Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-05-17
New Book.

New BOOK.
woxAs's THoueHrs ABOUT woMEs Blythe Author
Of ssJokn Halifax ~ "Gentieman, &C. new fork'
RUDD 4 CARLETON.
This is a handsome reprint Of a late Eng
iish book by Miss McLocK, who is already
wellknown as the author of ''John Halifax
oThe ogilvies,n @Agatha's Husband" &c.
She has, probably, greater vigor of intellect,
and force of style than any of England's liv-
ing female writers. No less as marks of her
style than of her sound sense, we give few
extracts, at random from the work, which we
would heartily wish read by every woman In
the countryside extracts first and the book
afterwards. Under the head of something
to do.
.That Providence ordained Is so-made
men to work. and women 10 ce lhle-is
doctrine that few will be bold enough to as
sert openly. Tacitly they do, when they
preach up lovely uslessRess, fascinating frlvo-
iitv delicious helpIessHess-al those polite i'm
pertinepces and poeticai degradations to which
the foolish lazy, or selfish of our sex are
prone to incline an ear, but which any woman
of common sense must repudlate as insulting
not only to her womanhood but her Creator.
Equally blasphemous, and perhaps even
more harmful is the outery about the equal
II
women many of whom are either ignorant OF
or UNEQUAL for their own duties-into the
nosition and duties of men. A pretty state
of matters would ensue! Who that ever lis
tened for two hours to the verbose confused
inanities of ladies' committee, would i'm
mediately go and give his vote Tor
female House of Commons? or who, on the
receipt of a lady's letter OF business speak
of the average-would henceforth desire to
IF
matronIy LAWYERS and our colleges thrOnged
by
Sweet girl graduates with their golden har?
"As for finance, in its various branches
YOU pause to consider the extreme diff
Guilty there always is in balancing Mrs. Smith s
housekeeping book, or Miss Smiths quarterly
allowance, L think, my dear Paternal smith.
YOU need not be much afraid, lest this loud
acclaim for 'women's rights should ever end
in pushing you from your stools, In counting
house, college, or elsewhere.
s.No: equality of the sexes Is not in the
nature of things Man and woman were
made for, and not like one another One
ONLY right we have to assert i'll common
with mankind-and that is as much IN our
own hands as theirs-the right of having
something to do"
On the subject Of self-dependence
ave must help ourselves. In this curious
phase of social history, when marriage is APP
parently ceasing TO become the common lot,
and happy marriage the most uncommon
lot of all we must educate our maldens into
what is far better than any blind clamor for
jll-defined rignts-into what ought always
to be the foundation of right duties. And
there il one the silent practice of which viii
secure to them almost every right they can
fairly need-the duty of selt-dependence.-
Not after the Aamazonian fashion, no multi
atinp of fair womanhOod in order to assume
the unnatural armor of men; but simply by
the full exercise of every faculty, physical,
moral and intellectual, with which heaven
has endowed us all, severally and collectively,
in different degrees; allowing no one TO rest
or lie idle merely because their owner is
woman. And above all, let US lay the foun-
dation of all real wOmanliness by teaching
our girls from their cradle that the priceless
pearl of decorous beauty, chastity OF mind as
we'll as body exists in themselves alone; that
a single-hearted and pure-minded woman may
20 through the world, like Sponsors Una, suf-
fcring, indeed, but never detcnceless; foot
sore and smirched, but never tainted; ex-
posed doubtless, to many trials, yet never
degraded or Inundated, unless by her own
acts she humiliates herself.
The age OF chivalry, with all its benefits
and harmfulness is gone by, for us women.
We cannot now have men for our hnlghts-er-
while we have nothing to do but sit idle Oh
balconies and drop flowers on half-dead vic
TORS at tilt aud tourney. Nor, on the other
hand, are we dressed up dolls, pretty play
things to be fought and scrambled tor-pet-
ted carcssed, or flung out OF window rs
our several lords and masters may please.
Life is much more equally divided between
us and them. We are neither goddesscs nor
slaves; they are neither heroes nor semi-de-
Cd nm tbaP
men alike on the same road, where daily eX-
perience illustrates Hudibras's keen truth,
that
sThe value Of a thing
Is Just much as il Will bring
And our value is-exactly what we chose
to make 1t.
Upon the oft-repeated charge that women
cannot keep a secret, our author strikes the
following brief and judicious compromise:
"Here is one accusation which must sor-
rowfully bring against women, as being much
more guilty than men. We can keep secret
-av. against ali satire, | protest we can
while the confder remains our friend; but if
that tie ceases, pop! out Il coD'es!'
q TIE question is therefore ttled;-in good
humor they can-in a bad humor they can't.
We conclude our notice of these, many of
them, useful and beautiful " Thoughts" by
brief address to mothers:
Would that instead of educating our
Young girls with the notion that they are TO
lie wives or neutrality-suspicious., with an ac-
knowledged position and duties, or with no
position and duties at ALIVE could in-
Still into them the principle that, above and
before ALL they are to be trom'eH-women,
whose character is of their own making, and
whose lot lies in their own hands Not through
any foolish independence of mankind, or
adventurous misogamy; let people pirate as
they will, the woman was never born yet who
would rot cheerfully and proudly give herself
and her whole destiny into II worthy hand, ut
the right time, aud under fitting circumstan-
ces-that is, when her whole heart aud consci-
ence accompanied and sanctilied the gift. But
marriage ought always TO be question not
of necessity, but choice. Every girl ought TO
BE- taught that u hasty. loyeless union, stamps
upon her as foul dishonor as one OF those COZ
nexions which omit the legal ceremony alto
. rether: and that, however pale, dreary, and
tOilsome single life may he, unhappy mar
ried life must be tentold worse-an ever-haunt-
ing temptation, an incurable regret, tor
ment from which there is no escape but death.
There is many "A Lridal-chamber over which
ought to be placed no other inscription than
that we'll known one over the gate OF Danteis
hell:
Lascidte ogni speransd roi Oh 'e,ttraie.'
God forbid that any woman, in whose heart
j. any sense OF real marriage, with all It's sane
tity, beauty, and glory, should ever be driven
to enter such an accursed door,"
Mccormick VS.. Nanny.