The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1866-02-14

There arc very few OF them left now,
more's tho pity!
{" But there are two sides to the qses.
ton" Of course there are. Don't we
sec it as clearly a, anybody? There is
20 u.o in trying to ignore the darker
reverse of our Shield. Most women begin
life under terrible disadvantages. Just
whom their more fortunate brothers were
reyeliny in balls, kites, and gloriou, out.
door exercise, theywere studying botany,
making patchwork, and nursing dolls.
! Consequently at the very time when
their j'hysiqr should be q streosth and
reliance and cheering comfort, they have
to bear it along with them, like hid
eous burden of pain and discomfort.
Hercules himself could not have worked
cheerfully with \ headache, and Hum
boldt never would have been Humboldt
if he had been subject to dyspepsia
Life is, at best, a two finland sort Of Il
tourney, and if The horse Body draws
against the horse Spirit, what sort Of
progrcss can the luckIess chariotcer e1.
pcct to make? The best result to be
ihopel for is speedy dissolution Of
partnership!
Moreover, a man at twenty one has
his trade or profession marked out Tor
him. lie studies for it, trains for it,
bends all the energies Of his nature to
that particular channel. llo exercises
some sort OF voliion in the matter, and
works for some end. But woman !!
"Shcll marry" say the contentcd pa.
rents, blindly trusting in the fore
orduined doom of girls in general. But
perhaps she don't marry-nobody, wants
her-or perhaps she docs marry, to be-
come widow. Then, what next? 1t
is late to begin OF the \ i c of life,
but the poor soul has no other alterna- :
tive open to her, and begins awkwardly
to con the lessons she should have
learned long ago.
Now what is the reason women should
not select trades and professions just as
men do, and icarn them, too? Ofcourse
we don t expect them to take to black.
smithiug, or become stcvcdorcs, hack
drivers, or carpenters; but there are
plenty Of other vocations for them to
adopt, if they will only begin patiently
ut the beginning. Suppose it never be.
comes necessary to work for n living,
does it do body any harm to know
how? Isn't It better than gold depos.
it in tho bank to have q " bread.wiuner"
always on hand? We must all strike
out into tho great ocean Of daily exist
cncc, but it bchooves us all to take our
life. prcservers along! "Women never
! hurc done SOL No, they never have
they have starved, and suffered, and
persisted quietly; and let US hope that
this black chapter in their history is ap.
preaching its end. They never have
done so, but it is high time they did.
p; Let. them leave off leaning bliudly on
old.estabIishcd manners and customs.
and lcaa boldly on their own right
hand nnd cunning brains People never
know just how much they can do until
they have tried.
Professional careers for women are by
no means as unusual as they once were
We do not mean professional careers
SUL rosa, for do we not know ministers
wives that wriNtheir husbands sermons,
and ma,hematicians' wives that make
abstrusc calculations, and doctors wives
that have the whole pharnacopcia at
their fingers ends? We simply mean
the thing itself. Female professors arc
beginning to occupy college chairs here
and there lem.ales arc heard Of in coast
surveys, and females boldly enter the
l.t Of authorship and editor.land, ay,
and carry of laurels, too, from under
the very nose Of wondering Man. Why
shouldn' they?
We know Of one instance worth par.
ticularizing, were it only to cheer up
the weak sisters who think they can.
not succeed because they arc women
tic instance Of bright, entcrprisinG
girl who was being educated as a school
teacher. But, looking out into her fu'
turc, sho aslonishcd the Wiscacrcs Of con
,erva,ism by simply saying, :" | should
like to study medicine OF course this
was rather startling, but VIC oil know
the proverb about "woman's will,
and there being no law against female
fingers picking up what stray crumbs oI
intelligence nigh. be gathered in the
hall Of medicine and surgery, our her
oine became in due time as regular q
graduate ny if she had worn broadcloth
instead Of merino. Duly provided With
all the necessary formalities, she hung
out her little sign in shining village
not far from New York. quite undis'
mayed by the spectaclcd NJ. D.'s who
glanced obviously at her from their cs
tablishcd heights Of medical orthodoxy
She vas discouraged at nothing, she va:
resolved to succeed, and she did sue
coed. Ten years Of patient waiting
and conscientious work wrought their
rich reward, and the little doctor is
now driving in her carriage, with pro-
fessiona income no. very far from ten
thousand dollars year
Now, if ooc woman has done this, why
may not many women?
How often We have heard spirited
ambtous girls cha6ng under the chains