Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-05-21


plances of science. We read interesting accounts
of the contrvances which the ingenuity of man has
hi upon for the propagation of chickens to dis
pelse with all incubation on the part Of the mother hen
Now, must say that we have reelected the
condition of these poor motherless hedgngs without
Involuntary feeling of compassion for their unconscious
orphanage But at best the eccasobioa has only posi-
biGy of being applied to the partial relief of the oypa
part Of animated nature, and, without yenturng
duy presumpuously to limit the power of science,
may be permitted to doubt whether any such ameora
lions and laborsayng contriyances at all feasible
with reference to the yviparous creation For augh that
to the contrary the world be content to
jog after the natural way has done for the
tunes past Dr. TRACY has interesting observations
The science Of embryoogy, but he nowhere ntimates
hope that the average CESSATION of species will be
shortened and expedited by future researches in this in
terestng department His directions, too, to the
ture of children SUCH sure, would command
the appreciation of grandmother and he holds out
nducemsnt the belief that granddaugh
will be best in this respect than the mothers
now among who mothers indeed That children
during the regime of womens rights to be sucked
by modification of the as is suggested
by contemporary in Cincinnati, is too monstrous to
think Of hope it is only slur of the facetious
editor Patent sewing machines which need only be
wound up order make frock patent soda and soap
to wash clothes without rubbing patent baby jumpers to
supersede the parental knee all within the scope of
probability the full tide of successful expert
ment - but these perform only small part of the tend
ing which the little moppets need if may judge from
what DR. TRACY says the subject. 1t is within the
mothers arm and bosom that they sprawl, and smile,
and grow
The only substitutes for the nursery and the home
the founding hospital and the phalanstery These had
been tried in Greece long before they suggested by
Fourier Father Cabet and if may 5adge by the
suits the Greeks managed the better than the
genious Gauls for modern phalanxes have equal
ed those of Sparta And to this day the best theory
!" womans rights may be found in Pato's ideal " Re-
public" Let refresh the memory of the reader by
glance at the fifth book of that singular treatise in which
Plato informs how children to be propagated and
when born how to be brought up in his philosophical
public The first requisite he mentions is of course,
of wives, for Plato good logcan to
start from any premise other than this in order reach the
inference of woman's rights To all mpertnen sug-
gestons about staying at home and taking of the
children, Plato has ready answer Do not set the
females Of the dogs well the males says he keep
guard the flock go to the chase and do every thing
else in common? Why should women, he adds, do
thing but keep within doors and mind babies unless
also expect the dogs stick the kennel give birth to
puppies and take of them3 He then proceeds for
nay to discuss whether the human in the fe-
male in all share pursuits with the male or in
10 case at ALL or in but not in others; and
astly if in war;" To different natures, he before had
argued belong different pursuits The nature of woman
liffers from that of man therefore the shallow and
nasty may infer that Plato going contradict
himself; but wait and Before drawing such an in
ference, he says must FIRST inquire into the quality
and extent Of this difference and its bearing as touching
the pursuits. The nature Of bald may be said to
differ from the nature of with full suit of hair but
they may each be good shoemakers alike and the
ture OF woman may be different from that Of man. and yet
each may perform certain functions equally well lie then
proceeds to show Us well he under the circum-
stances, that there is art part in the arrange
ments of state which the of has any
advantage over that of woman there is no function
among the entire members of that is peculiar
TO woman, considered SUCH man. considered as
such but natural talents Unfortunately dused
through both, and the woman naturally shares in all
othces the same as the man. Hence he concludes that
women must in well-ordered republic receive the same
education as mem that is must practice not only music
but gymnastics, fencing, boxing, riding horseback
and such-ke exercises They will appear naked in the
gymnasia and wrestle with But win not this shock
Athenian modesy? meeky urges of the interlocu-
tors in this patonic dialogue On this point Patos rea
Sohs 10 1he sae as tnat Oh apocrypha damsels nova
days in behalf of truncated petticoas He exhorts his
disciples to the railery of Wits and inquiries if it
not at first deemed dsgracefu men to strip them
selves in the gymnasa and If the wits Of the day did not
make mock Of the Cretans and Spartans who first set
the fashion, "Fools viii down as ridiculous any
thing the Of which has been yet SEEM "Let us
them he concludes, unclothe wives since they are
to put virtue for clothes; and they bear part
in and all other guardianship of the state and do
nothing else The man who laughs at naked while
going through the exercises with view the best object
reaps las Pndar says the uurpe fruit of ridiculous
wisdom and seems not rightly know what he laughs
why he does it, for that was and will be deemed
noble saying, that the profitable is beautiful and the
hurul base" As before said this must all presuppose
community Of wives there must be- he argues no
separate establishments that is homes in the state
parents must not know their children nor children
their parents There must be in each city but one nursery
for all the children and only such are approved by
board Of examiners to be admitted the rest are to be
hanshed that is Destroyed and herein we find the origin
OF Raspals modern suggestion that the upernumerary
children born in the phaansteries should be eased out
of life at their very birth by painless extinction their
bodies, he parenthetcay remarks, may be enombed in
ornamental aowerpots to adorn the corridors Of the pha
lanstery.)
The advantages aow from such state Of things, as
depicted by Plato just those promised Dy the social
reformers Of modern date Under such an adminstra-
ton the people, says the philosopher would live more
blessedy than those live who gain Olympic prizesthe
'uHmum 1onum of his countrymen, "They would avoid
all the difficulties and anxeties which people have in
bringing up their children and procuring money for the
curNpa ~