Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1859-08-05
For the Journal,
DISCOURSE ON WOMEN.


Mr.. EDITOR - As Cousin Jennie,
your quond0m correspondent, has de-
parted this life Of single blesselness
for the cares and troubles Of life in
the State Of Matrimony, to me, as her
nearest and dearest friend, she be
queathcd the task Of continuing the
correspondence, and carrying out her
views but as I, having for some time
been enrolled in the ranks Of that much
prosecuted class, yclept sold Maids"
have, of course, my own views and
opinions, and not being answerable to
any one for the same, besides feelinga
strong desire to be of service to my
young sisters who have not yet passed
the Kubicon-I shall proceed to give
them said views and opinions in my
own way, hoping that it will prove as
"good seed sown in fruitful ground"
I suppose / should have made a good
wife to some one-but that some one
destined for me having never made his
appearance, could not like any one
else we'll enough to take them for better
or worse therefore, | have come to
conclusion that, perhaps, was more
fitted to adorn the station of old maid
than any other and as old maids have
the name and privilege Of using their
eyes and ears for the public good, l,
of course, have not been backward in
making use of that privilege, thereby
enabling myself to give good advice
TO my young friends, who need not
hesitate to profit by it, as it will be for
their own advantage, it being too late
for me to attempt to rival them. The
first subject to which | shall draw their
attention, is "Dress. this seeming
to be an all-important theme in these
degenerate times Go where you will,
if there are two or moro ladies, you will
almost invariably find the topic of con-
versation to be, dress and its concom-
itants. Goethe truly said that "wo-
men only adorn themselves for each
ether, and when together are weariless
in inventing new modes of ornament.
Those are my favorites, who, in sim
pie neatncss, give to the friend and
lover the silent assurance that it is done
for him only, and that with but little
trouble and cost whole life could 20
in the same manner" Now if you,
dear girls, would oily take hint from
this we should hear no more complaints
from the young men that they cannot
afford to marry. l am sure that they
: all feel (if they do not express it) a
deep and hearty sympathy with the
"young man, john" who told the
stPsofessor" that as it took a
whole piece Of goods to cover up girl
nowadays, he has lief undertake to
keep span Of elephants and take an
ostrich to board, as to marry one of
them. It's very pleasant to see fine
young girls sittin' like shopkeepers be-
hino their goods, waitin' and waitin,'
wiz no customers, and the men lingerin'
round and lookin' at the goods like
folks that wanted to be customers, but
haven't got the money"
st is a fixed fact, and shame to our
sex, that the young men are afraid to
marry; yet who can blame them, when
we look round on the ruin caused by
extravaganza, and think of the song:
s'Each thought of his wife, and how richly
she dressed,
gown,
For wives will dress, though husbands can't
pay,
And bankruptcy's surely the pleasantest way
To get rid of the bill and the dunning."
Is there no remedy for this ? No
one noble and courageous enough to
revolutionize this state Of affairs It
would be greater victory gained than
any ever has been, or will be soon, by
the French in Italy. Show to the
world that women are not "bones of
whales and cotton bales,'' but Sc, sible
creatures with heads and hearts, and
though our hearts lie nearer to us than
our heads, and oftener gives us trouble,
yet the latter knows very we'll how to
remedy the difficulties, and will do so.
Our heads need more cultivation than
our hearts or dress. Men like sensible
wives as we'll as loving and fine dressed
ones. sometimes blush for very shame
in listening to some Of the converse
ton Cd Of our gay, well-dressed young
ladies. Only the other day, young
friend Of mine said to me that such a
one was Of very "ignacious dispo-
.sition." This young lady was grad
uate Of one of eastern schools, and is
only an example from many others l
could give, but will spare your bushes,
and will quote for you Swift's satire
on the young ladies of his time, and
equally applicable to ourselves
"Never to hold her tongue minute,
While all she prates has nothing in it;
Whole hours can with coxcomb sit.
And take his nonsense all for wit:
Her learning mounts to read song,
but half the words pronouncing wrong;
Can ready compliments supply,
On oil occasions, cut and dry. |
Now, on the other side, I will give
you Dickens description of true
woman and leave you to your own
reflections for the present, hoping you
will derive much benefit therefrom.
/" A woman who does not think it a
weakness to attend to her toilet; who
does not disdain to be beautiful ; who
believes in the virtues of we'll fitting
gowns, glossy hair, and who eschews
scents and rarnllnd odeoa al:a