Europe reduces those countries to the early stages, to
rebuilding, reconstructing. It sets men and women back on the same plane
of cooperative labour which exists in new settlements. But if this had
not happened to us, I think we would have seen a marvel happening among
women. Who is to say that, with this increase of machinery to replace
man, with a lessening demand for bulk and strength, the sex with the
greatest muscular fineness, the preponderance of brain and nerve tissue,
would not become the one especially fitted to do the work of the
future?" Martin said.

"You must admit, Jerry, that we've had no training in politics,
government, and diplomacy," Jane objected.

"You all get away from my objection, that it upsets all our human
relationships. What else is making all this domestic unrest, this
increase of divorces? It is woman getting out of the home."

"Jerry, _have_ you read my book?" demanded Jane.

"Let me answer that," said Martin. "Woman in the home or out of it, is
only one manifestation of our social rebirth. In a world of environment
changing hourly, the individual must change hourly, too, or lose his
social value. Now, the real tragedy of modern life is not that woman is
changing more rapidly than man, but that in our confusion, it is the
most advanced type of woman who marries the most antiquated type of man,
or _vice versa_. Ages of social evolution may lie between them."

"There you are, Jane; he has put our problem in a nutshell. You have
married the most antiquated type of man," laughed Jerry.

"What does it matter whether men do this better, and women do that
better? The thing is to add to the general store of wisdom of the race;
we all have to pour in our share. A hundred years from now it will look
as if each contributed about equal amounts, won't it?" asked Bobs.

"What about this enmity between men and women?" Jerry asked.

"Men don't want us to get their jobs. They won't see the true situation,
and they blame us," Bobs answered; "that makes enmity."

"And women are superior, satirical, mad at us," he retorted.

"But you want to marry us, in spite of it, Jerry, so nothing interferes
with our 'sacred function,' as you call it," Bobs laughed.

"There cannot be sex war, Paxton. That need is the very ground work of
life. The mating instinct is not affected by a change of labour for
either sex. Mother Nature sees to that," Martin said.

"The gist of all you are saying is, that we need a