River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1875-07-16
The Women of America.


BILE to respond to q sentiment where ]
would lave the sympathies of the au'
dience more completely than | do in
attempting to reply to this one Any
words of praise on the Women OF
America, will, / know, meet with your
warmest approval. And yet | am in
difficulties this morning. The very
vastness of the subject Expresses me.
To stand in a preseoce like this, AMI in
the few brief moments allotted me, to
sketch even IN briefest outline, the many
noble characteristics Of the women of
our loved land is task that | confess
my utter inability to perform. Borrow.
ing the figure of another, | think l
can illustrate my difficulties, by pre-
senting you with two pictures better
than by any long array of words. My
first is that Of a CLEANER by the dim
light of the moon, searching among the
stubble, in the harvest field, where the
wheat has been gathered and from
which the reapers have withdrawal.
| am that cleaner Concerning the
Women of America there has been as
much said as would suffice fer many
long discourses, and as much has been
written as would almost furnish Ii.
brary. Where is the tongue that has
not been eloquent in her praises?
Where is the pen that has not been
swift to write her excellencies? From
field then where so many cleaners
have gathered how can it be expected
that can bring any thug new?
My second picture is that of a person
who has to write criticism on pict.
ure, but who, with natural horror of
crowds, finds himself jammed 10 front
Of the spectators at the Academy aud
SO near the picture that the sun dIzzes
his eyes, and he can see nothing on the
canvas but blurred and confused
mass of color. ] am that unfortunate
critic. With natural horror Of crowds
! find myself pressed to the front of one
like this, with the picture | am to
criticise-the American Womcn--so
close, am daEzled by the subject, un.
fit for careful scrutiny aud so nervous
that cannot even express my high ad-
miration for the picture.
| trust you appreciate my difficulties
and you will bear with me while | speak
just one moment in praise Of the Women
Of America. / suppose there is nJ
characteristic Of American Women so
striking as their utter uuselfishness. la
every land the name of woman is
synonym for unselfshuess, but it is pc.
culiarly so in ours. We saw it grandly
exhibited as a natural trait during our
late war. Women, following in the
wake of the army, binding up the
wounds of the soldiers, Drawing danger,
enduring fatigue and in many instances
facing death ITSELF to minister to the
wants of others In thousand hospi-
tails her busy hands aud uufaltering
exertions relic, ed pain, consoled sorrow,
aud smoothed the pillow OF death.
Other lands 10 strains Of widest praise
have sung the glories of one Florence
Nightingale and Elizabeth Fry, but
America, on the bright roll of her re-.
cords, unites the names OF thousands.
Another popularity of American Wo.
man is her intelligence. The principles
of intelligence are more widely dis
seminated in our land than in any
other, aud our women are the most
thoughtful, reading, intelligent. In 9th.
err countries where the average woman
is a mental drudge, and Is not expected
to know any thing, in ours she takes
her place in intelligence as the peer Of
man The newspaper, magazine, cir
culating library, 6nd their most ready
patrons among the women, and in
science. literature, and even political
reforms she takes an active and intelli-
gent interest
leave for others the discussion Of
the thought that in America the ave
nues Of intellectual culture are opened
TO women, as in no other land. May
God speed the day when the avenues
Of industry shall be as generally opened,
and woman shall be allowed TO labor
where now she is deb4rred by the tyr.
amy of custom.