New-York daily tribune., 1849-02-24
Lecture on Woman.

Mr. DANA delivered the second part Of his lee
ture on Womsn before numerous audience in the
Chapel of the University las, night He alluded TO the
elements which in the early days OF poetry formed the
poet and the dramatst The characters which grew
under their pens were the ideal OF the actual existing
around them lie contra.ed their writings with those
Of our day and said while their style was characterized
for its likeness to nature repete with self
complscency We belong, said he 10 ridlculOusly
selfcomplacent age II seems hardly possible that in
the age of shskspeare there could have been found
woman who loved In such way to act upeu the
ion his genius and him order of beings
of such native loveness whose tears fall like curs from
face of sorrow Yet such beings of those days aud be
fore must have existed this end she not a
mere block chseled by hIs hand 10 her beauty there
was 6delity and there was love. We find, said Mr.. D.
the women Of Shakespeare giving terms TO their afec.
ton with freedom that would star,e The conclu-
sion must TO IS that that freedom belonged %
the times-the poet only gave the ideal OF that which
existed In the actual life. In Shakespeare words
used by the most pleasing female characters which
would be allowed read in tbs presence of females
and II man were 10 make use OF them in company at
the present day he would De bsnshed from respectable
society Another part and the hardest 10 explain s the
mixing Of absolute cOarseness of conversation with
thought pure II We reconcile the other parts
is there in this last contradiction In character
and has not the poet put together what OF
incOngruires The poet the general representa-
tive of bis and psst times bis seeming incCngrui-
ties do rise from bis mind but have their gin
In Nature and TO be reconciei 10 fact by thou gh
fol study Of Nature herself He spoke 10 pursuance Of
this Of the sudden transitions that take place in the
character OF people when the strctest external
modesiy Is preserved.
How thoroughly. said the lecturer, were shakspeares
women women and nothing else, and though differn
from each other always women. Nothing he said was
subduing 10 the heart Of man than the love Of
woman whether child, daughter wife nothing is
subduinE 20 the soul OF man than the words my
daughter WHAT 10 90 peculiar IN the character Of Des
demonAs love 10 owing 10 that love being formed by
the purity OF her nature, tor had she been less Of
woman In Der original constitution. there would no,
have been those perfect developments Of the woman
The is conscious OF the sense OF the beautiful
IN woman which woman N herseh can never discover.
The spiritual beauty peculiar 20 woman 10 stranger
tar her knOvledge of tits corcernet-there would
be too much displayed In the love OF H. II trace
Desdemona through ner love, nothing strikes Us so
much as her trust her conhdng disposition and her
forgiving temper. With ~omsn's dignity under all
her sorrow she could believe herself suspected. be
she had nothing In Der deserving OF suspicon-s
dignity that moves pity. She wsss true woman,
acting according 10 the sacred relations OF wife %
husband for she that while In the hizht OF rage
and torn with passion Ike womans tears fell
from him--Nr Dana introduced during the course Of
his lecture quotations from "Otheo' descriptive Of
the character OF DssdemOps