The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-10-23
THE WOMAN OF TIE FUTURE.
From the Pail Mali Gazette. !

Women are not 80 universally beautiful, SO
wise and 30 good as they might be, and It Is to
the interest Of humanity that they should be
first place, the question of beauty. The more
hopeful look forward 10 t. time when some
thing OF the old Greek feeling for physical per-
lection shall have revived, and simple and
more healthful life shall have fitted women to
become mothers Of q noble race. In this re-
spect we are wiser than of old, but, though
hygiene and common sense have done much
for ourselves, they have done much more for
are the offspring Of tight-lacing mothers: but
small waists. tight shoes and other abon,ina-
tions. are no longer universal. Dress is much
better adapted to out of door life than former
yop y maquet.e e,a mas oeen relaxed and our young
cal restraint undreamed of by tlieir
grandmothcrs Health! has ceased to be the
monopoly Of the other sex. Still the majority
Of women lead far from wholesome lives; and
too much can never be said against ouch
abuses Of It as are yet in fashion, The worst
OF these abuses is that they lead to peryer-
sion of taste. Quite naturally the fragile type
OF beauty has become the standard of the pSes.
ent day, and men admire In real life the lily
cheek, small-waisted, diaphanous-looking cret,-
ture idealized by living artists. When we be-
come accustomed to nobler kind of beauty
we shall attain to loftier Ideal. Men will
seek nobility rather than pretuness, strength
rather than physical degeneraoy, in the women
they select as mothers Of their children. Ar
fists will rejoice and sculptors will cease to de-
spair when this happy consummation Is reach
ed. Let none regard 1t as chimerical or Uto-
plan. A very little rationalIsm brought to
bear upon daily life would place physcai well
being within reach Of women Of all ranks; and
where health leads the way, beauty is seldom
slow to follow. ~
Few will deny that wisdom, whose essence
ls common sense, has lnrge share in deter
mining the happiness of social and domestic
life. IL 1t not reasonable to suppose that the
various reforms In female education will have
proportionate effect upon the female charac-
fer from tho woman Of the present, intellcc-
tualy. as well as physically Steady culture,
Increased habits of selfweliance, wider viows
or life, and O keencr appreciation of tho truth
Tor truths sake, can but enlarge and elevate
the whole sex. The obvious Inference is that
Just as more healthful mode Of existence viii
lnvigorate and beautify the bodies of women,
30 rational mode Of existence will strengthen
and improve their minds. Frivolity, pettiness
Inactivity, and other faults Of which men most
complain, will make room for opposite qualities;
md who shall aver this to be against the in,
terests OF humanity Perhaps nothing causes
more domestic unhappiness than downright
siiliness. A foolish wife will oflen bring about
as much mischief In her husbands home as o
persistently evittamFered one could do, and
70 hinder and hamper him upon every occa-
alop.. Now ailllness is the first stronghold of
eYi that o good system Of education will storm.
just 30 long as girls are trained to frivolity and
irresponsible habits from childhood upwards
VIII they become frivolous and irresponsible
the women Of tho future must OF necessity
,nnerit large share or physical and Intel
iectual excellence, we are led to extend
the same happy prophecy Of the moral fac-