The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-12-25
OUR LITERARY BUDGET.
EXTRACT FROM TWO RECENT 1D-
DRESS BY YIRGINI1ys.
Professor John IL. Hennegman on the
Nineteenth Century Woman in Lit
erature"-"The Ideal Woman.

NN'Vbc' OelOTt the Literary society or the
Stae Female Normal School, at Farmvflle.
June Z. 1897, We find the following refer
ence to the part which female author
ship has played in the literature Of the
present century:
While woman has undoubtedly con-
tributed much to the sweetness and light
OF life, which Matthew Arnold finds a so
necessary factor, 1 have not been able
TO answer satisfactorily TO myself whether
woman In the nineteenth century litera-
ture has distinctly added to the morbid
and melancholy. The emotional Is felt to
be her especial province; the feeling Of
sympathy with the weak, the helpless,
the wronged, Is her natural note. The
habit of self-introspection and morbid
s~elf-nnalysis is just as characteristic 1t
may be a sign of woman's weakness; IL
Is certainly one Of woman's Intensity.
1t may be, too. a woman's trait. a result
Of this natural intensity, to go far, al
most to extremes, when she dares at all.
For a woman is daring. and in mounting
Pegasus she is often willing not only to
discard the si~de-saddle, but to go II bare
backed. But from an artistic point Of
view 1t is always bad form 10 lack self
control and the power Of restraint
w constantly hear the nineteenth
century referred TO as the period Of the
emancipation OF woman, and the great
exemplar offered to the world is the
American woman. AS to her former bond
age in the eyes Of the law. of public opin-
ion, and of society, | shall not here in
quire. but II is interesting TO note the
extent of her emancipation In literature.
In poetry, women were before sung TO,
but in the nineteenth century they are
singing themselves. At the headWaters
OF English fiction, Richardson, writing
for a circle OF admiring female friends.
nae in Clarissa dissected woman's heart
and exposed the workings Of the chords
of every emotion to which woman's soul
is subject; in the nineteenth century the
novel reaches, perhaps, its highest
achievement in a woman's work. that Of
George Eliot. May / be %pardoned the
cOnceit of calling this the Leap Year
Century $50 busily has woman been en-
gagged in coquetting with. and in woOing,
and i'm many instances In successfully
capturing every employment, every oc-
cupation, every field of literature. art,
and even science.
THE activity OF woman in literature
has been so great within the past two
decades that we might almost different
late the last quarter of the century from
the preceding ones. But this is due TO
causes slowly leading up TO the present,
and hence characteristic OF the whole.
IL is just that in our own day the bios
SONS are appearing and the fruit begin
ming 10 mature. a catalogue of the New
England women In literature. even were
1t possible 10 be obtained. would be tedi-
Gus. The greater half Of the work done
in New England in poetry, in novel and
in essay w~riting-we shall not undertake
10 1ooi1a alurgxo "a da1iqafa Question
which is the better half-seems<to be the
work of woman. 1t is rapidly becoming
true Of the West, which has always bor-
rowed its Intellectual aspirations from
New England II is even true, I'm part,
of olir Southland and Of Virginia. Marion
Harland in Brooklyn, Mrs. Burton Harri-
son in New York, Mrs. Margaret Preston,
Mrs. Amelie Rives-Chandler. Mrs.
Smedes, Mrs. Mcclure, Miss Randolph,
Miss Magill, Miss McClelland, Miss Ma
gruder, Miss Baylor, Miss Seawell, Miss
Kate Mason Rowland-and one to whom
Farmville in part lays just and proud
claim, Miss eNhiting1are but instances
OF Nirginia's contributors.
"Obedient 10 her emotions, woman has
ever been In sympathy with the lowly
and oppressed. She is active I'm philan-
thrOpy, in movements for reform. for the
interests of the State. for society, for the
and the poor. 1t excites no sur
prise that Uncle Toms Cabin" was writ
ten by a woman; that the advocate in
of the rights Of Indians was an
other woman. But woman is more than
4 social reformer and a missionary; she
IS also entering other fields. The Maya
zine of American History Is a woman's
Enterprise; the Popular Science Monthly
s continued by the sister Of its eminent
ounder; a woman astronomer has
achieved distinction in the annals Of both
and American science; archaeO-
ogists are lamenting the recent loss OF
iiss Amelia +. Edwards, the eminent
<Yptologist and explorer. Possessed with
sue, Of folklore, of philosophy, Of
tnoue and foresight. women are becom-
dnpnt students of history, Of Ian
sudSo' folklore, of philosophy, OF
ialneiitatil OF the sciences. practitioners
iieul1iIe I'D devotees Of art. For my
par 40 'Tnsas it does not transcend
and woman ceases not
49, ~ De hnttor' N thereby lives fuller,
increased p~ossibnitieI W. intn,octvoI
and in the fmIrass ~ 20
sphere. But pause, X ~.
pref me as an advanced ra1d hIouing
a trumpet for a Woman's f,hts orgori,
cation, and / must not forgesthot o.
speaking of literaturet and
OF literary IMPULSES.
Life and art are different n. ,.
manifestations in every age, and II
simply reflects the spirit and thon$+ |
OF each time and condition and staT J
sometimes returning but the sensation on
the moment. sometimes striking a chord +
which stirs the infinite heart Of man.
Also far less am I disposed 10 engage
I'm q weighty analysis OF the physical
woman. and to compare her intellectual
powers with those OF man. Few gener-
alizations hold good for exceptions, which
are the very cases under dispute. But
why some very good people persist IN
representing the sexes in constant OPP
position, and refuse to consider them
from any point Of view except that Of per-
petual varianc-. even under the economic
of demand and supply and compe-
tition. for my part, l have never been
able TO clearly comprehend. Even George
Eliot, as If in doubt OF her own place
OF equality, delights In having her fling
also at the other sex. The shrewd and
humorous Mrs. Poyser admits: I'm not
.envin' the women are foolish; God AL
mighty made 'em to match the men,
individualistic mind. which is also
feminine something very different from
'efeminateD may surely possess distinct
and separate qualities and shades and
however slight, and without
10 write like a nam attain
peculiar capacities and capabilities for
pleasing, Tor charming, and for Inspiring.
I am grateful and feel encouraged, living
in the present, that woman's work has
- - .,orId On manu- dalightful hours.