New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-10-15
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE WOMAN QUESTION.


MILL l9mo. PIP. 1885, ID. Appleton Go.
In sensible and well written essay on The SoclaI
Position of Women in the Present Age, contaIneu
IN the volume whose title stands at the head Vi 'hS
column Mr. John Boyd KinneaT shows how III 1ne
progress of society, Woman has been gradually eA
cluded from ayocatiOns winch were once her exclu-
sive province. Machinery spins. weaves' gilnuS'
bakes and brews. Emigration draws away hon'
and thereby lessons the opportunities tor doieS'i0
service. Legislation has wisely eXcludeu "oni0n
from some of the coarser labors which tDeS io1-
merly shared with men; custom and growing ieiiic-
mont have measurably driven them from others
lleanwbile the spread of,luxuriOus habits checks
marriage and while girls are brought mp to look
ppou husband fas the sole aim of their existence
men are frightened at the thought OF allyng them
selves with such useless and expensive creatures
Uanee we have in the lower and middle classes
fearful distress among unemployed and starving
women; thousands are pushed down TO the lowest
depth of degradation to which human being can
falls and among the better class arises that hoTrlpe
monster, the Girl of the Period than whom even
the prostitute is not greater curse to society III
the Introduction TO the volume, Mrs. Butler puts
the case statistically: 1.-THE census taken elght
years ago gave three and half millions of women
An England working for a subsistence; of these two
and half millions were unmarried. In the inter
val between the census of 1851 and that of 1851 the
number of self-suppOrting women had increased by
more than half a million. This is significant and
still more striking, believe On this point VIII DC
the returns of the next two years hence But
the census does not tell how many of these two and
half millions are working for starvation wages nor
how many of them have declined from position OF
responsibility to which they were born to one III
any class or rank however low, in which they may
have chance of earning piece of bread.
There is no analogy whatever among men, however
miserable certain classes of men may be. to the
wholesale destruction which goes on from year TO
wear among women destruction of bodies. OF con-
sciences, of souls" And it is well known that
want the difficulty of obtaining work friendessness
and the absence of any technical or industrial cduea
ton are the main of this terrible destruction
of human beings"
state of society such as is family indicated by
these words is the best excuse and the real inspra-
ton of the Woman Movement which is now agitat
ing both sides of the There Is need OF reform
and we heartily welcome its coming, though 1t is
embarrassed, as all reforms are. apt TO be at
first with much crude argument and false assump-
non with extravagant demands and offensive camor.
with the vagaries of enthusiasts, and the wild
schemes Of charlatans. This rubbish, however will
lie cleared away after time; and now that the stag
nant deep has been stirred up, common sense will
gradually shape the reform rs God and nature design
that it shall be shaped.
The Essays which Mrs. Bntler has collected are in
general distinguished by cleaness moderation, and
distinct practical tendency, as well as in several
cases by literary polish. Miss Frances Power CObbe,
in an essay on The Final Cause of Woman" CLASH
es the prevalent conceptions of the mission of her
sexin two great orders of types. The first based
upon the theory that the final of Woman is the
service she can render TO Man. she calls the" types
of Woman considered as Adjeetive;" the second,
comprehending conceptions of Woman as
created for some end proper to herself,
she STYLES the TYPES of Woman considered
~ Noun In the first order we find Woman in her
physical capacity wife and mother in her domes
tie capacity as housewife; in her social capacity as
a companion paything. or idol. In the second order
are the woman who lives for her own happiness and
she woman who lives for virtue and religion. These
orders and classes very happily analysed, and in
the course OF the examination Miss Cobbe surveys
Comics idea of Woman as a concrete image of HUI
manty at large suited TO receive the worship due to
that vague and indeteTminate deity. She reaches the
conclusion that the final cause of Woman is, like
that of man, 10 love and enjoy God,
and that on this theory alone can she
fulfill her duties toward Man. This is the only one
of the papers strictly of a philosophical character,
and t fifty pDecedes the other essays on the dSabii-
ties BY which women are impeded in the working
out OF their destiny and the remedial measures by
which it is in our power to help them. The fitness
of Woman for the work of Education is well pre-
scented by the Rev O. Butler: Medicine as a Profes-
SION for Women" is discussed by Sophia Jex- Blake,
who is known in this country by her book on
American schools; Mr. James Stuart writes from
experience of the adaptablity of the female
mind to the pursuit of " Seienoe;p Elizabeth
g. W0lstenholine treats of The Education OF Girls
its Present and its Future and Herbert n. Motley
draws apainfal picture of The Property Disabl
tiles of Married Woman. and other Legal Effects
of Marriage I'm all these essays, in part of that by
Mr. Boyd-K nnear in most Of Mrs. Butlers eloquent
Introduction and also in apart Of the essays which
we have still TO snention, there is prepmderanceo OF
practical good sense. The writers indicate both
wrongs aud remedies. In the paper by Jessie
Boucherett, on How 10 Provide for Superfuons
Women" there are some excellent remarks
an the probable effect of introducing
women into trades aud other occupa-
nons nov monopolized by men but there is one fun
slameutsIl mistake. Force the men, she says, to
Migrate. there ~ plenty of rough muscular labor
forthem 10 do in America and the colonies. and the
women can take their places at home. at bome!b
WHY Oh this plan, there would soon be no such place
as home There is 40 sensible disproportiOn between
the sexes in Engant and if the labor market is
stocked the true remedy is for men ami women both
90 emigTte IL women are unfit for the rough life
n pioneer settlers land many of them are not at all
anti for il. there is "a constant demand in all parts
If this country for good domestic servants; and if
suffering RnelishwomeD could understand that all
asefu labor is hon6fable and would not insist upon
being shop girls printeEss eerks, &c, on the
that such occupations are more " respectable" they
a6ght live in comfort. Airs Boucherett's plan of
driving out the men would be the destruction tpf
domestic life. and cut OFT thousands sf women from