Year: 1859

The w omen Oh Une AuuoliS'A ~


luton.


The American revolution was not casuaii-
ty brought about by misgoycrnment on ohe
side and genius and bravery on the other. IL
was an event which had been rpening in the
womb of time since the days of the pilgrim
fathers, and however delayed or accelerated ny
temporary circumstances, was as sure TO nap
pen as any of the regular phenomena oil ma
tnre. England could Ia,t lose by the worlds
gain; for England was the most important
mart of the world When America had waxed
too great for dependency, she burst the bonds
of the mother country as naturally us young
bird chips its shell and when the iracas OF
the action was over, that magma pdren' had the
satisfaction to know that in losing trouble
some colony she had gained for mankind
mighty nation The war was not war OF ra-
ces, but Of single people, speaking the same
language, and brought up to the same feelings
and the same knowledge. 1t was British Vaiof
which burned in American bosoms, and trl-
over British arms-simply because the fulness
of time was come when il was impossible Tor
political will to avert natural necessity


All this is obvious now, but it was not 80 IN
its acted time. One party was loyalist,the other
rebel; on one side was freedom, on the other
tyranny, both England and the colony forgot
that the colonists were English, and in brand
ing one another with all sorts Of epithets 1t
never occurred to the belligerents that they
were slandering themselves. new nation
ala lnI
names; and the axiom Of Mirabeau received
another illustraton-that words are things.


II was fine idea to paint in separate pic
ture the part taken by women in this famous
famous contest Women can never receive from
regular history the need to which they are en-
titled, because they are not the actors but the
infuencers of great deeds. They serve to
adorn war, and humanze passioni and their
place would appear to be in the romantic,with
sub-historical character. The author OF
these volumes has a vague idea OF the KIND
running through her book but her forte does
not lie in the romantic; and when she does
yield to the necessity suggested by her taste
the effect is little awkward. She sometimes
begins a narrative, for instance, in the form OF
novel (confounding the romantic with ro-
nance y but unable to sustain the flight, sinks
presently down into the style of register
But her attempt, Notwithstanding, is meritori-
Gus, and not altogether unsuccessful, and al
though her work. is not, as she supposes, ia
useful contribution to American history" il is
a storehouse of small materials to which the
the historian may resort with profit.


few instances occur in these volumes OF
coarse and masculine spiritf enshrined in fe-
male bosoms; but, generally speaking, the
part taken by the women OF the revolution OF
satisfies the heart as much as it rouses the ad-
miration. Generous, high-spirited, and doyo-
ted, they rarely forgot the province OF their
sex. They gave up their prosperity without
sigh, and went about from house to house oeg-
ging for the army they embroidered colors
distributed arms and ammunition, and exhort-
ed the men to use them like heroes In some
counties the young ladies pledged themselves
not to receive Ethe addresses of lovers who
had not given proofs of love of their country
Could female devotion go furtherY Yes fur
ther. They renounced the use of tea; fol
this was the article, n tax on which was th'
apparent cause of an event already maturet
in the womb of fate. Young girls even usef
the sprightlines of their youth as cloak fo
patriotism. On one occasion, when boy hat
fallen under suspicion,who was in the habit o
bringing letters to the ,'rebels' concealed OIL
his person, young lady entered into game o
romp. with him in the market-place of tn
town. and covering his head with her apron
abstracted his dispatches When she go
home with her prize, and il was found that tn
missiyes contained good news, this gay, high
spirited lassie, not knowing how otherwise t
give vent to her joy without exciting the oh
servation of the towns-people, put her head u
the chimney,and gave shout for the republic


As an instance of the heroism of the wome