New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-03-05
For The Tribune.
WOMAN AND Her NEEDS.
By Z. CAKES SMITH.

WOMAN AND HER NEEDS.
NoV1 By Z. CAKES SMITH.
1t 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
ileees. dignities, immunties 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, it was
the design of God she should walk
Far from it, we find her in a false position; we
find her treated in law as child and an IDIOT
we find public opinion leading and led by the law
regarding her very much in this light We find her
looking for position in life, not through her own
intrinsic worthiness, her own beauty, Gods
great patent for consideration, but through mar
risge, by which she becomes reflex Of the glory
of another, or recipient of all his meanneSs de-
basement and diggrace. Were she trained to the
exercise of that forecast and judgment required
for the proper ordering of business arrangements,
she would look to marriage as 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 sacred de-
post, offerings without blemsh upon pure altar.
Love is its own great lawgiver, holding his char
ter from the source of its own being-it learns
nothing from interest, nothing from conventional
lam it is or it is not and were women allowed
to separate this part of their nature from all
motives of calculation, there would be infinitely
less disorder in the world.
And here let me remark, that in my last twice
used the word barter-a coarse one, indeed, bat
- 10 6 tba nj
iustify-and in both cases the printer changed it
to foster, making utter nonsense of the sentence.
Battered affections, which a marriage of inter
est implies is one and bad thing fostered adec
TONS beautiful
Now in a true state of society, we believe a
woman would never be associated either with
labor or its result-property it would be enough
for her TO be beautfu-tostan as living grace
a link between man and heaven. She would be
TO 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
sensueus, and yet touching cord In the soul that
yibrates in heaven only, having no nerve for its
expression here She would have the passive
mesa Of the Mary of Annunciation, but then so
filed with the divine sentiments of chastity love-
and all grace, that the sOftened rays of the Infinite
should tremble through her existence. But asyet
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
is the Martha careful for many things, not the
Mary at the Masters feet, not the Mary who "sst
still in the house" till the Divine voice called her
forth.
They also who only stand and watt
bat provident Tabithas, fruitful in household gar
ments and ministering as best they may to mani
fold human needs.
So be it in the way to progress. II she must
l. H. all
y, for the bread that perisheth," for a name and
an honor amongst men but in the name Of truth
in the name of purity IN Gods name, let her not
compromise her affections, let her not desecrate
that part Of her nature which is compounded OF
God himself Love, to these unhaowed consd-
eratons-in other words, let her not be trained to
marry but trained TO live, and TO live faithful 70
the laws OF her own inmost being. Let her marry
or not marry according as the voice Of her own
soul shall dictate, and let il cease 10 be part Of
human history that women are transferred from
the sanctity Of paternal tenderness TO a new
bearthstone, upon the same principle as farm or
sn estate is transferred. Let the fact so die out
ofhuln an records, that romance writer would no
more dare 10 outrage pure sentiment and sound
morals by celnestiug an unnatural father
or hard guardian as counter ancing, far less
compelling, marriages OF interest. Let the
time come when neither man nor woman
would have the hardihood 10 face public SEN
il comely for a womans pen, much, very much
night be said, most scor.hiDgly said, upon this
ground Women, could they perceive analogies,
did they diyest themselves Of the apathy Of smooth
common plscsm md seehow their position secured
by interest unssnctifed by any higher motive is
IN name only separated from that Of the most de.
graded OF the and more than this may in
the eyes OF Infinite purity and love be tenfold
more culpabe and degrading, even as the afIlu.
ence OF affection warranted the forgiveness Of q
Magdsler-did they see all this fully, truly, and
in their inmost souls, they would blush at what
now may be a source of pride 10 them. The law
may make that respectable, which, seen 10 an ab-
sract shape, would be.quite the reverse There
is law OF God implanted in the human heart,
direct and binding, upright before the tortuous.
ness Of inventions ; and there is the law of
man. growing up from human needs, created by
human lgs and God be Judge which is the
more binding We call Sophoces, heather, and
yet he makes Antigone TO say,
Nor eoud ever think
nUfial law Of power or strength sufficient
80 sbrOgEte the unwTiuen law. divine
Iuuutnble. eternal not IA those
OF yesterday, bui made ere time began.
FraBkIizs SopA
Now she who voluntarily violates any Law 70
which she has yielded her consent IS oalpable;
tnd she who knox ingly violates the great "a = of
her OF being is doubly 60. Ia SAY ing this | do
nos sttsck existing relations; ] protest Oaly