The Orangeburg democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1879-1881, 1880-11-26
A Talk With Girls.

q bChhStluA
The first is industry. Willingness
!. and ability to work lie at the basis Of
all good character. The moral dis
cipline, the patience, the steadiness
of purpose, the power to overcome,
chat are gained in work, and only in
work, are just as necessary to women
as to men /; and the girl who is given
no chance of learning these traits is
sadly defrauded.
Besides, there are strong reasons
why girls ought to be we'll trained in
that particular kind Of wolk which
q they ore most likely to be called upon
to perform. All women, however
situated, should have practical
knowledge of manual labor; should
know how to cook, to purchase house
hold stores, how to avoid waste, how
to cut and sew garments, how TO nurse
the sick. All these things should be
o part Of q thorough education, and
few women can pass through life, no
matter what their means or station,
who will not find tie time when such
knowledge will hold others, even if
personally they get on very we'll with
out 1t. Girls should be trained 10 re-
gard nil work in the broadest mean
ing as honorable. Whatever is ne
ccssary to he done is honorable work
for highest and lowest alike.
After industry comes thoroughness.
II is not enough to be busy we ought
TO do well whatever our hands find TO
do, else we may he forced TO say
what Hugo Grocius said when lie
came 10 the end: '.Alas I spent my
life in laboriously doing nothing"
To he thorough In study, to be thor
ough in work, ought to be the aim OF
every girl, not less tlan Of every boy.
Our methods OF female education have
encouraged superticiallH rather than
thoroughncss.
Af.er lhoroushness, independence.
A habit of relying OH your own judy
ment, a habit of thinking for your
self, AMI caring for yourself, not sell
tishly, but in true womanly fash
iona habit of taking responsibility
and bearing it bravely is one of the
habits that women as we'll as men
need to cultivate. Your parents ought
to give you some chance to form this
habit it is great mistake to shield
a girl from all care, and then, by and
by, when the helpers on whom she
was leaning fall By her side, 10 leave
her with judgment untraiRed and
powers undisciplined, 10 carry tho
burdens Of life.>
Respect for character;4fo for man
hood and womanhood, more than for
money or rank, or even genius, is
another of the first lessons that every
girl ought TO learn. Virtue, truth, f.
deity, these are the shining things
that every true woman honors, and
che who values above these coat-of-
arms or a bank account, degrades
hereelf. There is silly sno bbery
among some of our girls that is the
reverse OF lovely, and should not be
encouraged.
We might speak Of many other cle-
ments of character indispensable to
the truest womanhood, such as truth
iulness, and conscicntiousncss, and
purity, and modesty, and fidelity, but
We will only name one or two more.
Conservation. 1t is great word. 1t
means many things. 1t means, to
begin with, that God he's some pur-
pose concerning you, some good work
for each of you to do. 1t means that
Me has given you the power to serve
in some way, and that He wishes you
to devote that power. which He has
given you to that service for which
He created you. What kind Of work
He has for you to do cannot tell,
but I know that He has called every
One of V;jii with n hiph callinu tn