The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1889-08-29
THE CAUCASIAN.
CLINTON, n. C.,-AU3. 20, 1889.
OUR GIRLS.
Two Things ScesifnI.


Women are awakening TO the
fact that they have permitted
their intellectual faculties to lie
dormant and have willingly re
manned In intellectual bondage.
1t is only about twenty years
since the first woman's college
appeared in the land. As a
gauge of the difference between
feminine aud masculine mental
training, contrast the hundreds
and thousands Of young mel
who go to college to the one
young woman. TIL, sou OF the
family goes to college as q mat
ter OF course the young woman
OF the family after great dis
custom and consultation. How
much Oftener is she sent to
some inferior school, where,
instead Of broad, thorough
collegiate training, she is con-
tent with smattering of many
things and general finishing
off process! Many young wo-
men OF the present day, after
leaving school, CLEAN q sort OF
aftermath OF information and
culture which stands, them in
good stead; but the reason we
have not Sbakespeares, Bacons,
Humes, and Carlyles among
women is, not because they
have not intellectual caliber, but
because women, having been
held in domestic bondage,
which is now in a measure cast
off, vOluD tarily remain in some
what the same condition. We
most firmly believe that the
body is all the more sound and
healthy il il is the abode of q
sound mind, and that much Of
the non adjustment of physical
force found in our homes, es
pecially among the daughters,
is due to the fact that the
powers of their minds are not
properly developed and trained.
A strong will, all absorbing pur-
pose, a high literary or al tistic
pursuit, exalt the spirit, and
listlessness, dyspepsia, imper-
feet circulation, which breed
hysteria, melancholy, and hypo-
chondria, pass into oblivion in
consequence
+
1t is not the custom for wo-
men to take physical exercises
as men do. There IS a begin
ing-awakening in this respect,
but muscle received by no
means the same worshipful at
tent)On from women as from
men. A man with an iron biceps
is proud OF it. To him it is an
emblem of strength and power.
Only now and then a rare wO-
man possesses anything more
than a flabby, ill-developed
biceps. The physical repression
of women begins in the early
childhood and is continued
throughout life. A young wo-
. man whom we know, and who
is striving after some little
muscular culture attempted to
remove from its place a heavy
standard lamp Of wrought iron
She could scarcely stir it, and
an athletic young relative
prompted by courtesy, FASTENED
to her assistance; but she declin.
ed his aid, vexed with herself
at having SO little muscular
ability. Putting forth all her
strength, she ut length brought
the lamp to the desired position
j, Every day she carried the lamp
from one place to another, as
: the occasion arose for it, anC
i'll five days she found she could
easily carry the lamp i'll one
>. hand, and, if she wished, hold
b. it at arms length. Her muscles
: we're ready to respond to ever
an irregular effort to educate
them. How few women Cal
open car window! The fran
tic, futile, puny striving avail:
. nothing, except to enlist a mans
. sympathy and muscle in thu
contest. The popular notion
which assigns all the physical
+. strength to the man. and ex
/, poets noxt to none Of the wo
man, does the latter a grea
, physical injustice. 1t is exercise
which is needed to secure pro
per circalati0n,proper nutrition
aud consequent building up O.
e tissues which are the compo
nent parts Of healthy body
G. Peekam, d.