this sort might be multiplied but these three are
+sufficient to show how an abnormal method of study and work may and
+does open the flood-gates of the system, and, by letting blood out,
+lets all sorts of evil in. Let us now look at another phase; for
+menorrhagia and its consequences are not the only punishments that
+girls receive for being educated and worked just like boys. Nature's
+methods of punishing men and women are as numerous as their organs and
+functions, and her penalties as infinite in number and gradation as
+her blessings.
+
+Amenorrhoea is perhaps more common than menorrhagia. It often happens,
+however, during the first critical epoch, which is isochronal with the
+technical educational period of a girl, that after a few occasions of
+catamenial hemorrhage, moderate perhaps but still hemorrhage, which
+are not heeded, the conservative force of Nature steps in, and saves
+the blood by arresting the function. In such instances, amenorrhoea is
+a result of menorrhagia. In this way, and in others that we need not
+stop to inquire into, the regimen of our schools, colleges, and social
+life, that requires girls to walk, work, stand, study, recite, and
+dance at all times as boys can and should, may shut the uterine
+portals of the blood up, and keep poison in, as well as open them, and
+let life out. Which of these two evils is worse in itself, and which
+leaves the largest legacy of ills behind, it is difficult to say. Let
+us examine some illustrations of this sort of arrest.
+
+Miss D---- entered Vassar College at the age of fourteen. Up to that
+age, she had been a healthy girl, judged by the standard of American
+girls. Her parents were apparently strong enough to yield her a fair
+dower of force. The catamenial function first showed signs of activity
+in her Sophomore Year, when she was fifteen years old. Its appearance
+at this age[13] is confirmatory evidence of the normal state of her
+health at that period of her college career. Its commencement was
+normal, without pain or excess. She performed all her college duties
+regularly and steadily. She studied, recited, stood at the blackboard,
+walked, and went through her gymnastic exercises, from the beginning
+to the end of the term, just as boys do. Her account of her regimen
+there was so nearly that of a boy's regimen, that it would puzzle a
+physiologist to determine, from the account alone, whether the subject
+of it was male or female. She was an average scholar, who maintained a
+fair position in her class, not one of the anxious sort, that are
+ambitious of leading all the rest. Her first warning was fainting
+away, while exercising in the gymnasium, at a time when she should
+have been comparatively quiet, both mentally and physically. This
+warning was repeated several times, under the same circumstances.
+Finally she was compelled to renounce gymnastic exercises altogether.
+In her Junior Year, the organism's periodical function began to be
+performed with pain, moderate at first, but more and more severe with
+each returning month. When between seventeen and eighteen years old,
+dysmenorrhoea was established as the order of that function.
+Coincident with the appearance of pain, there was a diminution of
+excretion; and, as the former increased, the latter became more
+marked. In other respects she was well; and, in all respects, she
+appeared to be well to her companions and to the faculty of the
+college. She graduated before nineteen, with fair honors and a poor
+physique. The year succeeding her graduation was one of
+steadily-advancing invalidism. She was tortured for two or three days
+out of every month; and, for two or three days after each season of
+torture, was weak and miserable, so that about one sixth or fifth of
+her time was consumed in this way. The excretion from the blood, which
+had been gradually lessening, after a time substantially stopped,
+though a periodical effort to keep it up was made. She now suffered
+from what is called amenorrhoea. At the same time she became pale,
+hysterical, nervous in the ordinary sense, and almost constantly
+complained of headache. Physicians were applied to for aid: drugs were
+administered; travelling, with consequent change of air and scene, was
+undertaken; and all with little apparent avail. After this experience,
+she was brought to Boston for advice, when the writer first saw her,
+and learned all these details. She presented no evidence of local
+uterine congestion, inflammation, ulceration, or displacement. The
+evidence was altogether in favor of an arrest of the development of
+the reproductive apparatus, at a stage when the development was nearly
+complete. Confirmatory proof of such an arrest was found in examining
+her breast, where the milliner had supplied the organs Nature should
+have grown. It is unnecessary for our present purpose to detail what
+treatment was advised. It is sufficient to say, that she probably
+never will become physically what she would have been had her
+education been physiologically guided.
+
+This case needs very little comment: its teachings are obvious. Miss
+D---- went to college in good physical condition. During the four
+years of her college life, her parents and the college faculty
+required her to get what is popularly called an education. Nature
+required her, during the same period, to build and put in
+working-order a large and complicated reproductive mechanism, a matter
+that is popularly ignored,--shoved out of sight like a disgrace. She
+naturally obeyed the requirements of the faculty, which she could see,
+rather than the requirements of the mechanism within her, that she
+could not see. Subjected to the college regimen, she worked four years
+in getting a liberal education. Her way of work was sustained and
+continuous, and out of harmony with the rhythmical periodicity of the
+female organization. The stream of vital and constructive force
+evolved within her was turned steadily to the brain, and away from the
+ovaries and their accessories. The result of this sort of education
+was, that these last-mentioned organs, deprived of sufficient
+opportunity and nutriment, first began to perform their functions with
+pain, a warning of error that was unheeded; then, to cease to
+grow;[14] next, to set up once a month a grumbling torture that made
+life miserable; and, lastly, the brain and the whole nervous system,
+disturbed, in obedience to the law, that, if one member suffers, all
+the members suffer, became neuralgic and hysterical. And so Miss
+D---- spent the few years next succeeding her graduation in conflict
+with dysmenorrhoea, headache, neuralgia, and hysteria. Her parents
+marvelled at her ill-health; and she furnished another text for the
+often-repeated sermon on the delicacy of American girls.
+
+It may not be unprofitable to give the history of one more case of
+this sort. Miss E---- had an hereditary right to a good brain and to
+the best cultivation of it. Her father was one of our ripest and
+broadest American scholars, and her mother one of our most
+accomplished American women. They both enjoyed excellent health. Their
+daughter had a literary training,--an intellectual, moral, and
+aesthetic half of education, such as their supervision would be likely
+to give, and one that few young men of her age receive. Her health did
+not seem to suffer at first. She studied, recited, walked, worked,
+stood, and the like, in the steady and sustained way that is normal to
+the male organization. She _seemed_ to evolve force enough to acquire
+a number of languages, to become familiar with the natural sciences,
+to take hold of philosophy and mathematics, and to keep in good
+physical case while doing all this. At the age of twenty-one she
+might have been presented to the public, on Commencement Day, by the
+president of Vassar College or of Antioch College or of Michigan
+University, as the wished-for result of American liberal female
+culture. Just at this time, however, the catamenial function began to
+show signs of failure of power. No severe or even moderate illness
+overtook her. She was subjected to no unusual strain. She was only
+following the regimen of continued and sustained work, regardless of
+Nature's periodical demands for a portion of her time and force, when,
+without any apparent cause, the failure of power was manifested by
+moderate dysmenorrhoea and diminished excretion. Soon after this the
+function ceased altogether; and up to this present writing, a period
+of six or eight years, it has shown no more signs of activity than an
+amputated arm. In the course of a year or so after the cessation of
+the function, her head began to trouble her. First there was headache,
+then a frequent congested condition, which she described as a "rush
+of blood" to her head; and, by and by, vagaries and forebodings and
+despondent feelings began to crop out. Coincident with this mental
+state, her skin became rough and coarse, and an inveterate acne
+covered her face. She retained her appetite, ability to exercise and
+sleep. A careful local examination of the pelvic organs, by an expert,
+disclosed no lesion or displacement there, no ovaritis or other
+inflammation. Appropriate treatment faithfully persevered in was
+unsuccessful in recovering the lost function. I was finally obliged to
+consign her to an asylum.
+
+The arrest of development of the reproductive system is most obvious
+to the superficial observer in that part of it which the milliner is
+called upon to cover up with pads, and which was alluded to in the
+case of Miss D----. This, however, is too important a matter to be
+dismissed with a bare allusion. A recent writer has pointed out the
+fact and its significance with great clearness. "There is another
+marked change," says Dr. Nathan Allen, "going on in the female
+organization at the present day, which is very significant of
+something wrong. In the normal state, Nature has made ample provision
+in the structure of the female for nursing her offspring. In order to
+furnish this nourishment, pure in quality and abundant in quantity,
+she must possess a good development of the sanguine and lymphatic
+temperament, together with vigorous and healthy digestive organs.
+Formerly such an organization was very generally possessed by American
+women, and they found but little difficulty in nursing their infants.
+It was only occasionally, in case of some defect in the organization,
+or where sickness of some kind had overtaken the mother, that it
+became necessary to resort to the wet-nurse or to feeding by hand. And
+the English, the Scotch, the German, the Canadian French, and the
+Irish women now living in this country, generally nurse their
+children: the exceptions are rare. But how is it with our American
+women who become mothers? To those who have never considered this
+subject, and even to medical men who have never carefully looked into
+it, the facts, when correctly and fully presented, will be surprising.
+It has been supposed by some that all, or nearly all, our American
+women could nurse their offspring just as well as not; that the
+disposition only was wanting, and that they did not care about having
+the trouble or confinement necessarily attending it. But this is a
+great mistake. This very indifference or aversion shows something
+wrong in the organization as well as in the disposition: if the
+physical system were all right, the mind and natural instincts would
+generally be right also. While there may be here and there cases of
+this kind, such an indisposition is not always found. It is a fact,
+that large numbers of our women are anxious to nurse their offspring,
+and make the attempt: they persevere for a while,--perhaps for weeks
+or months,--and then fail.... There is still another class that cannot
+nurse at all, _having neither the organs nor nourishment_ requisite
+even to make a beginning.... Why should there be such a difference
+between the women of our times and their mothers or grandmothers? Why
+should there be such a difference between our American women and those
+of foreign origin residing in the same locality, and surrounded by the
+same external influences? The explanation is simple: they have not the
+right kind of organization; there is a want of proper development of
+the lymphatic and sanguine temperaments,--a marked deficiency in the
+organs of nutrition and secretion. You cannot draw water without good,
+flowing springs. _The brain and nervous system have, for a long time,
+made relatively too large a demand upon_ the organs of digestion and
+assimilation, while the exercise and _development of certain other
+tissues in the body have been sadly neglected_.... In consequence of
+the great neglect of physical exercise, and the _continuous
+application to study_, together with various other influences, large
+numbers of our American women have altogether an undue predominance
+of the nervous temperament. If only here and there an individual were
+found with such an organization, not much harm comparatively would
+result; but, when a majority or nearly all have it, the evil becomes
+one of no small magnitude."[15] And the evil, it should be added, is
+not simply the inability to nurse; for, if one member suffers, all the
+members suffer. A woman, whether married or unmarried, whether called
+to the offices of maternity or relieved from them, who has been
+defrauded by her education or otherwise of such an essential part of
+her development, is not so much of a woman, intellectually and morally
+as well as physically, in consequence of this defect. Her nervous
+system and brain, her instincts and character, are on a lower plane,
+and incapable of their harmonious and best development, if she is
+possessed, on reaching adult age, of only a portion of a breast and an
+ovary, or none at all.
+
+When arrested development of the reproductive system is nearly or
+quite complete, it produces a change in the character, and a loss of
+power, which it is easy to recognize, but difficult to describe. As
+this change is an occasional attendant or result of amenorrhoea, when
+the latter, brought about at an early age, is part of an early arrest,
+it should not be passed by without an allusion. In these cases, which
+are not of frequent occurrence at present, but which may be evolved by
+our methods of education more numerously in the future, the system
+tolerates the absence of the catamenia, and the consequent
+non-elimination of impurities from the blood. Acute or chronic
+disease, the ordinary result of this condition, is not set up, but,
+instead, there is a change in the character and development of the
+brain and nervous system. There are in individuals of this class less
+adipose and more muscular tissue than is commonly seen, a coarser
+skin, and, generally, a tougher and more angular make-up. There is a
+corresponding change in the intellectual and psychical condition,--a
+dropping out of maternal instincts, and an appearance of Amazonian
+coarseness and force. Such persons are analogous to the sexless class
+of termites. Naturalists tell us that these insects are divided into
+males and females, and a third class called workers and soldiers, who
+have no reproductive apparatus, and who, in their structure and
+instincts, are unlike the fertile individuals.
+
+A closer analogy than this, however, exists between these human
+individuals and the eunuchs of Oriental civilization. Except the
+secretary of the treasury, in the cabinet of Candace, queen of
+Ethiopia, who was baptized by Philip and Narses, Justinian's general,
+none of that class have made any impression on the world's life, that
+history has recorded. It may be reasonably doubted if arrested
+development of the female reproductive system, producing a class of
+agenes,[16] not epicenes, will yield a better result of intellectual
+and moral power in the nineteenth century, than the analogous class of
+Orientals exhibited. Clinical illustrations of this type of arrested
+growth might be given, but my pen refuses the ungracious task.
+
+Another result of the present methods of educating girls, and one
+different from any of the preceding, remains to be noticed. Schools
+and colleges, as we have seen, require girls to work their brains with
+full force and sustained power, at the time when their organization
+periodically requires a portion of their force for the performance of
+a periodical function, and a portion of their power for the building
+up of a peculiar, complicated, and important mechanism,--the engine
+within an engine. They are required to do two things equally well at
+the same time. They are urged to meditate a lesson and drive a machine
+simultaneously, and to do them both with all their force. Their
+organizations are expected to make good sound brains and nerves by
+working over the humanities, the sciences, and the arts, and, at the
+same time, to make good sound reproductive apparatuses, not only
+without any especial attention to the latter, but while all available
+force is withdrawn from the latter and sent to the former. It is not
+materialism to say, that, as the brain is, so will thought be. Without
+discussing the French physiologist's dictum, that the brain secretes
+thought as the liver does bile, we may be sure, that without brain
+there will be no thought. The quality of the latter depends on the
+quality of the former. The metamorphoses of brain manifest, measure,
+limit, enrich, and color thought. Brain tissue, including both
+quantity and quality, correlates mental power. The brain is
+manufactured from the blood; its quantity and quality are determined
+by the quantity and quality of its blood supply. Blood is made from
+food; but it may be lost by careless hemorrhage, or poisoned by
+deficient elimination. When frequently and largely lost or poisoned,
+as I have too frequent occasion to know it often is, it becomes
+impoverished,--anemic. Then the brain suffers, and mental power is
+lost. The steps are few and direct, from frequent loss of blood,
+impoverished blood, and abnormal brain and nerve metamorphosis, to
+loss of mental force and nerve disease. Ignorance or carelessness
+leads to anemic blood, and that to an anemic mind. As the blood, so
+the brain; as the brain, so the mind.
+
+The cases which have hitherto been presented illustrate some of the
+evils which the reproductive system is apt to receive in consequence
+of obvious derangement of its growth and functions. But it may, and
+often does, happen that the catamenia are normally performed, and that
+the reproductive system is fairly made up during the educational
+period. Then force is withdrawn from the brain and nerves and
+ganglia. These are dwarfed or checked or arrested in their
+development. In the process of waste and repair, of destructive and
+constructive metamorphosis, by which brains as well as bones are built
+up and consolidated, education often leaves insufficient margin for
+growth. Income derived from air, food, and sleep, which should
+largely, may only moderately exceed expenditure upon study and work,
+and so leave but little surplus for growth in any direction; or, what
+more commonly occurs, the income which the brain receives is all spent
+upon study, and little or none upon its development, while that which
+the nutritive and reproductive systems receive is retained by them,
+and devoted to their own growth. When the school makes the same steady
+demand for force from girls who are approaching puberty, ignoring
+Nature's periodical demands, that it does from boys, who are not
+called upon for an equal effort, there must be failure somewhere.
+Generally either the reproductive system or the nervous system
+suffers. We have looked at several instances of the former sort of
+failure; let us now examine some of the latter.
+
+Miss F---- was about twenty years old when she completed her technical
+education. She inherited a nervous diathesis as well as a large dower
+of intellectual and aesthetic graces. She was a good student, and
+conscientiously devoted all her time, with the exception of ordinary
+vacations, to the labor of her education. She made herself mistress of
+several languages, and accomplished in many ways. The catamenial
+function appeared normally, and, with the exception of occasional
+slight attacks of menorrhagia, was normally performed during the whole
+period of her education. She got on without any sort of serious
+illness. There were few belonging to my clientele who required less
+professional advice for the same period than she. With the ending of
+her school life, when she should have been in good trim and well
+equipped, physically as well as intellectually, for life's work,
+there commenced, without obvious cause, a long period of invalidism.
+It would be tedious to the reader, and useless for our present
+purpose, to detail the history and describe the protean shapes of her
+sufferings. With the exception of small breasts, the reproductive
+system was well developed. Repeated and careful examinations failed to
+detect any derangement of the uterine mechanism. Her symptoms all
+pointed to the nervous system as the _fons et origo mali_. First
+general debility, that concealed but ubiquitous leader of innumerable
+armies of weakness and ill, laid siege to her, and captured her. Then
+came insomnia, that worried her nights for month after month, and made
+her beg for opium, alcohol, chloral, bromides, any thing that would
+bring sleep. Neuralgia in every conceivable form tormented her, most
+frequently in her back, but often, also, in her head, sometimes in her
+sciatic nerves, sometimes setting up a tic douloureux, sometimes
+causing a fearful dysmenorrhoea and frequently making her head ache
+for days together. At other times hysteria got hold of her, and made
+her fancy herself the victim of strange diseases. Mental effort of the
+slightest character distressed her, and she could not bear physical
+exercise of any amount. This condition, or rather these varying
+conditions, continued for some years. She followed a careful and
+systematic regimen, and was rewarded by a slow and gradual return of
+health and strength, when a sudden accident killed her, and terminated
+her struggle with weakness and pain.
+
+Words fail to convey the lesson of this case to others with any thing
+like the force that the observation of it conveyed its moral to those
+about Miss F----, and especially to the physician who watched her
+career through her educational life, and saw it lead to its logical
+conclusion of invalidism and thence towards recovery, till life ended.
+When she finished school, as the phrase goes, she was considered to be
+well. The principal of any seminary or head of any college, judging
+by her looks alone, would not have hesitated to call her rosy and
+strong. At that time the symptoms of failure which began to appear
+were called signs of previous overwork. This was true, but not so much
+in the sense of overwork as of erroneously-arranged work. While a
+student, she wrought continuously,--just as much during each
+catamenial week as at other times. As a consequence, in her
+metamorphosis of tissue, repair did little more than make up waste.
+There were constant demands of force for constant growth of the system
+generally, equally constant demands of force for the labor of
+education, and periodical demands of force for a periodical function.
+The regimen she followed did not permit all these demands to be
+satisfied, and the failure fell on the nervous system. She
+accomplished intellectually a good deal, but not more than she might
+have done, and retained her health, had the order of her education
+been a physiological one. It was not Latin, French, German,
+mathematics, or philosophy that undermined her nerves; nor was it
+because of any natural inferiority to boys that she failed; nor
+because she undertook to master what women have no right to learn: she
+lost her health simply because she undertook to do her work in a boy's
+way and not in a girl's way.
+
+Let us learn the lesson of one more case. These details may be
+tedious; but the justification of their presence here are the
+importance of the subject they illustrate and elucidate, and the
+necessity of acquiring a belief of the truth of the facts of female
+education.
+
+Miss G---- worked her way through New-England primary, grammar, and
+high schools to a Western college, which she entered with credit to
+herself, and from which she graduated, confessedly its first scholar,
+leading the male and female youth alike. All that need be told of her
+career is that she worked as a student, continuously and
+perseveringly, through the years of her first critical epoch, and for
+a few years after it, without any sort of regard to the periodical
+type of her organization. It never appeared that she studied
+excessively in other respects, or that her system was weakened while
+in college by fevers or other sickness. Not a great while after
+graduation, she began to show signs of failure, and some years later
+died under the writer's care. A post-mortem examination was made,
+which disclosed no disease in any part of the body, except in the
+brain, where the microscope revealed commencing degeneration.
+
+This was called an instance of death from over-work. Like the
+preceding case, it was not so much the result of over-work as of
+un-physiological work. She was unable to make a good brain, that could
+stand the wear and tear of life, and a good reproductive system that
+should serve the race, at the same time that she was continuously
+spending her force in intellectual labor. Nature asked for a
+periodical remission, and did not get it. And so Miss G---- died, not
+because she had mastered the wasps of Aristophanes and the Mecanique
+Celeste, not because she had made the acquaintance of Kant and
+Koelliker, and ventured to explore the anatomy of flowers and the
+secrets of chemistry, but because, while pursuing these studies, while
+doing all this work, she steadily ignored her woman's make. Believing
+that woman can do what man can, for she held that faith, she strove
+with noble but ignorant bravery to compass man's intellectual
+attainment in a man's way, and died in the effort. If she had aimed at
+the same goal, disregarding masculine and following feminine methods,
+she would be alive now, a grand example of female culture, attainment,
+and power.
+
+These seven clinical observations are sufficient to illustrate the
+fact that our modern methods of education do not give the female
+organization a fair chance, but that they check development, and
+invite weakness. It would be easy to multiply such observations, from
+the writer's own notes alone, and, by doing so, to swell this essay
+into a portly volume; but the reader is spared the needless
+infliction. Other observers have noticed similar facts, and have
+urgently called attention to them.
+
+Dr. Fisher, in a recent excellent monograph on insanity, says, "A few
+examples of injury from _continued_ study will show how mental strain
+affects the health of young girls particularly. Every physician could,
+no doubt, furnish many similar ones."
+
+"Miss A---- graduated with honor at the normal school after several
+years of close study, much of the time out of school; never attended
+balls or parties; sank into a low state of health at once with
+depression. Was very absurdly allowed to marry while in this state,
+and soon after became violently insane, and is likely to remain so."
+
+"Miss A---- graduated at the grammar school, not only first, but
+_perfect_, and at once entered the normal school; was very ambitious
+to sustain her reputation, and studied hard out of school; was slow to
+learn, but had a retentive memory; could seldom be induced to go to
+parties, and, when she did go, studied while dressing, and on the way;
+was assigned extra tasks at school, because she performed them so
+well; was a _fine healthy girl in appearance_, but broke down
+permanently at end of second year, and is now a victim of hysteria and
+depression."
+
+"Miss C----, of a nervous organization, and quick to learn; her health
+suffered in normal school, so that her physician predicted insanity if
+her studies were not discontinued. She persevered, however, and is now
+an inmate of a hospital, with hysteria and depression."
+
+"A certain proportion of girls are predisposed to mental or nervous
+derangement. The same girls are apt to be quick, brilliant, ambitious,
+and persistent at study, and need not stimulation, but repression. For
+the sake of a temporary reputation for scholarship, they risk their
+health at the _most susceptible period_ of their lives, and break down
+_after the excitement of school-life has passed away_. For _sexual
+reasons_ they cannot compete with boys, whose out-door habits still
+further increase the difference in their favor. If it was a question
+of school-teachers instead of school-girls, the list would be long of
+young women whose health of mind has become bankrupt by a
+_continuation_ of the mental strain commenced at school. Any method of
+relief in our school-system to these over-susceptible minds should be
+welcomed, even at the cost of the intellectual supremacy of woman in
+the next generation."[17]
+
+The fact which Dr. Fisher alludes to, that many girls break down not
+during but _after_ the excitement of school or college life, is an
+important one, and is apt to be overlooked. The process by which the
+development of the reproductive system is arrested, or degeneration of
+brain and nerve-tissue set a going, is an insidious one. At its
+beginning, and for a long time after it is well on in its progress, it
+would not be recognized by the superficial observer. A class of girls
+might, and often do, graduate from our schools, higher seminaries,
+and colleges, that appear to be well and strong at the time of their
+graduation, but whose development has already been checked, and whose
+health is on the verge of giving way. Their teachers have known
+nothing of the amenorrhoea, menorrhagia, dysmenorrhoea, or leucorrhoea
+which the pupils have sedulously concealed and disregarded; and the
+cunning devices of dress have covered up all external evidences of
+defect; and so, on graduation day, they are pointed out by their
+instructors to admiring committees as rosy specimens of both physical
+and intellectual education. A closer inspection by competent experts
+would reveal the secret weakness which the labor of life that they are
+about to enter upon too late discloses.
+
+The testimony of Dr. Anstie of London, as to the gravity of the evils
+incurred by the sort of erroneous education we are considering, is
+decided and valuable. He says, "For, be it remembered, the epoch of
+sexual development is one in which an enormous addition is being made
+to the expenditure of vital energy; besides the continuous processes
+of growth of the tissues and organs generally, the sexual apparatus,
+with its nervous supply, is making _by its development heavy demands_
+upon the nutritive powers of the organism; and it is scarcely possible
+but that portions of the nervous centres, not directly connected with
+it, should proportionally suffer in their nutrition, probably through
+defective blood supply. When we add to this the abnormal strain that
+is being put on the brain, in many cases, by a forcing plan of mental
+education, we shall perceive a source not merely of exhaustive
+expenditure of nervous power, but of secondary irritation of centres
+like the medulla oblongata that are probably already somewhat lowered
+in power of vital resistance, and proportionably _irritable_."[18] A
+little farther on, Dr. Anstie adds, "But I confess, that, with me, the
+result of close attention given to the pathology of neuralgia has been
+the ever-growing conviction, that, next to the influence of neurotic
+inheritance, there is no such frequently powerful factor in the
+construction of the neuralgic habit as mental warp of a certain kind,
+the product of an unwise education." In another place, speaking of the
+liability of the brain to suffer from an unwise education, and
+referring to the sexual development that we are discussing in these
+pages, he makes the following statement, which no intelligent
+physician will deny, and which it would be well for all teachers who
+care for the best education of the girls intrusted to their charge to
+ponder seriously. "I would also go farther, and express the opinion,
+that peripheral influences of an extremely powerful and _continuous_
+kind, where they concur with one of those critical periods of life at
+which the central nervous system is relatively weak and unstable, can
+occasionally set going a non-inflammatory centric atrophy, which may
+localize itself in those nerves upon whose centres the morbific
+peripheral influence is perpetually pouring in. Even such influences
+as the psychical and emotional, be it remembered, must be considered
+peripheral."[19] The brain of Miss G----, whose case was related a few
+pages back, is a clinical illustration of the accuracy of this
+opinion.
+
+Dr. Weir Mitchell, one of our most eminent American physiologists, has
+recently borne most emphatic testimony to the evils we have pointed
+out: "Worst of all," he says, "to my mind, most destructive in every
+way, is the American view of female education. The time taken for the
+more serious instruction of girls extends to the age of eighteen, and
+rarely over this. During these years, they are undergoing such organic
+development as renders them remarkably sensitive." ... "To show more
+precisely how the growing girl is injured by the causes just
+mentioned" (forced and continued study at the sexual epoch) "would
+carry me upon subjects unfit for full discussion in these pages; but
+no thoughtful reader can be much at a loss as to my meaning." ...
+"To-day the American woman is, to speak plainly, physically unfit for
+her duties as woman, and is, perhaps, of all civilized females, the
+least qualified to undertake those weightier tasks which tax so
+heavily the nervous system of man. She is not fairly up to what Nature
+asks from her as wife and mother. How will she sustain herself under
+the pressure of those yet more exacting duties which now-a-days she is
+eager to share with the man?"[20]
+
+In our schools it is the ambitious and conscientious girls, those who
+have in them the stuff of which the noblest women are made, that
+suffer, not the romping or lazy sort; and thus our modern ways of
+education provide for the "non-survival of the fittest." A speaker
+told an audience of women at Wesleyan Hall not long ago, that he once
+attended the examination of a Western college, where a girl beat the
+boys in unravelling the intracacies of Juvenal. He did not report the
+consumption of blood and wear of brain tissue that in her college way
+of study correlated her Latin, or hint at the possibility of arrested
+development. Girls of bloodless skins and intellectual faces may be
+seen any day, by those who desire the spectacle, among the scholars of
+our high and normal schools,--faces that crown, and skins that cover,
+curving spines, which should be straight, and neuralgic nerves that
+should know no pain. Later on, when marriage and maternity overtake
+these girls, and they "live laborious days" in a sense not intended by
+Milton's line, they bend and break beneath the labor, like loaded
+grain before a storm, and bear little fruit again. A training that
+yields this result is neither fair to the girls nor to the race.
+
+Let us quote the authority of such an acute and sagacious observer as
+Dr. Maudsley, in support of the physiological and pathological views
+that have been here presented. Referring to the physiological
+condition and phenomena of the first critical epoch, he says, "In the
+great mental revolution caused by the development of the sexual system
+at puberty, we have the most striking example of the intimate and
+essential sympathy between the brain, as a mental organ, and other
+organs of the body. The change of character at this period is not by
+any means _limited to the appearance of the sexual feelings_, and
+their sympathetic ideas, but, when traced to its ultimate reach, will
+be found to extend to the highest feelings of mankind, social, moral,
+and even religious."[21] He points out the fact that it is very easy
+by improper training and forced work, during this susceptible period,
+to turn a physiological into a pathological state. "The great mental
+revolution which occurs at puberty may go beyond its physiological
+limits in some instances, and become pathological." "The time of this
+mental revolution is at best a trying period for youth." "The monthly
+activity of the ovaries, which marks the advent of puberty in women,
+has a notable effect upon the mind and body; wherefore it may become
+an important cause of mental and physical derangement."[22] With
+regard to the physiological effects of arrested development of the
+reproductive apparatus in women, Dr. Maudsley uses the following plain
+and emphatic language: "The forms and habits of mutilated men approach
+those of women; and women, whose ovaries and uterus remain for some
+cause in a state of complete inaction, approach the forms and habits
+of men. It is said, too, that, in hermaphrodites, the mental
+character, like the physical, participates equally in that of both
+sexes. While woman preserves her sex, she will necessarily be feebler
+than man, and, having her special bodily and mental characters, will
+have, to a certain extent, her own sphere of activity; where she has
+become thoroughly masculine in nature, or hermaphrodite in
+mind,--when, in fact, she has pretty well divested herself of her
+sex,--then she may take his ground, and do his work; but she will have
+lost her feminine attractions, and probably also her chief feminine
+functions."[23] It has been reserved for our age and country, by its
+methods of female education, to demonstrate that it is possible in
+some cases to divest a woman of her chief feminine functions; in
+others, to produce grave and even fatal disease of the brain and
+nervous system; in others, to engender torturing derangements and
+imperfections of the reproductive apparatus that imbitter a lifetime.
+Such, we know, is not the object of a liberal female education. Such
+is not the consummation which the progress of the age demands.
+Fortunately, it is only necessary to point out and prove the existence
+of such erroneous methods and evil results to have them avoided. That
+they can be avoided, and that woman can have a liberal education that
+shall develop all her powers, without mutilation or disease, up to the
+loftiest ideal of womanhood, is alike the teaching of physiology and
+the hope of the race.
+
+In concluding this part of our subject, it is well to remember the
+statement made at the beginning of our discussion, to the following
+effect, viz., that it is not asserted here, that improper methods of
+study and a disregard of the reproductive apparatus and its functions,
+during the educational life of girls, are the _sole_ causes of female
+diseases; neither is it asserted that _all_ the female graduates of
+our schools and colleges are pathological specimens. But it is
+asserted that the number of these graduates who have been permanently
+disabled to a greater or less degree, or fatally injured, by these
+causes, is such as to excite the _gravest alarm_, and to demand the
+serious attention of the community.
+
+The preceding physiological and pathological data naturally open the
+way to a consideration of the co-education of the sexes.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[13] It appears, from the researches of Mr. Whitehead on this point,
+that an examination of four thousand cases gave fifteen years six and
+three-quarter months as the average age in England for the appearance
+of the catamenia.--WHITEHEAD, _on Abortion, &c._
+
+[14] The arrest of development of the uterus, in connection with
+amenorrhoea, is sometimes very marked. In the New-York Medical Journal
+for June, 1873, three such cases are recorded, that came under the eye
+of those excellent observers, Dr. E.R. Peaslee and Dr. T.G. Thomas. In
+one of these cases, the uterine cavity measured one and a half inches;
+in another, one and seven-eighths inches; and, in a third, one and a
+quarter inches. Recollecting that the normal measurement is from two
+and a half to three inches, it appears that the arrest of development
+in these cases occurred when the uterus was half or less than half
+grown. Liberal education should avoid such errors.
+
+[15] Physical Degeneracy. By Nathan Allen, M.D., Journal of
+Psychological Medicine. October, 1870.
+
+[16] According to the biblical account, woman was formed by
+subtracting a rib from man. If, in the evolution of the future, a
+third division of the human race is to be formed by subtracting sex
+from woman,--a retrograde development,--I venture to propose the term
+agene (+a+ without, +genos+ sex) as an appropriate designation for the
+new development. Count Gasparin prophesies it thus: "Quelque chose de
+monstreux, cet etre repugnant, qui deja parait a notre horizon," a
+free translation of Virgil's earlier description:--
+
+"Monstrum horrendum, informe, ingens, cui lumen ademtum." _3d, 658
+line_.
+
+[17] Plain Talk about Insanity. By T.W. Fisher, M.D. Boston. Pp. 23,
+24.
+
+[18] Neuralgia, and the Diseases that resemble it. By Francis E.
+Anstie, M.D. Pp. 122. English ed.
+
+[19] Op. cit., p. 160.
+
+[20] Wear and Tear. By S. Weir Mitchell, M.D.
+
+[21] Body and Mind. By Henry Maudsley, M.D. Lond. p. 31
+
+[22] Op. cit., p. 87.
+
+[23] Op. cit., p. 32.
+
+
+
+
+PART IV.
+
+CO-EDUCATION.
+
+    "_Pistoc._ Where, then, should I take my place?
+
+    _1st Bacch._ Near myself, that, with a she wit, a he wit may
+    be reclining at our repast."--BACCHIDES OF PLAUTUS.
+
+    "The woman's-rights movement, with its conventions, its
+    speech-makings, its crudities, and eccentricities, is
+    nevertheless a part of a healthful and necessary movement of
+    the human race towards progress."--HARRIET BEECHER STOWE.
+
+
+Guided by the laws of development which we have found physiology to
+teach, and warned by the punishments, in the shape of weakness and
+disease, which we have shown their infringement to bring about, and of
+which our present methods of female education furnish innumerable
+examples, it is not difficult to discern certain physiological
+principles that limit and control the education, and, consequently,
+the co-education of our youth. These principles we have learned to
+be, three for the two sexes in common, and one for the peculiarities
+of the female sex. The three common to both, the three to which both
+are subjected, and for which wise methods of education will provide in
+the case of both, are, 1st, a sufficient supply of appropriate
+nutriment. This of course includes good air and good water and
+sufficient warmth, as much as bread and butter; oxygen and sunlight,
+as much as meat. 2d, Mental and physical work and regimen so
+apportioned, that repair shall exceed waste, and a margin be left for
+development. This includes out-of-door exercise and appropriate ways
+of dressing, as much as the hours of study, and the number and sort of
+studies. 3d, Sufficient sleep. This includes the best time for
+sleeping, as well as the proper number of hours for sleep. It excludes
+the "murdering of sleep," by late hours of study and the crowding of
+studies, as much as by wine or tea or dissipation. All these guide and
+limit the education of the two sexes very much alike. The principle
+or condition peculiar to the female sex is the management of the
+catamenial function, which, from the age of fourteen to nineteen,
+includes the building of the reproductive apparatus. This imposes upon
+women, and especially upon the young woman, a great care, a
+corresponding duty, and compensating privileges. There is only a
+feeble counterpart to it in the male organization; and, in his moral
+constitution, there cannot be found the fine instincts and quick
+perceptions that have their root in this mechanism, and correlate its
+functions. This lends to her development and to all her work a
+rhythmical or periodical order, which must be recognized and obeyed.
+"In this recognition of the chronometry of organic process, there is
+unquestionably great promise for the future; for it is plain that the
+observance of time in the motions of organic molecules is as certain
+and universal, if not as exact, as that of the heavenly bodies."[24]
+Periodicity characterizes the female organization, and developes
+feminine force. Persistence characterizes the male organization, and
+develops masculine force. Education will draw the best out of each by
+adjusting its methods to the periodicity of one and the persistence of
+the other.
+
+Before going farther, it is essential to acquire a definite notion of
+what is meant, or, at least, of what we mean in this discussion, by
+the term co-education. Following its etymology, _con-educare_, it
+signifies to draw out together, or to unite in education; and this
+union refers to the time and place, rather than to the methods and
+kinds of education. In this sense any school or college may utilize
+its buildings, apparatus, and instructors to give appropriate
+education to the two sexes as well as to different ages of the same
+sex. This is juxtaposition in education. When the Massachusetts
+Institute of Technology teaches one class of young men chemistry, and
+another class engineering, in the same building and at the same time,
+it co-educates those two classes. In this sense it is possible that
+many advantages might be obtained from the co-education of the sexes,
+that would more than counterbalance the evils of crowding large
+numbers of them together. This sort of co-education does not exclude
+appropriate classification, nor compel the two sexes to follow the
+same methods or the same regimen.
+
+Another signification of co-education, and, as we apprehend, the one
+in which it is commonly used, includes time, place, government,
+methods, studies, and regimen. This is identical co-education. This
+means, that boys and girls shall be taught the same things, at the
+same time, in the same place, by the same faculty, with the same
+methods, and under the same regimen. This admits age and proficiency,
+but not sex, as a factor in classification. It is against the
+co-education of the sexes, in this sense of identical co-education,
+that physiology protests; and it is this identity of education, the
+prominent characteristic of our American school-system, that has
+produced the evils described in the clinical part of this essay, and
+that threatens to push the degeneration of the female sex still
+farther on. In these pages, co-education of the sexes is used in its
+common acceptation of identical co-education.
+
+Let us look for a moment at what identical co-education is. The law
+has, or had, a maxim, that a man and his wife are one, and that the
+one is the man. Modern American education has a maxim, that boys'
+schools and girls' schools are one, and that the one is the boys'
+school. Schools have been arranged, accordingly, to meet the
+requirements of the masculine organization. Studies have been selected
+that experience has proved to be appropriate to a boy's intellectual
+development, and a regimen adopted, while pursuing them, appropriate
+to his physical development. His school and college life, his methods
+of study, recitations, exercises, and recreations, are ordered upon
+the supposition, that, barring disease or infirmity, punctual
+attendance upon the hours of recitation, and upon all other duties in
+their season and order, may be required of him continuously, in spite
+of ennui, inclement weather, or fatigue; that there is no week in the
+month, or day in the week, or hour in the day, when it is a physical
+necessity to relieve him from standing or from studying,--from
+physical effort or mental labor; that the chapel-bell may safely call
+him to morning prayer from New Year to Christmas, with the assurance,
+that, if the going does not add to his stock of piety, it will not
+diminish his stock of health; that he may be sent to the gymnasium and
+the examination-hall, to the theatres of physical and intellectual
+display at any time,--in short, that he develops health and strength,
+blood and nerve, intellect and life, by a regular, uninterrupted, and
+sustained course of work. And all this is justified both by experience
+and physiology.
+
+Obedient to the American educational maxim, that boys' schools and
+girls' schools are one, and that the one is the boys' school, the
+female schools have copied the methods which have grown out of the
+requirements of the male organization. Schools for girls have been
+modelled after schools for boys. Were it not for differences of dress
+and figure, it would be impossible, even for an expert, after visiting
+a high school for boys and one for girls, to tell which was arranged
+for the male and which for the female organization. Our girls'
+schools, whether public or private, have imposed upon their pupils a
+boy's regimen; and it is now proposed, in some quarters, to carry this
+principle still farther, by burdening girls, after they leave school,
+with a quadrennium of masculine college regimen. And so girls are to
+learn the alphabet in college, as they have learned it in the
+grammar-school, just as boys do. This is grounded upon the supposition
+that sustained regularity of action and attendance may be as safely
+required of a girl as of a boy; that there is no physical necessity
+for periodically relieving her from walking, standing, reciting, or
+studying; that the chapel-bell may call her, as well as him, to a
+daily morning walk, with a standing prayer at the end of it,
+regardless of the danger that such exercises, by deranging the tides
+of her organization, may add to her piety at the expense of her
+blood; that she may work her brain over mathematics, botany,
+chemistry, German, and the like, with equal and sustained force on
+every day of the month, and so safely divert blood from the
+reproductive apparatus to the head; in short, that she, like her
+brother, develops health and strength, blood and nerve, intellect and
+life, by a regular, uninterrupted, and sustained course of work. All
+this is not justified, either by experience or physiology. The
+gardener may plant, if he choose, the lily and the rose, the oak and
+the vine, within the same enclosure; let the same soil nourish them,
+the same air visit them, and the same sunshine warm and cheer them;
+still, he trains each of them with a separate art, warding from each
+its peculiar dangers, developing within each its peculiar powers, and
+teaching each to put forth to the utmost its divine and peculiar gifts
+of strength and beauty. Girls lose health, strength, blood, and nerve,
+by a regimen that ignores the periodical tides and reproductive
+apparatus of their organization. The mothers and instructors, the
+homes and schools, of our country's daughters, would profit by
+occasionally reading the old Levitical law. The race has not yet quite
+outgrown the physiology of Moses.
+
+Co-education, then, signifies in common acceptation identical
+co-education. This identity of training is what many at the present
+day seem to be praying for and working for. Appropriate education of
+the two sexes, carried as far as possible, is a consummation most
+devoutly to be desired; identical education of the two sexes is a
+crime before God and humanity, that physiology protests against, and
+that experience weeps over. Because the education of boys has met with
+tolerable success, hitherto,--but only tolerable it must be
+confessed,--in developing them into men, there are those who would
+make girls grow into women by the same process. Because a gardener has
+nursed an acorn till it grew into an oak, they would have him cradle a
+grape in the same soil and way, and make it a vine. Identical
+education, or identical co-education, of the sexes defrauds one sex or
+the other, or perhaps both. It defies the Roman maxim, which
+physiology has fully justified, _mens sana in corpore sano_. The
+sustained regimen, regular recitation, erect posture, daily walk,
+persistent exercise, and unintermitted labor that toughens a boy, and
+makes a man of him, can only be partially applied to a girl. The
+regimen of intermittance, periodicity of exercise and rest, work
+three-fourths of each month, and remission, if not abstinence, the
+other fourth, physiological interchange of the erect and reclining
+posture, care of the reproductive system that is the cradle of the
+race, all this, that toughens a girl and makes a woman of her, will
+emasculate a lad. A combination of the two methods of education, a
+compromise between them, would probably yield an average result,
+excluding the best of both. It would give a fair chance neither to a
+boy nor a girl. Of all compromises, such a physiological one is the
+worst. It cultivates mediocrity, and cheats the future of its
+rightful legacy of lofty manhood and womanhood. It emasculates boys,
+stunts girls; makes semi-eunuchs of one sex, and agenes of the other.
+
+The error which has led to the identical education of the two sexes,
+and which prophecies their identical co-education in colleges and
+universities, is not confined to technical education. It permeates
+society. It is found in the home, the workshop, the factory, and in
+all the ramifications of social life. The identity of boys and girls,
+of men and women, is practically asserted out of the school as much as
+in it, and it is theoretically proclaimed from the pulpit and the
+rostrum. Woman seems to be looking up to man and his development, as
+the goal and ideal of womanhood. The new gospel of female development
+glorifies what she possesses in common with him, and tramples under
+her feet, as a source of weakness and badge of inferiority, the
+mechanism and functions peculiar to herself. In consequence of this
+wide-spread error, largely the result of physiological ignorance,
+girls are almost universally trained in masculine methods of living
+and working as well as of studying. The notion is practically found
+everywhere, that boys and girls are one, and that the boys make the
+one. Girls, young ladies, to use the polite phrase, who are about
+leaving or have left school for society, dissipation, or self-culture,
+rarely permit any of Nature's periodical demands to interfere with
+their morning calls, or evening promenades, or midnight dancing, or
+sober study. Even the home draws the sacred mantle of modesty so
+closely over the reproductive function as not only to cover but to
+smother it. Sisters imitate brothers in persistent work at all times.
+Female clerks in stores strive to emulate the males by unremitting
+labor, seeking to develop feminine force by masculine methods. Female
+operatives of all sorts, in factories and elsewhere, labor in the same
+way; and, when the day is done, are as likely to dance half the night,
+regardless of any pressure upon them of a peculiar function, as their
+fashionable sisters in the polite world. All unite in pushing the
+hateful thing out of sight and out of mind; and all are punished by
+similar weakness, degeneration, and disease.
+
+There are two reasons why female operatives of all sorts are likely to
+suffer less, and actually do suffer less, from such persistent work,
+than female students; why Jane in the factory can work more steadily
+with the loom, than Jane in college with the dictionary; why the girl
+who makes the bed can safely work more steadily the whole year
+through, than her little mistress of sixteen who goes to school. The
+first reason is, that the female operative, of whatever sort, has, as
+a rule, passed through the first critical epoch of woman's life: she
+has got fairly by it. In her case, as a rule, unfortunately there are
+too many exceptions to it, the catamenia have been established; the
+function is in good running order; the reproductive apparatus--the
+engine within an engine--has been constructed, and she will not be
+called upon to furnish force for building it again. The female
+student, on the contrary, has got these tasks before her, and must
+perform them while getting her education; for the period of female
+sexual development coincides with the educational period. The same
+five years of life must be given to both tasks. After the function is
+normally established, and the apparatus made, woman can labor mentally
+or physically, or both, with very much greater persistence and
+intensity, than during the age of development. She still retains the
+type of periodicity; and her best work, both as to quality and amount,
+is accomplished when the order of her labor partakes of the rhythmic
+order of her constitution. Still the fact remains, that she can do
+more than before; her fibre has acquired toughness; the system is
+consolidated; its fountains are less easily stirred. It should be
+mentioned in this connection, what has been previously adverted to,
+that the toughness and power of after life are largely in proportion
+to the normality of sexual development. If there is error then, the
+organization never fully recovers. This is an additional motive for a
+strict physiological regimen during a girl's student life, and, just
+so far, an argument against the identical co-education of the sexes.
+The second reason why female operatives are less likely to suffer, and
+actually do suffer less, than school-girls, from persistent work
+straight through the year, is because the former work their brains
+less. To use the language of Herbert Spencer, "That antagonism between
+body and brain which we see in those, who, pushing brain-activity to
+an extreme, enfeeble their bodies,"[25] does not often exist in female
+operatives, any more than in male. On the contrary, they belong to the
+class of those who, in the words of the same author, by "pushing
+bodily activity to an extreme, make their brains inert."[26] Hence
+they have stronger bodies, a reproductive apparatus more normally
+constructed, and a catamenial function less readily disturbed by
+effort, than their student sisters, who are not only younger than
+they, but are trained to push "brain-activity to an extreme." Give
+girls a fair chance for physical development at school, and they will
+be able in after life, with reasonable care of themselves, to answer
+the demands that may be made upon them.
+
+The identical education of the sexes has borne the fruit which we have
+pointed out. Their identical co-education will intensify the evils of
+separate identical education; for it will introduce the element of
+emulation, and it will introduce this element in its strongest form.
+It is easy to frame a theoretical emulation, in which results only are
+compared and tested, that would be healthy and invigorating; but such
+theoretical competition of the sexes is not at all the sort of steady,
+untiring, day-after-day competition that identical co-education
+implies. It is one thing to put up a goal a long way off,--five or six
+months or three or four years distant,--and tell boys and girls, each
+in their own way, to strive for it, and quite a different thing to
+put up the same goal, at the same distance, and oblige each sex to run
+their race for it side by side on the same road, in daily competition
+with each other, and with equal expenditure of force at all times.
+Identical co-education is racing in the latter way. The inevitable
+results of it have been shown in some of the cases we have narrated.
+The trial of it on a larger scale would only yield a larger number of
+similar degenerations, weaknesses, and sacrifices of noble lives. Put
+a boy and girl together upon the same course of study, with the same
+lofty ideal before them, and hold up to their eyes the daily
+incitements of comparative progress, and there will be awakened within
+them a stimulus unknown before, and that separate study does not
+excite. The unconscious fires that have their seat deep down in the
+recesses of the sexual organization will flame up through every
+tissue, permeate every vessel, burn every nerve, flash from the eye,
+tingle in the brain, and work the whole machine at highest pressure.
+There need not be, and generally will not be, any low or sensual
+desire in all this elemental action. It is only making youth work over
+the tasks of sober study with the wasting force of intense passion. Of
+course such strenuous labor will yield brilliant, though temporary,
+results. The fire is kept alive by the waste of the system, and soon
+burns up its source. The first sex to suffer in this exhilarating and
+costly competition must be, as experience shows it is, the one that
+has the largest amount of force in readiness for immediate call; and
+this is the female sex. At the age of development, Nature mobilizes
+the forces of a girl's organization for the purpose of establishing a
+function that shall endure for a generation, and for constructing an
+apparatus that shall cradle and nurse a race. These mobilized forces,
+which, at the technical educational period, the girl possesses and
+controls largely in excess of the boy, under the passionate stimulus
+of identical co-education, are turned from their divinely-appointed
+field of operations, to the region of brain activity. The result is a
+most brilliant show of cerebral pyrotechnics, and degenerations that
+we have described.
+
+That undue and disproportionate brain activity exerts a sterilizing
+influence upon both sexes is alike a doctrine of physiology, and an
+induction from experience. And both physiology and experience also
+teach that this influence is more potent upon the female than upon the
+male. The explanation of the latter fact--of the greater aptitude of
+the female organization to become thus modified by excessive brain
+activity--is probably to be found in the larger size, more complicated
+relations, and more important functions, of the female reproductive
+apparatus. This delicate and complex mechanism is liable to be aborted
+or deranged by the withdrawal of force that is needed for its
+construction and maintenance. It is, perhaps, idle to speculate upon
+the prospective evil that would accrue to the human race, should such
+an organic modification, introduced by abnormal education, be pushed
+to its ultimate limit. But inasmuch as the subject is not only
+germain to our inquiry, but has attracted the attention of a recent
+writer, whose bold and philosophic speculations, clothed in forcible
+language, have startled the best thought of the age, it may be well to
+quote him briefly on this point. Referring to the fact, that, in our
+modern civilization, the cultivated classes have smaller families than
+the uncultivated ones, he says, "If the superior sections and
+specimens of humanity are to lose, relatively, their procreative power
+in virtue of, and in proportion to, that superiority, how is culture
+or progress to be propagated so as to benefit the species as a whole,
+and how are those gradually amended organizations from which we hope
+so much to be secured? If, indeed, it were ignorance, stupidity, and
+destitution, instead of mental and moral development, that were the
+_sterilizing_ influences, then the improvement of the race would go on
+swimmingly, and in an ever-accelerating ratio. But since the
+conditions are exactly reversed, how should not an exactly opposite
+direction be pursued? How should the race _not_ deteriorate, when
+those who morally and physically are fitted to perpetuate it are
+(relatively), by a law of physiology, those least likely to do
+so?"[27] The answer to Mr. Greg's inquiry is obvious. If the culture
+of the race moves on into the future in the same rut and by the same
+methods that limit and direct it now; if the education of the sexes
+remains identical, instead of being appropriate and special; and
+especially if the intense and passionate stimulus of the identical
+co-education of the sexes is added to their identical education,--then
+the sterilizing influence of such a training, acting with tenfold more
+force upon the female than upon the male, will go on, and the race
+will be propagated from its inferior classes.[28] The stream of life
+that is to flow into the future will be Celtic rather than American:
+it will come from the collieries, and not from the peerage.
+Fortunately, the reverse of this picture is equally possible. The race
+holds its destinies in its own hands. The highest wisdom will secure
+the survival and propagation of the fittest. Physiology teaches that
+this result, the attainment of which our hopes prophecy, is to be
+secured, not by an identical education, or an identical co-education
+of the sexes, but by _a special and appropriate education, that shall
+produce a just and harmonious development of every part_.
+
+Let one remark be made here. It has been asserted that the chief
+reason why the higher and educated classes have smaller families than
+the lower and uneducated is, that the former criminally prevent or
+destroy increase. The pulpit,[29] as well as the medical press, has
+cried out against this enormity. That a disposition to do this thing
+exists, and is often carried into effect, is not to be denied, and
+cannot be too strongly condemned. On the other hand, it should be
+proclaimed, to the credit and honor of our cultivated women, and as a
+reproach to the identical education of the sexes, that many of them
+bear in silence the accusation of self-tampering, who are denied the
+oft-prayed-for trial, blessing, and responsibility of offspring. As a
+matter of personal experience, my advice has been much more frequently
+and earnestly sought by those of our best classes who desired to know
+how to obtain, than by those who wished to escape, the offices of
+maternity.
+
+The experiment of the identical co-education of the sexes has been set
+on foot by some of our Western colleges. It has not yet been tried
+long enough to show much more than its first fruits, viz., its results
+while the students are in college; and of these the only obvious ones
+are increased emulation, and intellectual development and attainments.
+The defects of the reproductive mechanism, and the friction of its
+action, are not exhibited there; nor is there time or opportunity in
+college for the evils which these defects entail to be exhibited.
+President Magoun of Iowa College tells us, that, in the institution
+over which he presides, "Forty-two young men and fifty-three young
+ladies have pursued college courses;" and adds, "Nothing needs to be
+said as to the control of the two sexes in the college. The young
+ladies are placed under the supervision of a lady principal and
+assistant as to deportment, and every thing besides recitations (in
+which they are under the supervision of the same professors and other
+teachers with the young men, reciting with them); and one simple rule
+as to social intercourse governs every thing. The moral and religious
+influences attending the arrangement have been most happy."[30] From
+this it is evident that Iowa College is trying the identical
+co-education of the sexes; and the president reports the happy moral
+and religious results of the experiment, but leaves us ignorant of its
+physiological results. It may never have occurred to him, that a class
+of a hundred young ladies might graduate from Iowa College or Antioch
+College or Michigan University, whose average health during their
+college course had appeared to the president and faculty as good as
+that of their male classmates who had made equal intellectual progress
+with them, upon whom no scandal had dropped its venom, who might be
+presented to the public on Commencement Day as specimens of as good
+health as their uneducated sisters, with roses in their cheeks as
+natural as those in their hands, the major part of whom might,
+notwithstanding all this, have physical defects that a physiologist
+could easily discover, and that would produce, sooner or later, more
+or less of the sad results we have previously described. A
+philanthropist and an intelligent observer, who has for a long time
+taken an active part in promoting the best education of the sexes, and
+who still holds some sort of official connection with a college
+occupied with identical co-education, told the writer a few months
+ago, that he had endeavored to trace the post-college history of the
+female graduates of the institution he was interested in. His object
+was to ascertain how their physique behaved under the stress,--the
+wear and tear of woman's work in life. The conclusion that resulted
+from his inquiry he formulated in the statement, that "the
+co-education of the sexes is intellectually a success, physically a
+failure." Another gentleman, more closely connected with a similar
+institution of education than the person just referred to, has arrived
+at a similar conclusion. Only a few female graduates of colleges have
+consulted the writer professionally. All sought his advice two, three,
+or more years after graduation; and, in all, the difficulties under
+which they labored could be distinctly traced to their college order
+of life and study, that is, to identical co-education. If physicians
+who are living in the neighborhood of the present residences of these
+graduates have been consulted by them in the same proportion with him,
+the inference is inevitable, that the ratio of invalidism among female
+college graduates is greater than even among the graduates of our
+common, high, and normal schools. All such observations as these,
+however, are only of value, at present, as indications of the drift of
+identical co-education, not as proofs of its physical fruits, or of
+their influence on mental force. Two or three generations, at least,
+of the female college graduates of this sort of co-education must come
+and go before any sufficient idea can be formed of the harvest it will
+yield. The physiologist dreads to see the costly experiment tried. The
+urgent reformer, who cares less for human suffering and human life
+than for the trial of his theories, will regard the experiment with
+equanimity if not with complacency.
+
+If, then, the identical co-education of the sexes is condemned both by
+physiology and experience, may it not be that their _special and
+appropriate co-education_ would yield a better result than their
+special and appropriate _separate_ education? This is a most important
+question, and one difficult to resolve. The discussion of it must be
+referred to those who are engaged in the practical work of
+instruction, and the decision will rest with experience. Physiology
+advocates, as we have seen, the special and appropriate education of
+the sexes, and has only a single word to utter with regard to simple
+co-education, or juxtaposition in education.
+
+That word is with regard to the common belief in the danger of
+improprieties and scandal as a part of co-education. There is some
+danger in this respect; but not a serious or unavoidable one.
+Doubtless there would be occasional lapses in a double-sexed college;
+and so there are outside of schoolhouses and seminaries of learning.
+Even the church and the clergy are not exempt from reproach in such
+things. There are sects, professing to commingle religion and love,
+who illustrate the dangers of juxtaposition even in things holy. "No
+physiologist can well doubt that the holy kiss of love in such cases
+owes all its warmth to the sexual feeling which consciously or
+unconsciously inspires it, or that the mystical union of the sexes
+lies very close to a union that is nowise mystical, when it does not
+lead to madness."[31] There is less, or certainly no more danger in
+having the sexes unite at the repasts of knowledge, than, as Plautus
+bluntly puts it, having he wits and she wits recline at the repasts of
+fashion. Isolation is more likely to breed pruriency than commingling
+to provoke indulgence. The virtue of the cloister and the cell
+scarcely deserves the name. A girl has her honor in her own keeping.
+If she can be trusted with boys and men at the lecture-room and in
+church, she can be trusted with them at school and in college. Jean
+Paul says, "To insure modesty, I would advise the education of the
+sexes together; for two boys will preserve twelve girls, or two girls
+twelve boys, innocent amidst winks, jokes, and improprieties, merely
+by that instinctive sense which is the forerunner of matured modesty.
+But I will guarantee nothing in a school where girls are alone
+together, and still less when boys are." A certain amount of
+juxta-position is an advantage to each sex. More than a certain amount
+is an evil to both. Instinct and common sense can be safely left to
+draw the line of demarcation. At the same time it is well to remember
+that juxtaposition may be carried too far. Temptations enough beset
+the young, without adding to them. Let learning and purity go hand in
+hand.
+
+There are two considerations appertaining to this subject, which,
+although they do not belong to the physiology of the matter, deserve
+to be mentioned in this connection. One amounts to a practical
+prohibition, for the present at least, of the experiment of the
+special and appropriate co-education of the sexes; and the other is an
+inherent difficulty in the experiment itself. The former can be
+removed whenever those who heartily believe in the success of the
+experiment choose to get rid of it; and the latter by patient and
+intelligent effort.
+
+The present practical prohibition of the experiment is the poverty of
+our colleges. Identical co-education can be easily tried with the
+existing organization of collegiate instruction. This has been tried,
+and is still going on in separate and double-sexed schools of all
+sorts, and has failed. Special and appropriate co-education requires
+in many ways, not in all, re-arrangement of the organization of
+instruction; and this will cost money and a good deal of it. Harvard
+College, for example, rich as it is supposed to be, whose banner, to
+use Mr. Higginson's illustration, is the red flag that the bulls of
+female reform are just now pitching into,--Harvard College could not
+undertake the task of special and appropriate co-education, in such a
+way as to give the two sexes a fair chance, which means the _best_
+chance, and the only chance it ought to give or will ever give,
+without an endowment, additional to its present resources, of from one
+to two millions of dollars; and it probably would require the larger
+rather than the smaller sum. And this I say advisedly. By which I
+mean, not with the advice and consent of the president and fellows of
+the college, but as an opinion founded on nearly twenty years'
+personal acquaintance, as an instructor in one of the departments of
+the university, with the organization of instruction in it, and upon
+the demands which physiology teaches the special and appropriate
+education of girls would make upon it. To make boys half-girls, and
+girls half-boys, can never be the legitimate function of any college.
+But such a result, the natural child of identical co-education, is
+sure to follow the training of a college that has not the pecuniary
+means to prevent it. This obstacle is of course a removable one. It
+is only necessary for those who wish to get it out of the way to put
+their hands in their pockets, and produce a couple of millions. The
+offer of such a sum, conditioned upon the liberal education of women,
+might influence even a body as soulless as the corporation of Harvard
+College is sometimes represented to be.
+
+The inherent difficulty in the experiment of special and appropriate
+co-education is the difficulty of adjusting, in the same institution,
+the methods of instruction to the physiological needs of each sex; to
+the persistent type of one, and the periodical type of the other; to
+the demand for a margin in metamorphosis of tissue, beyond what study
+causes, for general growth in one sex, and to a larger margin in the
+other sex, that shall permit not only general growth, but also the
+construction of the reproductive apparatus. This difficulty can only
+be removed by patient and intelligent effort. The first step in the
+direction of removing it is to see plainly what errors or dangers lie
+in the way. These, or some of them, we have endeavored to point out.
+"Nothing is so conducive to a right appreciation of the truth as a
+right appreciation of the error by which it is surrounded."[32] When
+we have acquired a belief of the facts concerning the identical
+education, the identical co-education, the appropriate education, and
+the appropriate co-education of the sexes, we shall be in a condition
+to draw just conclusions from them.
+
+The intimate connection of mind and brain, the correlation of mental
+power and cerebral metamorphosis, explains and justifies the
+physiologist's demand, that in the education of girls, as well as of
+boys, the machinery and methods of instruction shall be carefully
+adjusted to their organization. If it were possible, they should be
+adjusted to the organization of each individual. None doubt the
+importance of age, acquirement, idiosyncrasy, and probable career in
+life, as factors in classification. Sex goes deeper than any or all of
+these. To neglect this is to neglect the chief factor of the problem.
+Rightly interpreted and followed, it will yield the grandest results.
+Disregarded, it will balk the best methods of teaching and the genius
+of the best teachers. Sex is not concerned with studies as such.
+These, for any thing that appears to the contrary physiologically, may
+be the same for the intellectual development of females as of males;
+but, as we have seen, it is largely concerned about an appropriate way
+of pursuing them. Girls will have a fair chance, and women the largest
+freedom and greatest power, now that legal hinderances are removed,
+and all bars let down, when they are taught to develop and are willing
+to respect their own organization. How to bring about this development
+and insure this respect, in a double-sexed college, is one of the
+problems of co-education.
+
+It does not come within the scope of this essay to speculate upon the
+ways--the regimen, methods of instruction, and other details of
+college life,--by which the inherent difficulties of co-education may
+be obviated. Here tentative and judicious experiment is better than
+speculation. It would seem to be the part of wisdom, however, to make
+the simplest and least costly experiment first; that is, to discard
+the identical separate education of girls as boys, and to ascertain
+what their appropriate separate education is, and what it will
+accomplish. Aided by the light of such an experiment, it would be
+comparatively easy to solve the more difficult problem of the
+appropriate co-education of the sexes.
+
+It may be well to mention two or three details, which are so important
+that no system of _appropriate_ female education, separate or mixed,
+can neglect them. They have been implied throughout the whole of the
+present discussion, but not distinctly enunciated. One is, that during
+the period of rapid development, that is, from fourteen to
+eighteen,[33] a girl should not study as many hours a day as a boy.
+"In most of our schools," says a distinguished physiological authority
+previously quoted, "the hours are too many for both boys and girls.
+From a quarter of nine or nine, until half-past two, is with us
+(Philadelphia schools for girls) the common schooltime in private
+seminaries. The usual recess is twenty minutes or half an hour, and it
+is not filled by enforced exercise. In certain schools,--would it were
+the rule,--ten minutes' recess is given after every hour. To these
+hours, we must add the time spent in study out of school. This, for
+some reason, nearly always exceeds the time stated by teachers to be
+necessary; and most girls between the age of thirteen and seventeen
+thus expend two or three hours. Does any physician believe that it is
+good for a growing girl to be so occupied seven or eight hours a day?
+or that it is right for her to use her brains as long a time as the
+mechanic employs his muscles? But this is only a part of the evil. The
+multiplicity of studies, the number of teachers,--each eager to get
+the most he can out of his pupil,--the severer drill of our day, and
+the greater intensity of application demanded, produce effects on the
+growing brain, which, in a vast number of cases, can be only
+disastrous. Even in girls of from fourteen to eighteen, such as crowd
+the normal school in Philadelphia, this sort of tension and this
+variety of study occasion an amount of ill-health which is sadly
+familiar to many physicians."[34]
+
+Experience teaches that a healthy and growing boy may spend six hours
+of force daily upon his studies, and leave sufficient margin for
+physical growth. A girl cannot spend more than four, or, in
+occasional instances, five hours of force daily upon her studies, and
+leave sufficient margin for the general physical growth that she must
+make in common with a boy, and also for constructing a reproductive
+apparatus. If she puts as much force into her brain education as a
+boy, the brain or the special apparatus will suffer. Appropriate
+education and appropriate co-education must adjust their methods and
+regimen to this law.
+
+Another detail is, that, during every fourth week, there should be a
+remission, and sometimes an intermission, of both study and exercise.
+Some individuals require, at that time, a complete intermission from
+mental and physical effort for a single day; others for two or three
+days; others require only a remission, and can do half work safely for
+two or three days, and their usual work after that. The diminished
+labor, which shall give Nature an opportunity to accomplish her
+special periodical task and growth, is a physiological necessity for
+all, however robust they may seem to be. The apportionment of study
+and exercise to individual needs cannot be decided by general rules,
+nor can the decision of it be safely left to the pupil's caprice or
+ambition. Each case must be decided upon its own merits. The
+organization of studies and instruction must be flexible enough to
+admit of the periodical and temporary absence of each pupil, without
+loss of rank, or necessity of making up work, from recitation, and
+exercise of all sorts. The periodical type of woman's way of work must
+be harmonized with the persistent type of man's way of work in any
+successful plan of co-education.
+
+The keen eye and rapid hand of gain, of what Jouffroy calls
+self-interest well understood, is sometimes quicker than the brain and
+will of philanthropy to discern and inaugurate reform. An illustration
+of this statement, and a practical recognition of the physiological
+method of woman's work, lately came under my observation. There is an
+establishment in Boston, owned and carried on by a man, in which ten
+or a dozen girls are constantly employed. Each of them is given and
+required to take a vacation of three days every fourth week. It is
+scarcely necessary to say that their sanitary condition is
+exceptionally good, and that the aggregate yearly amount of work which
+the owner obtains is greater than when persistent attendance and labor
+was required. I have never heard of any female school, public or
+private, in which any such plan has been adopted; nor is it likely
+that any similar plan will be adopted so long as the community
+entertain the conviction that a boy's education and a girl's education
+should be the same, and that the same means the boy's. What is known
+in England as the Ten-hour Act, which Mr. Mundella and Sir John
+Lubbock have recently carried through Parliament, is a step in a
+similar direction. It is an act providing for the special protection
+of women against over-work. It does not recognize, and probably was
+not intended to recognize, the periodical type of woman's
+organization. It is founded on the fact, however, which law has been
+so slow to acknowledge, that the male and female organization are not
+identical.[35]
+
+This is not the place for the discussion of these details, and
+therefore we will not dwell upon them. Our object is rather to show
+good and imperative reason why they should be discussed by others; to
+show how faulty and pregnant of ill the education of American girls
+has been and is, and to demonstrate the truth, that the progress and
+development of the race depend upon the appropriate, and not upon the
+identical education of the sexes. Little good will be done in this
+direction, however, by any advice or argument, by whatever facts
+supported, or by whatever authority presented, unless the women of our
+country are themselves convinced of the evils that they have been
+educated into, and out of which they are determined to educate their
+daughters. They must breed in them the lofty spirit Wallenstein bade
+his be of:--
+
+    "Leave now the puny wish, the girlish feeling,
+    Oh, thrust it far behind thee! Give thou proof
+    Thou'rt the daughter of the Mighty,--his
+    Who where he moves creates the wonderful.
+    Meet and disarm necessity by choice."
+
+      SCHILLER: _The Piccolomini_, act iii. 8.
+        (_Coleridge's Translation._)
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[24] Body and Mind. Op. cit., p. 178.
+
+[25] The Study of Sociology, by Herbert Spencer, chap. 13.
+
+[26] The Study of Sociology, by Herbert Spencer, chap. 13.
+
+[27] Enigmas of Life. Op. cit., by W.R. Greg, p. 142.
+
+[28] It is a fact not to be lost sight of, says Dr. J.C. Toner of
+Washington, that the proportion between the number of American
+children under fifteen years of age, and the number of American women
+between the child-bearing ages of fifteen and fifty, is declining
+steadily. In 1830, there were to every 1,000 marriageable women, 1,952
+children under fifteen years of age. Ten years later, there were
+1,863, or 89 less children to every thousand women than in 1830. In
+1850, this number had declined to 1,720; in 1860, to 1,666; and in
+1870, to 1,568. The total decline in the forty years was 384, or about
+20 per cent of the whole proportional number in 1830, a generation
+ago. The United-States census of 1870 shows that there is, in the city
+of New York, but one child under fifteen years of age, to each
+thousand nubile women, when there ought to be three; and the same is
+true of our other large cities.--_The Nation_, Aug. 28, 1873, p. 145.
+
+[29] Vid. a pamphlet by the Rev. Dr. Todd.
+
+[30] The New Englander, July, 1873. Art., Iowa College.
+
+[31] Body and Mind. Op. cit., p. 85.
+
+[32] Use of the Ophthalmoscope. By T.C. Allbutt. London. P. 5.
+
+[33] Some physiologists consider that the period of growth extends to
+a later age than this. Dr. Anstie fixes the limit at twenty five. He
+says, "The central nervous system is more slow in reaching its fullest
+development; and the brain, especially, is many years later in
+acquiring its maximum of organic consistency and functional
+power."--_Neuralgia, Op. cit._, by F.E. ANSTIE, p. 20.
+
+[34] Wear and Tear. Op. cit., p. 33-4.
+
+[35] It is a curious commentary on the present aspect of the "woman
+question" to see many who honestly advocate the elevation and
+enfranchisement of woman, oppose any movement or law that recognizes
+Nature's fundamental distinction of sex. There are those who insist
+upon the traditional fallacy that man and woman are identical, and
+that the identity is confined to the man, with the energy of
+infatuation. It appears from the Spectator, that Mr. and Mrs. Fawcett
+strongly object to the Ten-hour Act, on the ground that it
+discriminates unfairly against women as compared with men. Upon this
+the Spectator justly remarks, that the true question for an objector
+to the bill to consider is not one of abstract principle, but this:
+"Is the restraint proposed so great as really to diminish the average
+productiveness of woman's labor, or, by _increasing its efficacy_, to
+maintain its level, or even improve it in spite of the hours lost?
+What is the length of labor beyond which an average woman's
+constitution is overtaxed and deteriorated, and within which,
+therefore, the law ought to keep them in spite of their relations, and
+sometimes in spite of themselves."--_Vid. Spectator_, London, June 14,
+1873.
+
+
+
+
+PART V.
+
+THE EUROPEAN WAY.
+
+    "And let it appear that he doth not change his country manners
+    for those of foreign parts, but only prick in some flowers of
+    that he hath learned abroad into the customs of his own
+    country."--LORD BACON.
+
+
+One branch of the stream of travel that flows with steadily-increasing
+volume across the Atlantic, from the western to the eastern continent,
+passes from the United States, through Nova Scotia, to England. The
+traveller who follows this route is struck, almost as soon as he
+leaves the boundaries of the republic, with the difference between the
+physique of the inhabitants he encounters and that of those he has
+left behind him. The difference is most marked between the females of
+the two sections. The firmer step, fuller chest, and ruddier cheek of
+the Nova-Scotian girl foretell still greater differences of color,
+form, and strength that England and the Continent present. These
+differences impressed one who passed through Nova Scotia not long ago
+very strongly. Her observations upon them are an excellent
+illustration of our subject, and they deserve to be read in this
+connection. Her remarks, moreover, are indirect but valuable testimony
+to the evils of our sort of identical education of the sexes. "Nova
+Scotia," she says, "is a country of gracious surprises."
+
+"But most beautiful among her beauties, most wonderful among her
+wonders, are her children. During two weeks' travel in the Provinces,
+I have been constantly more and more impressed by their superiority in
+appearance, size, and health, to the children of the New-England and
+Middle States. In the outset of our journey, I was struck by it; along
+all the roadsides they looked up, boys _and girls_, fair,
+broad-cheeked, sturdy-legged, such as with us are seen only now and
+then. I did not, however, realize at first that this was the
+universal law of the land, and that it pointed to something more than
+climate as a cause. But the first school that I saw, _en masse_, gave
+a startling impetus to the train of observation and influence into
+which I was unconsciously falling. It was a Sunday school in the
+little town of Wolfville, which lies between the Gaspereau and
+Cornwallis Rivers, just beyond the meadows of the Grand Pre, where
+lived Gabriel Lajeunesse, and Benedict Bellefontaine, and the rest of
+the 'simple Acadian farmers.' I arrived too early at one of the
+village churches; and, while I was waiting for a sexton, a door
+opened, and out poured the Sunday school, whose services had just
+ended. On they came, dividing in the centre, and falling to the right
+and left about me, thirty or forty boys and girls, between the ages of
+seven and fifteen. They all had fair skins, red cheeks, and clear
+eyes; they were all broad-shouldered, straight, and sturdy; the
+younger ones were more than sturdy,--they were fat, from the ankles
+up. But perhaps the most noticeable thing of all was the quiet,
+sturdy, unharassed expression which their faces wore; a look which is
+the greatest charm of a child's face, but which we rarely see in
+children over two or three years old. Boys of eleven or twelve were
+there, with shoulders broader than the average of our boys at sixteen,
+and yet with the pure childlike look on their faces. Girls of ten or
+eleven were there, who looked almost like women,--that is, like ideal
+women,--simply because they looked so calm and undisturbed.... Out of
+them all there was but one child who looked sickly. He had evidently
+met with some accident, and was lame. Afterward, as the congregation
+assembled, I watched the fathers and _mothers_ of these children.
+They, too, were broad-shouldered, tall, and straight, _especially the
+women_. Even old women were straight, like the negroes one sees at the
+South walking with burdens on their heads.
+
+"Five days later I saw, in Halifax, the celebration of the anniversary
+of the settlement of the Province. The children of the city and of
+some of the neighboring towns marched in 'Bands of Hope,' and
+processions such as we see in the cities of the States on the Fourth
+of July. This was just the opportunity I wanted. It was the same here
+as in the country. I counted, on that day, just eleven sickly-looking
+children; no more! Such brilliant cheeks, such merry eyes, such
+evident strength,--it was a scene to kindle the dullest soul! There
+were scores of little ones there, whose droll, fat legs would have
+drawn a crowd in Central Park; and they all had that same quiet,
+composed, well-balanced expression of countenance of which I spoke
+before, and of which it would be hard to find an instance in all
+Central Park.
+
+"Climate, undoubtedly, has something to do with this. The air is
+moist; and the mercury rarely rises above 80 deg., or falls below 10 deg..
+Also the comparative quiet of their lives helps to make them so
+beautiful and strong. But the most significant fact to my mind is,
+that, until the past year, there have been in Nova Scotia no public
+schools, comparatively few private ones; and in these there is no
+severe pressure brought to bear on the pupils.... I must not be
+understood to argue from the health of the children of Nova Scotia, as
+contrasted with the lack of health among our children, that it is best
+to have no public schools; only that it is better to have no public
+schools than to have such public schools as are now killing off our
+children.... In Massachusetts, the mortality from diseases of the
+brain and nervous system is eleven per cent. In Nova Scotia it is only
+eight per cent."[36]
+
+It would be interesting and instructive to ascertain, if we could, the
+regimen of female education in Europe. The acknowledged and
+unmistakable differences between American and European girls and
+women--the delicate bloom, unnatural weakness, and premature decay of
+the former, contrasted with the bronzed complexion, developed form,
+and enduring force of the latter--are not adequately explained by
+climate. Given sufficient time, difference of climate will produce
+immense differences of form, color, and force in the same species of
+animals and men. But a century does not afford a period long enough
+for the production of great changes. That length of time could not
+transform the sturdy German fraulein and robust English damsel into
+the fragile American miss. Everybody recognizes and laments the change
+that has been and is going on. "The race of strong, hardy, cheerful
+girls, that used to grow up in country places, and made the bright,
+neat, New-England kitchens of olden times,--the girls that could wash,
+iron, brew, bake, harness a horse and drive him, no less than braid
+straw, embroider, draw, paint, and read innumerable books,--this race
+of women, pride of olden time, is daily lessening; and, in their
+stead, come the fragile, easy-fatigued, languid girls of a modern age,
+drilled in book-learning, ignorant of common things."[37] No similar
+change has been wrought, during the past century, upon the mass of
+females in Europe. There--
+
+    "Nature keeps the reverent frame
+    With which her years began."
+
+If we could ascertain the regimen of European female education, so as
+to compare it fairly with the American plan of the identical education
+of the sexes, it is not impossible that the comparison might teach us
+how it is, that conservation of female force makes a part of
+trans-Atlantic, and deterioration of the same force a part of
+cis-Atlantic civilization. It is probable such an inquiry would show
+that the disregard of the female organization, which is a palpable and
+pervading principle of American education, either does not exist at
+all in Europe, or exists only in a limited degree.
+
+With the hope of obtaining information upon this point, the writer
+addressed inquiries to various individuals, who would be likely to
+have the desired knowledge. Only a few answers to his inquiries have
+been received up to the present writing; more are promised by and by.
+The subject is a delicate and difficult one to investigate. The
+reports of committees and examining boards, of ministers of
+instruction, and other officials, throw little or no light upon it.
+The matter belongs so much to the domestic economy of the household
+and school, that it is not easy to learn much that is definite about
+it except by personal inspection and inquiry. The little information
+that has been received, however, is important. It indicates, if it
+does not demonstrate, an essential difference between the regimen or
+organization, using these terms in their broadest sense, of female
+education in America and in Europe.
+
+Dr. H. Hagen, an eminent physician and naturalist of Koenigsburg,
+Prussia, now connected with the Museum of Comparative Zoology at
+Cambridge, writes from Germany, where he has been lately, in reply to
+these inquiries, as follows:--
+
+    NUREMBERG, July 23, 1873.
+
+    DEAR SIR,--The information, given by two prominent physicians
+    in Berlin, in answer to the questions in your letter, is
+    mostly of a negative character. I believe them to prove that
+    generally girls here are doing very well as to the catamenial
+    function.
+
+    First, most of the girls in North Germany begin this function
+    in the fifteenth year, or even later; of course some few
+    sooner, even in the twelfth year or before; but the rule is
+    after the fifteenth year. Now, nearly all leave the school in
+    the fifteenth year, and then follow some lectures given at
+    home at leisure. The school-girls are of course rarely
+    troubled by the periodical function.
+
+    There is an established kind of tradition giving the rule for
+    the regimen during the catamenial period: this regimen goes
+    from mother to daughter, and the advice of physicians is
+    seldom asked for with regard to it. As a rule, the greatest
+    care is taken to avoid any cold or exposure at this time. If
+    the girls are still school-girls, they go to school, study and
+    write as at other times, _provided the function is normally
+    performed_.
+
+    School-girls never ride in Germany, nor are they invited to
+    parties or to dancing-parties. All this comes after the
+    school. And even then care is taken to _stay at home when the
+    periodical function is present_.
+
+    Concerning the health of the German girls, as compared with
+    American girls, the German physicians have not sufficient
+    information to warrant any statement. But the health of the
+    German girls is commonly good except in the higher classes in
+    the great capitals, where the same obnoxious agencies are to
+    be found in Germany as in the whole world. But here also there
+    is a very strong exception, or, better, a difference between
+    America and Germany, as German girls are never accustomed to
+    the free manners and modes of life of American girls. As a
+    rule, in Germany, the mother directs the manner of living of
+    the daughter entirely.
+
+    I shall have more and better information some time later.
+
+      Yours,
+           H. HAGEN.
+
+A German lady, who was educated in the schools of Dantzic, Prussia,
+afforded information, which, as far as it went, confirmed the above.
+Three customs, or habits, which exert a great influence upon the
+health and development of girls, appear from Dr. Hagen's letter to
+make a part of the German female educational regimen. The first is,
+that girls leave school at about the age of fifteen or sixteen, that
+is, as soon as the epoch of rapid sexual development arrives. It
+appears, moreover, that during this epoch, or the greater part of it,
+a German girl's education is carried on at home, by means of lectures
+or private arrangements. These, of course, are not as inflexible as
+the rigid rules of a technical school, and admit of easy adjustment to
+the periodical demands of the female constitution. The second is the
+traditional motherly supervision and careful regimen of the catamenial
+week. Evidently the notion that a boy's education and a girl's
+education should be the same, and that the same means the boy's, has
+not yet penetrated the German mind. This has not yet evolved the idea
+of the identical education of the sexes. It appears that in Germany,
+schools, studies, parties, walks, rides, dances, and the like, are not
+allowed to displace or derange the demands of Nature. The female
+organization is respected. The third custom is, that German
+school-girls are not invited to parties at all. "All this comes after
+the school," says Dr. Hagen. The brain is not worked by day in the
+labor of study, and tried by night with the excitement of the ball.
+Pleasant recreation for children of both sexes, and abundance of it,
+is provided for them, all over Germany,--is regarded as necessity for
+them,--is made a part of their daily life; but then it is open-air,
+oxygen-surrounding, blood-making, health-giving, innocent recreation;
+not gas, furnaces, low necks, spinal trails, the civilized
+representatives of caudal appendages, and late hours.
+
+Desirous of obtaining, if possible, a more exact notion than even a
+physician could give of the German, traditional method of managing
+the catamenial function for the first few years after its appearance,
+I made inquiries of a German lady, now a mother, whose family name
+holds an honored place, both in German diplomacy and science, and who
+has enjoyed corresponding opportunities for an experimental
+acquaintance with the German regimen of female education. The
+following is her reply. For obvious reasons, the name of the writer is
+not given. She has been much in this country as well as in Germany; a
+fact that explains the knowledge of American customs that her letter
+exhibits.
+
+
+    MY DEAR DOCTOR,--I have great pleasure in answering your
+    inquiries in regard to the course, which, to my knowledge,
+    German mothers adopt with their daughters at the catamenial
+    period. As soon as a girl attains maturity in this respect,
+    which is seldom before the age of sixteen, she is ordered to
+    observe complete rest; not only rest of the body, but rest of
+    the mind. Many mothers oblige their daughters to remain in
+    bed for three days, if they are at all delicate in health; but
+    even those who are physically very strong are obliged to
+    abstain from study, to remain in their rooms for three days,
+    and keep perfectly quiet. During the whole of each period,
+    they are not allowed to run, walk much, ride, skate, or dance.
+    In fact, entire repose is strictly enforced in every
+    well-regulated household and school. A German girl would
+    consider the idea of going to a party at such times as simply
+    preposterous; and the difference that exists in this respect
+    in America is wholly unintelligible to them.
+
+    As a general rule, a married woman in Germany, even after she
+    has had many children, is as strong and healthy, if not more
+    so, than when she was a girl. In America, with a few
+    exceptions, it appears to be the reverse; and, I have no
+    doubt, it is owing to the want of care on the part of girls at
+    this particular time, and to the neglect of their mothers to
+    enforce proper rules in this most important matter.
+
+    It has seemed to me, often, that the difference in the
+    education of girls in America and in Germany, as regards their
+    physical training, is, that in America it is marked by a great
+    degree of recklessness; while in Germany, the erring, if it
+    can be called erring, is on the side of anxious, extreme
+    caution. Therefore beautiful American girls fade rapidly;
+    while the German girls, who do not possess the same natural
+    advantages, do possess, as a rule, good, permanent health,
+    which goes hand-in-hand with happiness and enjoyment of life.
+
+      Believe me,
+            Very truly yours,
+                  ---- ----.
+
+JUNE 21, 1873.
+
+This letter confirms the statement of Dr. Hagen, and shows that the
+educational and social regimen of a German school-girl is widely
+different from that of her American sister. Perhaps, as is intimated
+above, the German way, which is probably the European way also, may
+err on the side of too great confinement and caution; and that a
+medium between that and the recklessness of the American way would
+yield a better result than either one of them.
+
+German peasant girls and women work in the field and shop with and
+like men. None who have seen their stout and brawny arms can doubt the
+force with which they wield the hoe and axe. I once saw, in the
+streets of Coblentz, a woman and a donkey yoked to the same cart,
+while a man, with a whip in his hand, drove the team. The bystanders
+did not seem to look upon the moving group as if it were an unusual
+spectacle. The donkey appeared to be the most intelligent and refined
+of the three. The sight symbolized the physical force and infamous
+degradation of the lower classes of women in Europe. The urgent
+problem of modern civilization is how to retain this force, and get
+rid of the degradation. Physiology declares that the solution of it
+will only be possible when the education of girls is made appropriate
+to their organization. A German girl, yoked with a donkey and dragging
+a cart, is an exhibition of monstrous muscular and aborted brain
+development. An American girl, yoked with a dictionary, and laboring
+with the catamenia, is an exhibition of monstrous brain and aborted
+ovarian development.
+
+The investigations incident to the preparation of this monograph have
+suggested a number of subjects kindred to the one of which it treats,
+that ought to be discussed from the physiological standpoint in the
+interest of sound education. Some, and perhaps the most important, of
+them are the relation of the male organization, so far as it is
+different from the female, to the labor of education and of life; the
+comparative influence of crowding studies, that is of excessive brain
+activity, upon the cerebral metamorphosis of the two sexes; the
+influence of study, or brain activity, upon sleep, and through sleep,
+or the want of it, upon nutrition and development; and, most important
+of all, the true relation of education to the just and harmonious
+development of every part, both of the male and female organization,
+in which the rightful control of the cerebral ganglia over the whole
+system and all its functions shall be assured in each sex, and thus
+each be enabled to obtain the largest possible amount of intellectual
+and spiritual power. The discussion of these subjects at the present
+time would largely exceed the natural limits of this essay. They can
+only be suggested now, with the hope that other and abler observers
+may be induced to examine and discuss them.
+
+In conclusion, let us remember that physiology confirms the hope of
+the race by asserting that the loftiest heights of intellectual and
+spiritual vision and force are free to each sex, and accessible by
+each; but adds that each must climb in its own way, and accept its own
+limitations, and, when this is done, promises that each will find the
+doing of it, not to weaken or diminish, but to develop power.
+Physiology condemns the identical, and pleads for the appropriate
+education of the sexes, so that boys may become men, and girls women,
+and both have a fair chance to do and become their best.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[36] Bits of Talk. By H.H. Pp. 71-75.
+
+[37] House and Home Papers. By Harriet Beecher Stowe. P. 205.
+
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+    +------------------------------------------------------------+
+    | Typographical errors corrected in text:                    |
+    |                                                            |
+    | Page 62:   menorraghic replaced with menorrhagic           |
+    | Page 72:   dysmenorrhea replaced with dysmenorrhoea        |
+    | Page 75:   rythmical replaced with rhythmical              |
+    | Page 117:  permantly replaced with permanently             |
+    | Page 120:  rythmical replaced with rhythmical              |
+    | page 171:  twelth replaced with twelfth                    |
+    | Page 175:  knowedge replaced with knowledge                |
+    |                                                            |
+    +------------------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SEX IN EDUCATION***
+
+
+******* This file should be named 18504.txt or 18504.zip *******
+
+
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/8/5/0/18504
+
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://www.gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://www.gutenberg.org/about/contact
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
+To donate, please visit:
+http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
diff --git a/18504.zip b/18504.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..715e045
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18504.zip
diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6312041
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements,
+metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be
+in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES.
+
+Procedures for determining public domain status are described in
+the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org.
+
+No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in
+jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize
+this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright
+status under the laws that apply to them.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a3d138e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #18504 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18504)