New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-20

being sour she was laughed at for her prudery.
S Mon,d she sue lad not been en- Prude she
Nobody thanked her for her self-abegaEiOn when
she took the place of nurse in the family In Ger
b" or t by csGeds an
Which :, expressed wholesome social state.
The French old maid was unhonored
when IN her indulgence and isolation she attached
herself to flowers to animals to poor children whom
sue taught, to orphans whom she clothed, and be-
came tho providence OF motherless and deserted
NJ. Legouve pointed out the great things English
old mads-the English woman having more liberty
tnan The French--have accomplished. England
gives France many useful lessons But the most
useful which she could teach has vet to be learned
a. IS how to treat the old maid. The foundress of
d the Urs1lines was Mile: sainte Beuye, an
was Miss Edgewortb, an old maid. Miss
LoWeli, the guardian angel Of American factory
girls, was an old maid. The emancipatiOnst,
H Ha Mar;neap and the heroine Of the Crimea.
MISS Nightingale, were old maids. No vo-
Gati0n was more useful to the world NJ.
Legouve affirmed, than that of the old maid
asked no other reward when she undertook to
suffer. The voice of the lecturer faitered when he
young girls to choose old, maidenhood in preference
10 matTimOny. The angel of his hearth is an old
maid, aud she is his own daughter.
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR WOMEN.
N. Le0ouve fatty donied that result of higher
instruction in Girs' schools is to make women
pedants. II would simply give more firm temper
to their intellect and enable them to share the ideas
OF their husbands and to direct the studies Of their
children What were the drawbacks to higher
ton compared TO the mortal dangers of lgnorancef
Whenever woman was devonred by ennni it was
because she had an empty head. If she was vain
aud capricous it was because she knew nothing.
The void i'll her brain led her to prize jewels,
fine clothes, fine society and fashion above
honor, family Affections dignity or health.
She dragged her husband from ball to ball indiffer-
ent t0 hls webeing. for the simple reason that the
wofll Oh intellect was closed against her. No
serions idea could warm up or stir brain trained
not 10 think. The world OF vanity and disorder was
open to her. Many disgraced husband. who sncers
at blue stockings, would have been spared dishOnOr
II their wives had a noble curiosity for searching
into scleutlGc truths
LAW REFORM SADLY NEEDED.
VI. Legouve expects to see laws enacted for the
protection Of girls in France. He would be glad to
the breach of promise laws and English jnries
20 apply them imported from Great Britain.
Nothing gave him more pain than to
know that French girl ,uld not be trusted
TO 20 TO the school to the workshop by herself.
The assumption was not Groundlcs', that unless ac-
companied by an elderly relation she would become
the prey of vicious fellow. The responsibility of
the man vino profits by girsh innocence to destroy
il, is n shame 10 French legislation.
Inc tullueu1 lccluIeE gave u SucCIICb IChIeW VI
French laws which establish the position in the
family and sOcicy of the grOwn-up girl, the wife
aud mother. anl declared them The negatOn of all
equity and thoroughly harbaruus He met the
OBI ,etou that the inherent goodness OF Frenchmen
prevented a cOwardly advantage being taken of
the code by saying rhat laws were never
made 10 re-, train govern angels, but the
mass Of average human beings. Tho code was
based upon the Roman civil law, which threw
women INTO Christianity 10 escape from the ~
Ianny 10 which they were condemned by the Roman
lawgVcrS. 81 LcgOuyc showed how Frenchmen
can mud Ito SPOIL their wives for their
mstrcssrs France owes to the thrift and industry Of
the FfenchwOman tw0-thr,ls of her commercial and
agricultural riches. The FrcnchwOman ~ an indie
tatigable producer Of wealth, aud unless
~ toe fast and fashionable circles not y
severe CONSUMER of it, Wril, this useful and
respectable member of society Is. so far
~ her properly goes. at the mercy OF bcr husband
under ne regime ot community OF goods, winch ~
the most general IL the lower strata. VI. LeRouyc
knew a woman who lived by making
nets who iivc times created ana furnished
a home for herself and her ch ldren. The husband.
who hti quilted her To take up with bold huSsy
ns many times cleared away her furniture and did,
not leave SO much ~ bed. The law
could do nothing for her, She was
only liberated from this inenbus by
the mau's dc ith. which WAS thus announced to her
bv the mistress: Madame, | have Just had The
grief to loso yoar husband. HIS fur al must take
place Tomorrow As he left fund Tor me 70 dis
pose Of be good enough TO provide for his decent
burial