‘Male and female created He them.’ At first sight this distinction of sex appears as fundamental as that of plant and animal. Mankind, and all the higher forms of life with which mankind has relations, can only propagate their species in one way: by the co-operation of two individuals of the species, who are essentially7 like and yet unlike, possessing attributes which are complementary of one another, and whose union is requisite8 to originate a new living unit—in other words, by sexual propagation. So certain does this appear that all ancient religions and philosophies begin by assuming a male and female principle for their gods, or first guesses at the unknown first causes of the phenomena9 of nature. Thus Ouranos and Gaia, Heaven and Earth; Ph?bus and Artemis, the Sun and Moon: are all figured by the primitive10 imagination as male and female; and the Spirit of God brooding over Chaos11 and producing the[103] world, is only a later edition, revised according to monotheistic ideas, of the far older Chaldean legend which describes the creation of Cosmos12 out of Chaos by the co-operation of great gods, male and female. Even in later and more advanced religions, traces of this ineradicable tendency to assume difference of sex as the indispensable condition of the creation of new existence are found to linger and crop up in cases where they are altogether inapplicable. Thus, in the orthodox Christian6 creed13 we are taught to repeat ‘begotten, not made,’ a phrase which is absolute nonsense, or non-sense—that is, an instance of using words like counterfeit14 notes, which have no solid value of an idea behind them. For ‘begotten’ is a very definite term, which implies the conjunction of two opposite sexes to produce a new individual. Unless two deities15 are assumed of different sexes the statement has no possible meaning. It is a curious instance of atavism, or the way in which the qualities and ideas of remote ancestors sometimes crop up in their posterity16.
Science, however, makes sad havoc17 with this impression of sexual generation being the original and only mode of reproduction, and the microscope and dissecting18 knife of the naturalist19 introduce us to new and altogether unsuspected worlds of life. By far the larger proportion of living forms, in number at any rate, if not in size, have come into existence without the aid of sexual propagation. When we begin at the beginning, or with those Monera which are simple specks20 of homogeneous protoplasm, we find them multiplying by self-division. Am?ba A, when it outgrows21 its natural size, contracts in the middle and splits into two Am?b?, B and C, which are exactly like one another and like[104] the original A. In fact B contains one half of its parent A, and C the other half. They each grow to the size of the original A, and then repeat the process of splitting and duplicating themselves.
The next earliest stage in the evolution of living matter, the nucleated cell, does exactly the same thing. The nucleus22 splits into two, each of which becomes a new nucleus for the protoplasmic matter of the original cell, and either multiply within it, or burst the old cell-wall and become two new cells resembling the first.
The next stage in advance is that of propagation by germs or buds, in which the organism does not divide into two equal parts, but a small portion of it swells23 out at its surface, and finally parts company and starts on a separate existence which grows to the size of the parent by its inherent faculty24 of manufacturing fresh protoplasm from surrounding inorganic25 materials. This process may be witnessed any day in an aquarium26 containing specimens27 of the sea-anemone, where the minute new anemones may be seen in every form, both before and after they have parted from the parent body. It remains28 one of the principal modes of propagation of the vegetable world, where plants are multiplied from buds even after they have developed the higher mode of sexual propagation by seeds. In some of the lowest animals, such as worms, the buds are reduced to a small aggregation29 of cells, which form themselves into distinct individuals inside the body of the parent, and separate from it when they have attained30 a certain stage of development.
Advancing still further on the road towards sexual reproduction, we find these germ-buds reduced to spores, or single cells, which are emitted from the parent, and[105] afterwards multiply by division until they form a many-celled organism, which has the hereditary31 qualities of the original one. This is the general form of propagation of the lower plants, such as alg?, mosses32, and ferns, and also of a number of the lower forms of animal-like microscopic33 organisms, such as bacteria, whose spores, floating in the air in enormous quantities, and multiplying when they find a fit soil with astonishing rapidity, in a few days devastate34 the potato crop of a whole district or bring about an epidemic35 of scarlet-fever or cholera36. They have their use however in creation, and their action is beneficent as well as the reverse, for they are the principal cause of putrefaction37, the process by which the dead organic matter, which, if not removed, would choke up the world, is resolved into the inorganic elements from which it sprang, and rendered available for fresh combinations.
We are now at the threshold of that system of sexual propagation which has become the rule in all the higher families of animals and in many plants. It may be conceived as originating in the amalgamation38 of some germ-cell or spore2 with the original cell which was about to develop into a germ-bud within the body of some individual, and by the union of the two producing a new and more vigorous originating cell which modified the course of development of the germ-bud and of its resulting organism. This organism, having advantages in the struggle for life, established itself permanently39 with ever new developments in the same direction, which would be fixed40 and extended in its descendants by heredity, and special organs developed to meet the altered conditions. Thus at length the distinction would be firmly established of a female organ or ovary containing[106] the egg or primitive cell from which the new being was to be developed, and a male organ supplying the fertilising spore or cell, which was necessary to start the egg in the evolutionary41 process by which it developed into the germ of an offspring combining qualities of the two parents. This is confirmed by a study of embryology, which shows that in the human and higher animal species the distinction of sex is not developed until a considerable progress has been made in the growth of the embryo42. It is only however in the higher and more specialised families that we find this mode of propagation by two distinct individuals of different sexes firmly established. In the great majority of plants, and in some of the lower families of animals—for instance, snails43 and earth-worms—the male and female organs are developed within the same being, and they are what is called hermaphrodites. Thus, in most of the flowering plants the same blossom contains both the stamens and anther, which are the male organ, and the style and germ, which are the female.
Another transition form is Parthenogenesis, or virginal reproduction, in which germ-cells, apparently44 similar in all respects to egg-cells, develop themselves into new individuals without any fructifying45 element. This is found to be the case with many species of insects, and with this curious result, that those same germ-cells are often capable of being fructified46, and in that case produce very different individuals. Thus, among the common bees, male bees or drones arise from the non-fructified eggs of the queen bee, while females are produced if the egg has been fructified.
In the higher families however of animal life the distinction of sex in different individuals has become[107] the universal rule, and it produces a polarity or contrast which becomes ever more conspicuous47 as we rise in the scale of creation, until it attains48 its highest development in the highest stage hitherto reached, that of civilised man and woman. Both physical and mental characteristics depend mainly on the fact that the ovary or egg-producing organ is developed in the female, and thus the whole work of reproduction is thrown on her. To perform this a large portion of the vital energy is required, which in the male is available for larger and more prolonged growth of organs, such as the brain, stature49, and limbs, by which a more powerful grasp is attained of the outward environment. In other words, the female comes sooner to maturity50 and is weaker than the male. She is also animated51 by a much stronger love for the offspring, which is part of her own body, during the period of infancy52; and thus, in addition to the physical attributes, such as lacteal glands53 and larger breasts, she inherits qualities of softness, amiability54, and devotion, which fit her for the office of nurse. Her physical weakness, again, has made her, for untold55 ages, and even now in all the less advanced communities, and too often even in the most advanced, the slave of the stronger male. She has thus inherited many of the mental qualities which are essential to such a state: the desire to propitiate56 by pleasing and making herself attractive; the gentleness and submissiveness which shrink from a contest of brute57 force in which she is sure to be defeated; the clinging to a stronger nature for support, which in extreme cases leads to blind admiration58 of power and the spaniel-like attachment59 to a master whether deserving of it or not. As civilisation however advances, and as intellectual and moral[108] qualities gain ascendency over brute strength and animal instincts, the condition of woman improves, and it comes more and more to be recognised that she is not made to be man’s slave or plaything, but has her own personality and character, which, if in some respects inferior, are in others better than those of the male half of creation. Tennyson, the great poet of modern thought, who sums up so many of the ideas and tendencies of the age in concise60 and vigorous verse, writes:—
For woman is not undeveloped man,
Nor yet man’s opposite.
Not opposite, yet different, so that the one supplements what is wanting to the other, and the harmonious61 union of the two makes ideal perfection. It is the glory of European civilisation to have done so much to develop this idea of the equality of the sexes, and to have gone so far towards emancipating62 the weaker half of the human species from the tyranny of the stronger half.
It would be unfair to omit mention of the great part which Christianity has had in this good work; not only by direct precept63 and recognition of religious equality, but even more by the embodiment, as its ideal, of the feminine virtues65 of gentleness, humility66, resignation, self-devotion, and charity. Ideal Christianity is, in fact, what may be called the feminine pole of conduct and morality, as opposed to the masculine one of courage, hardihood, energy, and self-reliance. Many of the precepts67 of Christianity are unworkable, and have to be silently dropped in practice. It would not answer either for individuals or nations ‘when smitten68 on one cheek to turn the other.’ When an appeal is made to fact to decide whether it is a right[109] rule to live as the sparrows do, taking no thought for the morrow, the verdict of fact is in favour of foresight69 and frugality70. Herbert Spencer has stated this polarity very strongly as that of the religion of amity71 and the religion of enmity; but I think he states the case too adversely72 for the latter, for the qualities which make men and nations good fighters and victorious73 in the struggle for existence, are in their way just as essential as the gentler virtues, and both alike become defects when pushed to the ‘falsehood of extremes.’ Christianity, therefore, whatever may become of its dogmas, ought always to be regarded with affection and respect for the humanising effect it has produced, especially in improving the condition of the female half of creation.
This improvement in the condition of women has brought about a corresponding improvement in the male sex, for the polarity between the two has come to be the most intimate and far-reaching influence of modern life. Take the literature of the novel and play, which aim at holding up the mirror to human nature and contemporary manners, and you will find that they nearly all turn upon love. The word ‘immorality’ has come to signify the one particular breach74 of the laws of morality which arises from the relations of the sexes.
In providing for the birth of nearly equal numbers of each sex, nature clearly establishes monogamy, or union of single pairs, as the condition of things most in accordance with natural laws. The family also, the first germ of civilisation, is impossible, or can only exist in a very imperfect and half-developed state, without this permanent union of a single husband and wife. Violations75 of this law lead to such disastrous[110] consequences to individuals, and are so deteriorating76 to nations, that they are properly considered as the ‘immorality’ par4 excellence77, and condemned78 by all right-minded opinion. And yet to observe this law is a constant lesson in self-control for a great part of the life: a lesson of the utmost value, for it is a virtue64 which is at the root of all other virtues. And it is formed and becomes habitual79 and easy by practice, for just as the muscles of the ballet-dancer’s leg or blacksmith’s arm acquire strength and elasticity80 by use, so do the finer fibres of the brain improve by exercise and become soft and flabby by disuse, so that effort in the former case is a pleasure and in the latter a pain. For this reason chaste81 nations are generally strong and conquering nations; dissolute Imperial Rome went down before the Goths and Germans, and polygamous Turkey perishes of dry rot in the midst of the progress of the nineteenth century. Indeed, there is no better test of the position which either an individual, a class, or a nation hold in the scale of civilisation, than the tone which prevails among the men with regard to women. Wherever Turkish ideas prevail, we may be sure that whatever may be the outward varnish82 of manner there is essential snobbishness83.
Up and down
Along the scale of life, through all,
To him who wears the golden ball,
By birth a king, at heart a clown
On the other hand, wherever women are regarded with a chivalrous84 respect and reverence85, the heart of a true gentleman beats, though it be under the rough exterior86 of one of Bret Harte’s cow-boys or Californian miners.
[111]
Nothing in fact gives one more hope in the progress of human society than to find that in the freest countries, and those farthest advanced towards modern ideas and democratic institutions, the tone with regard to women shows the greatest improvement. There is a regular crescendo87 scale of progress from Turkey to America. I do not refer so much to the fact that in the newer colonies and countries women can travel unprotected without fear of insult or injury, as to the almost instinctive88 recognition of their equal rights as intelligent and moral beings who have a personality and character of their own, which places them on the same platform as men though on opposite sides of it.
To understand rightly the real spirit of an age or country, it is not enough to study dry statistics or history in the form of records of wars and political changes. We must study the works of the best poets, novelists, and dramatists, who seek to embody89 types and to hold up the mirror to contemporary ideas and manners. A careful perusal90 of such works as those of Dickens, Thackeray, Trollope, and George Eliot at home, and of Bret Harte, Howells, James, and Mrs. Burnett in the United States, will give a truer insight into the inner life of the country and period than any number of blue-books or consular91 returns. They show what the writers of the greatest genius, that is, of the greatest insight, see as types of the actual ideas and characters surrounding them; and the fact of their works being popular shows that the types are recognised as true. Now it is certain that the English literature of fiction and its latest development, that of the American novelists, show an ever-increasing recognition of the female individual as an equal unit with the male in the constitution[112] of modern society. Those dear ‘school marms’ of Bret Harte’s and Wendell Holmes’, who career so joyously92 through mining camps, receiving courtesy and radiating civilising influences among the rough inhabitants; or touch the hearts and throw a mellow93 light over the autumn days of middle-aged94 professors and philosophers, are far removed from the slaves of prehistoric95 savages96 or the inmates97 of a Turkish harem. So also in the more complex relations of a more crowded civilisation, in the circles of Washington, New York, and Boston, the ideal American woman is always depicted98 as bright, intelligent, and independent, with a character and personality of her own, and the suspicion never seems to enter the author’s head that she is in any respect inferior to the male characters with whom she is associated.
The same may be said to a great extent of English literature from the time of Shakespeare downwards99. No better portrait than Portia was ever drawn100 of the
Perfect woman, nobly planned
And yet a spirit still, and bright
With something of an angel light.
And in the long gallery of good and loveable women, from Rosalind and Imogene down to Lucy Roberts and Laura Pendennis, we have not one who is a mere102 non-entity or child of passionate103 impulse. Nor is the recognition of woman’s equality less marked in the bad characters. Lady Macbeth is of a stronger nature than Macbeth; Becky Sharp more clever and full of resources than the men with whom she plays like puppets; Maggie Tulliver, with all her wild struggles with herself and her surroundings, has far more in her than her[113] brother Tom. Compare these characters with those of the school of modern French novels, which turn mainly on adultery and seduction, committed for the most part not in any whirlwind of irresistible104 passion, but to gratify some passing caprice or vanity, and it is easy to see how wide is the gulf105 which separates the ideals and moral atmosphere of the two countries.
It is not therefore from any wish to indulge in what Herbert Spencer calls the ‘unpatriotic bias,’ and depreciate106 my own country, that I am disposed to think that the younger English-speaking communities are somewhat in advance of ourselves in this matter of the relations of the sexes, but simply because I think that the feeling is there more widespread and universal. We have in English society two strata107 in which women are still considered as inferior beings to men: a lower one, where better ideas have not yet permeated108 the dense109 mass of ignorance and brutality110; and a higher one, where among a certain portion, let us hope a small one, of the gilded112 youth and upper ten, luxury and idleness have blunted the finer susceptibilities, and created what may be most aptly called a Turkish tone about women. There are many of this class, and unfortunately often in high places, where their example does widespread mischief113, whose ideal might be summed up in the words of the Irish ballad:—
I am one of the ould sort of Bradies,
My turn does not lie to hard work;
But I’m fond of my pipe and the ladies,
And I’d make a most illigant Turk.
And most ‘illigant Turks’ they make, though far worse than real Turks who are born and brought up in the ideas and surroundings of a lower civilisation; while[114] the tone of our English Turks is far more nauseous and disgusting, as denoting innate114 selfishness, sensuality, and vulgarity. Of these two classes there seem to be fewer in the newer English communities; and if they exist, they are in such a small minority that they conceal115 their existence, and pay the homage116 of vice117 to virtue which is called hypocrisy118.
To return, however, to the more scientific aspects of the question, the polarity of sex displays itself as conspicuously119 as that of the magnet in the fundamental law of repulsion of like for like, and attraction of like for unlike. In each case there must be an identity of essence developing itself in opposite directions. Thus, atoms attract or repel120 atoms, but not molecules122; for if they seem to do so, it is only in cases in which the molecule121 contains some atom whose atomicity or polar power has not been fully123 satisfied. So currents of air or water do not affect electric currents. But given the identity of substance, its differentiation124 takes place under an ever-increasing progression of polarity of affinities125 and repulsions.
A German naturalist, Brahm, discussing the question why birds sing, says, ‘the male finds in the female those desirable and attractive qualities which are wanting in himself. He seeks the opposite to himself with the force of a chemical element.’ This is equally true of the male and female of the human species. A masculine woman and effeminate man are equally unattractive, and if the qualities are pushed to an extreme extent, the individuals become monstrosities, and, instead of attracting, excite vehement126 disgust and repulsion. This, which is true physically127, is equally true of moral and intellectual characteristics. Each seeks,[115] in the happy marriage or perfect ideal union, the qualities which are most deficient128 in themselves: the woman, strength, active courage, and the harder qualities; the man, gentleness, amiability, and the softer virtues. In each individual, as in each union of individuals, harmony and perfection depend on the due balance of the opposite qualities, and the ‘falsehood of extremes’ leads up to chaos and insanity129. The man in whom strength and hardihood are not tempered by gentleness and affection becomes brutal111 and tyrannical; while the woman who has no strength of character becomes silly and frivolous130. Marriage, however, involves the highest ideal, for the well-assorted union of the two in one gives a more complete harmony and reconciliation131 of opposites than can be attained by the single individual, who must always remain more or less within the sphere of the polarity of his or her respective sex. But here also the same law of polarity operates, for as happy marriage affords the highest ideal, so do unhappy and ill-assorted unions involve the greatest misery132 and most complete shipwreck133 of life. Especially to the woman, for the man has other pursuits and occupations, and can to a great extent withdraw himself from domestic troubles; while the woman has no defence against the coarseness, selfishness, and vulgarity of the partner to whom she is tied, and who may make her life a perpetual purgatory134, and drag all her finer intellectual and moral nature down to a lower level. Fortunately extreme cases are rare, and, though the ideal of a perfect union may seldom be attained to, the great majority of married couples manage to jog on together, and bring up families in comparative comfort and respectability. Evidently, however, in many cases the weaker party[116] does not get fair play, and the laws which are the result of centuries of male legislation are often too oblivious135 of the maxim136 that what is ‘sauce for goose is sauce for gander.’ Improvement, however, is coming from the growth of the more healthy public opinion which stigmatises any invasion of woman’s real rights, and any attempt on the part of her natural protector to bully137 and tyrannise, as utterly138 disgraceful; and the waves of this public opinion are slowly but surely sapping the cliffs of legal conservatism, and forcing the intrenchments of stolid139 injustice140 behind ermine robes, horsehair wigs141, and obsolete142 Acts of Parliament.
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1
anemones
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| n.银莲花( anemone的名词复数 )；海葵 | |
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spore
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| n.(无花植物借以繁殖的)孢子，芽胞 | |
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spores
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| n.（细菌、苔藓、蕨类植物）孢子( spore的名词复数 )v.（细菌、苔藓、蕨类植物）孢子( spore的第三人称单数 ) | |
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par
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| n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的 | |
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civilisation
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| n.文明，文化，开化，教化 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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7
essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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8
requisite
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| adj.需要的，必不可少的；n.必需品 | |
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9
phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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10
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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cosmos
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| n.宇宙；秩序，和谐 | |
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creed
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| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
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counterfeit
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| vt.伪造，仿造；adj.伪造的，假冒的 | |
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15
deities
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| n.神，女神( deity的名词复数 )；神祗；神灵；神明 | |
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posterity
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| n.后裔，子孙，后代 | |
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havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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18
dissecting
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| v.解剖（动物等）( dissect的现在分词 )；仔细分析或研究 | |
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naturalist
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| n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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specks
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| n.眼镜；斑点，微粒，污点( speck的名词复数 ) | |
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outgrows
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| 长[发展] 得超过（某物）的范围( outgrow的第三人称单数 )； 长[发展]得不能再要（某物）； 长得比…快； 生长速度超过 | |
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nucleus
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| n.核，核心，原子核 | |
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swells
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| 增强( swell的第三人称单数 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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24
faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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inorganic
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| adj.无生物的；无机的 | |
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aquarium
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| n.水族馆，养鱼池，玻璃缸 | |
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27
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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aggregation
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| n.聚合，组合；凝聚 | |
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attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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32
mosses
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| n. 藓类, 苔藓植物 名词moss的复数形式 | |
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microscopic
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| adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的 | |
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devastate
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| v.使荒芜，破坏，压倒 | |
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epidemic
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| n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的 | |
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cholera
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| n.霍乱 | |
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putrefaction
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| n.腐坏，腐败 | |
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38
amalgamation
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| n.合并，重组；；汞齐化 | |
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permanently
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| adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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41
evolutionary
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| adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的 | |
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42
embryo
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| n.胚胎，萌芽的事物 | |
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43
snails
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| n.蜗牛；迟钝的人；蜗牛( snail的名词复数 ) | |
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44
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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45
fructifying
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| v.结果实( fructify的现在分词 )；使结果实，使多产，使土地肥沃 | |
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46
fructified
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| v.结果实( fructify的过去式和过去分词 )；使结果实，使多产，使土地肥沃 | |
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47
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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48
attains
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的第三人称单数 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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49
stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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50
maturity
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| n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期 | |
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51
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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52
infancy
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| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
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53
glands
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| n.腺( gland的名词复数 ) | |
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54
amiability
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| n.和蔼可亲的，亲切的，友善的 | |
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55
untold
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| adj.数不清的，无数的 | |
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56
propitiate
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| v.慰解，劝解 | |
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57
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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58
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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59
attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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60
concise
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| adj.简洁的，简明的 | |
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61
harmonious
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| adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的 | |
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62
emancipating
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| v.解放某人（尤指摆脱政治、法律或社会的束缚）( emancipate的现在分词 ) | |
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63
precept
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| n.戒律；格言 | |
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64
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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65
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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66
humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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67
precepts
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| n.规诫，戒律，箴言( precept的名词复数 ) | |
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68
smitten
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| 猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 ) | |
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69
foresight
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| n.先见之明，深谋远虑 | |
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70
frugality
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| n.节约，节俭 | |
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71
amity
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| n.友好关系 | |
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72
adversely
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| ad.有害地 | |
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73
victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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74
breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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violations
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| 违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸 | |
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76
deteriorating
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| 恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 ) | |
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77
excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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78
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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79
habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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80
elasticity
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| n.弹性，伸缩力 | |
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81
chaste
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| adj.贞洁的；有道德的；善良的；简朴的 | |
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82
varnish
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| n.清漆；v.上清漆；粉饰 | |
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83
snobbishness
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| 势利； 势利眼 | |
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84
chivalrous
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| adj.武士精神的；对女人彬彬有礼的 | |
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85
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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86
exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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87
crescendo
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| n.(音乐)渐强，高潮 | |
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88
instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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89
embody
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| vt.具体表达，使具体化；包含，收录 | |
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90
perusal
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| n.细读，熟读；目测 | |
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91
consular
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| a.领事的 | |
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92
joyously
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| ad.快乐地, 高兴地 | |
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93
mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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94
middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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95
prehistoric
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| adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的 | |
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96
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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97
inmates
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| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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98
depicted
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| 描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述 | |
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99
downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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100
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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101
soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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102
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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103
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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104
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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105
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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106
depreciate
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| v.降价，贬值，折旧 | |
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107
strata
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| n.地层（复数）；社会阶层 | |
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108
permeated
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| 弥漫( permeate的过去式和过去分词 )； 遍布； 渗入； 渗透 | |
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109
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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110
brutality
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| n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮 | |
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111
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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112
gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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113
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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114
innate
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| adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的 | |
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115
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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116
homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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117
vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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118
hypocrisy
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| n.伪善，虚伪 | |
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119
conspicuously
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| ad.明显地，惹人注目地 | |
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120
repel
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| v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥 | |
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121
molecule
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| n.分子，克分子 | |
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122
molecules
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| 分子( molecule的名词复数 ) | |
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123
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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124
differentiation
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| n.区别，区分 | |
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125
affinities
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| n.密切关系( affinity的名词复数 )；亲近；（生性）喜爱；类同 | |
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126
vehement
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| adj.感情强烈的；热烈的；(人)有强烈感情的 | |
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127
physically
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| adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律 | |
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128
deficient
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| adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的 | |
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129
insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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130
frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
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131
reconciliation
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| n.和解，和谐，一致 | |
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132
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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133
shipwreck
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| n.船舶失事，海难 | |
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134
purgatory
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| n.炼狱；苦难；adj.净化的，清洗的 | |
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135
oblivious
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| adj.易忘的，遗忘的，忘却的，健忘的 | |
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136
maxim
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| n.格言，箴言 | |
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137
bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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138
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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139
stolid
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| adj.无动于衷的，感情麻木的 | |
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140
injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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141
wigs
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| n.假发，法官帽( wig的名词复数 ) | |
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142
obsolete
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| adj.已废弃的，过时的 | |
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