both
physical and mental, with every precision of detail, but the knowledge
gained will not settle her inborn Nature. We shall discover what she
is, not what she might be. No, rather to do this we must go back
through many generations to primitive woman. We must study, in
particular, that period known as the Mother-Age, when we find an early
civilisation largely built up by woman's activity and developed by her
skill. We must find out every fact that we can of woman's physical and
mental life in this first period of social growth; we must examine
the causes which led to the change from this Mother-rule to that of
the Father-rule, or the patriarchate, which succeeded it. Insight into
the civilisations of the past is of special value to us in trying to
solve our problems of woman's true place in the social life. For one
thing, we shall learn that morality and sexual customs and
institutions are not fixed, but are peculiar to each age, and are good
only in so far as they fulfil the needs of any special period of a
people's growth. We must note, in particular, the contributions made
by woman to early civilisation, and then seek the reasons why she has
lost her former position of power. The savage woman is nearer to
Nature than we ourselves are, and in learning of her life we shall
come to an understanding of many of the problems of our lives.

This, then, must be the second path of our discovery, and, following
it, we shall gain further knowledge of what is artificial and what is
real in the character of woman and in the present relations of the
sexes.

We find that the external surroundings that influence life are
referable to one of two classes: those which tend to increase
destructive processes, and find their active expression in expenditure
of energy, and those which tend to increase constructive processes,
and are passive instead of active, storing energy, not expending it.
These two classes of external forces, disruptive and constructive, are
called katabolic and anabolic. Looking back on the early natural lives
of men and women, we find there has been a very sharp separation in
the play of these opposite sets of influences. A hasty survey of the
facts suffices to prove that the work of the world was divided into
two great parts, the men had the share of killing life, whether that
of man or of animals, their attention was given to fighting and
hunting; while the women's share was the continuing and nourishing
lif