The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1851-10-25
RisAt. ana vvoman,s Gission.


wsman's RigAts and woman,s Mission.
Uluaisms multiply around us SO rapidly that we
make but infrequent nos Of them. They come
and go. They live out their brief day and die.
They are butmsre undulations upon the current
the times, and when we seek to take note of their
body and form, they have suddenly sunk out Of
sight, and . new ultraism succeeds, to have tho
same short-lived existence. But, occasionally,
there 10 striking FEATURE salient point. in these
ultraisms tsuch as Miss Mariinsau's letter, which
we publish to-day which repsys q moments no.
tice and reflection. v
This letter of Miss Martineau, lady of singular
views but great genius, ofIen some solid matter
for reflection and suggests some wholesome truths.
We are no believer in what are called women's
rights, and cannot, for the life Of US, see where and
how, in this country, and the nineteenth century,
the ladies are oppressed. Set apart from the rude
struggles of business life. sacredly protected from
the dangers Of military service, and recognized Is
the special objects Of the most delicate couesies,
we had thought them peculiarly privileged. We
had seen no necessity for Women's Rights Con.
vsntions, and had looked upon them a. very gross
humbugs.
We cannot see what is sought by them, that
reasonable or sensitive ladies' would approve. A
lady Colonel Of Militia, lady candidate for Con-
gress, lady orator upon the hastings, lady
soldier in the ranks lady broker busiy futiering
her dress upon Change, a lady blacksmith, lady
fisherman, a lady lawyer, are things of which we
have no conception, except as objects of aversion
and disgust.
The assumption of the characters we have des.
ignated, or indeed, the engagement in any of the
present occupations of men, would force them to
carry into their homes all the dust. anger, conten
tons, schemes, impotence of busy life. The calm
of home would be thing Of tradition, the echo OF
| trade and busy labor would invade its quiet, and
all it's graceful elegance and carefully supplied
comforts would be lost irrevocably.
Who would nurse the babies whilst lady soldier
drilled lady lawyer pleaded lady orator harangued
and lady candidates canvassed. Who would see
that dinner, nice and warm, was promptly ready
if Mrs. Jones went on Change, and an hour before
dinner, was in danger of protest. Who would
mend young Hopefuls torn clothes, wash his face
and send hin to school The idea is preposterous
and already, in its hateful light, we have vision,
of uncared for children, households cheerless and
in utter confusion, and, worse than all this, ladie,
Idust-begrimmed and calculating cent per cent
And then, female candidate. That would b,
delightful curiosity. Eyes, lips, hair, complex
ion and styles Of beauty, not principles would b,
compared, then, and the fair candidate would b,
involved in 80 many impossible promises, tina
she would seek precipitate escape in domesti,
bliss.
Miss Martneau appears to have an idea tina
woman's appearance at the polls or in legisla
tive hall would be inappropriate for, this favorit
idea Of the ultraists she addresses is not evel
noticed by her. She speaks (and not untruly
Of the insuficiency and ineficiency of our modsr
system Of female education. Than this, it i
generally conceded, nothing could be more ne
gative in practice. 1t il directed almost exclu
sively to ornament and show and to maxim
L
tie useful as parlor vases and Of habits of though
no more solid and lasting than the gilded an
nuals upon tho centre table. 1t makes no pre
tension to teaching what may be useful in tn
practical duties Of life; and, in the words of a
eminent divine, female education begins when tn
Academy" has been departed from. Here
one Of womsn1s wrongs about which there cannt
be much dispute.
But the remedy, it strikes us, does not lie i
amusingly solemn conventions, or vehement fem
mime defamation. 1t lis in the hands of womer
if they chose, even without adopting Miss Maj
tineaus proposition, to experiment on the intel
lect of a hundred young ladies. Every lady ca
experiment upon herself, and if she gather an
really useful or practical knowledge, there wi
be certain opportunity to employ it. OF the ca
pacity of the female mind being fully equal
that of the masculine mind, there has never bee
serious question, and the demonstration of tn
proposition would be q waste of time.
The real, practical wrong of woman grows OF
of the defective and insubstantial system of e
male education, and il exposed by Miss Mart
neau, when she says that it is not calculated
issue in any action. That ia true. The fault
in the system. and the system is in the hands {
the sex. The system neither teaches househol
duties, nor developes one practical talent whic
will command bread and raiment. It CAREFUL
educates females into habits which preclude actor
and, as consequence, there is scarcely one branc
Of regular and compromising employment open
them. In nine cases out Of ten, if fathers, brt
theirs, or husbands do not live to supper, then
they must starve or enter upon that fearful patti
thronged with hideous horrors, and leading
infamy and suffering, which we may not mention
This il a social wrong-a wrong growing out Of
false system, which can and should be remedie,
The ivy around the oak, or leaning upon the wal
Is the srite poetical, but Mechanically truthful
illustration of woman's relation to man. If Ii
oak be cut down, il the wall fall, the vine, unab
to sustain itself, is dragged down with the ruin
and wilhers away.
But these Woman's Rights Conventionists, lii
oil ulraiss, lose sight of the real evils they shou
, seek to remedy, and imagine others which the
, cannot touch. It has been so ordered that woma
should have charge of the home, be the nurse
the young, the watchfal guardian of her chdre
ms law OF circumstances, in the very nature
! things has held good in every age and land, an
I will hold good SO long as women are mothers.