flatland-第4部分

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In　some　of　the　States　there　is　an　additional　Law　forbidding　Females；　under　penalty　of　death；　from　walking　or　standing　in　any　public　place　without　moving　their　backs　constantly　from　right　to　left　so　as　to　indicate　their　presence　to　those　behind　them；　others　oblige　a　Woman；　when　travelling；　to　be　followed　by　one　of　her　sons；　or　servants；　or　by　her　husband；　others　confine　Women　altogether　to　their　houses　except　during　the　religious　festivals。　But　it　has　been　found　by　the　wisest　of　our　Circles　or　Statesmen　that　the　multiplication　of　restrictions　on　Females　tends　not　only　to　the　debilitation　and　diminution　of　the　race；　but　also　to　the　increase　of　domestic　murders　to　such　an　extent　that　a　State　loses　more　than　it　gains　by　a　too　prohibitive　Code。

For　whenever　the　temper　of　the　Women　is　thus　exasperated　by　confinement　at　home　or　hampering　regulations　abroad；　they　are　apt　to　vent　their　spleen　upon　their　husbands　and　children；　and　in　the　less　temperate　climates　the　whole　male　population　of　a　village　has　been　sometimes　destroyed　in　one　or　two　hours　of　simultaneous　female　outbreak。　　Hence　the　Three　Laws；　mentioned　above；　suffice　for　the　better　regulated　States；　and　may　be　accepted　as　a　rough　exemplification　of　our　Female　Code。

After　all；　our　principal　safeguard　is　found；　not　in　Legislature；　but　in　the　interests　of　the　Women　themselves。　　For；　although　they　can　inflict　instantaneous　death　by　a　retrograde　movement；　yet　unless　they　can　at　once　disengage　their　stinging　extremity　from　the　struggling　body　of　their　victim；　their　own　frail　bodies　are　liable　to　be　shattered。

The　power　of　Fashion　is　also　on　our　side。　　I　pointed　out　that　in　some　less　civilized　States　no　female　is　suffered　to　stand　in　any　public　place　without　swaying　her　back　from　right　to　left。　This　practice　has　been　universal　among　ladies　of　any　pretensions　to　breeding　in　all　well…governed　States；　as　far　back　as　the　memory　of　Figures　can　reach。　　It　is　considered　a　disgrace　to　any　State　that　legislation　should　have　to　enforce　what　ought　to　be；　and　is　in　every　respectable　female；　a　natural　instinct。　The　rhythmical　and；　if　I　may　so　say；　well…modulated　undulation　of　the　back　in　our　ladies　of　Circular　rank　is　envied　and　imitated　by　the　wife　of　a　common　Equilateral；　who　can　achieve　nothing　beyond　a　mere　monotonous　swing；　like　the　ticking　of　a　pendulum；　and　the　regular　tick　of　the　Equilateral　is　no　less　admired　and　copied　by　the　wife　of　the　progressive　and　aspiring　Isosceles；　in　the　females　of　whose　family　no　〃back…motion〃　of　any　kind　has　become　as　yet　a　necessity　of　life。　　Hence；　in　every　family　of　position　and　consideration；　〃back　motion〃　is　as　prevalent　as　time　itself；　and　the　husbands　and　sons　in　these　households　enjoy　immunity　at　least　from　invisible　attacks。

Not　that　it　must　be　for　a　moment　supposed　that　our　Women　are　destitute　of　affection。　　But　unfortunately　the　passion　of　the　moment　predominates；　in　the　Frail　Sex；　over　every　other　consideration。　This　is；　of　course；　a　necessity　arising　from　their　unfortunate　conformation。　　For　as　they　have　no　pretensions　to　an　angle；　being　inferior　in　this　respect　to　the　very　lowest　of　the　Isosceles；　they　are　consequently　wholly　devoid　of　brain…power；　and　have　neither　reflection；　judgment　nor　forethought；　and　hardly　any　memory。　　Hence；　in　their　fits　of　fury；　they　remember　no　claims　and　recognize　no　distinctions。　　I　have　actually　known　a　case　where　a　Woman　has　exterminated　her　whole　household；　and　half　an　hour　afterwards；　when　her　rage　was　over　and　the　fragments　swept　away；　has　asked　what　has　become　of　her　husband　and　her　children。

Obviously　then　a　Woman　is　not　to　be　irritated　as　long　as　she　is　in　a　position　where　she　can　turn　round。　　When　you　have　them　in　their　apartments　　which　are　constructed　with　a　view　to　denying　them　that　power　　you　can　say　and　do　what　you　like；　for　they　are　then　wholly　impotent　for　mischief；　and　will　not　remember　a　few　minutes　hence　the　incident　for　which　they　may　be　at　this　moment　threatening　you　with　death；　nor　the　promises　which　you　may　have　found　it　necessary　to　make　in　order　to　pacify　their　fury。

On　the　whole　we　get　on　pretty　smoothly　in　our　domestic　relations；　except　in　the　lower　strata　of　the　Military　Classes。　　There　the　want　of　tact　and　discretion　on　the　part　of　the　husbands　produces　at　times　indescribable　disasters。　　Relying　too　much　on　the　offensive　weapons　of　their　acute　angles　instead　of　the　defensive　organs　of　good　sense　and　seasonable　simulation；　these　reckless　creatures　too　often　neglect　the　prescribed　construction　of　the　women's　apartments；　or　irritate　their　wives　by　ill…advised　expressions　out　of　doors；　which　they　refuse　immediately　to　retract。　　Moreover　a　blunt　and　stolid　regard　for　literal　truth　indisposes　them　to　make　those　lavish　promises　by　which　the　more　judicious　Circle　can　in　a　moment　pacify　his　consort。　The　result　is　massacre；　not；　however；　without　its　advantages；　as　it　eliminates　the　more　brutal　and　troublesome　of　the　Isosceles；　and　by　many　of　our　Circles　the　destructiveness　of　the　Thinner　Sex　is　regarded　as　one　among　many　providential　arrangements　for　suppressing　redundant　population；　and　nipping　Revolution　in　the　bud。

Yet　even　in　our　best　regulated　and　most　approximately　Circular　families　I　cannot　say　that　the　ideal　of　family　life　is　so　high　as　with　you　in　Spaceland。　　There　is　peace；　in　so　far　as　the　absence　of　slaughter　may　be　called　by　that　name；　but　there　is　necessarily　little　harmony　of　tastes　or　pursuits；　and　the　cautious　wisdom　of　the　Circles　has　ensured　safety　at　the　cost　of　domestic　comfort。　In　every　Circular　or　Polygonal　household　it　has　been　a　habit　from　time　immemorial　　and　now　has　become　a　kind　of　instinct　among　the　women　of　our　higher　classes　　that　the　mothers　and　daughters　should　constantly　keep　their　eyes　and　mouths　towards　their　husband　and　his　male　friends；　and　for　a　lady　in　a　family　of　distinction　to　turn　her　back　upon　her　husband　would　be　regarded　as　a　kind　of　portent；　involving　loss　of　STATUS。　　But；　as　I　shall　soon　shew；　this　custom；　though　it　has　the　advantage　of　safety；　is　not　without　its　disadvantages。

In　the　house　of　the　Working　Man　or　respectable　Tradesman　　where　the　wife　is　allowed　to　turn　her　back　upon　her　husband；　while　pursuing　her　household　avocations　　there　are　at　least　intervals　of　quiet；　when　the　wife　is　neither　seen　nor　heard；　except　for　the　humming　sound　of　the　continuous　Peace…cry；　but　in　the　homes　of　the　upper　classes　there　is　too　often　no　peace。　There　the　voluble　mouth　and　bright　penetrating　eye　are　ever　directed　towards　the　Master　of　the　household；　and　light　itself　is　not　more　persistent　than　the　stream　of　feminine　discourse。　The　tact　and　skill　which　suffice　to　avert　a　Woman's　sting　are　unequal　to　the　task　of　stopping　a　Woman's　mouth；　and　as　the　wife　has　absolutely　nothing　to　say；　and　absolutely　no　constraint　of　wit；　sense；　or　conscience　to　prevent　her　from　saying　it；　not　a　few　cynics　have　been　found　to　aver　that　they　prefer　the　danger　of　the　death…dealing　but　inaudible　sting　to　the　safe　sonorousness　of　a　Woman's　other　end。

To　my　readers　in　Spaceland　the　condition　of　our　Women　may　seem　truly　deplorable；　and　so　indeed　it　is。　　A　Male　of　the　lowest　type　of　the　Isosceles　may　look　forward　to　some　improvement　of　his　angle；　and　to　the　ultimate　elevation　of　the　whole　of　his　degraded　caste；　but　no　Woman　can　entertain　such　hopes　for　her　sex。　　〃Once　a　Woman；　always　a　Woman〃　is　a　Decree　of　Nature；　and　the　very　Laws　of　Evolution　seem　suspended　in　her　disfavour。　　Yet　at　least　we　can　admire　the　wise　Prearrangement　which　has　ordained　that；　as　they　have　no　hopes；　so　they　shall　have　no　memory　to　recall；　and　no　forethought　to　anticipate；　the　miseries　and　humiliations　which　are　at　once　a　necessity　of　their　existence　and　the　basis　of　the　constitution　of　Flatland。




Section　5。　　Of　our　Methods　of　Recognizing　one　another



You；　who　are　blessed　with　shade　as　well　as　light；　you；　who　are　gifted　with　two　eyes；　endowed　with　a　knowledge　of　perspective；　and　charmed　with　the　enjoyment　of　various　colours；　you；　who　can　actually　SEE　an　angle；　and　contemplate　the　complete　circumference　of　a　circle　in　the　happy　region　of　the　Three　Dimensions　　how　shall　I　make　clear　to　you　the　extreme　difficulty　which　we　in　Flatland　experience　in　recognizing　one　another's　configuration？

Recall　what　I　told　you　above。　　All　beings　in　Flatland；　animate　or　inanimate；　no　matter　what　their　form；　present　TO　OUR　VIEW　the　same；　or　nearly　the　same；　appearance；　viz。　that　of　a　straight　Line。　　How　then　can　one　be　distinguished　from　another；　where　all　appear　the　same？

The　answer　is　threefold。　　The　first　means　of　recognition　is　the　sense　of　hearing；　which　with　us　is　far　more　highly　developed　than　with　you；　and　which　enables　us　not　only　to　distinguish　by　the　voice　our　personal　friends；　but　even　to　discriminate　between　different　classes；　at　least　so　far　as　concerns　the　three　lowest　orders；　the　Equilateral；　the　Square；　and　the　Pentagon　　for　of　the　Isosceles　I　take　no　account。　　But　as　we　ascend　in　the　social　scale；　the　process　of　discriminating　and　being　discriminated　by　hearing　increases　in　difficulty；　partly　because　voices　are　assimilated；　partly　because　the　faculty　of　voice…discrimination　is　a　plebeian　virtue　not　much　developed　among　the　Aristocracy。　　And　wherever　there　is　any　danger　of　imposture　we　cannot　trust　to　this　method。　　Amongst　our　lowest　orders；　the　vocal　organs　are　developed　to　a　degree　more　than　correspondent　with　those　of　hearing；　so　that　an　Isosceles　can　easily　feign　the　voice　of　a　Polygon；　and；　with　some　training；　that　of　a　Circle　himself。　A　second　method　is　therefore　more　commonly　resorted　to。

FEELING　is；　among　our　Women　and　lower　classes　　about　our　upper　classes　I　shall　speak　presently　　the　principal　test　of　recognition；　at　all　events　between　strangers；　and　when　the　question　is；　not　as　to　the　individual；　but　as　to　the　class。　What　therefore　〃introduction〃　is　among　the　higher　classes　in　Spaceland；　that　the　process　of　〃feeling〃　is　with　us。　〃Permit　me　to　ask　you　to　feel　and　be　felt　by　my　friend　Mr。　So…and…so〃　　is　still；　among　the　more　old…fashioned　of　our　country　gentlemen　in　districts　remote　from　towns；　the　customary　formula　for　a　Flatland　introduction。　　But　in　the　towns；　and　among　men　of　business；　the　words　〃be　felt　by〃　are　omitted　and　the　sentence　is　abbreviated　to；　〃Let　me　ask