Southern Argus., 1839-02-19
FEMALE INFLUENCE.
nY Ms. ?. w. BALL

"a 4-a FEMALE lNE LUE EINOEs5
BY MRS. 2. W. BALL.
1 has been asserted by a great French
writer, that women mould the character oi
a nation, Napoleon said the mother for
med the man. Ii this be true, the impor.
tance of early female culture is too obvI-
Gus to need pointing out TO the most super
fetal observer of national character. 1t
has been conceded on all sides that nearly
all the eminent men, eminent either for
GOOD or evil, have had mothers to whose
training they owe that eminence. The
mother of Washington is brilliant mod.
ern example of maternal influence, wisely
and iudciously exerted, producing the
most glorious result. She pointed the son
to high aim; she taught him that virtue
and greatness are synonymous that NOR
al courage is the soul of physical bravery ;
that dissimulation and falsehood are incom.
patible with true greatness. She had her
reward for her son stands recorded on
the historians page pre-eminently good
and great. In reading his life, the hero, the
warrior, the statesman, and the philoso.
pher, all are combined in the good man we
love. The mothers of several of the Ro-
man Emperors, we are told, exercised un-
bounded influence over their sons but
they were generally vicious women, and
accordingly, their sons were great only in
infamy. Others were good so far as the
glimmerings of natural virtue could break
through the pagan gloom of the age in
which they lived, and they taught their
offspring to wade to empire through seas
of blood, content with the res llt without
regarding the means by which it was ac-
complished; means which generally orr.
ginated in treason and perfdy. 1t was re-
served for an American christian mother
10 form a great nation, the lustre of whose
name will live so long as our Republican
States exist, a broad shrine for the worship
offreedom.
Ifthen the greatest as well as the bright
est example of women's forming influence
existed with us, in onr own happy land,
why is not the cultivation 9f HaP thAt RS SJg JhigbY iY
country womenl In no country perhaps
in the world, where Christianity is taught,
is woman so little sensible of her vast pow.
ers and influence as in the American
States. The reason Of this is obvious, be.
cause women here are domestic in their
habits beyond that of other countries, and
do not mingle in public assemblages. Al
the fire side is the strong hold of power
there is that influence diffused and felt.
while she, who exercises it, is totally un-
conscious Of the momentum towards good
or evil, she is giving the growing charac.
ters around her. Could females know
that upon them devolyed the responsibility
ofmaking them virtuous or Otherwise, how
lightly would they deem mere external de
corahon, that only catches the eye anC
imagination Ofthe other sex, in comparison
to the cultivation Of mind that controls ant
influences them. It has been said by al
eminent author, that the color of nations
moralsg Is imbibed from its women.
this Be the case, Americans should be les
corrupt than other nations, for certainl,
their women are as yet more modest ant
religious than those Of any other country
Among US, the marriage tie has ever beel
regarded as sacred, and society sternl,
frOWns down its violator. In other coun
tries some females, with the daring ambi
lion that characterizes strong intellect
when combined with undiscipIined pas
sion, have ayowed themselves infidels, ant
strlven to shine as starslfn the hemisphere
of metaphysical philosophy but where il
all America, with an extraordinary excep
ton, can the traveller point out an atheis
woman and that exception has sunk to,
low even 10 attract the finger of fscorn.
s RELlGION-l3Y a QUAKER PoET.
We pity the man who has no religion il
his heart--no high and irresistible yearn
ing after better, holier existence--wh,
IS content with the sensualities and gross
ness Of earth-whose spirit never revolt
ct tho darkness of this prison house. 10
explts At the thought Of its final emancipa
ton. We pity him because be affords a,
evidence Of his high origin, no manifesto
ton ot that intellectual pFerogative whicl
renders him the declared lord of the visi
bic creation. He can rank no higher thar
annual nalure-the spiritual could neye
stoop 50 low. To seek foy beastly excite
Ipents--to minister with bountiful han,
e tne depraved and strong abpetites, ar,
the attributes Of the animal alone. y,
limit ourhopes and aspirations to this life
and q this world, is like renaining foreval
y ihe place Of our birth without ever Iift
rs the vel Of the visible horizon wbicl
bent over our infancy.
there IS religion IN every thing aro,in,
us calm and holy religion IS tbe u1
breathing things If nature, which mar
would Do ven % initiate. Il isa mel
and blessed influence stealing. All -
ub01 tie heart. II comes obisil5 ~
wilho1l excitement Il has no terror
10 gloom in Is approaches Il does no
ronga pp tho passions; il untrammeIler
81 ile creeds and unshadowed By the sn
psrsdiions of men. L IS from ihahand.
81 il Aufhor and glowing from the iln
melia'e ple 9ace of tie great spirit which
peryr and quickcns i. ll IS whites
oa " arched sly. u looks from every
star L i o. tie selling clouds and q iis
invisible Wind. 4 AMONG tie bils and
vi 0f the earth--whers ne shrnbl8