Eaton Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1843-1856, 1856-03-20
WoMEN ATHcME.

at may be only fancy of ours" says
Mrs. Kirkland, in. one OF her admirable es
says, "that Providence has so decidedly fitted
woman for household cares, that she is never
truly and healthy happy without them; but
if il be a fancy. it Iis Que which much obser-
vation had confirmed"
We commend these words 10 serious eonsd-
Grafton. The general bad health of females,
in wha; are called the respectable classes, is
a subject that we have often referred to; FOR
ii is one that affects notihe happiness OF fam
lilies meIely, but the veal OF the whole COM
muniiy; not future one also; Physicians tell
us that not one lady in len, in a great city. en-.
oysrobusl health. Mr.. Kigllhnd, We suspect,
has explained the cause. It isloerIaih Hot
women generall', who are not compe He'd to
labor for livelihood directly, neglect exercise
almost entirely, and hence tring on them
selves dyspepsia, Dervous disorders, and other
diseases. To perform house WORK is too fire.
quenily considered degrading. Even where
The mother, in obedience TO the traditions Of
her youth, condescends occasionally 10 labor,
The daughters are brought up in perfect idle
ness, take no bodily exercise except that Of
walking in fine weather, or riding in cushion
ed carriages, or dancing at a party. Those,
in shoft, who can afford servants; cannot de-
mean themselves, as they think, by domestic
labor. To make up bed is regarded often
as exhnusting beyond description; 20 sweep
carpet is viewed as worse than field work in a
cane field; while to Scrub--alas modern
feminine language. copious as il is, has no
words TO characterize this inbuman and cruel
task. The result is, that all such lose what
| little health they started lie With, becoming
feeble in exact propottion as they become
fashionable.
In this neglect of household cares American
females stand alone. A German lady no mat
ter how lofty her rauk never lorgets that do
nestle labors conduce 10 the health OF body
and mind alike. An English lady, whether
she be gentlemon's wife or dukes does
not deSpiSe her household, and even though
she has honsekeeper, devoies a portion OF
| her time 10 this, her true, her happieSt sphere
! Ii is reserved for our republican fine ladrs to
| he more choice than even their monsrebical
and arisiocrotic sisters. The result is LASH
tude of mind ofle as fatal 10 The health as The
neglect of bodily exercise. The wife who
| leaves her household cares 10 her servants pays
| The penalty which has been affixed 10 idleneSs
since The foundation OF the world, and eithel
willis away from sheer enDui, or is driven into
all sorts of fashionable fellies 10 find employ,
ment for het mind. II she does not lounge on
| the sofa, reading novels all day, and groulDg
paier and more nervous every year; # she
! does not weaken her chest, and injure hel
| eyes by stopping over croichet work, or en-
broidery, she drives about shopping, or visits
for the purpose Of gossip, or sleeps TIL noon Il
recover from the fa'gues Of The last nights
ball; in a word, in one way or another she
| ihjnres her health mnst fatally.
Mensind occupation in business, in lera.
ture, or in a profession; and an idle man i;
proverbiaily considered in reIil Of soul ant
body. How is it that women act so uniyer-
sally os If they were exempte from the evils
Of Incidence Want of occupation rarely
leads them into Gnat vices, and therefore they
fancy it does not iniure them at all. But
alas there are small vices into which tco
many fine ladies fall, such as backbitipg, en-
viousness. and gossippng gener lily, which, il
! they ale not as gross as he sins, OF idle men,
are bad enough, II household cares were
more generally attended 10, We should see bu
little Of these evils, and women in good soci
ely would be much happier, and much more
truly luveable. This is plain speaking; bu
the truth must OUT It is not the fashionable
gadabou, who lives on false excitement, III
wins or retains The 10, e Of man ofreal worth
A thousand Zines dearer is she who, like The
wife Jf Wordsworth has immor allied, doe:
not consider domestic cares beneath her:
81 saw her, on a nearer view,
| A spirit, yet wOIBln too;
| Her household motions light and free;
And steps Of Virgin liberty"
We fear, however, that it will take more
than this or all the journals OF the nation, tc
remove this cancer Of social life. But th'
press can, at lest, do something. While 81
many of the evils under which the sex suile
and other feminine assemblies, here is one tha
women has brought on herself, and 10 which
We call her attention.