THE PSYCHOLOGY OP THE FEMALE MIND. 



41 



from examining the customs of intermarriages among the northern 

 Australian blacks and possibly some of the Red Indian tribes, 

 wherein certain degrees of affinity derived from women are held to 

 bar intermarriage. But in historic Grecian times, and even in the 

 remote half-mythical times that Homer writes of, there is no traces 

 of those barriers to intermarriage or of women's rule. And, in the 

 matter of inheritance, it is well known that the early Romans held 

 only the Agnati, or kinsfolk on the father's side, not the Cognati, 

 or kinsfolk at large, to be entitled to inherit (see Ortolan's History 

 of Roman Law, et passim). 



We have heard to-night from our Chairwoman that an emancipated 

 woman ought to have the right to propose marriage to a man, or 

 at least to let a man clearly know that she would not be averse to a 

 proposal, without being thought immodest ; and I certainly think 

 that a woman sometimes suffers the final loss of a husband because 

 she has shrunk from telling a man that she likes him best of all men. 

 Nor must it be forgotten that the good widow Ruth actually pro- 

 posed to her benefactor Boaz, and that his acceptance led to the 

 birth of an heir in the Messianic line. 



I agree with the lecturer that a woman should be made more 

 independent of marriage, either by being well endowed by her 

 parents or by being instructed and trained by them in some trade 

 or profession whereby she can support herself and feel in no wise 

 bound to take a husband for the sake of his support. 



Lt.-Col. M. Alves said : — During the very few minutes allowed 

 me, I should like to make a few remarks. 



Broadly, women's education has in the past been neglected, 

 compared with that of men. But men and women are not separate 

 races, as men have mothers ; and women, fathers. This neglect 

 has, I think, reacted greatly on the men, not physically, but mentally 

 and morally. 



When we consider the work that each sex has to perform in the 

 world, we can easily understand why their minds should differ as 

 well as their bodies. At the same time, there must be a certain 

 amount of overlap ; otherwise neither sex could enter at all into 

 the mind of the other. 



In paragraph 4 of page 28 is the remark : " Since the invention 

 of tools, man's body has greatly shrunk in value." This I doubt ; 



