The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1854-05-18
A few Words about Delicate Women.

family that the wife and mother should
be cheerful, active, and healthy. Yet
looking at those classes of the communi
ty little above what may be termed the
laboring class, how frequently we find
that the women are ailing, nervous, and
irritable: or, as they would call them
selves, delicate = How is this?
Why answers one, some are the chill
dren of unhealthy parents, and the in
heritors of their diseases Where this is
the case, the fullest sympathy and con-
sideration are due; but the number OF
such would be only few in comparison
with the class we speak Of We must
look further for the cause.
'Oh,' suggests another, is not the fact
of being wife and mother, and having
the care and management of a family
and household, with perhaps very limited
pecuniary resources, quite enough to make
women weak and ailing?' We think not.
Such circumstances are trying; but with
some women they have been the means
Of drawing out unwonted cheerfulness
and energy of character. Allowing, how
ever, that some women are so tried and
harassed by the circumstances of mar
ried life that their. health and energy
give way; still their number would be
comparatively few, and We must find some
other cause for the fact that there are so
many females who call themselves deli
cate
Is it that they have IN impression that
there is something amiable in being deli
cate?
Do they think it is lady-like to be del
icate
Is not this delicacy cultivated by some
as means Of drawing more largely on
sympathy, especially the husbands sym
pathy!
Are not idleness and inactivity often
excused or hidden under this convenient
cloak of delicacy!
We think that each Of these questions
may be correctly answered in the affirm
atiye, and that the commencement of
these errors, with all their attendant evils,
may be traced to the education of the
girl.
Years ago, Fanny was a healthy, ac-
tive, and unaffected child, when her par
ents sent her to boarding-school. For
the first few days, feeling herself among
strangers, and away from home, she was
pensive and quiet; but this soon wore a.
way, and she became cheerful and happy
again. She had taken a skipping-rope
with her to school, and one evening, when
she was in the full enjoyment of the
use of it, the evening bell rang for the
scholars to retire for the night. When
Fanny went to say goodnight to the
matron: You will be SO good as to give
Miss Fanny does Of calomel, she is in
too robust health; see, her cheeks are like
So Fanny had to take cal
omel, and the next day she was languid
and listless, or, as the goyerness seemed
to consider, qady-like.' Another time,
when playing with companion somewhat
actively in the play ground, they were
stopped by teacher, saying: Young
ladies, are you not ashamed Of yourselves!
that is not the way to conduct yourselves
in this establishment Why, what would
be thought of you! Pray let me see you
walk like young ladies'
Fanny wished then that she was not to
be called a young lady if she might not
play and rompt about little, for she was
sure it made her happy to do so But it
is astonishing what changes may in time
be effected by teaching and example,
During the remainder of her stay at
school, Fanny had occasional doses of
calomel when too robust health began to
show itself; and she had learned to be-
Iieve that. to be at all respected by her
she must be considered
a young lady, and that all young ladies
were eff delicate constitutions, and that it
was very unlady-like to be healthy and
active.
Poor Fanny she had not only imbibed
these notions, but she had also lost great
deal of her vigor of constitution, and had
become inert and inactive. When she
eft school, she returned to the home of
her childhood, where family arrangements
we're such that her assistance would fire.
quently have been acceptable to her pa
rents. But when anything was request