The gazette and Democrat. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1860, 1860-05-17
Sunshine I'm Inc Hnnse.

sunshine out Of the bouse. Whatever
Of relig'Ssa dim light" !
may possess in the church, the worst her
esy in the home is twilight. What an
absurdity we commit when we build
place high, road, full OF windows, just
The admirable contrivance to catch and
imprison the CHEEKY light and royal sun
shine, and then cover all those windows
with impeDetrable drapcry: and carefully
bring back the whole illuminated space
within the region of"Old Night" We
never bark our sbins editorial against
the rosewood corners Of our friend OF
tomans and sofas, or grope our way
through their dimIylighted parlors, with
out an involuntary prayer for sunshine
Is Gods light and warmth loo much for
your new carpet? But is not the damask
in your cheeks better worth preserving
than the colors of your Brussels? Do you
fear to subject your complexion, dear Miss
to the trial of the bold light? Live in the
light, and your lace will become a part Of
nature, and harmonic will all its lovely
hucs and forms. Our women Go not sus-
pect what terrible retribution they pro-
woke, by thus living in a twilight hot
house. They lose all the vigor, elasti-
city, loveliness, that the natural air, and
warmth, and radiance would confor; and
from beautiful human beings, slide down
10 sort OF semi-vegelaran condition
where the sharp beams Of the sun stream
through them, like ghost, and they ap.
pear like sort underground, livid. sem
human creature, that has strayed out Of
its cellar, to wander, q dim unreality,
among men. Don't be afriad OF nature;
she is your best friend. But if you pro
pose to ecu" any flend, pray let it not
be this same Jealous dame for in any con,
test you may provoke, she will assuredly
conquer.
We believe a good deal of the spiritual
gloom in the house comes from this allie
alton from nature. Thousands ami tens
of thousands of women in America are
practically as ignorant Of the physical
world in which they live, as if they were
born and bred in the planet Uranus. Day
in and day ont, year BY year, they plod
the Monotonous round Of indoor experi>
ence, while within they are engrossed by
the cares pleasures or languors OF home.
They leave their own threshold only to
cross that of another house keeper, or to
be immured in rail-car steamer. or first
class hot-l; or look on nature from the
windows of their carriage. 1t is inevitable
that such narrowness ofphysjcal life, and
perpetual association with artificial ar.
rangements, should have rarrcd the body
and mind. The former quite losses its
subtle adjustment to the elements, and
becomes an artificial body. always at odds
with the rest of the Creators universe
The mind narrows. peliiies, becomes ja-
ded and confused, and wauders amid 4
hopeless labyrinth of petty cares and in
insgfcient anxiclies. Invariably the re.
suit is gloom in the home.
The husband is compelled tclive much
out of doors. He come in, bounding witt
the exhileration of broatf ing the open air
his eye pitched to the horizon line, his
step firmly planted, as treading the sole
earth; altogether another kind OF creature
from the pale, nervous being who pre-
sides over his household. What can b(
the results but endless chickering's, am
never.ending, stll-beginning disagree
I ment. 1t is as ifan inhabitGnt Of the up
per earth should attemptt to consort will
creature Of some subterrancan world
r There is a perpetual repulsiol of blood
3 nerves, spirits, The man seems 10 hi
q enfeebe partner to partake of the rougn
n boisterous noture OF call outdoors" Sh
shrinks from his energetic life, as she cud
= dies away from the wind and the sunshine
a The woman appears to her partner etlen
2 mate, dobililated in body and soul incap;
!. BILE of scizing any object Of life with
firm grip; aud lie shrinks from her s
from precious bit of antique China, or
e mummy case, that, brushed too roughl
y will fall to pieces.
!, Out of tins natural repulsion grow
0 three .fourths, of the difficulties Of iami
t. life in our country, The plain fact
!. this, and tho sooner the young women
D. America learn it the better, that they ha'
4. become quite TOO nice and over-redned
l. body for companiouship with Americi
ID men. 10 certain extent, man can syr
pathize with physical debility and dai
tiness of structure iu The home. Bu
n. when woman's life becomes long wa
o( or too often an Intermittent SaGrl OF bod
a ly vexatiou and eifeminacy, not eve
q. American masculine nature can endure
u. 1t is beginning to be suspected. by t
en- men of the Republic, that this almC
I'd universal weakness of their wives a
IS, daughters is not so much misfortune
n. crime. They think that if woman
our land, with more comforts and larg
opportunities than her sex ever before e
n, joyed, cannot keep her own body 10 FRIEND
n relations with nature, the fault is her oN
IN For our part, we have done with ind
10. crmiuate pity fol- the physical ailmcl
ed of the women folks. Certainly we sh
is, never want compassion for the ha'd
se of the class of women, who, in povel
,r. and care, toiling themselves into. the gra
We eau weep with the victims of here
tarv debility. But ifany young or
m lady expects excuse or sympathy, W
ry her thousand self created ails and eHel
nacies, she must call elsewhere.