I do
not hesitate to state that she was not treated as man's equal; but until
we learn to discriminate between difference and inequalities, there will
always be misunderstandings upon this subject.

When we think in how few respects men are equal among themselves,
_e.g._, before law courts or voting polls, it seems idle to trouble
ourselves with a discussion on the equality of sexes. When, the American
Declaration of Independence said that all men were created equal, it had
no reference to their mental or physical gifts: it simply repeated what
Ulpian long ago announced, that before the law all men are equal. Legal
rights were in this case the measure of their equality. Were the law the
only scale by which to measure the position of woman in a community, it
would be as easy to tell where she stands as to give her avoirdupois in
pounds and ounces. But the question is: Is there a correct standard in
comparing the relative social position of the sexes? Is it right, is it
enough, to compare woman's status to man's as the value of silver is
compared with that of gold, and give the ratio numerically? Such a
method of calculation excludes from consideration the most important
kind of value which a human being possesses; namely, the intrinsic. In
view of the manifold variety of requisites for making each sex fulfil
its earthly mission, the standard to be adopted in measuring its
relative position must be of a composite character; or, to borrow from
economic language, it must be a multiple standard. Bushido had a
standard of its own and it was binomial. It tried to guage the value of
woman on the battle-field and by the hearth. There she counted for very
little; here for all. The treatment accorded her corresponded to this
double measurement;--as a social-political unit not much, while as wife
and mother she received highest respect and deepest affection. Why among
so military a nation as the Romans, were their matrons so highly
venerated? Was it not because they were _matrona_, mothers? Not as
fighters or law-givers, but as their mothers did men bow before them. So
with us. While fathers and husbands were absent in field or camp, the
government of the household was left entirely in the hands of mothers
and wives. The education of the young, even their defence, was entrusted
to them. The warlike exercises of women, of which I have spoken, were
primarily to enable them intelligently to direct and follow the
education of their chi