anifestation of the supernatural, sees
here a continuous endorsement of religious life. The more sophisticated
mind raised above this point of view continues, with modifications, the
primitive practices, and in ignorance of the physiological causes of its
own states is only too ready to interpret ebullitions of sex feeling as
evidence of the divine.

NOTE TO PAGE 104.

It is strange that so little attention has been paid to
these primitive beliefs as important factors in determining
the social position of women. It is too generally assumed
that because woman is physically weaker than man it is her
weakness that has determined her subordination. Both the
advocates and the opponents of 'Woman's Rights' appear to
have reached a common agreement on this point. During some
of the debates in the House of Commons, for example, it was
openly stated by prominent politicians, as an axiom of
political philosophy, that all laws rest upon a basis of
force, and if men say they will not obey woman-made laws
there is no power that can compel them to do so. On the
other side, women, while appealing to what they properly
call higher considerations, themselves dwell upon the
physical weakness of woman as the reason for her
subordination in the past. Both parties are helped in their
arguments by the facile division of social history into two
periods, an earlier one in which club law plays the chief
part, and a later period when mental and moral qualities
assume a dominating position. The consequence is, runs the
argument, that each sex has to battle with the dead weight
of tradition and custom. The woman is oppressed by the
tradition of subordination to the male; the man is inspired
by that of dominance over the female.

It is when we ask for evidence of this that we see how
flimsy the case is. Social phenomena in either civilised or
uncivilised society furnishes no proof that institutions
and customs rest upon a basis of physical force. The
rulership of a tribe often rests with the old men of a
tribe; with some tribes the women are consulted, and
invariably custom and tradition plays a powerful part. The
notion that the primitive chief is the primitive strong man
of the tribe is as baseless as the belief in an original
social cont