The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1880-06-10
TRUE WOMANHOOD.

Washington GLADDEN., in the May
number of the st. Nicholas, has an ad-
mirable article on the girls and mothers
of this country. 1t is worth printing
In full, but In consequence of Its
length, we are compelled to make
but limited extract. Addressing
himself to the eliments making up a
beautiful womsnly character, the writer
says:
The first is industry. Willingness
and ability to work lie, as have said
already, at the basis of all good char
acter. The moral discipline, the pa
thence, the steadiness of purpose. the
power to overcome, that are gained in
work, and only 10 work, are just as
necessary to women as to men; and
the girl who is given no chance of
learning these traits is sadly de-
frauded y
az would train my daughter" writes
one, ''to regard all work, IN the broad
est meaning, as honorable. Whatever
is necessary to be done is honorable
work, for highest and lowest alike"
After industry comes thoroughness.
It is not enough to be busy; we ought
to do we'll whatever our hands find to
do, else we may be forced to say what
Hugo Grotius SAID when he came to
the end: "Alssi I have spent my life
in laboriously doing nothing" To be
thorough in study, to be thorough in
all work, ought to be the aim of every
girl, not less than of every boy. Our
methods of female education have en-
couraged super6cislity rather than
thoroughness; we have gwen our girls
smatterings of many things, and mas
terry Of few things. We teach them 9
little Latin, and little French, and q
little Italian, and little German, and
q little Spanish, and little English
precious little, too, generally; we give
them q few lessons on the piano mot
often too few, however, of these), and
few lessons On the organ, and few
on the harp, and few on the guitar,
and q few, perhaps, on the violin or
the banjo; we let them take oil paint
ing for Q quarter, and water-colors for
. quarter, and crsyons for quarter,
and china decoration for q quarter, and
so en-, and so on; and the poor things,
when they are done with it all, know q
little of everything, and not much of
anything. Don't do it, girls; life is
short and art is long; you can not be
ristresses of all the arts. 1t is better
TO con6ne yourselves to 9 single branch
and make yourselves proficient in that.
It is much better to say, 'SThis one
thingI do" than to say, isThese forty
things I dsbble in"
After thoroughness, independence.
A habit of relying on your own judg-
ment, habit of thinking for yourself,
and caring for yourself, not selfshly,
but in true womanly fashion, habit
OF taking responsibility and bearing 1t
bravely is one of the habits that wo-
men as well as men need to cultivate.
Your parents ought to give you some
chance to form this habit; it u Q great
mistake to shield girl from all care,
and then, By and by, when the helpers
on whom she has leaned fall BY her
aide, to leave her with Judgment un-
trained aud powers undisciplined. 10
carry the burdens Of life.
/ Respect for character. for manhood
and womsnhood, more than for money
or rank, or even genius. il another Of
the first lessons that every girl ought tc
learn. Virtue, truth, fidelity, these
are the shining things that every
true woman honors, and she who val.
ucs above these . coat-of-arms or {
bank account degfades herself. There
| Il silly snobberJ among some Of oul
girls that Is the reverss Of lovely.
see them now and then spurning asso
lcia,ion with worthy young men end