The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-12-01
"Educatlon of Our Girls"


such experience in public and social life
both at home and abroad, that he is very
competent TO give advice on such sub
ject as the Education Of our Girls" lie
has done this in q lecture lately delivered
in Chicago, and from the Tribune Of tina,
city We CLEAN few Of the points made By
the lecturer.
Senator Schurz maintains the ground
that all branches Of education should be
open 10 girls, that they might be made
selI.relant in their battle Of lie, in what
ever profession or calling they saw fit 10
engage. But while this was the true
theory Of female education he believed
women's natural destiny was to get mar
rled and become mothers; any other des-
tiny was unnatural. 1t did not follow
that women should simply be educated
for household drudgcs, but agood educa-
ton only the more fitted women for the
duties o! wives and mothers. And here
the lecturer elaborated point in the lives
Of our American women that cannot be
too deeply impressed. lie said:
One Of the greatest curses Of modern
society vas the perniciOuS habit Of having
married couples board at q hotel or a
clearinghouse. Applause ltwasthe
custom which weakened marital and
home ties, because it removed mutual
care, and lett the mother not a Queen, but
simply dweller, in her own household
Every wife ought 10 be the Q1een OF her
own house. Applause. Why then was
the custom 30 much ndulged in! Be-
cause girls were not in youth trained to
household duties, and they shrsnk IRON
them. This was great error in the carly
education Of the female eek. Some girls
were led 10 believe that they were the
most attractive when they made them
selves frames for the exhibition Of silk
and satin garments. In answer 10 the
question: why do you not marry
are you not able TO feed a wife? the
young man Of to-day would reply: "Yes
! am able 10 feed vile, but not TO clOthe
her" That might be very vulgar, but il
was very true, and bachelor clubs flour
ished upon the modern extravaganza OIL
women, Until girls learned that 1t was
an error 10 think moro Of the value they
carried on the outside OF their persons
rather than in their minds and hearts
bachelors would increase, and msrrisgee
would then daily grow less.
Woman had ever been the center o.
luxury. In this age she was more so
perhaps, than in any other. She NIGH
b: very attractive to the beau, but was @
terror 10 the husband. Applause Girl:
ought TO be discouraged in extravaganza
and encouraged in frugAlity, particularly
IN the line OF dress. This was the great
Evil. When the marriage institution de-
cIined, population, and consequently The
nation, declined. This was q law OF ma
ture. Girls should be taught TO be useful
Tor the more useful woman was the
more ornamental was she too. When
Roman statesmen wished 10 compliment
some splendid matron, they said: "Sht
10 at home spinning" Young ladies
no: degrading, but the reverse.
The lecturer took up the matter o
c)Oking-oE American cooking-hot sOdi
biscuits and hslt.done pic. He declared
there were ten dyspeptics in America fol
every one in Germany, and because oul
American girls are taught that house
keeping ia sort Of mcnial service. Amer
lean girls are taught to do nothing prac-
tlcal, unless TO 60 shopping, which wa!
the most impractical thing they could DO
On this point he concluded thus:
The pride OF true woman ought 10 bt
10 work, even when not compelled 10 dc
80. Some newspaper correspondent hRG
recently expressed issurprise at finding
on visiting Germany, the Princess Bis
m4rCk carrying bunch OF keys at hel
waist and attending to the duties of her
household. The German people respect
ell that eminent lady more than if she
wore the came weight Of diamonds. Dia-
monds would only prove that her hus-
band had money. The bunch ,oi keys
proved that his wife had both heart and
h-Ii. One of the greatest evils oil wo-
IN 81 ia America is emptiness Of thought
nothing 10 do-Thch interferes with
tue happiness OF most fashionable women.
Napoleon had once asked o lady what
should be done 10 make France a greater
nation than she was. The reply was,
"9ive the nation good mothers. u
That is exactly what America
needed, and the end and aim Of all
good people should be to educate the
young generation Of females SO that there
might be good mothers. They should be
taught how noble it was 10 follow the path
OF duty rather than pleasure-to abandon
the fobbery and irippery Of fashion, and
learn TO rear and educate families. II
would be useless to try and reform the
nation in q political sense, unless there
was higher basis OF female education,
which might be conveyed 10 the home
circle. 1t was not by making woman q
General or member oil Congress that she
was TO be elevated. 1t was by educating
her up 10 a standard that would reform
the nation, operating through the social
influences, in which woman has always
been, and ever must remain, more pow
erlul than man.
The lecturer advocated the making OF
home sunny and cheerful, and he favor
ed the cultivation Of the beautiful in the
minds OF the young, and he endorsed the
German philosopher who has said, "Hap.
py is the the man who has hobby" 10
this extent, that any man whohad an &C.
cupation, pursuit, arelaxation, was hap.
py, while the dull, rich man who did not
know what to do with his time, was mis-.
cradle. He believed it very necessary 10
the well being Of the young to be taught
to have taste for some innocent recrea-
ton, II but collecting butterflies and
bugs.
7, T, HAN nf parkors),,, h,