Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-08-20

character and concluded them to be
utterly worthless. These are but small
portion of the falsehoods freely circulated
in the public press of only one family
circle, and it is but one specimen OF the
manner in which very many other
family friends are annoyed, and often
wounded, by such violations of the COM
mon courtesy and justice by portion OF
the public press. At the same time, the
effect of such things on the character of
the press Of our country is most unfor.
tunate; 80 much so that it is fast becom-
ing proverb that what is found in news
papers is as likely to prove false as true.
The most recent outrage OF this kind
toward my family friends is one for which
legal redress is provided for men, but
from which sensitive oman is debarred.
This is falsehood current in connection
with the criticisms on new work by my
sister, Mrs Stowe, and myself, The
American Womans Home in which we
appear as teachers of domestic duties and
economy in all departments; and is a d.
rect public attack upon what l may call
the professional reputation Of my sister.
In the very introduction of the book it is
stated that the authors were trained in
early life by mothers and an aunt, who
united an extraordinary combination of
domestic talents and experience. Add
to this the fact that the sister whose do
nestle character has been assailed, has
not only had the appropriate training, but
has both talent and taste for domestic
employments, and resorts to them as a
pleasure and relief from literary labor, so
that iu no case is she necessarily o de-
pendent on servile caprices. When resi-.
dent in foreign lands, her interest and
quick perceptions added to her home ac-
quisitions, so that her easy and well-ap-
pointed housekeeping is often a subject
of admiring remark to her friends and
visitors.
What, then, must be the feelings of her
family and personal frinds, who know
her sensibiity in regard to domestic
reputation, and her desire to remove the
common impression that literary tastes
and domestic labor are incompatible or
uHcongenial, to fud, ss have done, in
respectable papers, some of them called
"religious, such statements as that
"Mrs. Stowe is just the poorest house
keeper in America, so that poor Mrs.
Howe is model in comparison" (thus
throwing, perhaps, quite as undeserved
slur upon another lady, with the added
quasi concession worse thss the original
statement), that knowing how to do
thing does not imply ability to do it, and
in this instance, what one sister can not
do the other can and does" This is sp-
piled to one of the authors Of a work that
aims to elevate domestic duties to the
honor given to other sciences far less
important; while the authors profits are
devoted to promote the domestic and
industrial training of American women.
OF course its influence is destructive both
to the sale and the good Influence Of this
work.
When a woman becomes an author,
her writings are proper subject for just
criticism; but this gives no warrant to
enter domestic privacy; and the Ameri-
can woman's home, whatever are her
defects and weaknesses, should always
be her safe castle of retreat and defense.
If a man finds his professional or busi-
ness character sssailed in the public
prints, he can resort to legal redress
but to sensitive and delicate woman no
such remedy is afforded. Her only
chance for protection is the just and
honorable feelings of the conductors of
the public press, and to them l appeal
for redresssl of this wrong, by requesting
an insertion of this in their columns.
Very respectfully,
CATHERINE E. BEEoHER.
New York. August IL. 1859.