The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1860-10-30
For the Guardian.
Letter from a Woman.

F." We need II different class of women those
that can 90 into the kitchen and work that can
knead bread rs well as play on the piano We
need intellectual women"
You do We begin to wonder if an address
to laaieS and gentlemen will ever be delivered
without long article on the imperfections o.
womanhood ; if our ears shall ever he delight
ed with Il little dignified encouragement, Il pat
on the shoulder, rs it We're, for coming success
and perfection. Our ideas OF what we should
be, and do, we are afraid, are rather vague /; we
ARE bewildcred with the logic Of many teach
ers. While We read with qualification, cxag-
gerated praises with intense satisfaction of the
great and good influence we WELD over the
lords of creation, are, in turning over the
sheet, rs suddenly taken down { rom our III /
tude by an eloquent article on our degeneracv
BE more specific in your requirements. :" Wo-
men that can knead bread" We should like
to sec, for in these stagnant DAYS it would be II
moral curiousity, a woman in this county that
can't kn,a hrea one that is not ACCOMPLISH
ed IN washing, ironing, scrubbing and darn.
ing. Aud if they do "erumbe" bit. now
and then, if there is such right they have
earned it, Don't you suppose in the colonial
days those good mothers sometimes said ooh
dear what n country. | wish Ia stayed at
home = and those noble, brave fore-fathers
sometimes said, Il wish to gracious yon ha ?"
You praise them, and they deserve it. But
that brings up another Of our wonders-why.
on the glorious Fourth when the fore fathers
ana t,.J ',,;J
never given. Give every honor to the dead
past it deserves, but DO not depreciate present
good
How many wives can remcm Der looking over
their table and thinking that every thing surely
was perfect and after WA iting as they thought
long enough, "fshed' for Il compliment by ask
ing if the biscuit or cake was good, and be re-
warded by" yes, dear, but do wish you could
make them mother did" 1t is humbup,
and you know, if you stop to think, the boys
round that table some future day will remember
that meal, will repeat your remarks to their
wives, who, if they are quiet little women, will
sadly wish they were more like that excellent
mother and cook
" We need intellec tual women"
So some say, Othcrs-and those not ipuor
ant men, but who, apart from any glory or De
cuniary reward, study for the self qualification
mental culture aliords--say it is sufficient for
n woman to be good househeeper.
If, in our ignorance, We would be informed
IN politics, we are met with Mortified remon
STRANGE. There is no necessity of our discuss
ing that, we could not comprehend il. We
remember one woman, ut least, MADAM De
SrAEL, who 50 thoroughly understood poltical
economy that she made one Of your bravest and
greatest jealous. Botany will do--at least as
much as We can make practicable in ten by
twenty lot However, one of the best text books
on that subject was written by woman, Mrs.
Lincoln.
Would We study the wonders of astronomy.
Alas II would call many hours from the
kitchen, and shirts might go buttonless. Let il
suihce US II we can stop om crying children by
showing them the Dipper in the Bear. Isn't it
rather singular that woman. Miss MITCHELL,
oil Nantucket by her great learning ani re-
search should have attracted the attention, not
only OF tho learned at home, but the crowned
heads Of Europe, aud won from them applause
"hd more substantial evidences Of respect.