The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1877-11-01
Personal Independence OF Women.

The drawbacks incident to a woman's
successful career in literature or in art
are too often overlooked, and her failure
to attain great results is hence wrong
fully attributed to lack Of brains, where
in fact it Is want Of time that limits her
achievements. 1t is the custom to ridi-
cule the majority of the efforts made by
the sex, and the partial recognition
given them is granted more as a conces-
sion than as a right. The fact that she
ia condemned to follow the dictates OF
society and live in the social world
altogether, is an undeniable cause of her
inferiority, and the fact that the major
ity of the sex make no effort to release
themselves from the thraldom is an
other painful evidence Of their lamenta-
Bile lack of energy and education. Social
duties are the most irksome, oherous,
and to cultured people the most dis
tasteful, save when confined to strict
limits.
H~ousewifery and maternal duties and
cares are not half as heavy, nor are they
u be compared to them, for the latter
are accepted as a pleasure mostly, while
social exactions are endured because it
is the way of the world. To depart
from the custom of society and firmly
to resist it requires the heroism of a
saint and the strength of character that
is rarely developed in the women reared
under its baleful influence. We have
some pioneers in the reform; we have
always had isolated cases, but the
masses of women devote their lives to
visiting n another, and going to and
giving entertainments, as though it was
the sum total of existence, and nothing
higher or nobler could he desired. And
this is the reason that as women grow
older, they are shelved, and labeled
sold women" and are despised for that
very supericiality and ignorance which
they imagined was so charming in
them as young girls and m~iddle-aged
women.
Narrowed and confined in intellect,
intolerant and insincere in sentiment,
and childish in action, and duty, they
futter along the bright side Of life until
it ceases to exist and then they sit down
in the meridian Of existence, helpless,
aimless and unhappy, instead OF rising
as the dignity of years is put upon
them, and growing in strength and
wisdom until the perfection of life is
reached in death.
1t is hard to attain individuality In
mediocre society, for your friends be-
long to the commonplace class, and
may be your own family is Ill prepared
to admit the possibility of personal in.
dividualism. Then the tide Is against
you; no preparations have been made
for an aspiring ambitious nature,
Churchill says, "no crime is so great as
daring to excel"
Your sex will condemn the exhibition
Of any sterling quality that is likely to
grow and develop into ever partial
greatness; and the small fry Of both
sexes will boot and deride wherever the
imprint of your strong, brave soul is
seen or felt. Suppose you are left to
earn your W bread, and you have RI
ability to be a success. You ina the
beginning hard, because 1t is almost
impossible to break loose from the social
bondage into which, as a woman, you
find yourself held. The bars have been
50 brightly gilded all your life that you