The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-04-12
TIE suR1EKINa sIsrERHooD.
From the Saturday Rcview.l


Weby no means put it forward az an original
remark when we say that nature does her grand
est works of construction In silence, and that all
great historical reforms have been brought about
eitAer by long AMI quiet prepafailon, or ny sud
den and authoritative acton rue llieTence ION ION
| by shrieking, that much aEing necessarily In
| ciudes good deal Of dilution, aud that fuss IS
never an attribute Of strength nor coincdent
| with concentration. Whenever tnere mas been
very deem and sincere desire on the part OF class
or an individual to do a thing, 1t has been done
not talked about; where the deslre Is only ha!-
hearted, when the Judgment OF lne conscience ID
| mot quite clear as 10 the deslrableness OF the
course proposed where the chief incentive Is love
of notoriety and the Intrinsic worth OF the ac-
ton itselr-personal E1lioS, anu not the good OF
cause or the advancement, vi mGnlanity-lneh
there has been talk, much talk, hysterical excite
| ment long and prolonged cackle, and heaven
and earth called to witness that an egg
| has been laid wherein lies the germ OF
future chick-wlth proper ,na laGuuasiGn IN, NEG T.
an, measure IL TO be carried the iulcrum or which
Is public opinion. If you have to stir the dry
bones you must pr0phesy to them IN loud voice,
| and NOT leave on till they have begun to shake.
THINGS which can only be known by teaching
must be spoken Of, but things which hare to be
done are always better done tue less the FUSS
made about them; and the more stead :ast the ac'
ton the less noisy the agent. Purpose Is apt to
eXhale itself in protesatlons, and strength sure
| 10 exhaust itself by nuX OF words. Gnt az the
present day what Mr.. Carlyle calls the Sllcnces
the least honored OF all tne MINOR goes anu inc
come intolerable We all .think outside our
brains" and the result Is not conducive to mcn-
tal yigor 1t is as If we were 10 SET plant 10
grow with its heels in the ALI, ana then l0eh lot
roots, flowers and lrulI, ail W tie sale piocess
OF eycltation and disclosure.
one of our quarrels with the advanced women
of our generation is the hysterlcul parade they
make about their wants md their intentions. 1t
never seems 10 occur to them that tile best means
of getting what they want Is 10 take IL, when NOT
forbidden by the law-to act, not 10 ta!Hi tnat Gil
this running hither and tnl,her over the laee o
the earth, and feverish unrest, anu i0ud acclaim
is but the diutlOn Of purpose Through much
spcakiur. and not tile right way az aii: ana that
TO hold their tongues and DO would ADVANCE tnem
by as many leagues a5 baboie pilts tllehl ack. a
small Knot OF women, 'terriby In earnes;, could
move mutltudes by the silent force OF example.
One woman alone. quietly taking her illc IN her
own hands, and working out the great proDiehi
Of self.help and independence pracllca.y. not
sh:ieEing sisters frantically calling on men ana
gods TO see them make an enort 10 stand uprisnt
without support, with inttrludes OF reproach TO
men for the want of help in their attempt. The
silent woman who quietly calculates her chances
and measures her powers with her difticulties so
as 10 avoid the probability OF VdSGo, anu VINO,
therefore, achieves success according TO her en-.
dcayor. docs more for the real emancipation or
her own sex than any amount OF pampheteerinS,
ecturlnG, or petilioning by tne snrieklng sister.
hood Gun do. Hers ia deed not defamation,
proof not theory, and 1t carries Win II the respect
always accorded to success
And really If we think OF it dispasstonately, md
carefully dISsect the great mosaic OF hindrances
which women say makes up the pavement vi
of their lives there Is very little which they may
not do If they likc-and can; iney nave ALREADY
succeeded to grea: extent IN opening 10 theln-
selves the practice OF medicine, for one thing,
and this Is an immense opening II thcy KNOW
how to use It, few pioneers, unhelpea lof lnc
oyI-
ed the barricades Of the hospitals anu dlssectins-
rooms. hcroically bearing the shower OF hard
moutlled missiles with which they were pelted,
nnd successfully forcing their way notwthstand.
who held on with least excitement, anu who
stroyc more than they deolamed; While others,
by constitution belonging TO tue sllreEtng sister'
hood have comparatively failed, and nave maln-
After some pressure but very little cacS!c-lor
here too the work was wanted, the desire real
and the workers In earnes.-leInaie coliegeS Oh
liberal and extended system cl caucatlon
have now an opportunity OF showing what they
can do in brain work. II Is no longer by the n9.
gardliness OF men and tile fault OF an imperfect
system II they prove intellectually inferior 10 the
stronger sex: they lave their dynamolneter set
up for iheni and all they have to do Is TO register
theIr relative strength and abide the Issue. All
Commerce outside the Stock Exchange. Is Opon
to them equally witt. men; and there Is nothing
10 Drcyent their becoming merchants as they are
now petty traders, or setting up rs ll.oroHers,
commission agents, or even bankers. WHICH last
profession. according 10 q contemporary they
have actually adopted III New York, some ladies'
there having established bank, which. so Tar rs
they have yet gone they are said to conduct with
dizziness and really arithmetic In literature,
tjcy have competitors in men. bur no lnonoDO-
lists. Indeed, they themselves have become al.
most the mOn0pOlists OF the whole section OF
eight literature AMI fiction; Willie nothing but
absolute physical and mental lncapaclty prevents
al.i,1 ab..rO M a
IL with female editor, sub-cdltor manager, rep0r-
tcrs, compostors, and even rews-sirls TO sell the
second edition at omnibus doors ana railway
stations. II q set OF women chose to establish q
newspaper and work It amongst themselves, not
single law coull be brought 10 bear against
them: and II they made 1t US Philosophical US
some, or rs gushing as others, thoy might enter
Into formidable rivalry Will the Old esIaolsned;
thcy would have fair hearing. or rather reading,
they would not he "uursed" or hustled, and they
would get Just as mGcG success as they observed.
To he sure they do not yet sit on tile bench nor
Head at tie bar; th=y are not III parliament, ana
they are not even voters; while as married
women with unfricndly husbands anu no protcc-
ton order, they have something 10 complain or
and wrongs that arc In 4 iair way TO De rightcu II
the shrieEIng sis,crhoud does not frighten the
world prematurcly. LAT, despite these rcstrlc.
tlons, they have q very wide circle wheret they
can display their power, and witch the world
with noble deeds, II they ehoose-aad rs some
have chosen. ,-,,
Uf the representative ''worEing. .wolnen' In
England, we find none who have shrieEed on
uIaIforuls or made nm hyaterical parade OF their
work. Quietly, and with the dignity which comes
by self.respect and the consciousness oI streHgCn,
they have done what 1t was 1T tleir nearts 10 no.
leaving the world TO ilnd out the valne OF taelr
labors, ami 10 applaud or uerlde lneir lhdepen-
denceS Mrs. Somerv.le asked ~ mans leave 10
study science and make'herself distinguished
naluc as tho result, nor did she hna the nee,l OF
any more special organization !an T,at se pes
inr offered Hiss Martineau diyed with more or
less success into the fOrbiddlng depths Oi tie
'.dismal science" NJ Il till" when pol!tl;al econo-
was shrked by men and considered as essen
fi,;ily iufemiuine as top.boots anu TOBACCO; anu
She was confcssediy au advanced Liberal when
TO be high Tory was part OF .e a w,oe ,o unry Oi OF
woman. Miss Nightingale understood the care ol
wounded soldiers without any more puollclLF
than was absolutely necessary Tor ihe organlZa-
lion of her staff ana with not SO much rs one
shrek. Rosa Bonheur laughed at those VINO tcld
her that animal painting was unwonanli, anu
that she had better restrict herscl TO fowers and
heads ss became the jeUEe den,0iSette OF convcr-
tioual life; but she did not Publish her pro-
gralnme of independence. nor take tile world lEto
Ier confidence, and tell tieni OF her dllhcaille3
and defiance. The lady sEperlntchdents OF our
own various sisterhoods have organized their
Communities and performed their works OF chari-
ty will very faint biarc OF trI:npe.s Indeed, and
we might eIlumerate many more VINO nave qlies.
ly lived the life OF action anu independence OF
Which others have only rafe9, and WHO have
done while their sisters Sirlekeo. These are tue
wnmcn TO be respected, whether we sympathlze
with th-ir line of action or not, having shown
thnn, seIves to he true workers, capable o! sus-
taSned effort. and therefore worthy Of the honor
which belongs to strength and endurance.
OF one thiig women ilay Ge very sure, though
they invariably deny Ii; the wor OH, Is gad 10 ake ,
sood work from whom soevcr Will supply IT, The
boou b, on,a,n na,nnt of success Is to deserve it;