The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-10-10

summation. Being thus less subject to
the vlclssltudes of life, he naturally be-
comes more independent and manike
Tie arrives at the point of cOnquering
himself, which requires the rarest cour-
age. When such 4 Spartan encounters
young woman who has undergone an
representative training such as her sex
permits, and they grow to love each
other, no serious obstacle to their union
exists.
Many young women of slender means,
with view to independence, have al
ready prepared themselves and embark
ed III active life as telegraph operators,
bOOkkeepers, music teachers, painters
and journalists. There is a growing
tendency in this direction, and in a few
years the number who will be in position
to ia Ike care Of themselves will be much
greater than now. These stand on an
equal footing with the man who wants
to marry, and are in position to abide
by that great rule by which the affairs
OF the world are gOverned-giving equiv
alent for equivalent. In this the heart
Of the woman is left to take its own
CHOICE and is less influenced by the
fear of penury or the hope Of riches.
1t her occupation be not unhealthy
.One, she will improve in mind and
morals. The sins with which she is
usually charged are mostly bred of idle
ness or contracted life. The training
found in work will rescue her from va
plu, Objectless life, and especially from
that absolute surrender to the power of
fashion which characterizes so many
women who have nothing to do. There
are no greater obstacles to Woman's ad-
yancement than fashion, in whose train
mnEf Tnt
Were she taught to follow something
else, this reckless race would not pre-
sent half the attractions which it does,
Behind fashion temptation is always
lurking to lure to wrOng-doing. No
condition OF life is exempt, for however
we'll Oft one may be, there is always some
other who has more beautiful posses
slons which excite envy and cOyetous-
ness. Where work is done with a will
these things are in some measure ban
lshed; for the good worker likes her
calling, and outside of it other OccuDa-
tlonS become secondary.
There are yet hidden resources in the
American woman, whose DEVELOPMENT
has been prevented by established
usages, particularly in the fields which
have been monOpOlized by men. Even
III those requiring physical force, the
stronger may yet vie with men, and
they are certainly capable of more exer-
tlon than they have so far shown in
America. Muscular force is not neces-
sarily confined to one sex. As rule,
the mare can pull as much and run as
fast as q horse, and Darwin tells us that
the male ostrich matches the eggs while
the female does the fighting, both for
eign and domestic. Should the. Ameri-
can women venture on such an expert
ment, there is no reason why she should
not equal the Spartan woman, who was
trained to the same bodily exercises as
the man, and in some cases surpassed
him in strength and agility. When the
rare opportunity came, women have
been doing manly things since the
world began. The Mysteries and faint
ing of a score of years ago was an atfec-
tation, for there is scarcely anything of
the kind now. Weakness itself was for
time the fashion, but it is at the pres
ent pretty well discarded.