The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1854-11-25
Make Your Girls Independent.

England Farmer, was written by Henry +.
French, of Exeter, N. H. 1t will answer for
other latitudes quite as we'll as the one for
which ii was written
Everybody in New England knows exact
~ what to do with boy. Give him, as
matter of course, the best educa ton you can
afford, and whether he is poor or rich, pre-
pare him for some business, some regular
useful business in life, so that whatever be
the turn of Fortunes wheel, he may be in
dependent. A good education, and pro-
tession or trade without property, is enough
for him-enough TO place him beyond the
charities of cold world, enough to give
him hope and courage, and assurance of sue
cess in life. ..... -
But what is to become Of the daughter .
Do we consider this question Is not all
New England grossly negligent on this
point? Does the public voice answer this
question satisfactorily?
Letus examine the matter fairly, You have
daugher of sixteen in family OF half doz-
IN children. You have small property, a
comfortable home, farm perhaps, are tolera-
bly, well, or worth perhaps eight or ten
thousand dollars. You are still young man,
ut least not so very old that you need neces-
sarily die for for some years yet. Suppose
this young lady has progressed as well as
most girls in her studies. She can read and
write respectfully, has cyphered as far as
square root, can read French little, though
she cannot speak sentence of it correctly.
She can play on the piano, SO that person
Of common discernment can distinguish her
Old Hundred from the Battle of Prague, but
has developed no decided taste for music
Still she is intelligent, active and promising.
Suppose she were, some pleasant morn
ing, to propose the question directly to you,
and ask serious reply What do you in
tend shall do when my education is finish
ed?" What answer would you make, which
would satisfy both you and herself? The
probability, perhaps, is, that within ten or
twelve years she may marry; for that is the
fate Of mojority of ladies' Still, think
YOU would not like to answer her reasonable
question by such suggestion, because such
Il probability is, after all, a vague uncertain
ty, and you would be quite unwilling a child
of YOURS should make marriage matter Of
necessity, or even of calculation No, you
could not say to her that she had but one
chance in life, and that of such nature
that she cannot seek TO avail herself of it,
Can you say TO her deliberately, that you
have a home which shall always be hers,
and that she need take no thought for the
future? This is, practically what most
fathers are saying to their daughters, but
frequently with less regard to truth than they
profess. Your own life is uncertain. Your
business enterprises may fail. Is it safe TO
risk the welfare of Others entirely on your
own prosperity? Besides, is there enough
in the subordinate duties which usually fall
TO the share of daughter in family to
fill up the aspirings of human nature, TO de-
velope the faculties of the soul? Look at the
course of life of grown up daughters in the
families about you. They are usually regard
ed by the mother as children in all matters
pertaining to the household. They do not
take a share even of the responsibility of the
family. If required to do share of the
work, they do it as disagreeable task, to
which life of ease is far preferable. In the
duties of wife and mother, there is enough
TO occupy the heart and exercise the intellect
of an educa ted woman but the mere drudge
ry of housework, the cooking and mending
and scrubbing, especially in subordinate
position, have in them nothing peculiarly
attractive or ennobling to anybody, Usually
however, the daughter is not working bee
in the hive. She is better educated than her
mother, perhaps. and not half so good a
housekeeper, and so she naturally takes to
fashion and light literature, receives calls