The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-12-16
CHAPTER Xv-Continued.

- Md no woman from ambltlon!
49, woman of creative genius may perhaps,
b.r. and there, TO strengthen and expand her
brains as an athlete fights with a shadow, to
strengthen and expand his muscles, as a means,
not As an end
Bat WHY should not other women, too, as
well as the many men, who, as you say, become
learned from ambition? / do not think quite
understand Surely not all of them who do
81, are creative geniuses.'
By 10 means my daughter How pa
temly and pityingly the word came out! |
Lad been an orphan so longi But they can
u. merchants physicians, lawyers, and digni-
taries in Church and State and in all their
several walks of life they find full employment
and demand for hghly-cultivated minds. Di-
pIomas are showered upon them, professor
ships conferred upon them, and batteries inter
CHANGED with them by other scholars, all the
world over Are you ambitious?'
~ hardly know Not very, believe, natu-
rally, or, at least, not for myself. If / some
times strive to become so now, ambition itself
j. 10 me means rather than an end. If /
am ambitious, it is to obtain the power of sxor-
cism.'
In your turn, you puzzle me-
am haunted, father y
Ny child, by what2'
e" By thought | said and l closed my
ewes inyoluntarily, to shut it out. Oh, Her
man never could repeat all this to you, if |
did not grudge II TO any man, the hottest and
the best. that he should know anything of me
th@ was. kept back from you, my betrothed!'
Ms own sweet Constance! Why should You
shrink from making me believe if you can, that
YOU cared for me one thousandth part as much
as did for YOU 2"
Constance smiled family, glanced timidly
into his face looked down again, and went on
Then the Bishop said, very gently and com
passionately, Cannot you explain yourself
little further, my daughter? Take courage,
and endeavor to think aloud. Forget that any
ear is present to hear you, except that of Him
whose mouth-pieee ] am. Remember, that a
painful malady is always less terrible to the
physician than to the patient. You know that
NAV almost be said to have hereditary
night 10 yonr confidence. Perhaps you will
allow me to offer a conjecture as to the nature
Of YOUR sufferng?'
e bowed. He opened the Golden Legend,
which lay before US on the table, and turned,
and pointed to the lines,
Love. that IN every woman's heart
Will have The whole. aud a part;
And is 10 Der, in Nature plan,
More Than ambI'Icn Is Ia man"
81 started. lie looked at me. The trap had
sprung. There was no escape. Covering my
face with my hands, | cried, Nv lover proved
unworthy; II really thought so then, Herman ;
theirs il nothing too unjust for US to believe, if
We do but assert it often enough j and dis
carled him, at once and forever. One can be
very strong for an hour. He returns no more.
His memory does. and is driven away only to
return, in solitude. in society, in hours that
should be gay, and in hours that should be
holy. Who can be strong at all times, and for
ever? ] struggle. My life shall give way be-
fore my resolution does but | sometimes think
that both may before my grief Press me no
further, kind father; but, if you have the skill
teach me the way to cast this demon out Could
not ambition do it, think your
I He hesitated Tell me what you really
Think urged surely my openness deserves
trankness in return
I " His answer was to the point, as usual. Ut
B. one great charm of his conversation, that he
always takes up subject just where you leave
pr; instead of merely waiting for you to pause, and
ten-as so many people do-going on to make
speech of his own, perfectly disconnected with
what YOU have said, as if he was playing cram
tp.) You shall have 1t, my daughter, said
be. since you asked for 1t. AS man of
honor, cannot deny that successful ambition
NAV often stupefy misery like yours though,
like other opiates and anodynes it is apt in the
end to leave behind a worse disorder in the
place of that which it alleviates. But the world
has three p,lzes only, that recollect, to offer to
the ambition of women and the triumph of
learning is not one. Study as hard as YOU can,
for the sake of that, and you will succeed only
m becoming woman among scholars, and
scholar amongst women. You will find no com
pamonship in your own sex, nor admiration in
the other. Crowd your fine and subtle but
small and sensitive brain as full as it will bear
with Greek and Hebrew roots and Grabbed Latin
authors. Hundreds of thick-skulled Germans,
LngllShmen, and even New Englanders, will
bear away the palm from you. Your head will
no more hold as much as theirs, than your stom-
ach would. You mig hit as well challenge prize
hghier TO eat forty pounds of beef with you upon
wager. You are like swan running race
with an ostrich. The creature is out of its ele-
ment Men will ridicule and despise your vain
attempt to Guido them on their own ground, and
Joln with women in setting down to the account
oi your unteminine accomplishments all the
shortcomings III feminine avocations in which
'hey can detect you, or of which they can sus-
pect YOU
Inc Bishop was severe" said Herman.
Dut night, was he not?
-, nan. Right enough, l dare say, in thinking
unSt Nature had been unkind enough to inca
Pac'tate most women from outstripping in their
sieeuv race mere gluttonous ostriches of en-
Nlous and selfish pedantry. But l interrupted
The Bishop went on Let Cicero alone,
men or read him in English, if you don't like
.aIih' The real prizes which the world offers
- - ne ambition of a woman and lady are three
AiS'' what 1t calls great match; secondly, en-
.uehee as writer; and, thirdly success in sculp-
'uFe' painting, or the composition of music,
winch arts We will throw into one department,
anu consider them together under one head, as
anon them all they may furnish one evergreen
laurel wreath, for one woman, in one century.
Nah YOU think of any others?'
have sometimes thought that, if were
poor girl, and if actors and actresses we're a
I'o'g rehned set OF people than they are said to
~, | could lind a career, excitement, and OBJ
hVlon, among them
lie looked at me with establishment and
eohetmng more like sternness than had ever
seen IN his face before, and reioined. But
10" ; beng what they are said to be, and YOU
II Il cannot go upon the stage
Ier MS orows unbent; and he replied, Right
i've, :. We're indeed your spiritual father, and we
," le considering your eternal instead of your
enpGrai welfare, should be Obliged to tell
~; ;ou mat you could take no more probable way
man mat to purchase little temporary ease
VI oeiinum, at the expense of everlasting tor