Human Physiology. 



the life of the individual, and is absolutely essential to the 

 race. 



Sex, it is evident to every observer, modifies not only the 

 form and organs of the body, but fully as much the mind and 

 character. The feminine instincts, passions, affections, and 

 intellectual faculties differ from the masculine. We speak of 

 masculine and feminine tastes and characteristics as we do of 

 a masculine or feminine appearance. We are equally disgusted 

 with masculine women and feminine men. There need be no 

 question of superiority or inferiority here; but there is a ques- 

 tion of fact and fitness. Among insects the female is generally 

 the larger, stronger, and altogether superior creature. The 

 working bees are undeveloped females; the queen-mother of 

 the hive exercises the highest functions. The small minority 

 of males are stingless, idle drones, who are put out of life when 

 no longer needed. Their social position, while permitted to 

 live, is not known. Throughout the insect world the females are 

 far the most gifted and important portion of the community. 



Among birds there is more equality. The males are gener- 

 ally larger, and excel in plumage and in song. The female 

 does the chief work in making the nest, lays the eggs, hatches 

 them, and, with or without the aid of the male, feeds and rears 

 the young. Among the mammalia the males are generally larger 

 and stronger than the females, and in some cases marked with 

 striking peculiarities, as in the mane of the lion, the neck and 

 horns of the bull, and the branching antlers of the stag. 



In the human race we find size and strength of brain and 

 body on the side of the male, while the female has most of 

 delicacy and fineness of fibre, beauty, grace, charm, liveliness 

 of imagination, purity of feeling, powers of intuition, or rapid 

 and unconscious perception, which often give her a real superi- 

 ority to the physically stronger male. And woman, as mother 

 and chief educator of both sexes, exercises, and must ever 

 exercise, the greatest influence upon the rare 



