The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1867-04-05
Women,s Opinions.

women. sETruet mans reason, and a
INSTINCT" "Depend on wo-
mans first thoughts, not on her second
are specimens Of what We hear every
day reiterated. We are not about to
iusinuate that the bitter pill is not ad-
in the sweetest of coverings.
The assertion as to the inferiority of
woman's reasoning faculties are gener-
ally accompanied by such strong state
ments with regard to the superiority OF
their instinct, and of the judgments re-
sulting from the decisions prompted BY
it, that we are not in the slightest de-
gree surprised to find women unprepar-
ed to give up the advantages Of an in
stinct, the exercises of which cost them
no trouble, merely that they may gain
the power of employing the slowestpro-
cesses ofreasoning. We imagine, how
ever, that little reconsideration Of the
matter might be advantageous. The
mine which depends solely on its in
stincts, is, in many cases, necessarily
brought into circumstances where even
those highly -prized powers are at a dis
advantage. 1t appears to us that when
a decision has to be made which involves
the balancing of a considerable number
of probabilities (as do most decisions
with regard to the conduct of life, J it
would be well had women been trained
to consider and weigh, rather more than
many of them do, the advantage and
disadvantages arising from the pursuits
of any certain course of action. The
instinct may, on the whole, decide cor
rectly, but where the instinct is inform
ed and guided by no definite principle,
we fear that its decisions may occasion
ally be classified under the head of the
results Of unreasoning prejudices. m,.,..
Though we have instaneed serious
affairs as afording exempli6cations Of
the matter upon which women would
do well not to trust wholly, to their in
stincts, yet we feel that such events as
these, which require the highest pow
ers to be called into action for their de
cision, are not events Of every day oc
currence. There are, of course, hun
dreds of little everyday incidents, il
judgment upon which woman can ex
srcise her instinct fully and without
harm, and with regard to which she
may express her opinion without fear o
doing mischief. notes 5.s 4gsr1f1 +
| To such, however, weywould advis'
that the u1stinetive Judgments shopl
| be confined. When women uudertak
to tale upon subjects which requir
thought, they should either be willing
to give the mental labor necessary t
secure knowledge of the matters i
hand, as foundation for the opinion
they express, or else they should b
content to let them alone entirely.
| We fear. however, that the first 9
these alternatives presents a considers
bic difficulty. The knowledge result
ling from mental labor takes time to &C
iquire, and is work of some difficulty
but the instructive judgment which VIC
men have been taught to consider 8
much superior in its results, is rapid j
its effects, and requires no previous pre-
paration. '.ae
The opinions which we hear worne
express seem to us to be capable Of div
| sion into two sorts, those which are th
results of imperfect information, an
those which are merely the reflection
of the opinions of others. In fact, on
might almost say that it is with tn
opinions of women, as it has been al
serted with regard to their character
most have none at all. Their opinion
are not formed by the exercise of the
own observation or judgment, unles
indeed, the instinct theory is allowed
have much weight. They simply r.
peat and reiterate what is satd aroun
them. We have even known the fore
of imitation carried so far with som
women as to result in their repeatiu
the very words and distinctive phrase
of the people who we're their opinion
makers-in-chief.
We ara aware that this state of thing
, is the result, in a great measure, of tt
dependent character Of women's mind
Possibly, the undue encouragement
the reliance on instructive judgment h'
also something to do with it. Ali tn
I've are anxious to secure is, that tt
, fact should be recognized, and that W
men should not delude themselves I'M
the idea that they entertain opinions
, their own, when, in reality, they on
repeat what they have picked up fro
others.
The possession of this species Of sc
d ond rate opinion appears to us to
, becoming very prevalent in the prese
4 day. especially among those young
a dies who have much leisure time and !
very definite object with which to 0
cupy themselves. Those among thel
r fwho have what are termed literal
tastes, devote themselves to the readil
sof books-we do not mean novels, bu
| the books which interest and stir Il
: thinking men of the day. We do n
intend to depreciate their pursuits, st
{ less would we recommend them to ''gi'
{ up 1neddling with things which the
i cannot understand What we wou
desire is, that these ladies should thin
upon the subjects about which they rea
It If this were effected, it would not th'
e be the case that, when one ofthe subjec
}. of the day is introduced, the confers
If ton of women on the point should co
n sist almost invariably ofmere statelner
It Of the opinions of the writers who
works they have been perusing. Ih
" woman shyuld go about in society do
e matizing and stating their views, is Il
1t last thing in the world which we shou
e desire to see; but we could wish, I
their own sakes, that their opinio
were little more frequently the resi-
Of their own thoughts, and less oft
mere reflections of those of other peop
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