The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1883-11-01
Being Born a Woman.

l
Selected.
Being Born Woman.
A hearty school boy of sixteen
was complaining at the breakfast
table, the other day in my presence,
of some series of entertainments for
which five dollars were charged fo1
a man and only three for a woman,
"Fred," asked somebody, "would
you be woman for two dollarsp'
"No!" he cried, mot for ten dol
lars. not for fifty" "There isn't a
morning of my life, added the good
natured blunderIng fellow, "that !
don't thank myself that l wasn't
born a female!' | suppose that he
spoke the common experience. In
the Hebrew religious service the
man thanks God that he was not
born a woman, while the woman,
more humbly and reverently, thanks
God that she was created according
to His will. Whence comes this
widespread preference for the one
lot over the other?
Perhaps it is not spread quite as
widely as it seems. In early youth,
perhaps, it is very nearly universal.
The childish pursuits and traits of
boys and girls are not so very un-
like, and if either is especially in
clined to the ways of the other it
attracts little attention. Until ma
turity a healthy girl is left almost
as free as their brother in occupa-
tons, pleasure and even dress; in
deed many parents even welcome
in a girl the robust and free action
that seems to belong rather to the
other sex. AS / was once looking
down with that magnificent speci-
men of womanly vigor, Charlotte
Cushman, upon the beach at New
pert, some one said, Chow those
boys enjoy playing on the sand"
Il should think they wouldr she
said emphatically, and added, II
know I did when was boyp' The
remark seemed almost unconcious
and appeared the only fit thing to
say. How could she, in her strong
and jubilant childhood, have been
anything but a boy? 1t is after
wards, when long skirts and formal
restraints come into impede activi-
ty, that the young girl chafes be
cause she is a girl. At that period
of life, the preference is almost uni
versal; at sixteen, let us grant, every
one of either sex would prefer to
be boy.
But later, when the brief dream
of girlish power comes on; when
the maiden, if attractive, Yields for
a few years a power more intoxica-
ting and more boundless than any
man-be he statesman or general,
orator or poet-can exercise; when
she finds her weakness greater than
mems strength, her smile his bliss,
her Indifference his despair; when
they lay all their laurels at her feet
and are rewarded by word; is it so
sure that,in that prime intoxication
of life, the princess would change
places with her slave and the wo-
man consent to be a man? And
again in later life, would the moth
er with her baby at her breast
her JOY "that a man-child is born
into the world"-her 'Philip my
kingw in her arms, would she
change places with her husband?
No! l fancy that, wherever a wo-
mans nature life is full and healthy
and successful, the early impulse is
found to be an error and the woman
is content with her lot.
But there are doubtless many ex-
captions and what shall we say of
thisp l am one of those who be-
Iieve that the universe is well-buiIt,
and that good predominates enor-
over evil. If so, it is impos-
sible to believe that either of the |
two great halves of humanity has !
much advantage over the other;
the laws of health, the laws of hap
piness must be as surely discovera-
bic among women as among men,
Though perhaps more slowly.
That her full development comes
ater in human history is nothing
against thunder the law of evolu-
lion, the later the better. There
are whole races of men upon the
earth among whom it is counted a
that a woman should be
born; and among those races it is
'eally a calamity. But out of those
'avages comes at last order and
peace; and with them a rapid equal
cation of the chances of the sexes.
How great was the lamentation,
ew years ago, because the physical
of women was supposed
% cut them off from higher educa-
ion; yet the progress of education
las gone steadily on; and hundreds
# girls are now graduating from
,ollege,in health at least as good as
hat with which they entered.
even the most opposed to the far
her advancement of women are
low found making it part of their
that the duties of wife
lood, formerly deemed so humble,
re so important that nothing must
Ie suffered to interfere with them.
and reformers thus
mite in exalting the sphere which
-as once condemned; and even the
oy who is grateful that he was not
orn a girl may one day find that
is profoundest human tie is his
to the memory of his