The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-11-17
THE LECTURE SEAS ON.
Mrs. Elizabeth Cakes Smith ON Woman.
hood.

Mrv. Elizabeth Oakes snlltn ON WOMAN
hood
On Monday evening Mrs Elisabeth Cakes Smith
delivered . lecture on " womanhood," to q very
numerous audience, at the Hope Chapel, Broadway.
On coming forward to tbs reading dosk, the fair lee
tarer was greeted with applause. After arranging
her nos,s, she spoke TO the following effect:-It
should be matter Of inquiry whether the spirit of
Professionalism be not altogether masculine and an
tsgonistc, and opposed to the highest organization
Of womaahocd 1t is certain that since the days Of
the great reformer, while the sphere of man has
been much enlarged, that Of weman has been cir
cumscfibed While in prior times she filled Offices
which reflected lustre on her character, she has
since, and particularly in this age of gold and sill
ver-this era Of commerce been confined more and
more within the precincts Of the nursery, for
now woman is little better than ball.
room frt, q household supernunerary. and
appointed to scold the servants or whip the
children. Formerly, talent and beauty were re-
garded divine gifts and the fsller their pc yer
the greater was The homage they received; but
now talent finds but little opportunity for expression
EXCEPT in magazines, the opera, the theatre, the
Caudle lecture, and the majority OF women waste
themselves at watering places To be loved in the
days 10 which have referred, Il was not essential
to be inbecile. We desire not the return Of those
days, only, as Desdemons says, We wish heaven had
made such men In school days, how 70 mantle
ana how significant are our ideas 1t is long be-
fore the girl learns TO abandon such dreams, and to
settle down in the life which is allotted to her But
my object is not TO pine for those days of romance
/ am eesrous Of throwing out incentives TO my sex
not Jag behind the true spirit of the age. Chi
vary, properly speaking, has passed away, for men
are 10 longer anxious to put spear in rest and
do battle for their lady loves. modern womanisss
brought up and so circumstanced that she knows
net what to 90 to regain ana conserve her position
and her power The works of art and literature are
4 2as
exercise and display their clear and prosaic under
stsEdpgs l am indeed, far from believing thastho
germs Of intellect are in favor of the other but
woman's domestic functions and she selfish laws Of
man in gning the hearth stone as her only pro-
per sphere has exercised her intellect but sparingv.
But thereby the world acts wrongly, for it curbs
that of which, it stands much in need. do not,
however, wish to see restoration Of the past when
In many respects woman was a slave but in every
passage OF human progress there is one beautiful
thought running like line of light: that wAen
man was as true as womanhood he was always be-
yond the woman Of his gay. This has preserved his
standard high ard kept him from sensuality aud de-
basement, though fer his conduct towards the other
cannot accord praise. dc not mean to say that
woman isntt suffering any very great wrong Women
are level with human progress but that progress is
retarded by tire dsab lies under which women labor,
let them arise from whsiever source they may.
Man has not certainly wsntonly ami wiliully be-
trayed his trust, but he has done 80 ignorantly.
In the ordering Of human affairs he has denied US
IN utleranoe and divorced himself from the feminine
portion Of humanity in all the important interests Of
life and in no country is this neglect 50 apparent
when their own individual wants are in question.
II man wishes q job of work done cheap, he en-
ploys woman to do it. and if he has bad bill to
pass Of be gives it TO woman, and if he has fit Of
blues, his wife has the benefit of it. As it would
annoy ~ distress her TO stand the defensive or
offensive, she is content to let all that pass.
This has been the secret of her disorders
enter q plea against it, not so much for
ia
tarded, and much social good is hindered, by the
absence OF woman from al cases where her counsel
would be advantageous I wish all humanity were
perfect, for then there would BE- the brighter pros
poets for our sex, because, when man is perfect,
woman will be a reflex of the same excellent qua
lities. know that in literature and the arts the
success of women are but episodes in the history Of
the sex. Hitherto the professional ranks in which
the mind expands, have been closed against her by
public opinion, if not law, | admit that the majo.
rty Of our SEX like the majority of the other sex,
are totally unit for those professions; but man has
always the Indictment of aim, and the possibility Of
achieving his ambition; but woman, on the CON-
taiy, whatever be her capacity canno pass through
the opposition which is brought to bear against
her. IL capacity, if intellect, were made critic
ron, how many think you would have the right Of
voting Would rot Thousands, yea tens Of thou.
faods be disfranchised if even the quahcati of
reading ard writing were made standard! Men.
tai qualifications should be respected. matter
when, bow. or in whom, it is apparent. The aver.
age of women qualified for offices is about equal to
i
the responsibility with them. Intellectual men and
women are indeed scarce. but true men and women
are still rarer Through life, the generality of our
sex, forgetfu of the future, make no provision
for the days of darkness, and thus lose all noble
meas of aim But throughout the country there
is growing feeling amongst women, and am
sure Jhat it is the prohibitions which men have
made that has caused it. Eve would have been
content in Paradise had she not been interiic.ed
from tasting of the forbidden frui. Men leap the
ditch ard then turn round and declare that Is not
proper for women to follow them So mast put
our tongues in our mouths and wait the report
which the men may make Ii, however, women
were allowed to partake equally with men, much Of
the present evil would become a forgotten thing l
do Dot believe that the declarations in Holy Writ
were merely fgurative ! do not believe that the
dresns Of poets and philosophers are all Utopas;
on the contrary, they in accordance with the
structure Of the soul Therefore, those yearrings
OF the human heart for more perfect social orga-
nizstion viii turn out to be phTophecy that will be
fulfilled Those dreams are all prototypes Of the
time that is yet 10 The holy mission of Jesus
was barred on the denial tf sex: he avoided al
teachings in which sex was recognizable; the
thoughts and principles he inculcated were
applicable to both Jew and Gentle the
bound and free. black and white, rich AMI
poor He recognized no distinction such as our
partial minds have created-he brought no doe
txines to apply to this that class, and showed
no tas or 10 any sect. matter how sane moni 3us
il might be- it was TO the whole human that he
addressed himself, male and female. Yet, though
he rejected those relations 10 his ministry, yet many
Of his judgments and his kindliest miracles were
done In cur behalf | will not notice the cant so
often pot forward with regard to the gentleness
al tenderness supposed to be the only attribute Of
womanhood for, from standing on that argument
alore, much that is potent in other respects is lost
sight Of
The fair lecturer afterwards went into the whole
question Of the aptitude OF women TO Fl the differ
ent POSTS the legislature, the law and the gen sral
proiessions-and endeavorsd TO prove that many ad
Ssnsges would thereby result to humanity 10 gene
raj She then concluded her lecture, amidst loud
Plsudits
Before retiring. she announced that she would de-
liver q discourse Friday evening, on the subject
OF "0ur Humanity"
TIE Rev. IL. N. Hud,On, on Shakspeare's
Henry the Fourth.
The second lecture Of this series, was delivered
last evening by the above named gentleman. The