Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1844-04-04
THURSDAY MORNING. APRIL 4, 1874.
WOAAN'S MISSION.

never read il; but we have our opinion
os to what ts contents ought to be, and 0
this We shall give summary.
In treating Of the mission of Woman
we shall omit sll notices, further than tn,
present, o. washing, ironing, baking, brew
ing, frying, stewing, roasting, boiling
securing, scrubbing, CRATE cleaning, turn
ing the mang!e, (though that, perhaps
is as often Mans mission as 1t is Woman ::
mission, selling apples, and carrying fish
because, albeit these things are the mis-
sons of some women; they are not BY
any means that OF Woman, considered al
tina, charming, smiling, bewiching, fasci
mating abstraction, which the term will
suggest to the reader.
| The mission OF Woman. as we under
stand Woman, though some people may
doubt whether anybody understands Wo'
man, is Two fold. Some great philosopher
we forget whom-observe that il resem-
bles that of candestick; Woman, like
that piece of furniture, being destined foI
utility and ornament. But perhaps Wo.
man is rather like the candle than the
lCduultSllCh, ouc UciHS uhlNcisuliy duibit'
ted to be the light Of life. On which poin
the profoundest sages, inclusive, we be.
lieve of "the wisest man the world e'el
saw" are agreed; as likewise are all the
poets, with the exception of Euripdes
and Juvenal.
The Ehysical conformation Of woman
is admirably adapted for certsin purposes
OF utility, for which the clumser sex is
disqualified. When we consider the le
male hand, we observe that it is furnish
ed with peculiarly delicate and taper fin.
gers; thus exhibiting an admirable provis.
ION OF Nature for darnIng the stocking
pleasing task!-and for hemming the
pocket-handkerchef. The female middle
finger will be seen, on examination, tc
have been especially fashioned for the
thimble; for, though an implement of that
name is used by the tailor, is quite anoth
er thing. 1t is opened at both ends, and
wants the elegantly conical form, which
is characteristic of that Of the seamstress,
To replace the shirt button of the iath.
er,-the broiher,--,he husbaDd-whlch
has come off in putting on the vestment;
10 bid the variegated texture OF the
morning slipper or the wastcoat grow up
on the Berlin wool: to repair the breach
that incautious haste in dressing his crea.
ted in the coat or the trousers, which there
is no time TO send out to be mended-are
the special Offices of woman; offices for
which her digilaI mechanism has singu
Iary fitted her: and without her, wha,
should we do for their performance?
In the ornamental, no less than the use
full capacity of woman, the conformation
OF her hand is of singular service. Its
peculiar capabilities of touching the ivory
for the piano, and the piano was made iol
woman.
The immortal Milton, in his lovely po-
EN- "L'Allegro," sings with much feeling
oft the 'savoury dinner" of
"herbs and other county messes,
Which the neat-hsnded Phyllis dresses"
The neatness, therefore, of the hand oil
woman is evidently, in the bard's opinion,
a qualification for culinary proficiency;
and to this, though we may not owe the
brisket or the siroin (the Phyllis Of the
kitchen being generally the reverse Of
neat-handed.) we are certainly indie Ted
for the tart. What but female ingenuity
could produce the fairy like trellis work
which decorates the subjacent jam?-The
junket, the omelette, the syllabub, the
jelly, are incest when the handywork OF
woman. Man may brew; bat who. save
woman, can make teal And who has not
felt the difference between the go of grog
which the waiter has brought at his call;
and the sweeter alchoholic mixture which
has been mixed by the spoon of Beauty
Woman's mission, in short, is 10 make
herself as useful and agreeable TO man as
possible. The writer Of the book, whose
title has formed The subject of these re.
marks, has perhaps included among her
duties those of setting little boys and girls
good example, and teaching them their
alphabet. If not, he-or she-has been
guilty of an omission. Whether the said
writer considers the study Of metaphysics
or geology to be involved liz Woman's
Mission or not, we DO not know; but we
would not recommend ladies' TO be- wedd q
TO those pursuits who contemplate any
other kind Of wedding .-Punch.