The Irish standard., 1888-01-14
WOMAN'S POSITION.
She Is Learnins to Trust More to Her
Own Capabilities.

She Is Learning to Trust More to her
Own Capabilities.
From whatever cause, women mani
fest an increasing determination to find
happiness and to cultivate it for its
own sake; to discover what is possible
in life for them individually, which
will bring interest, work, and, there
fore enjoyments They trust more to
their own choice, and consult their own
individual capabilities. Marriage,
which is not for all women, isnone the
less, but rather the more, desirable,
but it is ceasing to be the only goal for
girlhood. New resources are at hand
and eagerly sought. Fresh possibili-
ties are born, and in widening hori-
zon wholesome and more hopeful
spirit is awakened. The work-women
Of cur large towns are those on
whom all burdens fall most
heavily, to whom most of the advant-
ages OF change come last, but
they are also stirred by the movement
that is passing over other women, and
may soon give it great impetus. The
higher class OF women, who before
seemed isolated in their superiority,
are eager to use their faculties. With
an increasing number, life Of pleas
ure is losing it's, Importance, and with
all there is q craving after the happi-
ness which is ''the work of our own
hands, But it is in the middle class
that the greatest change has taken
place; there, not only the excellent ed
ucation attainahle by them, but the
consideration OF health and enjoyment
put into the scale, weighs heavily, and
is working little short of a miracle. A
Nonconfornlist minister, who had been
engaged among this class for many
years in London, described the present
type of girl as altogether different to
that he remembered fortysyears ago,
owing to her finer physical and mental
qualities
A good illustration Of this is to be
found by comparison Of the education
and The places where such girls re-
ceive(l it formerly, with what they now
receive and the circumstances that at
present surround it. Then, education
for the n1iddie-c.ass consisted chiefly
Of training in the performance OF cer-
tain tricks, slalnnling the accomplish
ments after which they were called.
It the education were more real, which
occasionally was the case, it was still
difficult to find any girls school i'll
which the first requirements of health
were entertained. Air and exercise
alone were matters considered Of little
If any Importance, and this because
comnaon-sense did not preside. and the
ideas of happiness and enjoyment We're
not considered with regard TO the edu~
cation of girls. We may still have
much to learn and much to forget in
these matters, but any one Of our high
schools for girls can testify to the
fortunate change of opinion. This has
only taken place since happiness has
been considered the right OF girls us
much as OF boys.
Women, whose work lies among
women, are becoming aware of an
other agent, affecting, anil likely to
affect yet more largely, the position Of
woman, A "solidarite'' is springing
up among the ruass Of women, creating
g. new tie between those of different
classes. No longer is it only a re-
hgious (in its narrow ssnse} or philan-
thropic impulse that directs the action
Of woman FOR woman. Ill is no longer
only gratitude or self~interest that
breathes the response from woman to
woman. Some new spring OF feeling
attracts women Of all classes to each
other. One more only Of the forces
which have co-operated 10 establish
the present position Of woman remains
Tor notice here. It's results are vivi0ly
before us, but in point of time it is old
as the subject to which it belongs. If
other influences have worked with
subtiety, this has been an evident and
an impelling force always. 1t is sig
nitied in that struggle, or rather
scramble, for life which civilization,
Notwithstanding her milder moods, has
pressed and does press upon woman. ---
WomsQ7a's. World.
49, nh