CHAPTER X 



THE MALE AND THE FEMALE MIND 



OF the human questions that are always before us, 

 few are more elusive than the precise nature of the 

 differences between the male and the female mind. 

 That psychical differences do exist between the sexes 

 of the same race has long been apparent, and the 

 widespread interest in them is reflected in the litera- 

 ture of fiction and the conversations alike of every- 

 day life and of polite society. The subject is one 

 about whicli nearly every mature or half-grown per- 

 son has views. These views are based on a limited 

 and casual observation of people with whom there are 

 family associations, of the contacts of friendship or 

 business. Usually it is the intimate ties of family 

 life that determine individual opinion as to differ- 

 ences between masculine and feminine qualities. The 

 father of the family forms his judgment largely of femi- 

 nine nature from observation of wife, mother, sisters, 

 daughters, perhaps also of a few women friends. I 

 believe the philosopher and the psychologist does 

 exactly the same thing forms his judgments on 

 an extremely limited number of individuals. The 

 experimental psychologist may measure the reaction 

 time of a larger group of women and a larger group of 



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