CHAPTER II

THE ORIGIN OF THE SEXES

Biology the starting-point of sociology--The irresistible force of Love--The true place of woman and man in the animal kingdom--Analogy between animal love-matings and our own--The Life-force--Reproduction a process of nutrition--Different modes of Reproduction--Cell-division--Successive stages of growth--Theory of sex--Its nature and origin--Incipient sex among the early forms of life--The true office of sex--The principle of fertilisation--Its use to the species in progressive development--Nutrition as a factor determining sex--Illustration of the _volvox_--The dependence of the male-cell upon the female-cell--The well-nourished female--The hungry male--Relation between food supply and the sexes--Illustrations--Lessons to be learnt--All species are invented and tolerated by Nature for parenthood and its service--The part played by the female--The demand laid upon her heavier than that laid upon the male--The female is mainly responsible for the race--The female led and the male followed in the evolution of life.

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