Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1868-07-09

. Caroline Healey Dali.
Mira. Dali is now recognized both in Eng
iana and America rs one Of the ablest ant
/ most judicious definers and defenders 81
woman's rights that the sex has hitherto
contributed to the upbuilding and the yindi.
Gation OF lts own cause. l say defincrs and
defenders, Tor an inability to define whai
womens rights are has been of even greater
!, injury to this remarkable movement than
tne course OF its iniudicious defenders, That.
Win all the want Of discrimination and want
OF discretion exhibited OH the part of its
champions, this cause should still have made
SUCH striking progress, is one of the most
notable signs of the age we live in. 1t
shows as thousand other events have
SHOWN, that our self-styled leaders are only
opponents of thoughts familiar to the minds
OF muitltudes. which arc neither changed
nor silenced by the Inconsistency and un-
wisdom OF conspicuous advocates. + -6
Mrs. Dali is the daughter of Mr.. Mark
aealey, a well-known India merchant of
Boston. She was born and educated in this
city, and had every advantage that wealth
could give in acquiring knowledge and skill
In the use of it. She learned the several
modern languages, and, at the age of thr-
Teen, began to write for the newspapers.
She always wrote on moral or religious sub
Jects. Since that time, without interruption,
/
and she has probably discussed a greater
variety OF topics and covered wider range
OF subjects, than any other American wo-
man. from reviewing cook books to ana
| Iyzing bunsens Egyptology; from inditng
stories Tor the youngest children to exchang-
ing views on social science with emmett
publlcists,- tireless student has fulfilled
every duty that can devolve on professions
writer for the press.
Her first book was published in Is49, 1t
was series of moral and religious essays,
schooi instruction. 1t was written at the
age OF eighteen, but published seven wears
later. This little book is chiefly remarka-
Die to-day as containing disclaimer of wo-
mems rights As the highest moral point of
view that most men reach in their lives is no
more than the ground from which earnest
students start in their early youth, it is quite
possible that the ideas which Mrs. Dali |
tnreW away twenty years ago, may furnish
excellent food for our children to-day. So, |
as o. 4 food for babies, quote from an essay on |
Reform -
6 There is no modern reform that we take |
SO little interest in as the movement in re-
gard to the rights of women. 1t is true that |
there nave been moments in our life when |
we would have given worlds to have sat for |
an instant on the bench, to have thrown one |
vote In the national assembly, to have spok-
en- one hour at caucus, or have held gov
ernors commission just long enough to free
iy resign it. But while the hot torrent of |
our blood asked for this, we never for o mo-
ment supposed that the court room, the
council hall or the caucus was a proper
place for us. We only felt that If the men
OF our country had dwindlcd into caitiffs, it
had the more need of her Womsen. The bus
mess OF our country and our age, 1t has been
most truly said, Is to organize the rights of
man. One Of the hottest of his rights is to
find woman in her proper place. 1t is he
who is robbed by wrong condition of
things. We doubt very much whether
Providence ever intended that woman
should personally share the duties of the
commonwealth. We feel that this is utterly
incompatible with the more precious and
positive duties of the nursery and the fire.
side. But we long for the time to como
when a finished education shall be every
Woman's birthright; when the respect of
the other sex shall be her legitimate inheri-
tance; when the woman Of any rank will
be able to obtain livelihood for herself or
her children without everlasting the gener-
osity OF man; when she shall no longer find
herself, even for moment, a tool or play
thing We would willingly listen to her
voice in the religious assembly, for we have
seen the soul of sister friend more ex-
quisitely and visibly Illuminated by the Di-
vine Spirit than that of any preacher we
nave ever listened to; and we are not sur
prised That In the present, state of the world
womans soul should frequently be found
the fittest recepticle for the love and right
eousness of Christ"
This little book, however, is reformatory
in every direction excepting towards the bal
lot-box.
In her girlhood Miss. Healey was noted
Tor her interest In the poor, and was constant
ly found in their houses in the most wretch
ed quarters of the city. Her fidelity and
tearlessness In exploring the abodes of pov-
erty and sin in search of her scholars and
self-adopted wards is rarely equalled or lin
itated by the youth OF either sex, and indeed
would be unsafe for any to emulate except
those who are born TO be missionaries
In 1914 she was married to the Rev.
Charles Dali, then Unitarian minister at
Baltimore. This union tended to develop
what, in consideration of her ancestry, may
well be regarded as her innate tendencies
special aptitude for Biblical and Oriental
scholarship. For Mrs. Dali had decended
through an almost unbroken line of clergy
men for fully three centuaries, and numbers
among her ancestors on both sides, William
Nottingham, the translator of the Geneya
Bible, who, by his marriage with Katherine
Calvin, was the brother-in-law of John Cal
vie. Whittingham was Dean of Durham,
and was noted for his zeal in destroying
church images and monuments in the reign
of Maros After living some years in Balti-
more and elsewhere, Mr. and Mrs. Dali re-
moved to Toronto, Canada. They had three
children, one of whom died in infancy. The
only. surviving son is Lieutenant Dali Of
the Scientific Corps Of the Western Union
Telegraph Company, who is. now at the
tic regions.
When in Baltimore and in Washington.
Mrs. Dali first became practically familiar
with slavery, and manifested her interest in
it by teaching the negroes to read-thereby
making herself amenable to the laws of both
State and District She also rnadn tho arn4 |