The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1826-09-21
AN APPEAL IN BEHALF OF THE
FAIR SEX

FAIR SEX.
To whom Of the human race, capable OF
receiving knowledge, should not knowl-
edge be communicated! If you would i'm
prove intellectually and socially the men OF
the industrious classes, improve tho women
also. Let your Libraries, your models, and
your lectures, and all your means Of i'm
provement, be equally open to both sexes.
Equal Justice demands it. Have not wo-
menan equal right to that happiness which
ar.ses from an equal cultivation Of all their
faculties that men have? Are happiness
and Improvement deceased by communica.
ting them to others Arc they not, Oh the
contrary, increased by the pleasures Of
sympathy and communication Long
have the rich excluded the poorer classes
from knowledge will the poorer classes
now exercise the same odious power TO
gratify the same anti-soc,al propensity
the love Of domination over the physically
weaker half of their race by such con.
duct the best fruits ofther own knowledge
would be lost they would have no endear-
ing friend to whom they could conmuHi-
cate, with whom they could compare and
improve their attanments. The ignorance
o. their associates would thwsrt and rem
der nbortive all their efforts to render
their knowledge available in the promotion
Of health, comfort, or social pleasures. BY
ignorant women their Improvements could
not be appreciated, but would be counter,
acted. Those whom men do not respect,
they will t,they cannot treat with human.
ity, with that Justice and bcneiicence which
equally repay the giver and receiver. II
the minds ofwomen be not equally imprcv-
ed with those ofmen, home will either be
rendered unattractlve 10 intelligent men,
or viii become more and more the nursery
OF the caprices and arbitrary commands OF
men roofing ont Of their minds the very ba-
sis of morality. Till women are equally
educated with men, men must remain eter-
nally immoral and unintellcclual, though
acquainted with all the PHYSICAL sciences
NJ partial Improvement Of half of the race
will make men better thon the lordly ow-
ncrs OF West-lndm or Virgnian slaves.
Instead of confidence and sympathy, mor-
tied suspicion, cunsing, and over reaching,
AM all the blunders and vices of the stu
piiity of ignorant women viii torment
msn's lives, and retNlatc on them the mis-
cry produced by the degradation they up
ho,d.-Soon are the passions of the brute
gratifed what then becomes ofthe slaves
who have no intellectual qualities 20 COM
mand respect Ifwomeu remain ignorant,
Particularly under our present vicious sys.
ten of insulated domestic training, the
minds and dispositions of Sll the race must
remain perverted, in spite Of after educa.
tion. Early diseases, intellectual and nor.
al, as well as physical inocula,ed IN child
hood will remain through life, and will e
ternally weaken, If not blast the efforts OF
future counteracting culture. Who so Ii.
able as wonfeu to rude shocks of the phy
elcal frame Who therefore are so much
interested in knowing how to treat and pre-.
serve the frame during these pcrilous at
tacks' Who so inevitably employed in gu.
per'ntending the physical training and
health of the young? Who so occupied
about domestic machines and the prcpara-
ton Of food In al these operations re-
gardng health AM comfort, chemistry
mechanics, and natural history, are con
eerncd Would knowledge of the sci.
ences, on which these practica arts depend
cause thor operations to be worse perform.
cd, with less pleasure to the operator. with
lees unity TO those who are TO be benefittec
ey them Have not women less pbvsica
strength than men Are they not there
fore peculiarly fitted for intellectual and so
cial pursuits, which do not peculiarly re.
Srre strength Is not the presumption
Just, that, ~ men excel in muscular. Sc