116 



THE SEX-COMPLEX 



The intellect upbringing of her offspring. And while the environment 

 ductive™" anc * condition of women have undergone very little, 

 functions. anc l certainly no radical changes in regard to their 

 special reproductive functions, those of men have altered 

 considerably. It is, of course, true that the higher 

 mental faculties of women must keep pace with the 

 mental development of mankind as a whole, in order 

 that the evolution of the mind may not be impeded ; 

 but, properly speaking, that is the sole biological object 

 of mental advancement in women in normal circum- 

 stances. Men, on the other hand, must develop their 

 intelligence not only to assist them in sexual selection, 

 but also in order that they may be able to sustain their 

 mates and offspring in an environment compatible with 

 advanced civilization. This means that, whereas a 

 strong arm, a good bow and arrow, and courage were 

 the sole requirements of the primitive man rising above 

 the beasts, in advanced conditions of civilization the 

 mental faculties must be capable of all the intricate 

 processes which go to make it possible to live under 

 modern conditions. The earning of a livelihood by 

 scientific enterprise, for instance, requires a vastly 

 different intellect from that necessary for the manu- 

 facture of a bow and arrows and the hunting of wild 

 beasts. The selection of a mate and the provision of 

 a suitable environment for her and her offspring may be 

 termed the secondary reproductive functions of the 

 human male. 

 Theindi- In considering the psychical characteristics of the 



of Nature? 01 m °dern woman we must bear all these facts in mind. We 

 must, too, remember that the individual is merely a tool 

 of Nature — a unit in a vast scheme. The man is not 

 superior to the woman in any possible sense of the word : 

 his functions lie in one direction, and the woman's in 

 another ; and each is the reproductive complement of 

 the other. 



If a man's primary reproductive functions may be 

 described as fugitive owing to the claims of the secondary, 

 a woman's may be said to be stationary, or enduring. 



