Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1858-05-21


The decline Of public spirit in the
present generation Of men is, in great
measure, owing to the utter neglect of the
cultivation Of public spiritin the minds Of
their mothers. The great laxity of morals,
painfully evident in our present genera
ton Of meu, is, again, in a greaS measure,
owing to the utter neglect Of the inculca-
ton Of moral responsibilities in the minds
of their mothers. 1t is no use Disgusting
the truth Our female seminaries are, if
not actually imported from abroad, re-
gularly initiated after foreign patterns /;
while, on the other hand, the moral re-
straints by which English and German
homes counteract the conventionalizing
tendencies, of stereotyped, soulless school
drillings, are, in great measure, loosened
here by that very excess Of liberty which,
without corresponding excess of vigil
ance, naturally degenerates into licentiods-
ness. Our girls must be made to feel,
from their earliest childhood, that they are
to be something more than well dressed
dolls or brain stuffed blue stockings. They
must be made to feel that, in addition to
body and brains, they have divine souls
and womanly hearts; and If these souls
and hearts are doomed to vegetation, we
may as we'll at once drop our hypocrisies
about Christianity, and rest contented with
raising up generation Of smart, sharp,
intellectual, Grecian heather ladies, or of
voluptuous, lazy, indolent, Oriental wo-
men. 4t rf-.
In speaking of soul and heart, we have
not any sentimental, poetical, romantic,
foolish, or ismatic standard before our
minds We simply say that the female
soul must be trained to comprehend the
strength of the moral duties due to hu-
manity and the female heart educated to
sympthize with the struggles of society,
and to exert noble social influences, cal
culated to clear up the moral atmosphere.
We can, on this occasion, only throw out
few crude hints upon a matter which,
indeed, requires the most careful, the most
anxious attention of all those of our
citizens in whom dwarfsh, puny self-in-
terests have not yet entirely extinguished
their noble aspirations for their offspring
and for their country. We will pass over,
for the present, the matter of education,
and allude to the peculiar difficulties which
surround woman in American society
Without wishing to stop on this, our
presen- hurried general glance at the sub
ject, to give the motives and causes of our
opinions, we will simply state, that the
American young lady is more graceful,
more sensitive, and more spiritual than
most foreign young ladies. There is a
poetical brightness and natural refinement
about the American young girl, for which
we seek in vain in other countries, where
despotism is the rule and freedom the ex-
eeption. There is freshness, charm,
and withal a single heartedness, purity
and kindness about her, which fascinates
the mind and wins the affection. But all
these advantages of nature, instead of be-
ing directed to a noble channel by educa-
tonal appliances are actually perverted by
educational stupidities, and many of our
young gladiesexpressin in their naughty bear.
ing a species of instructive opposition to the
absured tutelage which, instead Of develop
ing, has succeeded in crippling their power
Many other influences, too many to be
enumerated here, conspire to destroy the
vestiges of genuine womanly spirit which
have survived the malign influences of a
heathenish education. There being nc
moral aspiration engrafted upon the girls
mind, her delicate body soon sinks, like q
ship without ballast, under the burden Of
aimless and purposeless thoughts. But
let our use of word "morl aspiration" moi
be misconstrued into romantic flights o.
sentimental philanthropy. What we mean
is this: A girls heart should be educa
ted in such manner as to make her un
derstand that her first duty in life is tC
exert an ennobling, elevating influence
upon all those who come within the reach
of her society, Our present race of flip
pant and Aimsy beaux could never have
grown to such hidcous proportions of un
manly insignifcance, if our girls had beer
taught to rebuke their fopperies, and t.
shrink from associations with those who's
life, character, and conversation are deyoic
of all prestige of moral purpose an'
chivalric manhood,
Again, we say that the ugly and mer
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