New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-07-06
whom Napoleon will speak more decidedly
than he has spoken for anybody heretofore.
TdRdNTUL1-BTTTEN.

There is n certain spider in the East the bite
of which not only kills the victim, but makes
him ridiculous in his last moments by causing
him to gyrate and dance fuIiously as
vhirling dervish. Can it be possible that this
diabolical insect has made its way into Englandf
The late inexpicable behavior of our female
cousins over the water has quickened our
charity TO suggest some rational excuse 1or
them. We would accept the spider gladly.
The case is this: For centuries the British
woman has cOntentedly dwelt III decencies Ill
fact what with her solid shoulders, red cheeks,
thick -soled shoes, her immaculate virtue anu
housekeeping, her church and KING, she was
Decency ITSELF her American sister quaiied
before her, guilty conscious OF thlh Dohes
and aching back of a daily mushroom crop Oh
ideas and a head perpetually suffering from
mild form of cerebral congestion. rom inc
DAVIS of Chaucer to Dickens, the English glrl
had but one type set before her to initiate
low-voiced woman, chaste, devout, ulScrtc"
whose husband was her lord, her king, her
governor, whose home was the kingdom Whero
she regned queen, and to which she oiiered
all that her Maker had given her OF gilt or
grace. Forever
"Unhedged,
She never wings from view o. the nest and knows not
What air a from home
This type of woman is obsolete everywhere
now of course: posted lis maudlin and silly
long ago. We laugh with the rest at 1T. Yet
"wben Christian remembered the messengers
chat led him SO far on his way to the
"heavenly city, the water stood IN his eyes
About ten or twelve years ago, the BRUSH
woman found herself frequently in need OF
bread and butter: demand became urgent
for new work and careers. Now, Judging from
all human analogy one would suppose that
into these new careers she would have gone
as driven by hard necessity, carrying her Old
self unimpaired as far as possible, clinging
desperately to the chastity, the modesty, the
sweet and tender graces that gave her mdl-
yiduality. Viola, rufling it for sore necessity
in hose and doublct, yet swOre by nothing but
her youth and innocence. On the contrary,
the question of work is suddenly dropped out
of sight. Into the field of politics, law, re-
ligion, the British maids and matrons rushed,
quarreling, struggling, greedy, more ike a
troop of wild Bacchantes than reasonable
human beings. There is not vexed and foul
subject which men have toiled over for gen
eratiOns, which they have not dragged to light
and set about Strengthening with the brains
and fingers so long devoted solely to crochet
and tatting. Men follow breathless, crying,
"All right as the fair invaders mount roS-
trum and pulpit, or seize ballot and pill-bOX.
But at one point men stand appalled,: Why
need women throw away their personal mod
esty2 Why drag off every rag and vestige of
decency as well as their abhorred shackles
Men have been physicians, and have made
laws, and yet preserved the seemly outward
decorum necessary to public welfare but how
is it with their wivesY The fashionable
women initiate the delni-mOnde, and the re-
/ formers, with Spartan heroism, deny them
| selves inhexibly single blush. In Edinburgh,
| the female medical students, smiling, unwink-
! ing, and cOmplacent, persisted in attending
mixed clinics until the professors protested
against them in the name of decency, and
procured the division of the classes, which a
word from the women would have accom-
| plished at first Next, the fair creatures seized
upon the Act for Prevention of Contagious
Diseases, subject unfit for the
handling of any but the wisest and
most sincere of legislators, so great
was its social import, and so foul and prurient
were the ideas to which it gave rise. For
the last six months women have fought to
take it out of the hands of Parliament. Not
only matrons, but young girls, have lectured
and written about it, have run hither and
thither over the country chattering and petit
tioning on a matter which they could have no
part in deciding, and should have blushed to
name. We do not hear that the other great
social problems before the nation were hon
docs beggared by England, the protesting
millions of China thrust by her to a drunken
death, her own paupers crying within her gates
for escape from the country that is sitting
and starving them like Black Hole of Cal
cutta, win no attention from these delicate
virgins and wives, busy with gOssiping over a
foul disease and its foul remedy. When the
bill came before Parliament, so great was the
| disgust felt at their immOdesty, that for the
first time in decade the galleries were
cleared, and the crowds of itching cared women
turned into the street.
Every mail brings us fresh news of this
social can-can to which the young and old
daughters of John Bull have abandoned them
selves. Even the young girls, wont to amuse
themselves with croquet in their own lawn,
have rushed before the public, psle-nl6le NAL
lets and betting books in hand, pledging
themselves to go in and win at grand tour
nament which we ere told is attended by
thousands. Have the gods made mad the old
domestic woman, in order to destroy her
altogether Is there no hOpei We beseech
our English sisters to turn their eyes on this
side of the water, and take example by our
refOmers. Here, too, work is needed for
women it is a matter of life and death to
them. Observe how closely the leaders among
them confne themselves 10 that main issne I.