New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-03-04
For The Tribune.
WOMAN AND HER NEEDS.
BY L. OAKEs SMITH.

It may be thought, in claiming the right Of pro.
ductive labor for women, the right to hold and
accumulate property, and the right in its priv
ileges, dignities immunities from coercion and
pettiness, wish TO remove her from that sphere
of grace and beauty in which it is evident, from
her organization, both of mind and body, 1t was
the design of God she should walk.
Far from it, W. find her in false position; we
find her treated in law as q child and an IDIOT
We find pc bic opinion leading and led by the law
regarding her very much in this light we find her
looking for a position in life, not through her own
intrinsic wortbiness, her own beauty, Gods
great patent for consideration, but through mar.
rage, by which she becomes a reflex of the glory
of another, or a recipient Of all his meanness, de-
basement and disgrace. Were she trained to the
exercise of that forecast and judgment required
for the proper ordering of business arrangements
she would look TO marriage rs the most sacred
and beautiful climax Of her existence, and not as
to settlement In life by which she was TO secure
position. Her affections would be a sacred de-
post, offerings without blemish upon pure altar
Love is it's own great lawgiver, holding his char
ter from the source of it's own being-it learns
nothing from interest, nothing from conventional
ism: it is or it is not; and were women allowed
to separate this part Of their nature from ali
natives of calculation, there would be infinitely
less disorder in the world.
Ard here let me remark, that in my last twice
used the word 'barter-a coarse one, indeed, bat
the only one which the nature OF the case would
iustify-and in both cases the printer changed it
10 'foster,' making utter nonsense of the sentence
n. , = 80 ,kar
est implies is one and bad thing fostered alice
tons, beautiful!
Now in a true state of -ociety we believe a
woman would never be- associated either with
labor or its resuit-prOperty lt would be enough
for her to be beautiiul-to stand as living grace
a link between man and heaven. She would be
10 the world that last note OF music, so exquisite
touching and holy that 1t dies away In the narrow
isthmus between a smile and sigh-lost TO the
sepsuous, and yet touching cord In the soul that
yibrates in heaven only, having no nerve Tor Its
expression here She would have the passive
ness Of the Mary of Annunciatlon, bat then so
filed with the divine sentiments OF chastity, love-
and all grace that the soitened rays OF the Infinite
should tremble through her existence. But yet
she has not entered into this pleasant rest prom
ised TO the people of God; as yet she is hardly
recognized in the new testimony OF Jesus She
il the NJ srtha careful for many things, not the
Mary at the Masters feet, not the Mary who sat
SLlll IN tue INN9S Sist Wv %A'-NS 'SANS $4,000 -N-
forth. ,r.,,.,
bat provident Tabthss, fruitful in housen,u
ments, and II mastering as best they may to MAJ.
fold human needs.
So be it in the way to progress If she must
toll let her do So noby, Systematically, patient
w. for the " bread that perlsheth,' Tor name ana
an honor amongst men; bat IN the name Of trutni
in the name of purity, In Gods name, let her not
cnmpromise her afie ctions let her not desecrate
that part Of her nature which is compounded OF
God himself Love. 70 these unhallowed consid-
eratious-n other words let her not be trained to
marry but trained to live, and TO live faithful to
the laws of her own Utmost being Let her marry
or not marry, according the voice of her own
soul thal dictate and let IL cease TO be part OF
human history that women are transferred from
the saDctity of paterDal tenderness TO new
bearthstone upon the same principle as farm or
an estate is transferred. Let the fact so die out
ofhumsn records that romance writer would no
more dare 10 outrage pure sentiment and sound
morals by oelineatiug an unnatural father
or hard guardian as countenancing, far less
con pelliBs, marriages OF interest. Let the
time come when neither man nor woman
would have the hardwood to face public SEN
tineut by alliances so cosrsely based. Were
it comey for a wOman's pen, much, very much
might be said, most scOrshingly SAID, upon thus
ground Women. could they perceive anaogies,
did they divest themselves OF the apathy OF smooth
common paclsm, and Sc now tner POSITION secured
by interest unsaDctfed by any higher motive, is
in name only separated from that of the most de-
grAded OF the sex and, more than this may In
the eyes Of infinite purity and love be teniold
more culpable and degrading, even as the athd'
ence of sffection warranted the forgiveness OF a
MasdAleu-did they see all this fully truly, and
in their inmost souls, they would blush at what
now may be 4 source of pride to them. The law
IL sy make that respectable which, seen In an alb
s,ract shape, would be.qulte the reverse. There
IS law OF God implanted in the human heart
d,rt CT and binding, upright before the tortuous
mes, Of inventions" and there is the law Of
man growing up from human needs, created by
human wrongs, aud God be judge which IS the
more binding. We call Sophocles, heather, and
Yet be makes AntigOne TO say,
Nor eou a | ever think
A moriGl Jaw 81 power or strength sufficient
TO sbroeate the unwTiuen law. divine
IumutHble eternal not hkeihose
OF yesterday, but made ere time began 49, O..
Now she who voluntarily violates any Law 10
which she has YIELDED her consent is culpaolei