Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1854-12-05
SOMETHING ABOUT GIRLS

SOMETHING ABOUT GIRLS
The gentleman who wrote this excel.
lent article should have had the award
OF a premium for it. Itis fully equal
10 anything Of the kind that has llotsly
appeared. Read il, everybody !; for oil
arc, interested. Read it, Parents, fot
surely it in Of soms moment 10 you
whether your daughters shall cnjo "the
glorious privilege Of being independent
Read it daughters, and if you have new
cr acted upon the sterling truths which
our writer so ably vindIc ates, begin now
to act upon them. Boys, read for
much of it will apply TO you; and be.
sides, if you are still single and candi.
dates for malrimony, it is matter Of
some importance TO you whether the
fair ones whose charms have almost
spell. bound your senses, do really ex.
Gel in anything that is excellent.
Everybody in New England knows exactly
what TO 60 with boy. Give him, as matter
Of course. the best education you eau alTJfd,
and whether he Is poor or rich, pfepnfc him for
some business, some regular useful business in
life, so that VIII atcver be the turn of Fortunes
wheel, he may be independent. A good edu-
cation, and profession or trade, without pro.
perry, is enough for him-enough 10 place him
beyond the charities Of cold world, enough 10
give him hep, and courage and Insurance Of
success IN lifc.
But what is 20 become Of the daughter DO
we consider this ucstion su llicentiyl Is not
. ali New England grossly negligent on this
point? Does the public voice answer this
question satisfactorily .
Let us examine the matter fairly. You have
q daughter Of sixteen in family Of half do
zen children. You have small properly, a
comfortable home, farm perhaps are tolefa.
, bly, 'welI or worth perhaps eight or ten thou.
sand dollars. You are still young man, or at
least not SO very old that you need neces-
sarily die for some years yet. Suppose this
young lady has progressed as well as most girls
, in her studies. She can read nd write respect
ably, has cyphered as far as square root, cal
read French little, though she cannot speak
: a senterce OF il correctly. She can play on the
, piano, so That person Of Common discernment
can distinguish her Old Hundred from the Dat
f lie of Prague, but has developed no very decI-
gent and promising. Suppose she were scme
pleasant morning TO propose the question d.
rectly 10 you, and ask a serious reply w hat
, do you intend shall do when my education is
finished ?'-whot answer would You make,
which should satisfy both you and herself? The
probability perla ps il that within ten or twelve
years she may marry; for that is the fate of the
majority Of ladies'. Still think you would not
like TO answer her reasonable question by such
a suggestion, because such probability is aitcr
J all Vague uncertainty, and you would BE- quite
unwilling child Of yours should make marrl.
age ma'tcr Of LeccSSlty, or even of cacula-
, ton. No, You could not say TO her that she
has but one chance in life, and that OF such ma.
lure that she cannot seek to avail! herself of it.
l Can you say 10 her deliberately that yon have
a home which shall always be hers; also that
you have means to maintain her, and that she
need take no thought for the futurel This is
practically what most fathers are saying 10 their
daughters, but frequently with less regard TO
, truth than they profess. Your own lie is un-
. certain. Your business enterprises may fail.
Is it safe 10 risk the welfare OF Others entirely
on your own continued prosperity? Besides is
there enough in the subordinate duties WI ch
5 usually fall to the share of daughter in the
family, 10 fill up the aspirngs of human nature
to develope the faculties of the soul Look al
the course of life of grown-up daughters in the
families about you. They are usually regarded
by the mother as children in all matters per.
tanning to the household. They do not take a
share even Of the responsibility of the family.
/ required to do share OF the work they do it
as q agreeable task, TO which n life of ease is
far preferable. In the duties of wife and mo-
ther there is enough TO occupy the heart and
exercise the intellect of an educated woman
5 but the mere drudgcry of housework, the cook
ing and mendins anl scr Ibbing. especially in
subordinate po ition, having in them nothing
particularly attractive or cnnobling to anybody.
/ Uusually however the daughter is not work
ing bee in the hive: She IS better educated
than her mother perhaps, and not half SO good
housekecpcr, and 50 she naturally takes to
fashion and light literature, receives calls and
returns them, duSts the patlcr i0r her share of
the ho;sework; works worsted cats and dogs
for intellectual discipline, and wears stylish
r bonnet to chuich by way of morals and rcli
f gion. Without definite object, how can she
be expected to rise early in the morning or to
take an active interest in the affairs of life
But the questionsrecurs, what b.tter can be
; done? What Shall be done that our daughters
, may have the courage to look the future calmly
in the face and feel that their position is in
some measure dependent upon their own exer
tions
definite hope for the future can alone make
! rational being happy. Give every child then,
, male or female, an education for some business.
r The discipline of acquiring it will be in itself
salutary, and the consciousness of possessing it
: will at all times give dignity and independence
, OF character. Whatever your society," educate
, her according 10 your means and condition and
, according to her taste and capacity. The
sphere of woman which has always been re-
duced far below the hemisphere which all ac
, cord for her as right, includes certainly he
whole range of teaching-in letters, in science,
in music, and drawing, and whatever else is
taught III our schools. 'Woman's mission is
surely to teach, and the demand for female in
structors of high order is by no means sup
piled. Academies and high schools are now
paying salaries of five hundred and thousand
, dollars to college graduates as mere temporary
teachers, and would be glad 10 exchange them
for well qualified females, who would enter
upon their duties with some probability of per-
/, manency. Then there are thousands of dis
trict schools, which are fast changing from the
hands of college boys to the 'milder Influences
of the gentler sex. If your daughter has de-
cided taste for music or any ornamental acquire.
ment, assist her 10 appreciate the gift which
I Heaven has offered her. Make her excel in
something which the world deems excellent;
and her superior attainment will always com
mand respect and means Of honorable subsist
ence. o.
8 But there are many who cannot afford the
, means, thus TO qualify their daughters for
. teachers. What shall their daughters do 7?
1