New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-10-17

act, upon the vital Interests OF humanity involved in
the issue Even to those EhO DO no, enter the open
arena 10 30 battle for against the hight the gre y
que StlOn IS presented for decisiOn and us relations
TO all The interests Of life are felt TO be so intimate
and so urgent, tina. neutrality is made impossible
Men see tnat, whatever Is deepest IN the principles
OF progress 4nd reform, necessarily involves It, and
that II l. not mere voluntary or sratutouS conro
yerSy. but spontaneous md inevitable force which
deaS not, nor turns aside 10 dispute or vltuperate
but works on, and. working, vii fulfill is mission
ard achieve Us purpose.
The participation Of the pulpi, We have not no.
Eced III our orlef illusions 10 the agencies III the
field of this conflict bu; II has not been altogether
silent. W ltA commemorate heeAty e. Truth, some OF
our clergy have been pleading for Justice aud equi-
ty. Others have been put upon the defense OF things
as theY are The securities OF an established order
are essential to then position and standing. With
them It IS an instinct that their interests safe
only so long as all things remain as they were since
the fathers Tell asleep" and they guard the worlds
slumJers as carefully watch the repose OF
the SICK But We should not m all cases suspect o!
lmpeach tnelT motlYeS-lt IS natural that old ideas
and habits should survive the condition Of things
which produced them, a. the shadows OF night Sill
hang over the valleys when The hllltCps alrc adv
glowing r ile early beams OF the morning sun.
!. Among the signs Of hopeful change Is me prevail
ING inquiry whether a the opportunities OF Indus
ira occupation and It's Just emouments are afforded
10 Nohldu' Whlch they have arsht ~ expect AMI q
q natural consequence Of such inquiry more gcner
Gus spirit IS manifested ia this direction. Since the
first NCmans Rights Convention was held. the doors
OF reftidl MEDICAL AOit yes nave opened VIII a
welcome TO the l0ng-eXciuced sex. others have been
established for Women exclusively some of them
IN special departments of the healing art and are al
least covering The whole ground OF general science
with a complete faculty and chartered pO werS. and
still another IN which Women are teachers, THIS
ne phase Of affairs has made It's impression upon
the minds of The profession, ami tue general comnu-
nifty and has already MCu-ulgA su0lued all OppjSi-
ton and resistance except The very tenacious repug-
nance of an alarmed monopoly. Two years ago the
idea OF female physicians frightened the mob whrh
takes care OF the worlds morals and manners from
their pTOprlciy. But now u l. beginning - be icit
and owned that Il Is no less decent and delicate 20
prescribe for theUI 10 nurse the sick. and quite
feminine 90 practice medicine. as 20 be the helpless
subjects and victims II that practice. All this is
clear gam, ana the pledge OF >ll better aud higher
things
cannot nov give deserved consideration 20 au
the gains aui indications of progress, but must moi
wholly overlook the schools of Design opened for
Women in Philate pha and Boston. and Il may be
else here for this reform looks If 1t poured
out upon the nation and every day adds to It's
trumphS.
This new and rich held of enterprise 50 lately
opened, tby a Woman, IN itself the discovery OF
new ORD, or the Liberation OF an Old one to Nomen.
Artistic education, appropriate, beautiful and LIBERAL
IN ITS whole character and acton aS weliaS alrlyre-
muneratlve Il pecunaly compensation, Is thus added
to the opportunities OF classic culture IN literature,
and a very few endowed institutions for Women are
growing up beside the hundreds of colleges where
men are provided with gratuitouS education, At the
public expense. This Is great thing as well as "a
new thing, and when Conservatism has got done
wondering, At the hrst outbreak of generosity
to the sex. perhaps It viii begin TO wonder at the
bigOtCd and cruel injustice which so long withheld
the right Education IN the arts OF ceslgn opens
upon US like new beam OF promise. All Women
qualified fOr anv OF its varied departments, whose
hands are now hanging down IN despair, Will md
here profitable and adapted employ ment. Inc limits
Of WOmans ambition and aspiration is enlarged
the grating OF her prison windows widen, and ief IN
a broader light, and another choice Is afforded to re-
lieve the mOnOtouy and repugnance of her hitherto
servle and restricted range of industrial pursuits.
II year or two Of our history registers such ad-
vancemeutS as these what Will not the quck'comlng
future bring with it The eyes that watched tear
fully for the first FAINT beams Of this light shall yet
be filed with the brightness Gifts consummae glory.
The success which has thus far crowned our labor
may well establish our faith, and renew our hope,
ard confirm our zeal In this spirit let Us address
ourselves to the duties that are before Us.
Letters were read to the Convention from Eliza
beth Brown of Brattleboro, Vermont Sarah Tyn-
dale, of Philadelphia; Or. Mosely, OF the Female
Medical College of Pennsylvania Harriet Mar
tineau, of England Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry
Ward Beeoher, and Horace Mann. The following
is the letter of Harriet Martlneau
Letter from Harr,et Mort,neop.
CBoNER, England Aug 3, 1851.
Ny DEAR MADAM / beg to thank you heartily for
your kindness IN sending me the Report OF the Pro-
ceediDgS Of your WomanS Rights Convention" |
had gathered what could from the newspapers con
coming 1t. but was gratlfed at being able to read,
in collected FORM addresses so full of earnestnes.
and sound truth as | found most OF the speeches to
be. hope YOU are aware OF the interest excited In
thiS country by that Convention the strongest proof
OF which is the appearance of an article on the sub
lect IN The Westminster ReTer for July as thorough
gong as any Of your addresses and from the pen
at least Is understood here of one OF our very
first men-Mr. John 5. Mill. 1 am not without hope
that this article viii materially strengthen your
hands and am sure 1t cannot but cheer your hearts
As for me my thoughts and best wishes will be with
you when YOU meet IN October cannot accept your
hearty invitation to attend your Convention, as my
home duties VIII not allow of my leaving my own
country But you may be assured Of my warm and
unT6 siricttd sympathy Ever since became cala-
bic of thinking for my self have clearly seon-anI
have said It TIL my listeners and readers prO5t-
Div tired of hearing it-that there can be but one
true method IN the TIRE atment OF edchhum being. OF
either SEX OF any color, and under any outward CIR
cumstancesto ascertain what are the powers of that
beng. to cultivate them 20 the utmost, ana hen 10
see what action they will find for themselves THIS
has probably never been done ormen, unless IN some
rare individual eases IL has certainly never been
done for women and, TIL II Is done all debating
aoout what wcnan's intellect is-ali speculation or
Law ing down the law, as to what IS womans sphere
is a mere beating Of the air. pri0rl conceptions
have long been found worthless Ia physical science
and nothing was really effected TIL the experimental
method was clearly made out and strictly applied IN
practice, and the same principle holds most certain
IL through the whole range OF Moral Science
Whether We regard the physical fact OF what women
are able 20 DO the moral fact OF what ought
to d. II is equally necessary to abstain from making
any decision prior to experiment. We see plainly
enough the waste Of time and thought among the
men who once talked OF Nature aOhOIrlng vacuum,
or oisputed al great length as to whether angels
could 90 from end to END without passing through
the middle and the DAY Will come when II Will ap.
near to be no less absurd 10 have argued, and
women are arguing now, about what women ought
TO do before Il was ascertalned what woman can do
Let US once see hundred women educated up 10
the highes. point that education at present reaches
y nlIaa1x 1el knI LODI fhAIF
faculties are found 10 crave and let them be free
use amply and increase their knowledge Their IA
cultes shall nStleate, and It VIII presently appear
what Is the sphere Of each Of the hundred. One may
he discovering comets, ike Miss Herschel one may
be l,ylng open the mathematical structure OF the
universe like Mrs SomeTylIle another may be ana
living the chemlcaTelaonS OF Nature IN the laoora.
ton another may be penetrating the mysteries OF
ubySology others may be applying Science II the
healing OF diseases others may be investigating the
laws Of social relations. learning the great natural