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Synopsis Since man rose above the lowest grade of savagery, women has been the theme of poets, the model of artists and sculptors, and the despair to the males. Generally there has always been contradictory opinions about woman. Ancient mythology and medieval chivalry placed her on a high pedestal of divinity while philosophers like Schopenhauer assured us that she was inferior, both mentally and physically, to the stronger sex. But the sound judgement of the average man will reject the paradoxes and by simple process of natural selection eliminate from the character of the fair sex what is unpleasing in the advanced woman of the present day. Taking a broad view of history, it may be said that the work is the story of how woman has ceased to be the stave of man, as she is among the people in the lowest planes of culture, and has become his helpmate. The work has no protention to trace the course of this development, but in the sequel; the reader will find in it the description of women as she is at the present day among the people of the world. The work also furnishes ample materials for a reconstruction of the stary or the advancement of woman from the lowest grade to the place the occupies to-day. The work describes women of all nations and races both civilized and tribal and brings out all important aspects of their life, viz, conception of beauty, ornamentation dresses, courtship and marriage. Position the family and society, role as the wife and as the mother, position of the widows, music and dance, position in view of religion, beliefs and superstitions, role in social organization and state administration, their happiness and sufferings, etc. The work has thus been of an encycpaedic nature, both in scope and in treatment of the subject. There are 647 photographs and 34 colour illustrations in the book from all parts of the world. They have been selected because they are typical of the people whom they represent.