From Dawber's Secret Book of Bridelow (unpublished):
MEN
What part have men really played in the history of Bridelow?
Not perhaps, if we are honest, a distinguished one, except for our late friend the Man in the Moss, who – we are told – gave his life for our community.
We have, I suppose, dealt with the more mundane elements: the business matters, employment, the sustenance of a measure of wealth – enough, anyway, to keep our heads above the Moss.
And we – that is, male members of the Dawber family – have acted as local chroniclers. Albeit discreet ones, for I am sure that if this present manuscript were ever to see the light of day our so-far hereditary function as the compilers of the dull but worthy Book of Bridelow would cease immediately to be a tolerated local tradition.
But as for the important things in life (and death), well, all that traditionally is the preserve of the women, and as far as most of the men have been concerned they are welcome to it. We are, in the modern parlance, a Goddess-orientated society, although the role of the Christian deity is more than politely acknowledged. (Thank You, Mother – and You too, Sir, is one of our phrases.)
However, men being men, there have been occasional attempts to disrupt the arrangement. And when a man is possessed of abilities beyond the normal and a craving for more, then, I am afraid, the repercussions may be tragic and long-lasting.