Gilman, in seeking to further the
interests of her sex, proposes to dispense with the help of its best
friend, which is the other sex. It is not easy to speak with patience of
those who thus seek to set the house of mankind against itself, to the
injury of men, women and children alike.
No doubt it is true that Mrs. Gilman's attitude is engendered by sex
antagonism as we see it everywhere in men--though for some obscure
reason it is only so labelled when displayed by women. No doubt, also, a
much better case can be made out for Mrs. Gilman's proposals, up to a
point, than could be made out for corresponding proposals on the other
side. No one who thinks for a moment can question that all proposals
whatsoever to make either sex independent of the other are stark
madness; yet there is a certain short-lived plausibility in the argument
that women are to be independent of men, and this depends upon the fact
which we have already attempted to demonstrate and interpret by means of
Mendelism, that women are more than men, and that womanhood includes
latent manhood. If, therefore, we are careful with the argument and
boldly rush past the really crucial places, such as the conditions and
needs of expectant and nursing motherhood, we can make out what looks
like a case for the economic dependence of women. Each sex is to work
for itself, and then there need be no more quarrelling.
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