Tesla Deplored Feminism in 1924
September 25, 2017
Galveston Daily News, Galveston, Texas, page 23. August 10, 1924.
Famous Scientist Felt Un-
worthy of Woman as She
Used To Be, and Now He
Can't Endure Her
Trying to Outdo the Men
"Practically all the great achievements of man until now have been inspired by his love and devotion to woman. Man has aspired to great things because some woman believed in him, because he wished to command her admiration and respect. For these reasons he has fought for her and risked his life and his all for her time and time again."
(Abridged by henrymakow.com)
In the past, the reason why Mr. Tesla never married was because his estimation of woman placed her on such a lofty pedestal that he could never bring himself to feel worthy of her. Now that she has, as he feels, stepped down from her pedestal and bartered all her noblest qualities for what is called her "freedom," he is even more disinclined to matrimony than he was before...
"Now the soft-voiced gentle woman of my reverent worship has all but vanished. In her place has come the woman who thinks that her chief success in life lies in making herself as much as possible like man--in dress, voice and actions, in sports and achievements of every kind."
In those words the great electrical genius sums up the reasons for his bachelorhood.
"Women," says Mr. Tesla, "are becoming stronger than men, both physically and mentally.
"The world has experienced many tragedies, but to my mind the greatest tragedy of all is the present economic condition wherein women strive against men, and in many cases actually succeed in usurping their places in the professions and in industry. This growing tendency of women to overshadow the masculine is a sign of a deteriorating civilization.
"Woman's determined competition with man in the business world is breaking down some of the best traditions--things which have proved the moving factors in the world's slow but substantial progress.
"Practically all the great achievements of man until now have been inspired by his love and devotion to woman. Man has aspired to great things because some woman believed in him, because he wished to command her admiration and respect. For these reasons he has fought for her and risked his life and his all for her time and time again.
(Tesla in 1890)
"Perhaps the male in human society is useless. I am frank to admit that I don't know. If women are beginning to feel this way about it--and there is striking evidence at hand that they do--then we are entering upon the cruelest period of the world's history.
"Our civilization will sink to a state like that which is found among the bees, ants and other insects--a state wherein the male is ruthlessly killed off. In this matriarchal empire which will be established the female rules. As the female predominates, the males are at her mercy. The male is considered important only as a factor in the general scheme of the continuity of life.
"The tendency of women to push aside man, supplanting the old spirit of cooperation with him in all the affairs of life, is very disappointing to me.
"Woman's independence and her cleverness in obtaining what she wants in the business world is breaking down man's spirit of independence. The old fire he once experienced at being able to achieve something that would compel and hold a woman's devotion is turning to ashes.
"Women don't seem to want that sort of thing to-day. They appear to want to control and govern. They want man to look up to them, instead of their looking up to him."...
WOMEN SUFFER AS A CONSEQUENCE
"I am considering this question not merely from the standpoint of a man," he points out. "I am thinking of the woman's side of it.
"As we contemplate any change, we naturally take into consideration the results that may follow such an innovation. One of the results to my mind is quite a pathetic one. Woman, herself, is really the victim instead of, as she thinks, the victor. Contentment is absent from her life. She is ambitious, often far beyond her natural equipment, to attain the thing she wants. She too frequently forgets that all women cannot be prima donnas and motion picture stars.
"Woman's discontent makes the life of the present day still more overstressed. The high pitch given to existence by people who are restless and dissatisfied because they fail to achieve things wholly out of proportion to the health and talent with which Nature has endowed them is a bad thing for the world.
"Discontent makes for cranks and unnatural people. There seems to be an uncommon number of them about to-day. This is one of the reasons I remain apart from the crowds. The public, or semi-public, character is the target for all sorts of attacks and unpleasant communications.
"The power of the true woman is so great that I believe if a beautiful woman--that is to say, one beautiful in spirit, in manner and in thought, in fact, beautiful in every respect, a sort of goddess--were to appear suddenly on earth, she could command the whole world. Her leadership, I believe, would be universally recognized.
"History has given us many examples of the wonderful influence exerted by unusual women. Among these have been the mothers of great men. But their influence lay not in their determination to outdo man, or even to compete with him.
"Perhaps because woman is a finer and more highly sensitized instrument she knows by instinct her power and understands that the extent of it lies in the high position she takes for herself. But the superior never descends to the level of the commonplace."
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RELATED- Nicholas Tesla on Women (YouTube)
Tony B said (September 25, 2017):
I wasn't aware that this phenomena of women being out of place and out of control went so far back in time. The change since Tesla's time has apparently been one of degree, not substance.
But the Catholic Church has been aware of the danger for long. Recently I read the below prayer for the bride, part of the Nuptial Mass at marriage which shows the concern. I find no equal prayer for the bridegroom.
…. Thus the Church, in the Nuptial Mass, bids her priest turn to the bride and bridegroom after the Lord’s prayer and admonish them that marriage is an institution for the increase of mankind, which is made by God, that He it is whose authority has joined these two persons together, and that he, the priest, prays, in the name of the Church, that what God’s authority has joined together may be kept by God’s help.
Beautiful indeed is the prayer that follows. It should be read and pondered by all persons on the eve of marriage, and particularly those who receive the sacrament in the sublime setting of a Nuptial Mass. It begins by recalling that God, after setting in order the elements of the universe, made man to God’s image, and afterwards made the body of the woman from the body of the man, appointing the woman to be the man’s inseparable helpmate. There follows the invoking of God in these words:
“O God who has hallowed wedlock by a mystery so great that in the marriage bond You did foreshadow the union of Christ with the Church; O God by whom woman is joined to man, and that union which You did ordain from the beginning is endowed with a blessing which alone was not taken away, either by the punishment for original sin, or by the sentence of the flood; look in Your mercy on this Your handmaid, who is to be joined in wedlock and entreats protection and strength from You.
May the yoke of love and of peace be upon her. True and chaste may she wed in Christ; and may she ever follow the pattern of holy women; and may she be dear to her husband like Rachel; wise like Rebecca; long-lived and faithful like Sara. May the author of deceit work none of his evil deeds within her. May she fortify her weakness by strong discipline. May she be grave in demeanour and honored for her modesty. May she be well taught in heavenly lore. May she be fruitful in offspring. May her life be good and sinless. May she win the rest of the blessed and the kingdom of heaven.â€