The Empire County argus., 1854-05-06
SHOULD WOMAN KEEP A SECRET?

Written and Read by Miss HARRIET A. PORTER at the
Examination of the Waukegan Academy Waukegan,
Lake County, Illinois, March 7th, 1854.
Our venerable and great Mother EVE has been
greatly slandered and beed from time immemorial
She is charged not only with weakness and vain
curiosity which resulted in her own ruin but she is
charged with an ndscretion which involved her
stronger half" and all her posterity in the same
common peril. Now, our great Mother, Tor aught
we know, might have satisfied her idle thirst for
novelty and alone enjoyed perdition; but no! she
must communicate her adventure, and share its
fruits with another--She must tell At. But whether
the love of adventure or the love of telling in
prime Mother is more strongly developed, or which
of these propenstes contributes most to the present
disorders of the race or whether indeed they either
or both, had any thing in reality to do with it, can
not with mathematical dCcUFaCy be determined at
this remote and barbarous age much 'ess do we
intend to say anything about the effects of these
moral or social obquities whichever they were, of
our aboriginal Mother, philosophcaly or theologi-
cally considered.
So far as am concerned the record may remain !:
and YOU may call it f9ct or story. 1t IS inter-
ostng in either event True it is the early history
Of our race the vice, as say, the virtue OF re-
vealng secrets was cultived.
The ''lords Of creation" may laugh but let us see :
What is knowledge-w is science and philoso-
phy but the revelation of secrets Man himself is
little else than the developement of mysteries This
is the nstrumentality which led to the discovery of
the laws of gravtation of the steam engine, the
telegraph to the construction OF railroads; IN fino
it is the source of all arts and sciences.
Mother EVE revealed the secrets communicated
to her by that NEUROLOGICAL serpent spoken OF in the
Scrptures By so doing, she guided by that
innate benevolence which is predomin mt in female
character. 1t is the revelation OF secrets which
causes the world to blossom and smile with the
freshness of new and unfolding beauties. There is
o,,I oil oh oI 10 Tho
character and name of revealer of secrets. The
greatest philosopher of the world was reyealcr of
secrets Newton revealed secret when he dis.
covered the law of attraction by the falling of an
apple Franklin and Morse were revealers of Sc
crets when they tanned the lightning and made it
billet-carrier, inviting friends and neighbors
to q social interview. Harvey, Fulton and Column
bus we're revealers of secrets.
Secfe1y is distilled seshness, the essence of dis
trust; it is characteristics Of the miser perpet-
ual dispenser of secrets is the only true missionary
or herald of truth a philanthropist Of practical
bearing Christ was revealer Of secrets and pro-
claimed them on the house tops. God is the re-
veaer of secrets a grand infinite scale. He re-
veaed motion, sensation, life, intelligence and law
The making known of our thoughts, or those COM
municaed to us by Others is but yielding ourselves
to an example which, ifimitated would create order
out of confuson--stem the current of low life into
channels that would make glad the habitation of
all mankind. Human sorrow sweeps the entire face
of nature with its bitter dregs by reason of the
cretive tendency Of the age.
If by investigation a new principle IN science or
art is discovered the Inventors are ready with their
dark cap in hand, for a mere pittance, to issue a
patent right which to the fortunate discov
erer the exclusive privilege of peddling the achieve
ment for price that will satiate nordnate thirst
for gain.
If their secresy is paid for and encouraged, it is
fortunate that there few who are inyincibe to
the proffered bribe and who at the expense of for
tune and good name, dare to proclaim to all with
out money and without price the free grace and
gift of God.
In truth, science and love are for the healing of
the nation, and woman the chosen herald to publish
them in season, that a disordered world may be
healed, then glory in the character Of woman be-
cause OF this propensity.
wherever she goes, there light breaks forth
As she receives, so she gives. Drops of mercy
are distilled from her lips like truth from the sane
tuary of the Most High Wherever she wanders,
truth is sown and flowers spring forth giving fra
GRANGE which centres upon the altar Of mans
existence.
| agree in the liberali of good old Mother EVE.
1t is the knowledge of good and evil that will eman-
cipate the world from the chains of ignorance and
superstition.
Let the secrets of science, of mind and of heaven
be revealed, and the world shall be redeemed. Let
woman speak while man is dumb When their
voices are united and 90 f)rth as to reveal the
secrets of time and eternity, then shall the world
be free aad happy!
REALlrlEs,-Ihere is life and death going on in
everything truth and lies always at battle.
Pleasure is always warrng against self-rcstraint.
Doubt is always cryinS pshaw and sneering. A
man in life, humorst i'll writing about life, sways
over to one principle the other, and laughs with
reverence for right and the love of truth in his heart
OF laurhs at these from the other side Didn't |