Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1840-01-28

II
man. IN which she must ,be contemplated be-
fore her all.controlling influence IN society can
be duly appreciated, especially her power of
dong good. There is no need nova. DAYS n
talk Of her talents, nor OF her susceptibillies n
me most polished intellectual and moral cul.
lure. These are no longer matters Of doubt
III dlsputahon Notwithstanding the defects
~ her education, and, till recently, they were
neither few nor small she has not merely
occasionally but ID fact often, astonished, da1.
zleds delighted Us with the rich and varied re-
sources Of her genius, the splendid efforts Of
her understanding the finished productions Of
her taste. She has gathered laurels on Mount
Parnassus, and wreaths Of flowers on Mount
Helicon. She has sat IA the cells ofthe philos-
ophers, and walked ID the groves of the acade-
mics, and strewed all her paths with flowers of
the sweetest orders, and Of the most beauteous
tints.
We ne ed not 20 back to the DAYS ofan AS.
pasta whose genius IN poetry and romance So
crates himself with alihis philosophic gravity.
could not but admire nor to the time oe San.
pho, the poetess Of Mytellene, almost coeval
with Rome, whose delicious effusians and rich
" varied odes obtained for her the honors Of
the tenth muse. Nor need we can up the me-
mory of Corinna, and her fifty books of epi-
grams, to shew what gifts Pallas, Apollo. and
Mercury have bestowed on woman. Our own
times alike removed from the ages of super-
siition and romance, furnish clearer, more stri-
king, richer and more varied examples, not
merely other power toaitainments in general
literature, science and in thetine arts OF poetry
music, painting, and of living well.
need not speak of the celebrity of Miss
Edgeworth, as writer Of moral tales, of Miss
Baihe as tragedian, of Madame Stael as a
miscellaneous writer of much wit and vivacity,
of Miss Martinau as a tourist, of Mrs Bowdler
as a moralist, and of Miss SedgwiclS as a NOR
al instructor. These are not our best models
offemale excellence even in the didactic art
Nor need refer to the celebrity of Airs. He
mans, now commensurate with English litera-
ture, nor to that of Mrs. Sigourney commensu-
rate with our own, nor to the miscellaneous
and moral productions of Miss Hannah Moore
OR Miss Beecher, all excellent mtheir kind.
hese are becoming as familiar IN our country
as weekly visitors of household words. They
indeed are all honorable vouchers of what wo-
man might be, under more phiIosophic, ra-
tional and moral system of education and to-
gether with thousand names of equal renown
shew that the female mind only needs the pro-
per appliances of good education to shine with
lustre, on a general scale, transcend;ng far
the humble standards fixed Tor it in ages, we
hope forever past.
But the four cardinal points in woman are
quite Of different category from that oftalents
and susceptibllities. These are the points of
mighty influence from which she radiates her
powers over the world, They are those of
daughter, sister, lojfe and mother. A woman
Is first daughter then sistcr--then wife
and then mother; and under these potent
and enchanting names, she exercises all her
Transforming influence ON human destiny.
AS daughter, she reacts on her parents,
she opens new springs of pleasure IN their
hearts, new hopes, new joys, new fears, which
have mystic influence over their characters
either in subduing their spirits to moral infiu-
ences, or in stimulating their career in the
paths of pride, avarice and ambition.
As a sister, she either softens, subdues mol
ifies and polishes the manners of her brothers,
or she excites them to deeds of chivalrous dar-
ing, to bold adventures in the ways of false
pride, false shame, false honor. 1t has been
sometimes observed by those who attend more
philosophically to what passes under their OBJ
servation, that it is always misfortune to
brotherhood to have no sister IN the family
Suchpersons are generally more rude, more
awkward, more unpublished, more uncivilized,
in their modes and manners, than, all things
else being equal, those fraternities are, that en-
Joy the communion of sisters,
!" Whose company has harmonized mankind,
Soflened the rude and Gained the boisterous
mind"
AS a icite, when properly educated, her pow
err is not to be computed. The weaker vessel
though she may be, in all that appertains to
mere intellectual power, yetin the department
of feeling, sensItiveness, promptness, decision,
tenderness of affection, and self-denied devo-
ton to her husband, she is generally his supe-
pior. Her counsels, If not uniformly infalh-
bic, are always sincere and cordial. Her mo-
4 es can never be suspected though her wis
dom may; one, too, so intimately acquainted
with his weak as well as his strong side, (for
most husbands have two sides,) cannot fail to
obtain incalculable ascendency. There is no
covenant like the nuptial covenant, no copart-
merry like the oneness of the matrimonial con-
tract. It is the identification of all the tempo
ralities of two persons for life, an amalgamation
of natural interests which places the parties in
position supremacy TO influence one another
But the recondIte secret of a wife's power Is
only found in the superiority of her love-
She conquers and reigns only by love. There.
fore in the ratio of her affections, and her good
sense must ever be her ascendency.
AS mother, however, her power is pala-
mount. On that throne she is supreme. The
whole worlds in her hands, in her arms, in
her bosom, while she is entrusted with the
moulding ofihe soft clay of humanity, and for
ming it after her own image. The discreet
and affectionate mother lives forever in the
heart other children. They never can throw
Oft all Their allegiance to her-nor rise above
her sovereign sway, ifindeed she only knows
how to weld that potent sceptre which the
God of nature GAS put into her hands.
i believe there never was man both coed
and great--that adorned with brilliant virtues
our fallen race, that did not owe it to his mo-
Their. Her wisdom, her pIety, her example led
him into the straight paths of true wisdom,
goodness and greatness, else his feet bad not
found them. So true it is, that ifa child be
brought up in the way that he should 90, he
will not in advanced years desert it, that it be-
came proyerb in Israel three thousand years
ago. And who can find in the annals of an
Gent or modern biography an exception to It,
--or a person Of distinguished excellence who
I had not an excellent mother!
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Just the point
| in which we can demonstrate women's power
to do good in society. doubt not you were
disappointed when was instancing, by some
names illustrious in history, her power in doing
evil, that did not at least balance the account
4 by giving more bright examples of her power
to bless and to do 2 ID, The reason you viii
soon discover is, i was not then IN the proper
place to find such examples. Woman was not
made to found cities and empires, to command