The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-01-13

unfriended, the faint-hearted. They stand
alone, aud see the iostling, eager selfish crowds
go by. and draw back shrinking and shudder
iae, but have no sanctuary from the throng
Speak 10 them Give them your sympathy
Show them the dignity of selfrespect. From
Your wiser years and your larger experience
assure them that a crown of thorns nobly worn
shall become crown Of rejoicing, to be cast
before the Lord. Strengthen the weak hands
and. confirm the feeble knees, by telling them
ho=' duty Is greater than pleasure, integrity bet
ter than happiness, and he alone rich who is
q lowered with the hate Of hate, the scorn OF
scOrn, the love Of love.f o men, o brothers,
You talk Of woman's influence, but you do not
know your own You cannot suspect how much
q tfue woman breads your sarcasm, who will
yet, # NEED be, brave it neutrality-suspicious.
priceless is your sympathy and appreciation to
Inc heart that viii yet throb Just as highly with
out il. Cease TO exhaust yourselves on those
whose every step is watched and guarded by
home atfection-who face no sterner " duty than
10 give caresses," who neither need nor heed
yoar iHjnnctions. and turn TO those whose weak
ness must be consolidated into strength, and
10 ~hom your appreciation would be as the
breath Of bie.
Even those whom you do address are not
benefited thereby. Upon the young girl about
10 leave school for her home of comfort, and
peace, and plenty you inculcate the duty of
making home happy, because YOU think it is the
most appropriate thing YOU can do. Very well,
# ecu will only tell her how TO do it. But you do
not. You utter glittering and sounding gen.
eralities. You are definite in your directions
only where her way is straight ahead. You
bid her minister 10 the wants of her parents, to
rock the cradle Of their declining years gently,
- f.,1d fhA aoueb If ciolgnasg ~ cnpf1v tha
wants Of The poor. and be useful member of
society," 10 what end 2 All these things she
IS forward 10 do. She dusts the parlor, sees
mat the gpest-chamber is aired, supplies the
Drca Kfast llible with flowers, reads to the one
or two poor old women of the village, tends her
garden, teaches in the Sunday school, and
what then ? Half her time remains on her
hands Her soul Is full of the nebule of great
thoughts, lofty purposes. Can you help her
resolve them into perfect, selfradiant, and ra-
dating arms? From the chaos, as yet with
ont form aIp void, will you teach her to evoke
a world Of symmetry and beauty, which God
the Judge On the Last Day shall pronounce to
be very good? You have pleasant voice, and
PLAY veil CA an instrument, but How shall /
inakem nv life noble?" is her eager cry. How
SHAH J ~Tcst from every day the heroism that
Al holds? What shall | do with my Monday,
aud Tuesday, and Wednesday with my June
ana S.yt-nbery Can YOU answer her these
questions Can Won even mark off section
Of The heavens, that she may sweep with her
telescope, t. lind the answer1 If YOU cannot,
y0ur words are as idle tales. You might Just
as wei repeal your lecture as gay nuns do their
lTagers-" Our Father, which art in heaven,
&c.. 6c, dc, Amen" OF what conceivable
use Is j. 10 tell her that wOman's place is the
Sweet, safe 10y iie household fire.
ElnIId e. ~ sds children.
when the very clay, of which the bricks are to be
made. with which the hearth is TO be built, on
winch n fire is to be kindled. around which the
children are TO gather, behind whose heads she is
10 hide not yet dug This mode of talking
IS All wrong---tO some useless, to others abso-
lutely lurtiul. | have not observed that Ameri-
can girls are generally too coy. They do not,
10 the best OF my knowledge, evince any con-
yeutual epidemic, any unnatural repugnance
10 the society of men, any understandable reluc-
lance 10 assume the-duties of wife and mother
4 respectable middteaged gentleman, of rare
intellectual endowment and excellent moral
character, tells them, generously and seriously,
that they will probably be married one day, and
thgy would better be getting ready for it. He
evidently thinks the sweet little innocents never
heard GIOught II such a thing before, and
woIld 20 Oh burning their curly heads in
books, and sicklying their rosy faces with the
pale cast Of Thought till the end of time if he
did moi STIR up their pure minds by way of re-
membrance. Ny dear sir, good many of your
artless hearers think Of nothing else from morn
ing tai night They talk of their wedding ring
long beioIe they can give you a definition of
the oirtl.. which Is its form. They are firm be-
hevers ia the truth Of the principle, that it is
better 10 be ready and not 60 than to go and
not be ready; and they have already decided to
lie msrried ia church with the Episcopal form,
because it is 50 much more impressive To us
who are behind the scenes, and know all this,
your CAii0dations sound, TO say the least rather
funny and Ne cannot avoid the faintest soup
con Of a suspicion that YOU are carrying Goals
10 Newcastle.