, 1840-05-09
Mforeuaucous.

"WoMAS's SpHERE."-There has been o
late years more ink-shed upon the !" the prop
er sphere of woman" than upon almost any
other subject. In the discussion of this, a:
well as that of all topics, there are ~ultraists
On the one hand, we have those who would
restrict woman entirely TO the duties EN-,
braced in S~hakspeare's oft quoted line; gene,
rous men who would have them aspire nc
more elevated destiny, than
ITO suckIe fools. and chronicle small beer,
Such mental tyrants would entirely deny
TO woman 4 soul of her own and make her
the mere shadow of her lord, moving onlv
when he moves, subject entirely to his will,
the reflection Of his opinions, the mouth piece
of his dogmas theological, mercantile, moral.
and political. Every mar should, according
10 the doctrine Of this school, be in his own
house, absolute, "Sir Oracle" and the wife
or the daughter who dares to dissent, to
question, or to differ, !orfeits her allegiance,
and unsexes herself. A pretty province
this, really, far Heavens last gift to man.
Adam had been better complimented with
the present of a : dumb waiter"
Quite as absurd, and quite as impracticable
is the theory Of the opposite school. Accor-
ding to the reforners of this class-more
clamorouS than the other, because more re.
cent IN origin, and more directly engaged in
proselytiSm-all distinction in position, be-
tween the two sexes, should at once be eE
faced. Woman should be admitted to her
place in the elective. legislative, and even
the executive duties of citizens. We are
not sure that, carried out, the principles of
these philosophers would not entitle d wo-
man to the privilege Of a hangman's office
even, did she covet it. All distinctions in
society, founded on the mere difference in
sex, should be abolished. Women should par
,icipate in all the public cares and duties ofci-
tlzens. Our pulpit, our forum, our tribunals.
our armies, our navies, should be thrown
open alike to all human beings, under a de.
cree of " universal emancipation" Strange
as it NAV seem, there have even been som
female advocates for this entire revolution,
this" abolition of female slavery" To
the credit of the discrimination of the other
sex, such women have usually remained sim
gle, or have at best found husbands as crazy
in fanaticism as themselves.
Between these extremes, common sense
leads such women as possess IT, to choose a
mean, and we are paying no mere compli-
ment to our far countrywomen, when we give
them, generally. credit for both understand
ing and accomplishing what is reasonably ex-
pected of them in all ranks and positions ia
life. Still, we cannot help thinking that the
reaction which is now going on, against the
sublimated nonsense of female perfectionists
is going too far and that the shrinking deli
cacy which makes part Of every true wo-
mans character, is leading to the concession
Of too much. Disguised with the examples
Of bold and shameless impudence which have
been offered by certain female advocates for
the eduality Of the sexes, many very fine
and sensitive minds are running into The 9TH
er extreme; and putting themselves too COM
pletely under p~upilage and into %insignifi.
canoe. They are beautiful and lovelv-and
so is the modest lily. But the lily, though
poets have exhausted their measured rhapso-
dies upon it, ~ddnduSem, is useless. Women
may emulate all its desirable properties; but
we should hardly desire to find them copying
insigniicance and insipidity as virtues.
We hold that women have brains /; and,
after the derogatory declarations which the
forwardness and impertinence of some their
sex have provoked from some of ours, women
must allow that our concession shows much
magnanimity. Granting them brains, we
conceive that some use of that organ for
multitude Of organs, according to modern phi
losophy) is not only permitted to them, but ex-
pected. If it was wrong to wrap up talents
in a napkin, it is certainly wrong to wrap
them up to rust in a couture, however fash |
ionable or elegant. Ladies' heads were de.
signed for something more than bonnet
blocks, or they would have been made of
wool. Woman's mind was intended for
something more than the direction of her
own personal adornment, else might the in
stlnct Of the mere animal have answered.
Tho proud and beautiful bird, who guards and