Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-09-25
EDUCATION OF GIRLS
Ella wheeler Wilcox Gives Some Sens,
bic Advice to Mothers.

Ella wheeler Wilcox Gives Some Sens,
Die Advice to Mothers.
am going to prepare my girls for
adversely" said mother of two daupb.
tiers to me one day. Il want them TO he
able to earn a living independent of
their husbands, should they marry" I
was visiting in their home at the time
and noticed that the mother made her
sell servant to her daught tiers, waiting
upon them In the smallest matters, sin
order TO give them chance to studv."
she said But this very treatment was
rendering the young ladies inefficient.
shiIless, characterless. With no idea
Oh tlrii1' OF money saving, of practical
economy OF time or forces, with a dis
dam OF small duties pertaining to the
home life inculcated by the mothers
mistaken treatment of them, they were
being educated for thriftless, unsuccess-
full wives and wasteful housekeepers.
l would have every mother in the
land begin at the cradle to teach her
daughters self-respect, self-denial, and
h0r0"ghness in small things. 1 would
have wee tots who grow easily blase
with an EN- barrassment of toys, taught
to deny themselves playthings for the
benefit OF poorer children. would
have their young minds early instilled
with the beauty of self-sacrifce; and
instead of importing costumes for their
dolls, would have them taught to cut,
and sew, and make whole outfits for
their dolls, and 1 would bestow prizes
and rewards for neat and successful
work. In all such early matters would
train the childish mind to a pride in
practical achievement / would have
them taught to mend, darn and fold
clothing nicely; and above and be-
You'd any praise for great prog
ress IN music, drawing, or elocution, l
would give them praise, medals and
public honors for keeping their rooms,
their clothes-presses, their bureau
drawers and their personal effects il
perfect order; and 1 would permit no
servant to do for them what they could
do for themselves. Constantly would
keep before them the need of self-denial
in small matters, the necessity of doing
things which were distasteful, and doing
them well, if they would possess char
acter and stamina to meet the inevita BILE
hardships which life presents to every
soul.
in this manner be suddenly thrown from
the lap of luxury into poverty and she
will show herself capable of self-sup-
port, without any previous business
training or any preconceived idea or
preparation for a career. But instead
of this, the idea of the day seems to be
20 teach girls to despise small duties
to leave their stockings to be darned,
and their rooms for servants to keep tidy
while they study for the stage, for the
lecture field, for some profession or some
business sphere.
TO earn money" seems to be the am
bilious girls craze now. not to save
money by thrift and efficiency in the
use or it. That the whole system is ut
terly wrong and its influence upon So
ciety detrimental, l grow every day
more certain. While there are here
and there to be found in each genera
ton, few specially gifted women who
are called by higher powers to follow
some career, as Florence Nightingale,
Charlotte Cushman, Rosa Bonheur,
Maria Mitchell. and others have been
called to follow theirs, it is 4 fact be-
yOnd controversy that woman was meant
by nature to be wife, mother and house
keeper; and any system which tends to
separate her interests from that triple
sphere, is an unnatural and unhealthful
system for the sex in the aggregate,
and for society at large, however bene-
fetal it may be for few individuals
Ella Wheeler Wilcox. in Chautauquan