criminal psychology-第78章

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　conceit；''　says　Lombroso；　‘‘explains　itself　especially　in　the　fact　that　the　most　important　thing　in　the　life　of　woman　is　the　struggle　for　men。''　This　assertion　is　strengthened　by　a　long　series　of　examples　and　historical　considerations　and　can　serve　as　a　guiding　thread　in　many　labyrinthine　cases。　First　of　all；　it　is　important　to　know　in　many　trials　whether　a　woman　has　already　taken　up　this　struggle　for　men；　i。　e。；　whether　she　has　a　lover；　　or　wishes　to　have　a　lover。　If　it　can　be　shown　that　she　has　suddenly　become　conceited；　or　her　conceit　has　been　really　intensified；　the　question　has　an　unconditionally　affirmative　answer。　Frequently　enough　one　may　succeed　even　in　determining　the　particular　man；　by　ascertaining　with　certainty　the　time　at　which　this　conceit　first　began；　and　whether　it　had　closer　or　more　distant　reference　to　some　man。　If　these　conditions；　once　discovered；　are　otherwise　at　all　confirmed；　and　there　are　no　mistakes　in　observation；　the　inference　is　inevitably　certain。

We　learn　much　concerning　feminine　conceit　when　we　ask　how　a　man　could　have　altered　the　inclination　of　a　woman　whose　equal　he　in　no　sense　was。　It　is　not　necessary　in　such　cases　to　fuss　about　the　insoluble　riddle　of　the　female　heart　and　about　the　ever…dark　secrets　of　the　feminine　soul。　Vulpes　vult　fraudem；　lupus　agnum；　femina　laudemthis　illuminates　every　profundity。　The　man　in　question　knew　how　to　make　use　of　laudemhe　knew　how　to　excite　feminine　conceit；　and　so　vanquished　others　who　were　worth　much　more　than　he。

This　goes　so　far　that　by　knowing　the　degree　of　feminine　conceit　we　know　also　the　vivacity　of　feminine　sexuality；　and　the　latter　is　criminologically　important。　Heinroth＇1＇　says；　‘‘The　feminine　individual；　so　long　as　it　has　demands　to　make；　or　believes　itself　to　have　them；　has　utmost　self…confidence。　Conceit　is　the　sexual　characteristic。''　And　we　may　add；　‘‘and　the　standard　of　sexuality。''　As　soon　as　the　child　has　the　first　ribbon　woven　into　its　hair；　sexuality　has　been　excited。　It　increases　with　the　love　of　tinsel　and　glitter　and　dies　when　the　aging　female　begins　to　neglect　herself　and　to　go　about　unwashed。　Woman　lies　when　she　asserts　that　everything　is　dead　in　her　heart；　and　sits　before　you　neatly　and　decoratively　dressed；　she　lies　when　she　says　that　she　still　loves　her　husband；　and　at　the　same　time　shows　considerable　carelessness　about　her　body　and　clothes；　she　lies　when　she　assures　you　that　she　has　always　been　the　same　and　her　conceit　has　come　or　gone。　These　statements　constitute　unexceptionable　rules。　The　use　of　them　involves　no　possible　error。


＇1＇　Lehrbuch　des　Anthropologie。　Leipzig　1822。


We　have　now　the　opportunity　to　understand　what　feminine　knowledge　is　worth　and　in　what　degree　it　is　reliable。　This　is　no　place　to　discuss　the　capacity　of　the　feminine　brain；　and　to　venture　into　the　dangerous　field　which　Schopenhauer　and　his　disciples　and　modern　anthropologists　have　entered　merely　to　quarrel　in。　The　judge's　business　is　the　concrete　case　in　which　he　must　test　the　ex…　　pressions　of　a　woman　when　they　depend　upon　real　or　apparent　knowledge；　either　just　as　he　must　test　the　testimony　of　any　other　witness；　or　by　means　of　experts。　We　shall　therefore　indicate　only　the　symptomatic　value　of　feminine　knowledge　with　regard　to　feminine　conceit。　According　to　Lotze；　women　go　to　theater　and　to　church　only　to　show　their　clothes　and　to　appear　artistic　and　pious；　while　M。　d'Arconville　says；　that　women　learn　only　that　it　may　be　said　of　them；　‘‘They　are　scholars；''　but　for　knowledge　they　care　not　at　all。

This　is　important　because　we　are　likely；　with　regard　to　knowledge　in　the　deepest　sense　of　the　word；　to　be　frequently　unjust　to　women。　We　are　accustomed　to　suppose　that　the　accumulation　of　some　form　of　knowledge　must　have　some　definite；　hence　causally　related；　connection　with　purpose。　We　ask　why　the　scholar　is　interested　in　his　subject；　why　he　has　sought　this　knowledge？　And　in　most　cases　we　find　the　right　reason　when　we　have　found　the　logical　connection　and　have　sought　it　logically。　This　might　have　explained　difficult　cases；　but　not　where　the　knowledge　of　women　is　concerned。　Women　are　interested　in　art；　literature；　and　science；　mainly　out　of　conceit；　but　they　care　also　for　hundreds　of　other　little　things　in　order；　by　the　knowledge　of　them；　to　show　off　as　scholars。　Conceit　and　curiosity　are　closely　related。　Women　therefore　often　attain　information　that　might　cause　them　to　be　listed　as　suspects　if　it　could　not　be　harmlessly　explained　by　conceit。　Conceit；　however；　has　itself　to　be　explained　by　the　struggle　for　men；　because　woman　knows　instinctively　that　she　can　use　knowledge　in　this　struggle。　And　this　struggle　for　the　other　sex　frequently　betrays　woman's　own　crime；　or　the　crime　of　others。　Somebody　said　that　Eve's　first　thought　after　eating　the　apple　was：　‘‘How　does　my　fig…leaf　fit？''　It　is　a　tasteful　notion；　that　Eve；　who　needed　only　to　please　her　Adam；　thought　only　of　this　after　all　the　sorrow　of　the　first　sin！　But　it　is　true；　and　we　may　imagine　Eve's　state　of　mind　to　be　as　follows：　‘‘Shall　I　now　please　him　more　or　less？''　It　is　characteristic　that　the　question　about　dress　is　said　to　have　been　the　_*first_　question。　It　shows　the　power　of　conceit；　the　swiftness　with　which　it　presses　to　the　front。　Indeed；　of　all　crimes　against　property　half　would　have　remained　undiscovered　if　the　criminals　had　been　self…controlled　enough　to　keep　their　unjustly　acquired　gains　dark　for　a　while。　That　they　have　not；　constitutes　the　hope　of　every　judge　for　the　discovery　of　the　criminal；　and　the　hope　is　greater　with　the　extent　of　the　theft。　It　may　be　assumed　that　the　criminal　exhibits　the　fruits　of　his　crime；　but　that　it　is　difficult　to　discover　when　there　is　not　much　of　it。　This　general　　rule　is　much　more　efficacious　among　women　than　among　men；　for　which　reason　a　criminalist　who　suspects　some　person　thinks　rather　of　arresting　this　person's　wife　or　mistress　than　himself。　When　the　apprentice　steals　something　from　his　master；　his　girl　gets　a　new　shawl；　and　that　is　not　kept　in　the　chest　but　immediately　decorates　the　shoulders　of　the　girl。　Indeed；　women　of　the　profoundest　culture　can　not　wait　a　moment　to　decorate　themselves　with　their　new　gauds；　and　we　hear　that　gypsies；　who　have　been　caught　in　some　fresh　crime；　are　betrayed　mainly　by　the　fact　that　the　women　who　had　watched　the　house　to　be　robbed　had　been　trying　on　bits　of　clothing　while　the　men　were　still　inside　cleaning　the　place　up。　What　was　most　important　for　the　women　was　to　meet　the　men　already　decorated　anew　when　the　men　would　finally　come　back。

The　old　maid　is；　from　the　sexual　standpoint；　legally　important　because　she　is　in　herself　rather　different　from　other　women；　and　hence　must　be　differently　understood。　The　properties　assigned　to　these　very　pitiful　creatures　are　well…known。　Many　of　the　almost　exclusively　unpleasant　peculiarities　assigned　to　them　they　may　be　said　really　to　possess。　The　old　maid　has　failed　in　her　natural　function　and　thus　exhibits　all　that　is　implied　in　this　accident；　bitterness；　envy；　unpleasantness；　hard　judgment　of　others'　qualities　and　deeds；　difficulty　in　forming　new　relationships；　exaggerated　fear　and　prudery；　the　latter　mainly　as　simulation　of　innocence。　It　is　a　well…known　fact　that　every　experienced　judge　may　confirm　that　old　maids　（we　mean　here；　always；　childless；　unmarried　women　of　considerable　age　not　maids　in　the　anatomical　sense）　as　witnesses；　always　bring　something　new。　If　you　have　heard　ten　mutually…corroborating　statements　and　the　eleventh　is　made　by　an　old　maid；　it　will　be　different。　The　latter；　according　to　her　nature；　has　observed　differently；　introduces　a　collection　of　doubts　and　suggestions；　introduces　nasty　implications　into　harmless　things；　and　if　possible；　connects　her　own　self　with　the　matter。　This　is　as　significant　as　explicable。　The　poor　creature　has　not　gotten　much　good　out　of　life；　has　never　had　a　male　protector；　was　frequently　enough　defenseless　against　scorn　and　teasing；　the　amenities　of　social　life　and　friendship　were　rarely　her　portion。　It　is；　therefore；　almost　inevitable　that　she　should　see　evil　everywhere。　If　she　has　observed　some　quarrel　from　her　window　she　will　testify　that　the　thing　was　provoked　in　order　to　disturb　her；　if　a　coachman　has　run　over　a　child；　she　suggests　that　he　had　been　driving　at　her　in　order　to　frighten　her；　the　thief　who　broke　into　her　neighbor's　house　really　wanted　to　break　into　hers　because　she　is　　without　protection　and　therefore　open　to　all　attacks；　so　that　it　is　conceivable　that　he　should　want　to　hurt　her。　As　a　rule　there　will　be　other　witnesses；　or　the　old　maid　will　be　so　energetic　in　her　testimonies　that　her　‘‘perceptions''　will　not　do　much　damage；　but　it　is　always　wise　to　be　cautious。

Of　course；　there　are　exceptions；　and　it　is　well…known　that　exceptions　occur　by　way　of　extreme　contrast。　If　an　old　maid　does　not　possess　the　unpleasant　characteristics　of　her　breed；　she　is　extraordinarily　kind　and　lovable；　in　such　a　way　generally；　that　her　all　too　mild　and　rather　blind　conceptions　of　an　event　make　her　a　dangerous　witness。　It　is　also　true　that　old　maids　frequently　are　better　educated　and　more　civilized　than　other　women；　as　De　Quincey　shows。　They　are　so　because；　without　the　care　of　husband　and　children；　they　have　time　for　all　kinds　of　excellences；　especially　when　they　are　inclined　thereto。　It　is　notable　that　the　founders　of　women's　charitable　societies　are　generally　old　maids　or　childless　widows；　who　have　not　had　the　joys　and　tasks　of　motherhood。　We　must　take　care；　therefore；　in　judging　the　kindness　of　a　woman；　against　being　blinded　by　her　philanthropic　activity。　That　may　be　kindness；　but　as　a　rule　it　may　have　its　source　in　the　lack　of　occupation；　and　in　striving　for　some　form　of　motherhood。　In　judging　old　maids　we　deceive　ourselves　still　more　easily　because；　as　Darwin　keenly　noted；　they　always　have　some　masculine　quality　in　their　external　appearance　as　well　as　in　their　activity　and　feeling。　Now　that　kind　of　woman　is　generally　strange　to　us。　We　start　wrong　when　we　judge　her　by　customary　standards　and　miss　the　point　when；　in　the　cases　of　such　old　maids；　we　presuppose　only　feminine　qualities　and　overlook　the　very　virile　additions。　We　may　add　to　these　qualities　the　intrinsic　productivity　of　old　maids。　Benneke；　in　his　‘‘Pragmatische　Psychologie；''　compares　the　activity　of　a　very　busy　housewife　with　that　of　an　unmarried　virgin；　and　thinks　the　worth　of　the　former　to　be　higher；　while　the　latter　accomplishes　more　by　way　of　‘‘erotic　fancies；　intrigues；　inheritances；　winnings　in　the　lottery；　and　hypochondriac　complaints。''　This　is　very　instructive　from　the　criminological　point　of　view。　For　the　criminalist　can　not　be　too　cautious　when　he　has　an　old　maid　to　examine。　Therefore；　when　a　case　occurs　containing　characteristic　intrigues；　fanciful　inheritances；　and　winnings　in　the　lottery；　it　will　be　well　to　seek　out　the　old　maid　behind　these　things。　She　may　considerably　help　the　explanation。

Both　professional　and　popular　judgment　agree　that　the　largest　majority　of　women　have　great　fear　of　becoming　old　maids。　We　are　　told　how　this　fear　expresses　itself　in　foreign　countries。　In　Spain　e。　g。；　it　is　said　that　a　Spanish　woman　who　has　passed　her　first　bloom　takes　the　first　available　candidate　for　her　hand　in　order　to　avoid　old…maidenhood；　and　in