Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-02-24
THE THREE ST.sGBS.

THE THREE ST.sGBS.
The French philosopher, Comte, laid
great stress on what he called the law of
the three states or stages, through which,
as he thinks, all science must pass-the the
lologcal or fictitious, the metaphysical or
abstract, and the scientific or positive. BE
that as it may, there are certainly three
stages through which women's work in all
departments seems likely TO pass. These
are the stage of contempt, the stage of pet
ting, and the stage of Justice.
The stage of contempt existed when in
the sixteenth century, FRANCHISE de Saint
onges was hooted in French streets for try
ing to establish schools for girls, and when
her father called together four doctors OF
law to decide if such an enterprise was not
inspired by the devil. 1t existed in our
own day when Mr.. Conner of Boston be-
gan, "amid ridicule and sneers,n as he
says, to train girls as ok-keepers in his
commercial school. 1t existed when Vol
taire said that ideas were like beards wo-
men and young men were without them.
Or when the learned Niebvhr shrank from
educating girl lest he should make her
know too much. The era of contempt is a
cold, cruel epoch, yet it has tonic value;
it kills off the weak and strengthens the
strong. 1t stimulates while IL dscourages;
and those reared under it do solid and
strong work, from necessity, although the
graces may be sacrificed. This is the first
stago we all know ii. In the most en-
lightened communities, and in reference to
the most important avocations, it is already
past.
There comes in its place a second stage,
which brings to woman new opportunities
and new dangers. 1t is the epoch when
reaction takes place, after the old severity.
In place of cold climate woman is sud
denly transported to Rroonhouso tompor-
ature. Partly from feeling of generosity,
partly for the novelty of the thing, she be-
gins to be favored and petted, instead Of
discouraged. Instead OF being under-esti-
mated by reason of her sex, she is over
rated. There is public speaking for in
stance. In the Woman Suffrage Conven-
ton in 1851, it made thrill when Abby
Kelley Foster said "Bleedng feet my
sisters, have worn smooth the path by
which you have come up hither.' That
brave pioneer looked back to the period
when woman's voice was heard with con-
tempt and derision-and forward, perpaps,
to time when reaction would set in. An
ma Dickinson came while the change was
in progress, and helped to complete it.
Whatever her gifts of eloquence, the fiat
of her womanhood-witht the external gifts
of youth and beauty and costume-has un-
questionably helped, not hindered her.
And those entering more lately on the lee
ture-platform, as Miss Field and Miss Lo-
gan, have undoubtedly found more ready
welcome than young men of equal abili-
ties would have obtained. The fact ofther
sex was not only no obstacle, but positive
advantage.
These are not, however, extreme instanc-
es, because they are drawn from persons
who have claims apart from their woman
! hood, and whose sex has only enhanced,
not constituted the attraction. For an ex-
treme case wo must look, I fear to Wash
| ington. / have yet to see or hear of per-
son, familiar with the circumstances, who
does not admit that the favor shown to
sex, and to what are usually considered
| the "charms" of her sex, rather than to
anything else. | have never heard it so
much as intimated that young'man, equal
| ly inexperienced, could by any possibility
have been intrusted with n commission so
| important. And by the general testimony
of experts, it seems pretty evident that the
statue she has produced is just such a work
as might have been expected under the
circumstances. 1t marks the period when
woman, after years of contempt, comes at
last into the epoch of flattery-to he sue
ceeded, no doubt, by the epoch of justice
For fattery and petting, and the grant
ing to curs what is only due to brains, can
do woman no real good. After long sup
preston and discouragement, it is fair to
take little extra pains, no doubt, to help
woman into whatever career she needs.
But there is no real good done by aiding
| her to begin at the top, instead of further
down; and when she accomplishes any
work, il Is wrong to her and to her sex to
Judge it by any other standard than if Il
man had wrought it. As woman admir-
ably says, in the New York Tribune, Gun
I'll WOilltll tlhllil lllt SltIlitSl anu
not the most partial indulgence as their
due, we cannot expect to see the best work
in literature and art done by our sisters.
So long as they (women) are given odds in
the game, so long they feel 1t useless to
strive for the extra power that woIld make
those odds unnecessary. Every piece of
bad work executed by a woman and ac-
cePted by an over-indulgent public, daz-
zled by the lustre of her eyes or won over
by the sweetness of her voice, is barrier
and stumbling block in the path of her
sisters"
There are few departments, and only a
few, in which the third epoch of simple
justice has come for woman. In music, In
the drama, and above all in literature, 1t
may be said to have arrived. have been
quito closely connected with periodical lit
erature in America for dozen years, and
have never yet seen an instance where any
work appeared to be received by editor or
publisher either more or less favorably be-
cause of the sex of its author have new
er known an instance whore the compens-
! alton paid, or the applause of the public,