Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-06-20
SroIn Tho Round Table.
Women and Literature. j..

Women and Literature. inn,
r. What literature shall ! read and how
shall read it? are two questions of great
import to every person of literary taste
andeuiture. They are too closely connect
ed to admit of separation yet the choice
Of what we shall read naturally prccedes
the how. A book is a true daguerreotype
of the soul. fthat soul be vtiated-if
the fountains of purity be poisoned-then
whatever comes from that soul must be
corrupt. A. clean thing cannot emanate
from an unelean, AS well might you cx
pect rosy checked apples from an old crab
tree as to expect good book from vile
heart. "A good book, "as Milton expressed
it, sis the precious life blood of a master
spirit embalmed and treasured on purpose
to life beyond life" 1t is "the precious
lfe-blood, ola heart that has conquered
itself, that has seen and felt that hearts
yearnings after truth" And SO that every
person who drinks in the Iins,aortality Of d
good book, who draws from thence the
deep convictions of his own heart, who
sees his soul mrrored in its pages, who
desires that food which strengthens for q
loftier purpose and a nobler action, will be
exalted above the gross conceptions of "a
vulgar mind. lie need not lack for COM
pany when he can associate with the master
spirits of the world. He may be neglected
by outside society, but he receives the cor
dial welcome Of those who are truly great.
II is trite enough to say that "a man is
known by the. company he keeps" But
no less is it true with regard to his choice
IN 5rao Isx,rx fhot, -, g.,
ship. The man of pleasure, the man of
weak intellect, the man who nourishes pas
sion and loves excitement, will be found
porting overlthe vulgar and insipid pages
of thoughtless and ill-written nouel The
grasp of his mind is no irmer, the ave.
nues of his soul are no deeper than those
Of his constant comprehensive silly fic-
ton. But he who seeks true develop.
ment, whose mind Graves the graceful
adornment Of the gentleman and scholar,
Will find his companionship among kindred
minds, and his delight in commensurately
polished and refined productions.
And SO do we believe that women should
study the soul that is enshrined within the
covers of a good book 1t is this which
should decide her selections in literature.
If you know the writer, be sure his pro,
auctions will be the embodiment of him.
self. Spurn everything which bears Il e
semblance of an evil heart. Despise ir.-
feriority and ,mediocrity welcome only
the best. There are many books written
10 pander,to appetite, md foster vulgarity.
They arouse the passion for excitehclt !.
the mind feeble and vacilating They
1aox n Iacorf a., ~ 49, {...a
tile oasis, They check the fountains of
pure enjoyment and leave behind them
sterility and ena9i. They create an mag
mary existence, and destroy our feeling
for the real one. They make life a lazy
dream, instead of an energetic, responsible
waking. They smooth over the rough and
rugged places while our only true road is
aver jagged rocks and percipitous heights.
There is not as yet among the American
people that attention paid to the education
of women that there should be- We do
not yet appreciate that woman is capable
of a true intellectual development To be
sure, many expend money sufficient for
the purpose, but it does not bring proper
RETURN The chief difficulty lies in the
lack .of thoroughness. We do not alto
gether accept the dogma promulgated at
woman's rights conventions but We do
maintain that proper mental development
is rightfully demanded by the sex. 1t
should always be remembered, however,
that female education, although collateral,
cannot and should not be The same as man.
The distinction is eternal, that thought
predominates in man, and feeling in wo-
man. Still, in admitting this dintincton,
we must not forget the essential unity of
the human soul. Reflection should be an
attendant upon feeling, and feeling upon
reflection. They are necessary to each 9TH
or in the true development of character.
But we should not attempt to reet out that
very nature which God has implanted in
woman in order to replace it by another
which is to certain extent foreign to her.
BY this means she is ab solue'y unsexed.
Now, what course of reading will best
attain the desired object-the proper edu-
cation of womeng
The answer to the question must vary
with different temperaments and situations
But there are some things, which, broadly
speaking, most women should know more
of than they do. History, for example, as
it comprehends mankind upon broad and
generalized basis, has demand upon the
attention of every human being. 1t takes
possession Of mans past experience, and
points out to him, in a measure, his future
destiny. 1t chronicles life in its whole
range Of thought and feeling, and considers
man in his various relations, under what
laws he lived, what convcntionalities formt d
the rule Of society, and what theology
shaped his moral and religious being
Such works as Grote. Hume, Gibbon, Buck.
lie, Guizot, and Motley have written are
the text books which form the reflective
and phil"sophic mind. They describe hui
man action.
Now let our dear American women aim
ut choosing the very best kind Of literature,
and bid final adieu to inferiority, task
which is not easy, but with judicious self
training Is possible f@e1 $50 IS a