Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1852-08-07
Italian Women,

MISS ElroN, young Enlsh lady, is the
author of two entertaining volumes, entitled
Rome in the Nineteenth Century" from
which we copy the following melancholy
account of the condition and. character OF
Italian women: - Home journal.
Generally speaking, the fair Italians nre
certainly not women of cultivated minds, or
fine ACCOMPLISHMENTS. They are occupied
with pursuits of the most pucrlle vanity;
they carry their passion for dress TO the most
ruinous extravaganza, aud are victims of
languor, Incidence, aud cnnui. The Ncapo-
Titan ladies are more addicted TO gambling
than the Romans; though thcro are some
here entirely given up to it, aud on whose
cuuntcnances read, n, the nightly faro table,
the deadly passion of their souls.
The Italian ladies scarcely ever nurse their
children, or attend TO their education. The
boys are Instructed at home by some domos-
tic chaplain, or placed in public scnlinnries.
The girls are either brought up at home,
where they have 10 proper goyerncss-nnd
their mothers are seldom qualified, aud still
more rarely disposed, to fulfil the ofiicc-or
else they are educated in converts 10y nuns,
who are too often ignorant, preiudiccd, and
bigoicd, aud perhaps less fitted for the i'm
pnrtant task OF forming the female character
Than any other class of women: they escape
f.om this gloomy prison TO the world, with
ont having formed taste for any rational
pursuits of domestic pleasures; ARE married
to some man chosen for them by their parents,
ard to whom they must consequently bc in
differentiated what better can be expected
from them?
The exclusion Of young unmarried women
from society in this country, deprycs it of
one of its greatest charms. am ready, in
deed, to own that too many young ladies'
just come out, weigh Mt times somewhat
hcavily on II party in our own country; but
conceive whit blank the absence of the
whole would make, aud you will better un-
derstand the variety, aud interest, aud ami
nation they give to it.
Though the fair sex in this country are
generally extremely ignorant, there are GER
iuinly many very learned women in Italy; so
learned, that here, where there is no literary
Shlic law, the chairs in the university have
ollcn, both in past aud present times, been
filed by female professors. Signora Tam
broni, late Professor of Greek in the Univcr-
sity OF Bologna, only died within these few
months, though she retired from her situu-
ton n tcw years ago; nor wns she less re-
niarkahlc for her pie;y and excellence than
for her uncommon attuinnents.
With few bright exceptions, however, il
unfortunately happens that tie class of lite
rary women in Italy are too violently literary.
Tho blues are too deep blue. They are
either wholly unlearned, or overpoweringly
learned. A taste for literature is not gener-
ally dtliised and ntermingcd with other
pursuits aud pleasures, as in England; it is
confined to n few, and reigns in them without
control. Neither does the love of letters eX-
clnde the love of adulution Their vanity is
of u different cast, but not less Unsuitable than
that of the other fair Italians. They enter
tain you too much with talking of fIhGir works,
or repeating their own compositions; aud
their houses are generally Infested 10y herd
of male scrihhlers, who make large demands
on the patience and applause Of their audi
iors,ly reading or reciting their various works
in verse or prose and beprnise each other,
tia, they may be praised themselves.
| Tho women OF these Uhe milhle) classes
arc indOcni, useless, and vain. They never
seen employed about domestic cares; in
fact the small maiicr Of cleaning which is
bestowed upon house is generally done hy
men. 1t is they who make the beds and dust
| the rooms. They cook; they clean, and
sometimes even make gowns. never shall
forget my asionislmenl at Naples, in sending
for dresSruu.cr, when II man appeared !;
but he prolessed his capacity for the under
taking. ! WAS in haste, aud hc stitched me
up very superb bh!l-dress before night.
In Rome, however, | think the dress
/ makers and all the wasliGrw omen are of the
! female gender. But the Roman females are
really generally useless, indoent set SLOW
enly aud dirty in their persons aud dress ut
home, and tawdrily fine when they 90 abroad.
! Their virtue, | fear, caRnot be much boosted
OF, and, like their euperiors, few of them are
without their lovers aud their iuirIgues.
know the handsome wife of n substantial
shopkcerer who, with the consent OF her hus-
/ band, has been the mistress OF three success
sve noblemen, Italian and foreign, and lived
with them. The last sent her back in dis
I grace, on discovering, that even in his house,
she had contrived to receive her own favored
lover. The husband took her back, and they
are now living together.
Another tradcsmGn makes over his wife AZ
this moment 10 II uUhleman, for a certain an.
nual compensation, and yet these men do
not seem 10 be despised for il. These facts
know to he true, beyond the possibility of
doubt; aud, in spite OF their grossuess, |
mention them, because you cannot Otherwise
conceive tie state of morals in this country.
The celibacy Of the clergy is another cause
OF the want of virtue among the women; for
by the perverse aud unnatural institutions of
the church, those who ought to be the guar.
dams, nre too often in secret the corruptors
OF morals. They thus strike at the root and
bond ofall morality; for the virtue ofa com.
munty will always he found to be in proper
ton TO the chnsIily of the women"
OF"An itinerant player, possessed Of more