The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-01-06

who in the ordinary affairs of life were neat to
a fault, Just not fall down and worship bit OF
dingy, old, yellow lace, that looked mt for noun
| ing but the wash-tub; and when demonstrated
| with, excuse themselves by saying, Why, 1t is
| 6fty or FIVE hundred wears old = which may
| be very lucid explanation, but l cannot say
fully understand and appreciate it.
But if men, in their strength, and courage,
and independence, are enviable, men in their
| gentleness are irresistible. You expect it in
women. 1t is their attribute and characteristic.
| You do not admire its presence so much as you
deplore or condemn its absence. But manly
| tenderness has a peculiar charm. 1t is the
| wild ivy shooting over the battlements of some
old feudal castle, lending grace to solidity,
yelling strength with beauty. And You meet
it everywhere-in the house and by the wayside,
in city and country, under broadcloth and
homespun. The best seat, the finest stand
point, the warmest corner, is not only offered
but urged upon a woman. You may travel
from one end of the country to the other, and
meet not only civility, but the most cordial and
considerable kindness. You may be as ugly as
it is possible for virtue to be, and tired, and
travel-stained, and stupid, and your neighbOr
of day will show you all the little attentions
you could claim from a father or brother. He
will place his valise for your footstool and his
shawl for your pillow, open or close your win
dow-blind at every turn of the road, point out
every object of interest, explain everything you
don't understand, and do a thousand things TO
make your journey pleasant. The toughest
laborer will step out ankle-deep in the slOsL|
to give you firm footing and if you have Z 2
decency to thank him, his good-natured fa1e
will light up with as broad smile as if Y, u
were doing him the greatest favor in the world
When a carpenter drags the heavy old rosa
gate, which he has just unhinged to mend, half
a dozen rods, to lay it across mud-puddle that
a woman, to whom he never spoke before, and
probably never will again, may pass over dry
shod, it is false to say that the age of chiyalry
is gone. Talk of Sir Walter Raleigh's gallant
ryl Say rather his shewdness. Surely his
was the most economical use to which cloak
was ever put. What wonderful politeness was
there in a risking few yards of plush to win
the smile of sovereign whose smiles were
money and fame, and troops of friends 2"
| am aware that this universal politeness has
passed under the ban of certain of my sex
who are pleased to consider and designate it as
doll-treatment," and resent it accordingly.
They ask no favors, despise cOndescensions,
and demand dues. Very well. They are doubt
less conscientious. If thought as they do, |
should probably act as they do. Only do not.
/ am grateful for the "small sweet courtesies
of life," though can't vote Without granting
mans justice in Withholding rights, yet hay
an ever-preSent consciousness of lmbecllls-,
which makes me shrink from claiming thel,,.
l consider myself lucky whenever a sensibli,
intelligent man cOndescends TO talk to me =
earnest of anything that interests him. DoE
suppose me umble." Quite the contrary. I
savthese things myself with perfect nonchalan~s
and in good faith, but l should like to see Il
man, woman, or child, that would dare to sae
them to me. | use the term condeScend, b.,
from my own standpoint. i never see ma
think he condescends to a woman, without fee
ing an itching desire to take him between my
thumb and finger, and give him a twirl thu
shall send him "spinning down the ringing
grooves of whatever street he happens TO II
on. >
Even if it were true-if the aforementi9ne
courtesy were a kind Of quid pro qUO-a SCI
periiuity given for an essential taking away-a
Roland of kindness, thrust upon us for an Oliver
of right, fraudulently kept back-why-I am
afraid | must make the ignoble confession that
I-believe--I like the Roland better than The
Oliver, that is, if we can't have bOth--if rights
preclude courtesy 1t is pleasanter, or, as Eng
lishmen would say, "jollier, to sit by the flesh
pots of Egypt than to starve legally in the
promised land. Women would better improve
the rights they have little more, before going
mad after others that they know not OF. 1t
seems to me that have business enough on
my hands now to occupy three persons at least;
and If men t0iU be so good as to do the law
making, and stock-jobbing, and bribing, and
quarrelling, and stump-speaking, will be great
ly obliged to them. 1t will give them employ
ment, and take them off our hands for good
part of the day, which is very convenient. As
the big man said, when asked why he let his
little wife beat him: " 1t amuses her. and it
don't hurt me-"
This is not at all heroic, / know and | sup.
pose il there was the least probability that any,
thing would ever come of it, could work my,
self up to the proper pitch of indignation, and
prefer a crust of bread and the right of suffrage
to ENJOYING the pleasures of slavery for sea
son. But Plato saws it is an awful gift of the
gods that we can become used to things and
have become SO used to this, that, notwithstand-
ing an occasional spasm, really am--pretty'
well, thank you, bud
| do not believe that the stream of kindness,
which flows so continually from men to usward,
has any such polluted source. 1t is not under
hand as some would have us believe, nor
sinister. Men do not Systematically Cypress
us. They mean well, only they are little
thick-headed. AS soon as they see their
way clear, they will walk in it. Meanwhile
comes in this involuntary outgushing, this in
nate nobility of soul--this germ of the possible
angel, which l pray God may spring up, and
bud, and blossom into glorious fruitage. Am
| enthusiastic? have right to be. A nation
of men loyal-not to grace, beauty, magnif
cence, but to womanhood, to the highest impul-
SEES of fallen human nature, to the love element
of the universe, is thing to be enthusiastic
about. 4" will indulge my sacred fury If a
woman does not fall in love adozen times du-
ring weeks journey, it can only be from the
manifest impossibility of conducting so many
" affairs to successful termination. Nero
wished all Rome had but one head, that he
might strike it off at a blow. | could wish that
all America had but one heart in which case
there would be but one thing wanting to com.
plete my happiness viz that that distilled
heart should be as tenderly disposed towards me
as | should be towards it.
j have somewhere read that, in a part of the
Jewish worship, the men say@'I thank thee. q
God, that thou hast not made me woman: ~
and the women devouily and meekIy follow. :.
thank thee, o God that thou hast made me aSSi
it pleased thee" The first is the language of
nature, the second of grace. The first is phys-
iOlogy, and impractieable to us the second.
philosophy, and attaihable. Let us take cour-
age.
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