The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1833-10-02

thht OF tntiT euucuNOu, ma " tney III
some instances compound these qualities,
they do SO from combination of cir
cumstance, which has not afflicted the
better informed, and more amiable in
department and character Of their
sex.
A lady is in perfection when she unites
the gen,leness and loveIiness Of her
sex with soundness Of Judgment, and
respectable information; when she is an
adept at oil the useful avocations of fe-
male employment and lprides herself
in il, but superadds the polish Of refine.
ment, according to her circumstances in
life. A female is none the worse because
she can dance, and play, reads poetry,
plays, and few select novels, dresses well,
and occasionally visits places Of public
amusements at well chosen times and in
select company; but if she can do nothing
else, except work at some business, fla
poor girl, from necessity, and while thus
employed is constantly thinking of a.
musemcnts, or pleasures, or galants $ or
il rich, suffers ennni in the intervals of
amusement such an one We say, is a
trifling thing, and freqen,ly deceiver,
4he who appears all life in company or
in sport, is perhaps indolent in her house,
and she who is all gaiety aud finery in
the ball room, is perhaps slovenly, nay,
possibly dirty at home, und decewes the
man whom she would captivute; but we
blame not her, she has been neglected,
the press and forms of society have been
| her enemies.
We cannot here avoid some rem narks.
which may he useful, although they break
in on the order VIC proposed. Men and
women dress to please others, and very
frequently to please each other, yet from
bad Judgment, want Of knowledge or
good taste, they frequently fail in The
object aimed at. We never knew q
lady like dandy, an exquisite, male
thing, made up, all outside. and as empty
ns a plaster caste q sensible man, man
ifes,ed by his CONVERSATION, department,
dress aud address, is the choice Of a wo-
men, and if to these he add industry and
constuncy, she is genel ally satisfied with
him as husband, aud his influence
over her is only inferior to that of the
parsons. We never knew man like
dirty or sloyenly women, yet nothing
is more common than dirty or sloyenly
wives, made out of very fine, triAing,
imprudent girls, who thus deceive their
husbands. estrange their affections, aud
then complain Of ofinconstancy. We have
own men of superior education and
considerable property choose wives from
females Of very little education, poor
parentage, and in no very eleyatcd oc.
cupaiion we have known a sensible,
well-informed gentleman choose fe-
male servant fer has wife, when 10 a
fine person she has added good sense,
manifested in neatnoss, even In her work,
a uniform cheerfalness, and--rather q
superior dress and address when not at
work, and such wives have seldom dis
appointed their husband, while their hus-
bands have known how to value such
wives, and have added polish to these
natural diamonds, according to their cir
cumstances We have known some such
females rapidly acquire accomplishments
and certai portion ofbook knowledge,
and &C. the lady, mot tho nervous lrifer)
with as much propriety rs she did the
domestic ; and when her circumstances
placed her above personal labour, she
knew how to seperintend her domestic
affairs, with dignity, tempered with
kindness to those in the station from
which she was raised.
We resume now the main subject
what has the press done for females in
these States? They have printed al
buns, dedicated pretty poetry to them,
and published a few periodicals, more
calculated to make genteel trifling ner-
vous things, than women of sense, ,knowl-
edge, and spirit. The whole Of these
works, even the Mirror, goes upon the
supposiion that woman are to be pleased
with triAes, they treat them ms ladies
themselves do china and handsome
vases, consider them as mere ornaments,
pretty ornaments, Of little use, but
never as important members Of society,
in whose hands are placed the early
education and first impressions Of future
Washingtons, Jeffersons, Franklins,
heads of colleges, md American phi
losophcrs.
We admire women. as ornaments
when the ornamental is in good taste,
and rather increases their utility thnr
detericrates il; and this applies 10 the
course Of reading we shall recommend;
hence under this hend we shall generally
place our poetry, and other choice ar
ticles in polite literature, which we shall
consider ms garnish to useful information.
In fact our subjects will be, or rather
should be suitable 10 ladies, such as we
would wish them TO be, and such ms
many are.-G. v.