Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-03-08
Southern IS omen.


~ The following just defence of our noble yyo
men is from the Courier DIES EtntS U5aiS, the organ
E. of the French in the United States It breat6es
Re the spirit of the gallant of which it is the
0f ablest representative on this continent
r For some days past the Tribune which generally
S. possesses the virtue of selfrespect not knowing
doubtless how else to give vent to it's lhumor at
the turn OF affairs has lavished insults upon the
q women OF the South 1t seems to us that thou
IL sand reasons, not to mention the simple one of
proprlety, should restrain Northern journal from
a such attacks. The Tribune should remember,
s too the heroism displayed by the Confederate
women for theil cause Whether this cause were
I good or bad, the Southern women have sustained
1T nobly and with force of character which recalls
e the ancient women of Sparta, and which has
everywhere commanded respect and admiration
: NOT sat1stled with attacking the Southern wo-
men, the Tribune institutes between them and %he
: women of the North comparison as odious as it
is unj ust.
Our women says Mr.. Greeley's newspaper
" are everywhere most cultivated class the
} women OF the South are more iterate than the
men,
) We dispute the truth of this assertion. There
are at the South. as at the North educated women
and Ignorant women, we'll bred and ill bred vuI-
gat women But we do not believe that the pro-
portion is SO unfavorabe to the Sonth The ladies
of Charleston, of New Orleans and of. Richmond
have shOne in all the European sal oCns where tbnv
have appeared, as brilliantly those of New York
and Boston That the Southern women are less
literary than their husbands is very possible: but
we do not consider this surely as a reproach We
do not like learned women we are repealed by
women versed in latin and philosophy and mn
like MI Greedy take the part of Henriettee against
Armande. woman may be educated certainly.
but let her never become pedant and above all
let her never parade her learning. We do not see
at the South such physical and philosophical la
dies; we see only too many of them Mt the North.
and what these gain i'll SCIENCE if science that NAV
be called which consists in great number of ideas
almost always confused and specifically under.
1oI1c10
In grace and attraction. We say this without IN
tending any injustice to those charming Northern
women who avoided the grotesque and ridiculous
and resemble in this their sisters of the South
Let us permit the Tribune to insist upon the
gross ignorance" of the Confederate women
and to refer to this ignorance their energy and
conStancy during the wal. We attribute the great
qualities of which the Southern women have given
noble example TO higher origin Ipnornce the
I'16t1e has said it hundred times, can encender
only wee ana meanness and ii the Confederate wo-
men nave been heroic, 1T is because they had faith
III thelr cause There occasions in history
when women whose mission in ordinary times i
TO make the good wife, the tender mother and to
polish manners by the charm and grace which she
brings INTO all social relations may rise above her
sell and give examples of the highest virtuos
these occasions occur when the sacred soil of her,
country and with it Tor through it, the domestic
hearth and the family are threatened with i,,vo-
SION 1hese high virtues the women of the South
nave practced without oStentation, without thea+
flcal parade. They have borne all privations
they have defed all outrages by their proud and
attitude Soldiers, drunken with blood
coulu outrage the1r bodies, but their victims re
manned as pure as those Christian virgins whose
memories the embraces of the executioner could
not denle All that is precious to women dress
Jewels, the luxuries of home-all these the South-
ern women gave up-they did not even recoi be-
tore sacrifices still painful-they did not fear
to break their hearts by sending forth their sons
70 40 battle for cause, sacred in their eyes, like
mat Lacedemonlan mother who showed a shield
70 her son ana said simply, return with it upon
lido thy duty or die. Do not expect such traits
rom ignorant women, from souls without eleya-
ton T,..' ~ - ~
And while desolation over all the heartbs of tho
south, while mothers had each day fresh tears r.,
wipe away, yet bravely bore their grief how were
me women OF the North employed ? In deyeloD
ing a costly luxury against which the Tribune it.
'ef cried out, calling attention to it's scandalous
extent, feminine prodigality became more and
more unrestraned. We know to what disastrou,
result this state of affairs had led Some Iadie,
t is true, like Misc Anna Dickinson gave tiresornr
ectures to promiscuous audiences, others clam
ored for pretended woman s rights and exnosed
to the derision of the public ond
others still enrolled themselves under the bonnnr
u mlscegenation. 1t is among these classes Of
ionien VINO oeiy good sense and modesty in pub
&c exhibitions, that the Tribune finds its ideal
Let this journal then cease to insnIt tbose
conquered women, of whom the defeat has not
il11ished the greatness let it cease to embittcr
md dlshonor its pen in sustaining an indefone;[,
oarodox. The North, like the south. has its con.
lngent OF good, graceful, educated and elegant
'reG women; 1t has, perhaps, q larger number
# that class who so little deserve the name Of
women, and for whom certain announcements arr
made IN the journal; it possesses also, great
1 mare OF D., learned and pedantic ladies-bnt for
nese' VIII New Orleans not become envious OF
5oston AS for good and well-bred society, it j,
ne same everywhere and the Tribune may be
ure that woman of the world, coming from
'oston, would not feel out of place in New Or
!ans' nor would the CONTRARY be true In caluu-
1Iatlng the Southern women, Mr. Greelv has sim
~ proved that he does not know them and that
Q knows still less the common laws of proprietv