The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-02-19
The Original Sin of Woman.
[Gail Hamilton in uarper,s B,zar

ltail Hamilton in Harper's BaSar.1
So far as women are concerned, total de-
pravity is but the theological formula for
fatigue. | rather think men may be bad
IN the grain. Wretch that / am, to say
that, when my own self have seen SO
many who are as helpful and pleasant and
mice" as women Still we do see men
who, in sound health and comfortable cir
cumstances, are arrogant, fault-finding, and
disagreeable, and who ought to be swept
from the face of the earth; while the wo-
men W no are hateful when they are happy
are so few that they but emphasize the
rule. Most women are bad only when
they are tired. See women peevish and
troublesome, and you can almost always
see reason for it, and remedy short of
annihilation. They have too much work
to do, too much anxiety and responsibility
to bear. Their health is infirm, their
nerves are shattered. They stay in the
house too much, they do not take journeys
and make excursions. They have too little
variety, adventure, scope.
Women ought to feel it part---I might
almost say the most important part--of
their work so to systematic their life that
their tasks shall not overlap their time with
the danger of devouring their temper.
When the conscientious, loving Christian
mother has spoken an impatient word to
the husband or child whom she loves as
her own life, and to whom she gives her
life daily, let her not drop tears Of remorse
over her needle; let her drop her needle.
She may repent if she chooses-I have
nothing to say against repentance-but she
should bring forth fruits meet for repent
y,pt hxyp ho,, l,o Al
availing sorrow, but by thinking whether
there may not be some ruffling of gowns
that can be dispensed with for the sake of
preventing this rutfling of nerves whether
those dalnties may not be well spared from
her table. that she may gain leisure for re-
pose and refreshment, for daily walk, or
drive, or a six-cent ride in horse-car, or
an hour with an entertaining book, that SO
her nerves may be healthful and not tense,
her body and soul fresh and not faded, ali
her words and ways cheerful and leisurely,
SO that there shall be no impotence or pet
ulance clamoring for expression and en-
forcing repentance. Moralists teach NY to
repress unamiable speeches and it is so
to be snubbed and scolded and
snarled and sneered at that their teachings
are not unnatural, and | dare say not I'M
Wise. Yet If we studied diseased minds rs
as we do diseased bodies, should we
not sometimes find that 6 snarl'' is like
cough or cutaneous eruption, not itself
The disease, but symptom-an effort of |
nature to cure disease and that the true
remedy is not to stop it suddenly and thus
1riye the disease in upon the soul, but |
rather coax it to snarl itself out safely, and |
apply our remedies to the deep seat of life? |
When the soul is in high health and sereni-
", the unpleasant symptoms will disap-
pear. So when the husband frets at the
wife, or the wife at the husband, instead of
rettlng back again, or taking it to heart as
! sign of decaying love, let them simply
ay it to the account of over-exertion, and /
ook about for some moral cod-liver oil or
'ther tonic-if cod-liver oil happen to be
onic-and administer it deity with no
more suspicion of moral degeneracy than
would be aroused by an influenza.