4. The greater development of the middle incisors 5. The marked development of the third trochanter 6. The less frequent union of the first vertebra of the coccyx with the first vertebra of the sacrum соссух 7. The more frequent appearance of five vertebrae in the coccyx 8. The more frequent development of hypotrichosis 9. The less frequent baldness "As regards the third trochanter, it is to be noted that while this appears in the human female, it is seldom found in man and even more rarely in the apes. It is especially interesting that in this regard the human female sex shows itself as more persistent than the mass of the apes, and that it harks back to a race that in any case was wilder than the present world of apes. That the human female, moreover, is not only anatomically but also physiologically the wilder sex is revealed by the fact that men very seldom bite or scratch their opponents while nails and teeth ever remain the preferred weapons of the female." 25 In more restrained language Thomas concludes: "It must be confessed that the testimony of anthropologists on the difference of variability of men and women is to be accepted with great caution. As a class they have gone on the assumption that woman is an inferior creation, and have almost totally neglected to distinguish between the congenital characters of woman and those acquired as the result of a totally different relation to society on the part of women and men. They have also failed to appreciate the fact that differences from man are not necessarily points of inferiority, but adaptations to different and specialized modes of functioning. But, whatever the final interpretation of details, I think the evidence is sufficient 25 PLOSS, quoted by, o. c., p. 6. to establish the following main propositions: Man consumes energy more rapidly; woman is more conservative of it. The structural variability of man is mainly toward motion; woman's variational tendency is not toward motion, but toward reproduction. Man is fitted for feats of strength and bursts of energy; woman has more stability and endurance. While woman remains nearer to the infantile type, man approaches more to the senile. The extreme variational tendency of man expresses itself in a larger percentage of genius, insanity and idiocy; woman remains more nearly normal." 26 It would seem then that the differences between men and women are the differences due to sex. It is foolish to talk about the inferiority or superiority. They are different. That is all. In this connection we must remember that sex is not inherited from one parent any more than from the other. The sire has as much to do with the quantity and quality of the milk given by the cow as does the dam. We must not forget that the chromosomes in each cell of the body come from both parents, not from one alone. It is impossible then at the present to be sure that we understand the full significance of sex differences. It is evident that many of the divisions of labor and customs have been based upon artificial or, at least, insignificant reasons. We are not particularly concerned here with the rôles men and women are playing in present life or the theories as to the parts they should play. There seem to be two prevalent philosophies as to the activities. The first is held by most men and by many women may be summed up in words attributed to Martin Luther: "If a woman becomes weary, or at last dead from bearing, that matters 26 THOMAS, W. I. o. c., pp. 50-51. not; let her only die from bearing. She is there to do it." Some advocate the restriction of woman's activities to the care of children and flesh-pots on purely sentimental grounds; others, because they can conceive of no higher or more important service. The second view, earnestly advocated by an increasing number, is that woman must pass from the condition of status to one of contract. She must decide for herself what she is to do, and should have the right to motherhood or not as she pleases. Whether this attitude carries a covert threat to the future of the race and society is solely a matter of opinion. Personally I see no reason to fear for the permanency of the What woman will do she must decide, and what race. she will decide, no man knows. SUGGESTIONS FOR READING DONCASTER, L. The Determination of Sex. 1915. Sex in Relation to Society. 1913. GEDDES, P. and THOMSON, J. A. The Evolution of Sex (2nd Ed.). 1901. HALL, G. S. Adolescence. 1907. HOLLINGWORTH, L. S. Functional Periodicity. 1914. MOEBIUS, P. J. Ueber den physiologischen Schwachsinn des Weibes. (9 Auf.). 1908. MORGAN, T. H. Heredity and Sex (2nd Ed.). 1915. PLOSS, H. Das Weib in der Natur und Voelkerkunde (3 Auf.). 1887. THOMAS, W. I. Sex and Society. 1907. CHAPTER IX THE INFLUENCES OF SOCIETY UPON POPULATION The evidence thus far offered indicates that while we are not to consider the human body as perfect, we are justified in the assumption that the overwhelming majority of children are born sound and normal in body and mind. It is equally clear that all children are not born into the same world, that for some every care has been taken in advance and everything which knowledge can suggest or money furnish will be provided, while for others neglect begins even before birth. Social facts thus play a large part in the actual life of the child, and, as will be shown, influence in no small way the number of children born. A century ago Malthus, speculating on the actual and possible increase of the human race, made his famous generalization that while food supply tended to increase in an arithmetical ratio, population tended to increase in a geometrical ratio. Could Malthus visit earth today he would doubtless be surprised to find that during the century there has been a steady increase of the population of Europe and America, that the birth-rate has steadily fallen, the death-rate as well. Would he also conclude that some checks had been deliberately applied? In Europe the increase was from 175 millions in 1800 to 420 millions in 1900. First, then, what are the facts? The following diagram will illustrate the change which has taken place in England and Wales. It will be seen that while the birth |