The New York herald., 1870-02-09
BOOK REVIEW.

BOOK REVIEW.
wonANxrSp IN WESTERN EURoPE-FRoM THE
| EARLIEST TIMES TO THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.
L., Ac., CORRESPONDENCE Member OF the Imperial Iu-
| sutute OF France, dc. London: Goombridge q
| Sons; New YORK: Scrbrier, We lord a CO.
Tins is beautiful book; nearly square octave
| Of $40 pages bound IN blue, embossed IN gilt ana
black gilt edged, clear print fine paper embeshed
with illuminated title page and painted irontis-
piece, richly colored illustrative groups and scenes.
and numerous wood engravings AS history, now
| ever OF womankind In Western Europe from the
| tunes OF tho Cells ana the Romans down TO the
jovat reign in England Of '"The Merry Monarch" 1t
Is one Of the most Interesting instructive and valu
| able books OF the nineteenth century At ;his par
| ticuar period OF the agitation Of wOmen's rights,
! and In this country, In which the dominant race
and the established and political institutions
have been drawn from western Europe and espe-
cally from England, may say, In truth, shat this
book is TREASURY OF knowledge to the historian,
the politician, the moral philosopher and the re-
former While at she same time IN romantic Incl
dents illustrative OF social life in different ages in
Western Europe 1t surpasaes In interest the most
s9lllful and attractive fcsions Of the day.
The author sets out with the proposition that he
cannot believe that intellectual humanity Is the
natural development Of the original and primeval
savage" He believes that the manKiud among
which we live has no inherent qualities In possess
sion with which we were not at lrst created,m and
that the forms IN which they have ut derent pc
riods shown themselves have depended entirely upon
the circumstances under which man lvedn lie
MEANS IN short, that the elements Of the highest
civilization have existed In man kind from the be-
ginning and that their development has been and
only the result OF cultivation lie believes, too, tRal
1T is only III ner physical organization that have
any right to call womanRind the weaker seX--an
opinion in wnica it mag be conto nded that he is
Supported by the general law OF the animal world.
| nor by history or philosophy.
From, the earliest form OF society the pairiarchai
which in various m0dncations we still lind among
all the savage tribes OF the eartn our author comes
down 10 tie period "when, as the population VI the
earth increased IN numbers the necessity or
expansion Compelled races to migrate N searcn
OF new homes. IN these mlgratIols OF the Celtic
race he shows that tner lie OF constant hard.
| ships and dangers impressed upon the women ''tne
ma scullne characteristics OF urance and cour-
age and thai hence frequently In their battles with
| the Romans the women OF the Gaus turned the tlde
OF victory or covered brave retreat, reproaching
| at the same time their husbands with cowardice
These women, 100, were as remarkable or their
chastity Tor their herosm sacrificing themselves
! en- andSse as prisoners 20 the Romans. In some
trcntie5 rather than submit to the degrading out
| our author contends '.couid hardly have been the
saves ol their husbands at home. The two sexes
must have marched IN their mIgratons and In their
wars together, almost, II not quite, on footing OF
esIalitSy sWa Save next cna,,sr On woman n .nc,.n,
Gaui and Britain, from which IL pretty well estab-
lished that her condition was but remove higher
thau chat Of the sduaws OF Western Indian tribes
CI The present day, and that barbarism subsan-
TALLY tue same among all the and tribes Of
mankind. Next, in tine women OF leutonlc my
tnology and romance we have social and poliIi-
| cal system approxmaring that OF the tenda aga
and leadin. naturally to the feudal sys-
,sm SoS over GERMANY caa and Britan
| the laws, customs, manners and costumes Of
| that mighty people supcrseding. more or less the
I g. an no aftnnla mn
| tribes they subdued. The chapter the Franks
leutonsl IN Gaui, beginning with the hfth century
OF the Christian era, throws but little light the
condition oi female society. Our author says how.
ever, mat toe FRANKS appear to nave been distin-
| Qn!SDed from Oher branches or the Ieut0nic race
| by their great feroclty and cruelty, ana that the
story Of their establishment IN Gaul presents one
continual and wearisome series Of massacres and
| murders. 1als was epoch in France In which,
| from the conflict between the barDarism ana pagan.
ISM OF the Franks With the Roman element or social
refinement and elegance and the Christian ele-
meuts OF self denial and poverty the results were
social confusion and decentralization.
The next chapter. 0n>thc anglo Saxon Women, ~
brings directly lnso the line OF the English found
efS OF this country. The Sax0ns brought INTO
England tue paEriarcnal system III fun force Ths
father was absolute master OF the family, could
dispose o. his children as he pleased. He sold
his daughters, and not unfrequeutly his sons.
was materially modified ana soflened IN the
course Of tlme by tne influences Of Chris
missionaries from Rome. The Anglo saxon womea,
| Too, were more gentle, aifectionate and domestic
| tNGg inc icTOcOu2 Wltilc many or the
peculiar laws and customs OF the ,axons relating TO
! marriage inndety, &c, have come down to our
own tlInes. we find in the descendants from those
gentle saxon women the Distinguishing qualities OF
their sex In England Of 200 years ago. The Roman
| nunnerles In the social elevation of woman in Eng.
land IN those early times exceedingly useful as
each convent was schoo for the education women
up to sknowledge OF The Latin aud Roman literature.
! After Charlemayne who revived Tor a time ln
Southern Central and Western Europe solnethinu Of
! the old Roman civilization, blended with the Roman
Christian Church, we have the transition period in
l IN N fhn nj n
| period OF general European confusion and darkness.
Touching the iepda system our author adopts the
opinion Of Guizot, that this system, In spite OF
drawbacks on tse score OF morality contributed Inn
menscly to the cause OF civilization In the social,
moral and intellectual elevation OF womankind with
the established sser edness and powerful controlling
influence Of tue family.
The chapters on the women OF Feudal Romance II
| and on provence, rs Poetry and the Courts oI
| Love-" and on '"fne Romance OF the Rosen are &c
very attractive and instructive upon ''the age Of
| Chivaryn that we can hardly refrain from some
| coptCus extracts; but our limits cut us OH. prle
| quotation, IN poetlcal form, however WIN serve
10 show the prevailing spirit Of that age:-
Lady, your man am and shabs,
Bound to your service;
Anu Anu your. M snail iiH henesfor.RS %a RisGea se;
Ana @ you you aIsn are ny y. n,at ,nS ,oy love.
AS long as my ife shah endure.
| And in these simple lines have the substance
OF all that has been said or sung OF love since Adams
. | expulsion from Paradise Lost.
Inc chapter ON .'Womanklnd in the Feudal Castle u
i taking us behind the scenes, gives US some very
dom OF the little patriarchal kingdom within the
castle walls. There, indeed, were In iull play the
elements OF romance, Tree love and womans rights
, | with the refnemenu Of manly courage chivalry
gallantry courtesy and hospitality in tnelr highest
. | development. Outside as well as inside the exclu
! aives OF the castle-knights. DANES demoiseles
J serving Galants and maids--had their sports Thel
picnics hawking and hunting parties fishing excur.
sions and stros In the gardens and the woods were
what would now be called very gay and iesliye.n
And every lady took, full womauiy,
= ny tho hond Knight and forth they ysde twensl.
o And AT the last I cast mine eye asidc
r And OF q lustie company
}. That came rominge out Of the nslde wide,
|, Honde IN honde, ; knight and lady
II was the fashion OF those times for the knight II
| walking with tie lady 20 walk "honde In monde,
and this was the runR doctrine aunr tha iadiea o