New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-02-01

right TO do To say TO oleyr girl with busy little
BRAIN and skillful little hand TINT she should not use
both in any practical work she ut was an mperti-
nence few Of us dreamed OF perpetrnlbg we ieIt an
earnest honest pride In every brilliant nsnt Oh "ohahs
activities; we applauded with enthusiasm and quite
without criticism the Widest platudes, themost Vnnic
tive philppics coming from the lips OF our Idol We
didn't gush much formerly but stll-we pushed.
Then uprOse the advance guard OF the fomlnl@ army
and fixed us with their glittering tongues To begrwth
they Informed that wretched tyrans, shame
less oppressors, monuments Of
that the intellect Of woman finer, clearer purer,
more spiritual and rapid thing than the intellect OF man.
Leaving us to from this dreadful shock best
we might they announced that hereafter they meant to
be Judged by masculine standards Whatever artistic or
literary work from feminine consciousness
should be subjected to the rigid rules Of criticism
that are applied to the work of their oppressors.
They did MT want to DO lutes OF harmonious
! sound and understanding yiolcts to be praised,
and excused, and cuddled, simply because they
wore pettcoats-nOt they. Equality in difference
they proclaimed the regeneration OF society,
and ran up their significant pennOn "A fair field and
favor with many and tuneul bangings OF the cymbas
OF independence. The stream OF Gush curded at our
lips We began TO realize that the lady Of dreams
might possibly be very mortal parsonage after ALL We
recognized the pcrtnence OF the senior Welers inquiry
whats the good o. calm young 'ooman a Venus or
a angel Sammyi" and determined To crafty those
DANES who were pleased 10 term themselves slaves
by style of criticism in which there wasn't any absurd
calling Of names. Those OF who were writer's threw
away sentiment but cung to our quilts We resolved
that woman should be to neither Venus, angel griffin
nor unicorn. but simply Worker whose right 10 appre
citation must he tested by the excellence of her work
We dropped into the prose OF life and began to study
goddesscs with critical intention
We soon found that here even a very little knowledge
was dangerous thing. The glamour Of AntIment put
aside had choice but chronicle the mperfections
revealed TO We that various womenartsts gave
us pictures as weak and superficial in execution rs they
were false In dea-and we said We saw that num-
beress books written by were inimitaby trashy
and said We listened 20 women-lecturers
orators y cooy, utterly without prejudice, as to
those OF our sex. We saw that many OF them had
little culture that with no keenness
Of perception, power Of analysis broad nobility Of
judgment in utter ignorance Of etnc progress and the
capitalization of material and spiritual influences
In the individual they presumed to picture
character, genius, temperament We saw that
they failed-and said 80. We arise upon
the platform young women with wltchng
waves Of hair and brilliant cyes-fustatured white
bosomed maidens who talked the dlest twaddle upon
problems OF human existence, problems that the most
venerable and clear-eyed thinkers Of all ages have
approached with grave and noble earnestness, and have
mOdered away into dust without solving. For jokes
that were feeble they vulgar and ways that were
very vain indeed that some Of these women
peculiar aud-We said so. For what was adIniTa-
bic in them we gave them credit. We put aside the
question OF and judged them by the results OF brain
aloneby the rule OF mental availability; and all this in
the strices justice tine pures kindness, and in obedi-
to the authoritative demands of the women them
selves Alas and alas found ourselves In hot water
A flaming Indignation swolled and sizzled among
them. We baTbarians, without fear ana without
remorse we were tyrans OF unlimited ferocty we had
reduced oppression TO fine art; we were nothing pu
brute force :" we abused women simply because they
were women; we intellectual distinctions which
Nature had not ordained were inspired by an IN
dying ennty toward tie entire female sex; we were
Jealous Of their superior wisdOm we wanted 10 Keep
them down, because when they up they dstanced
US III every thing; vet vain TO attempt reca-
ptuaton OF dread charges which these harmonious
pilgrims flung, and yet ingng at devoted heads
Those male wretccs who have committed the unpardOn
able crime seeing what set up for them TO
uron condemned the nethermost pit OF execraton
by the Advanced Female For this could not
mourn too much it not that find other critics in
high favor with these injured danes Investigation
proves that these gentlemen have grown out Of the
trammes OF Gush-that disregardng The feminine COM
mands they have continued indulge without stint IN
the Venus and angel OF thing To them the siest
woman Is az the wiscst, and the work Of each equally
admirable We are bewdcred. There il never land
mark in this sea feminine displcasure. They fretod
until they woke the sleeping lion Of criticism, and now
that he growls they scream end What we TO
d,l Are We to mete out justice merely blind lattey9
10 Gush or not to Gusl-tlat's tie question:
Heppori Jan. o. 1871. Ross MAcDOgALD.
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