diff options
| author | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-15 05:31:54 -0700 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-15 05:31:54 -0700 |
| commit | dfe7bc3aa9a46fedeebda52cfe054fd5cd9913ff (patch) | |
| tree | d39804dacb80e75bb9623d6146922b49985a8c83 /8642-h | |
Diffstat (limited to '8642-h')
| -rw-r--r-- | 8642-h/8642-h.htm | 14559 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 8642-h/images/mfuller.png | bin | 0 -> 60671 bytes |
2 files changed, 14559 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/8642-h/8642-h.htm b/8642-h/8642-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d8c0291 --- /dev/null +++ b/8642-h/8642-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,14559 @@ +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> +<html> + <head> + <meta content= + "HTML Tidy for Linux/x86 (vers 1st January 2003), see www.w3.org" + name="generator"> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> + <title> + The Project Gutenberg eBook of Woman in the Nineteenth Century, by + Margaret Fuller. + </title> + <style type="text/css"> + <!-- + * { font-family: Times; } + PRE { font-family: monospaced; + margin-left: 2em; } + P { text-indent: 1em; + margin-top: .75em; + font-size: 14pt; + text-align: justify; + margin-bottom: .75em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; } + HR { width: 33%; } + // --> + </style> + </head> + <body> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Woman in the Nineteenth Century, by +Margaret Fuller Ossoli + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Woman in the Nineteenth Century + and Kindred Papers Relating to the Sphere, Condition and + Duties, of Woman. + +Author: Margaret Fuller Ossoli + +Posting Date: August 20, 2012 [EBook #8642] +Release Date: August, 2005 +First Posted: July 29, 2003 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WOMAN IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY *** + + + + +Produced by David Garcia, Yvonne Dailey, Carlo Traverso, +Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. + + + + + + +</pre> + + + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <center> + <img src="images/mfuller.png" height="683" width="472" alt= + "Margaret Fuller"> + </center> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h1> + Woman in the Nineteenth Century, + </h1> + <center> + <b>and<br> + Kindred Papers Relating to the Sphere, Condition and Duties, of + Woman.<br> + by Margaret Fuller Ossoli.<br> + <br> + Edited by her brother, Arthur B. Fuller.<br> + <br> + With an introduction by Horace Greeley.</b> + </center> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + PREFACE. + </h2> + <hr> + <p> + It has been thought desirable that such papers of Margaret Fuller + Ossoli as pertained to the condition, sphere and duties of Woman, + should be collected and published together. The present volume + contains, not only her "Woman in the Nineteenth + Century,"—which has been before published, but for some years + out of print, and inaccessible to readers who have sought + it,—but also several other papers, which have appeared at + various times in the <i>Tribune</i> and elsewhere, and yet more + which have never till now been published. + </p> + <p> + My free access to her private manuscripts has given to me many + papers, relating to Woman, never intended for publication, which yet + seem needful to this volume, in order to present a complete and + harmonious view of her thoughts on this important theme. I have + preferred to publish them without alteration, as most just to her + views and to the reader; though, doubtless, she would have varied + their expression and form before giving them to the press. + </p> + <p> + It seems right here to remark, In order to avoid any + misapprehension, that Margaret Ossoli's thoughts wore not directed + so exclusively to the subject of the present volume as have been the + minds of some others. As to the movement for the emancipation of + Woman from the unjust burdens and disabilities to which she has been + subject oven in our own land, my sister could neither remain + indifferent nor silent; yet she preferred, as in respect to every + other reform, to act independently and to speak independently from + her own stand-point, and never to merge her individuality in any + existing organization. This she did, not as condemning such + organizations, nor yet as judging them wholly unwise or uncalled + for, but because she believed she could herself accomplish more for + their true and high objects, unfettered by such organizations, than + if a member of them. The opinions avowed throughout this volume, and + wherever expressed, will, then, be found, whether consonant with the + reader's or no, in all cases honestly and heartily her + own,—the result of her own thought and faith. She never + speaks, never did speak, for any clique or sect, but as her + individual judgment, her reason and conscience, her observation and + experience, taught her to speak. + </p> + <p> + I could have wished that some one other than a brother should have + spoken a few fitting words of Margaret Fuller, as a woman, to form a + brief but proper accompaniment to this volume, which may reach some + who have never read her "Memoirs," recently published, or have never + known her in personal life. This seemed the more desirable, because + the strictest verity in speaking of her must seem, to such as knew + her not, to be eulogy. But, after several disappointments as to the + editorship of the volume, the duty, at last, has seemed to devolve + upon me; and I have no reason to shrink from it but a sense of + inadequacy. + </p> + <p> + It is often supposed that literary women, and those who are active + and earnest in promoting great intellectual, philanthropic, or + religious movements, must of necessity neglect the domestic concerns + of life. It may be that this is sometimes so, nor can such neglect + be too severely reprehended; yet this is by no means a necessary + result. Some of the most devoted mothers the world has ever known, + and whose homes were the abode of every domestic virtue, themselves + the embodiment of all these, have been women whose minds were highly + cultured, who loved and devoted both thought and time to literature, + and were active in philanthropic and diffusive efforts for the + welfare of the race. + </p> + <p> + The letter to M., which is published on page 345, is inserted + chiefly as showing the integrity and wisdom with which Margaret + advised her friends; the frankness with which she pointed out to + every young woman who asked counsel any deficiencies of character, + and the duties of life; and that among these latter she gave due + place to the humblest which serve to make home attractive and happy. + It is but simple justice for me to bear, in conjunction with many + others, my tribute to her domestic virtues and fidelity to all home + duties. That her mind found chief delight in the lowest forms of + these duties may not be true, and it would be sad if it were; but it + is strictly true that none, however humble, were either slighted or + shunned. + </p> + <p> + In common with a younger sister and brother, I shared her care in my + early instruction, and found over one of the truest counsellors in a + sister who scorned not the youngest mind nor the simplest + intellectual wants in her love for communion, through converse or + the silent page, with the minds of the greatest and most gifted. + </p> + <p> + During a lingering illness, in childhood, well do I remember her as + the angel of the sick-chamber, reading much to me from books useful + and appropriate, and telling many a narrative not only fitted to + wile away the pain of disease and the weariness of long confinement, + but to elevate the mind and heart, and to direct them to all things + noble and holy; over ready to watch while I slept, and to perform + every gentle and kindly office. But her care of the sick—that + she did not neglect, but was eminent in that sphere of womanly duty, + even when no tie of kindred claimed this of her, Mr. Cass's letter + abundantly shows; and also that this gentleness was united to a + heroism which most call manly, but which, I believe, may as justly + be called truly womanly. Mr. Cass's letter is inserted because it + arrived too late to find a place in her "Memoirs," and yet more + because it bears much on Margaret Ossoli's characteristics as a + woman. + </p> + <p> + A few also of her private letters and papers, not bearing, save, + indirectly, on the subject of this volume, are yet inserted in it, + as further illustrative of her thought, feeling and action, in + life's various relations. It is believed that nothing which exhibits + a true woman, especially in her relations to others as friend, + sister, daughter, wife, or mother, can fail to interest and be of + value to her sex, indeed to all who are interested in human welfare + and advancement, since these latter so much depend on the fidelity + of Woman. Nor will anything pertaining to the education and care of + children be deemed irrelevant, especially by mothers, upon whom + these duties must always largely devolve. + </p> + <p> + Of the intellectual gifts and wide culture of Margaret Fuller there + is no need that I should speak, nor is it wise that one standing in + my relation to her should. Those who knew her personally feel that + no words ever flowed from her pen equalling the eloquent utterances + of her lips; yet her works, though not always a clear oppression of + her thoughts, are the evidences to which the world will look as + proof of her mental greatness. + </p> + <p> + On one point, however, I do wish to bear testimony—not needed + with those who knew her well, but interesting, perhaps, to some + readers into whose bands this volume may fall. It is on a subject + which one who knew her from his childhood up—at <i>home</i>, + where best the <i>heart</i> and <i>soul</i> can be known,—in + the unrestrained hours of domestic life,—in various scenes, + and not for a few days, nor under any peculiar + circumstances—can speak with confidence, because he speaks + what he "doth know, and testifieth what he hath seen." It relates to + her Christian faith and hope. "With all her intellectual gifts, with + all her high, moral, and noble characteristics," there are some who + will ask, "was her intellectual power sanctified by Christian faith + as its basis? Were her moral qualities, her beneficent life, the + results of a renewed heart?" I feel no hesitation here, nor would + think it worth while to answer such questions at all, were her life + to be read and known by all who read this volume, and were I not + influenced also, in some degree, by the tone which has characterized + a few sectarian reviews of her works, chiefly in foreign + periodicals. Surely, if the Saviour's test, "By their fruits ye + shall know them," be the true one, Margaret Ossoli was preeminently + a Christian. If a life of constant self-sacrifice,—if devotion + to the welfare of kindred and the race,—if conformity to what + she believed God's law, so that her life seemed ever the truest form + of prayer, active obedience to the Deity,—in fine, if carrying + Christianity into all the departments of action, so far as human + infirmity allows,—if these be the proofs of a Christian, then + whoever has read her "Memoirs" thoughtfully, and without sectarian + prejudice or the use of sectarian standards of judgment, must feel + her to have been a Christian. But not alone in outward life, in mind + and heart, too, was she a Christian. The being brought into frequent + and intimate contact with religious persons has been one of the + chief privileges of my vocation, but never yet have I met with any + person whose reverence for holy things was deeper than hers. + Abhorring, as all honest minds must, every species of cant, she + respected true religious thought and feeling, by whomsoever + cherished. God seemed nearer to her than to any person I have over + known. In the influences of His Holy Spirit upon the heart she fully + believed, and in experience realized them. Jesus, the friend of man, + can never have been more truly loved and honored than she loved and + honored him. I am aware that this is strong language, but strength + of language cannot equal the strength of my conviction on a point + where I have had the best opportunities of judgment. Rich as is the + religion of Jesus in its list of holy confessors, yet it can spare + and would exclude none who in heart, mind and life, confessed and + reverenced him as did she. Among my earliest recollections, is her + devoting much time to a thorough examination of the evidences of + Christianity, and ultimately declaring that to her, better than all + arguments or usual processes of proof, was the soul's want of a + divine religion, and the voice within that soul which declared the + teachings of Christ to be true and from God; and one of my most + cherished possessions is that Bible which she so diligently and + thoughtfully read, and which bears, in her own handwriting, so many + proofs of discriminating and prayerful perusal. As in regard to + reformatory movements so here, she joined no organized body of + believers, sympathizing with all of them whose views were noble and + Christian; deploring and bearing faithful testimony against anything + she deemed narrowness or perversion in theology or life. + </p> + <p> + This volume from her hand is now before the reader. The fact that a + large share of it was never written or revised by its authoress for + publication will be kept in view, as explaining any inaccuracy of + expression or repetition of thought, should such occur in its pages. + Nor will it be deemed surprising, if, in papers written by so + progressive a person, at so various periods of life, and under + widely-varied circumstances, there should not always be found + perfect union as to every expressed opinion. + </p> + <p> + It is probable that this will soon be followed by another volume, + containing a republication of "Summer on the Lakes," and also the + "Letters from Europe," by the same hand. + </p> + <p> + In the preparation of this volume much valuable assistance has been + afforded by Mr. Greeley, of the New York <i>Tribune</i>, who has + been earnest in his desire and efforts for the diffusion of what + Margaret has written. + </p> + <p> + A. B. F. + </p> + <p> + BOSTON, <i>May 10th</i>, 1855. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + INTRODUCTION. + </h2> + <hr> + <p> + The problem of Woman's position, or "sphere,"—of her duties, + responsibilities, rights and immunities as Woman,—fitly + attracts a large and still-increasing measure of attention from the + thinkers and agitators of our time, The legislators, so + called,—those who ultimately enact into statutes what the + really governing class (to wit, the thinkers) have originated, + matured and gradually commended to the popular comprehension and + acceptance,—are not as yet much occupied with this problem, + only fitfully worried and more or less consciously puzzled by it. + More commonly they merely echo the mob's shallow retort to the + petition of any strong-minded daughter or sister, who demands that + she be allowed a voice in disposing of the money wrenched from her + hard earnings by inexorable taxation, or in shaping the laws by + which she is ruled, judged, and is liable to be sentenced to prison + or to death, "It is a woman's business to obey her husband, keep his + home tidy, and nourish and train his children." But when she rejoins + to this, "Very true; but suppose I choose not to have a husband, or + am not chosen for a wife—what then? I am still subject to your + laws. Why am I not entitled, as a rational human being, to a voice + in shaping them? I have physical needs, and must somehow earn a + living. Why should I not be at liberty to earn it in any honest and + useful calling?"—the mob's flout is hushed, and the legislator + Is struck dumb also. They were already at the end of their scanty + resources of logic, and it would be cruel for woman to ask further: + "Suppose me a wife, and my husband a drunken prodigal—what am + I to do then? May I not earn food for my babes without being exposed + to have it snatched from their mouths to replenish the rumseller's + till, and aggravate my husband's madness? If some sympathizing + relative sees fit to leave me a bequest wherewith to keep my little + ones together, why may I not be legally enabled to secure this to + their use and benefit? In short, why am I not regarded by the law as + a <i>soul</i>, responsible for my acts to God and humanity, and not + as a mere body, devoted to the unreasoning service of my husband?" + The state gives no answer, and the champions of her policy evince + wisdom in imitating her silence. + </p> + <p> + The writer of the following pages was one of the earliest as well as + ablest among American women, to demand for her sex equality before + the law with her titular lord and master, Her writings on this + subject have the force which springs from the ripening of profound + reflection into assured conviction. She wrote as one who had + observed, and who deeply felt what she deliberately uttered. Others + have since spoken more fluently, more variously, with a greater + affluence of illustration; but none, it is believed, more earnestly + or more forcibly. It is due to her memory, as well as to the great + and living cause of which she was so eminent and so fearless an + advocate, that what she thought and said with regard to the position + of her sex and its limitations, should be fully and fairly placed + before the public. For several years past her principal essay on + "Woman," here given, has not been purchasable at any price, and has + only with great difficulty been accessible to the general reader. To + place it within the reach of those who need and require it, is the + main impulse to the publication of this volume; but the accompanying + essays and papers will be found equally worthy of thoughtful + consideration. + </p> + <p> + H. GREELEY. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CONTENTS. + </h2> + <hr> + <h3> + PART I. + </h3> + <p> + <a href="#part1">WOMAN IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY</a> + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + PART II + </h3> + <p> + <a href="#misc">MISCELLANIES</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#aglauron">AULAURON AND LAURIE</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#wrongs">WRONGS AND DUTIES OF AMERICAN WOMAN</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#sand1">GEORGE SAND</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#sand2">THE SAME SUBJECT</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#consuelo">CONSUELO</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#jennylind">JENNY LIND, THE "CONSUELO" OF GEORGE SAND</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#caroline">CAROLINE</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#lives">EVER-GROWING LIVES</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#nobleness">HOUSEHOLD NOBLENESS</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#glum">"GLUMDALCLITCHES"</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#ellen">"ELLEN; OR, FORGIVE AND FORGET,"</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#etats1">"COUBRIER DES ETATS UNIS,"</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#etats2">THE SAME SUBJECT</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#travel">BOOKS OF TRAVEL</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#jameson">REVIEW OF MRS. JAMESON'S ESSAYS</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#insane">WOMAN'S INFLUENCE OVER THE INSANE</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#browning">REVIEW OF BROWNING'S POEMS</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#christmas">CHRISTMAS</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#childrens">CHILDREN'S BOOKS</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#poverty">WOMAN IN POVERTY</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#irish1">THE IRISH CHARACTER</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#irish2">THE SAME SUBJECT</a> + </p> + <p> + <a href="#souls">EDUCATE MEN AND WOMEN AS SOULS</a> + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + PART III. + </h3> + <p> + <a href="#extracts">EXTRACTS FROM JOURNAL AND LETTERS</a> + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + <a href="#appendix">APPENDIX</a> + </h3> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + PREFACE TO WOMAN IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. + </h2> + <hr> + <p> + The following essay is a reproduction, modified and expanded, of an + article published in "The Dial, Boston, July, 1843," under the title + of "The Great Lawsuit.—Man <i>versus</i> Men; Woman + <i>versus</i> Women." + </p> + <p> + This article excited a good deal of sympathy, add still more + interest. It is in compliance with wishes expressed from many + quarters that it is prepared for publication in its present form. + </p> + <p> + Objections having been made to the former title, as not sufficiently + easy to be understood, the present has been substituted as + expressive of the main purpose of the essay; though, by myself, the + other is preferred, partly for the reason others do not like + it,—that is, that it requires some thought to see what it + means, and might thus prepare the reader to meet me on my own + ground. Besides, it offers a larger scope, and is, in that way, more + just to my desire. I meant by that title to intimate the fact that, + while it is the destiny of Man, in the course of the ages, to + ascertain and fulfil the law of his being, so that his life shall be + seen, as a whole, to be that of an angel or messenger, the action of + prejudices and passions which attend, in the day, the growth of the + individual, is continually obstructing the holy work that is to make + the earth a part of heaven. By Man I mean both man and woman; these + are the two halves of one thought. I lay no especial stress on the + welfare of either. I believe that the development of the one cannot + be effected without that of the other. My highest wish is that this + truth should be distinctly and rationally apprehended, and the + conditions of life and freedom recognized as the same for the + daughters and the sons of time; twin exponents of a divine thought. + </p> + <p> + I solicit a sincere and patient attention from those who open the + following pages at all. I solicit of women that they will lay it to + heart to ascertain what is for them the liberty of law. It is for + this, and not for any, the largest, extension of partial privileges + that I seek. I ask them, if interested by these suggestions, to + search their own experience and intuitions for better, and fill up + with fit materials the trenches that hedge them in. From men I ask a + noble and earnest attention to anything that can be offered on this + great and still obscure subject, such as I have met from many with + whom I stand in private relations. + </p> + <p> + And may truth, unpolluted by prejudice, vanity or selfishness, be + granted daily more and more as the due of inheritance, and only + valuable conquest for us all! + </p> + <p> + <i>November</i>, 1844. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="part1"></a> + <h2> + WOMAN IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. + </h2> + <hr> + <center> + <pre> + "Frailty, thy name is WOMAN." + "The Earth waits for her Queen." +</pre> + </center> + <p> + The connection between these quotations may not be obvious, but it + is strict. Yet would any contradict us, if we made them applicable + to the other side, and began also, + </p> + <center> + <pre> + Frailty, thy name is MAN. + The Earth waits for its King? +</pre> + </center> + <p> + Yet Man, if not yet fully installed in his powers, has given much + earnest of his claims. Frail he is indeed,—how frail! how + impure! Yet often has the vein of gold displayed itself amid the + baser ores, and Man has appeared before us in princely promise + worthy of his future. + </p> + <p> + If, oftentimes, we see the prodigal son feeding on the husks in the + fair field no more his own, anon we raise the eyelids, heavy from + bitter tears, to behold in him the radiant apparition of genius and + love, demanding not less than the all of goodness, power and beauty. + We see that in him the largest claim finds a due foundation. That + claim is for no partial sway, no exclusive possession. He cannot be + satisfied with any one gift of life, any one department of knowledge + or telescopic peep at the heavens. He feels himself called to + understand and aid Nature, that she may, through his intelligence, + be raised and interpreted; to be a student of, and servant to, the + universe-spirit; and king of his planet, that, as an angelic + minister he may bring it into conscious harmony with the law of that + spirit. + </p> + <p> + In clear, triumphant moments, many times, has rung through the + spheres the prophecy of his jubilee; and those moments, though past + in time, have been translated into eternity by thought; the bright + signs they left hang in the heavens, as single stars or + constellations, and, already, a thickly sown radiance consoles the + wanderer in the darkest night. Other heroes since Hercules have + fulfilled the zodiac of beneficent labors, and then given up their + mortal part to the fire without a murmur; while no God dared deny + that they should have their reward, + </p> + <pre> + Siquis tamen, Hercule, siquis + Forte Deo doliturus erit, daia praemia nollet, + Sed meruise dari sciet, invitus que probabit, + Assensere Dei +</pre> + <p> + Sages and lawgivers have bent their whole nature to the search for + truth, and thought themselves happy if they could buy, with the + sacrifice of all temporal ease and pleasure, one seed for the future + Eden. Poets and priests have strung the lyre with the heart-strings, + poured out their best blood upon the altar, which, reared anew from + age to age, shall at last sustain the flame pure enough to rise to + highest heaven. Shall we not name with as deep a benediction those + who, if not so immediately, or so consciously, in connection with + the eternal truth, yet, led and fashioned by a divine instinct, + serve no less to develop and interpret the open secret of love + passing into life, energy creating for the purpose of happiness; the + artist whose hand, drawn by a preexistent harmony to a certain + medium, moulds it to forms of life more highly and completely + organized than are seen elsewhere, and, by carrying out the + intention of nature, reveals her meaning to those who are not yet + wise enough to divine it; the philosopher who listens steadily for + laws and causes, and from those obvious infers those yet unknown; + the historian who, in faith that all events must have their reason + and their aim, records them, and thus fills archives from which the + youth of prophets may be fed; the man of science dissecting the + statements, testing the facts and demonstrating order, even where he + cannot its purpose? + </p> + <p> + Lives, too, which bear none of these names, have yielded tones of no + less significance. The candlestick set in a low place has given + light as faithfully, where it was needed, as that upon the hill, In + close alleys, in dismal nooks, the Word has been read as distinctly, + as when shown by angels to holy men in the dark prison. Those who + till a spot of earth scarcely larger than is wanted for a grave, + have deserved that the sun should shine upon its sod till violets + answer. + </p> + <p> + So great has been, from time to time, the promise, that, in all + ages, men have said the gods themselves came down to dwell with + them; that the All-Creating wandered on the earth to taste, in a + limited nature, the sweetness of virtue; that the All-Sustaining + incarnated himself to guard, in space and time, the destinies of + this world; that heavenly genius dwelt among the shepherds, to sing + to them and teach them how to sing. Indeed, + </p> + <pre> + "Der stets den Hirten gnadig sich bewies." +</pre> + <p> + "He has constantly shown himself favorable to shepherds." + </p> + <p> + And the dwellers in green pastures and natural students of the stars + were selected to hail, first among men, the holy child, whose life + and death were to present the type of excellence, which has + sustained the heart of so large a portion of mankind in these later + generations. + </p> + <p> + Such marks have been made by the footsteps of <i>man</i> (still, + alas! to be spoken of as the <i>ideal</i> man), wherever he has + passed through the wilderness of <i>men</i>, and whenever the + pigmies stepped in one of those, they felt dilate within the breast + somewhat that promised nobler stature and purer blood. They were + impelled to forsake their evil ways of decrepit scepticism and + covetousness of corruptible possessions. Convictions flowed in upon + them. They, too, raised the cry: God is living, now, to-day; and all + beings are brothers, for they are his children. Simple words enough, + yet which only angelic natures can use or hear in their full, free + sense. + </p> + <p> + These were the triumphant moments; but soon the lower nature took + its turn, and the era of a truly human life was postponed. + </p> + <p> + Thus is man still a stranger to his inheritance, still a pleader, + still a pilgrim. Yet his happiness is secure in the end. And now, no + more a glimmering consciousness, but assurance begins to be felt and + spoken, that the highest ideal Man can form of his own powers is + that which he is destined to attain. Whatever the soul knows how to + seek, it cannot fail to obtain. This is the Law and the Prophets. + Knock and it shall be opened; seek and ye shall find. It is + demonstrated; it is a maxim. Man no longer paints his proper nature + in some form, and says, "Prometheus had it; it is God-like;" but + "Man must have it; it is human." However disputed by many, however + ignorantly used, or falsified by those who do receive it, the fact + of an universal, unceasing revelation has been too clearly stated in + words to be lost sight of in thought; and sermons preached from the + text, "Be ye perfect," are the only sermons of a pervasive and + deep-searching influence. + </p> + <p> + But, among those who meditate upon this text, there is a great + difference of view as to the way in which perfection shall be + sought. + </p> + <p> + "Through the intellect," say some. "Gather from every growth of life + its seed of thought; look behind every symbol for its law; if thou + canst <i>see</i> clearly, the rest will follow." + </p> + <p> + "Through the life," say others. "Do the best thou knowest today. + Shrink not from frequent error in this gradual, fragmentary state. + Follow thy light for as much as it will show thee; be faithful as + far as thou canst, in hope that faith presently will lead to sight. + Help others, without blaming their need of thy help. Love much, and + be forgiven." + </p> + <p> + "It needs not intellect, needs not experience," says a third. "If + you took the true way, your destiny would be accomplished, in a + purer and more natural order. You would not learn through facts of + thought or action, but express through them the certainties of + wisdom. In quietness yield thy soul to the causal soul. Do not + disturb thy apprenticeship by premature effort; neither check the + tide of instruction by methods of thy own. Be still; seek not, but + wait in obedience. Thy commission will be given." + </p> + <p> + Could we indeed say what we want, could we give a description of the + child that is lost, he would be found. As soon as the soul can + affirm clearly that a certain demonstration is wanted, it is at + hand. When the Jewish prophet described the Lamb, as the expression + of what was required by the coming era, the time drew nigh. But we + say not, see not as yet, clearly, what we would. Those who call for + a more triumphant expression of love, a love that cannot be + crucified, show not a perfect sense of what has already been given. + Love has already been expressed, that made all things new, that gave + the worm its place and ministry as well as the eagle; a love to + which it was alike to descend into the depths of hell, or to sit at + the right hand of the Father. + </p> + <p> + Yet, no doubt, a new manifestation is at hand, a new hour in the day + of Man. We cannot expect to see any one sample of completed being, + when the mass of men still lie engaged in the sod, or use the + freedom of their limbs only with wolfish energy. The tree cannot + come to flower till its root be free from the cankering worm, and + its whole growth open to air and light. While any one is base, none + can be entirely free and noble. Yet something new shall presently be + shown of the life of man, for hearts crave, if minds do not know how + to ask it. + </p> + <p> + Among the strains of prophecy, the following, by an earnest mind of + a foreign land, written some thirty years ago, is not yet outgrown; + and it has the merit of being a positive appeal from the heart, + instead of a critical declaration what Man should <i>not</i> do. + </p> + <p> + "The ministry of Man implies that he must be filled from the divine + fountains which are being engendered through all eternity, so that, + at the mere name of his master, he may be able to cast all his + enemies into the abyss; that he may deliver all parts of nature from + the barriers that imprison them; that he may purge the terrestrial + atmosphere from the poisons that infect it; that he may preserve the + bodies of men from the corrupt influences that surround, and the + maladies that afflict them; still more, that he may keep their souls + pure from the malignant insinuations which pollute, and the gloomy + images that obscure them; that he may restore its serenity to the + Word, which false words of men fill with mourning and sadness; that + he may satisfy the desires of the angels, who await from him the + development of the marvels of nature; that, in fine, his world may + be filled with God, as eternity is." [Footnote: St. Martin] + </p> + <p> + Another attempt we will give, by an obscure observer of our own day + and country, to draw some lines of the desired image. It was + suggested by seeing the design of Crawford's Orpheus, and connecting + with the circumstance of the American, in his garret at Rome, making + choice of this subject, that of Americans here at home showing such + ambition to represent the character, by calling their prose and + verse "Orphic sayings"—"Orphics." We wish we could add that + they have shown that musical apprehension of the progress of Nature + through her ascending gradations which entitled them so to do, but + their attempts are frigid, though sometimes grand; in their strain + we are not warmed by the fire which fertilized the soil of Greece. + </p> + <p> + Orpheus was a lawgiver by theocratic commission. He understood + nature, and made her forms move to his music. He told her secrets in + the form of hymns, Nature as seen in the mind of God. His soul went + forth toward all beings, yet could remain sternly faithful to a + chosen type of excellence. Seeking what he loved, he feared not + death nor hell; neither could any shape of dread daunt his faith in + the power of the celestial harmony that filled his soul. + </p> + <p> + It seemed significant of the state of things in this country, that + the sculptor should have represented the seer at the moment when he + was obliged with his hand to shade his eyes. + </p> + <pre> + Each Orpheus must to the depths descend; + For only thus the Poet can be wise; + Must make the sad Persephone his friend, + And buried love to second life arise; + Again his love must lose through too much love, + Must lose his life by living life too true, + For what he sought below is passed above, + Already done is all that he would do + Must tune all being with his single lyre, + Must melt all rooks free from their primal pain, + Must search all nature with his one soul's fire, + Must bind anew all forms in heavenly chain. + If he already sees what he must do, + Well may he shade his eyes from the far-shining view. +</pre> + <p> + A better comment could not be made on what is required to perfect + Man, and place him in that superior position for which he was + designed, than by the interpretation of Bacon upon the legends of + the Syren coast "When the wise Ulysses passed," says he, "he caused + his mariners to stop their ears, with wax, knowing there was in them + no power to resist the lure of that voluptuous song. But he, the + much experienced man, who wished to be experienced in all, and use + all to the service of wisdom, desired to hear the song that he might + understand its meaning. Yet, distrusting his own power to be firm in + his better purpose, he caused himself to be bound to the mast, that + he might be kept secure against his own weakness. But Orpheus passed + unfettered, so absorbed in singing hymns to the gods that he could + not even hear those sounds of degrading enchantment." + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile, not a few believe, and men themselves have expressed the + opinion, that the time is come when Eurydice is to call for an + Orpheus, rather than Orpheus for Eurydice; that the idea of Man, + however imperfectly brought out, has been far more so than that of + Woman; that she, the other half of the same thought, the other + chamber of the heart of life, needs now take her turn in the full + pulsation, and that improvement in the daughters will best aid in + the reformation of the sons of this age. + </p> + <p> + It should be remarked that, as the principle of liberty is better + understood, and more nobly interpreted, a broader protest is made in + behalf of Woman. As men become aware that few men have had a fair + chance, they are inclined to say that no women have had a fair + chance. The French Revolution, that strangely disguised angel, bore + witness in favor of Woman, but interpreted her claims no less + ignorantly than those of Man. Its idea of happiness did not rise + beyond outward enjoyment, unobstructed by the tyranny of others. The + title it gave was "citoyen," "citoyenne;" and it is not unimportant + to Woman that even this species of equality was awarded her. Before, + she could be condemned to perish on the scaffold for treason, not as + a citizen, but as a subject. The right with which this title then + invested a human being was that of bloodshed and license. The + Goddess of Liberty was impure. As we read the poem addressed to her, + not long since, by Beranger, we can scarcely refrain from tears as + painful as the tears of blood that flowed when "such crimes were + committed in her name." Yes! Man, born to purify and animate the + unintelligent and the cold, can, in his madness, degrade and pollute + no less the fair and the chaste. Yet truth was prophesied in the + ravings of that hideous fever, caused by long ignorance and abuse. + Europe is conning a valued lesson from the blood-stained page. The + same tendencies, further unfolded, will bear good fruit in this + country. + </p> + <p> + Yet, by men in this country, as by the Jews, when Moses was leading + them to the promised land, everything has been done that inherited + depravity could do, to hinder the promise of Heaven from its + fulfilment. The cross, here as elsewhere, has been planted only to + be blasphemed by cruelty and fraud. The name of the Prince of Peace + has been profaned by all kinds of injustice toward the Gentile whom + he said he came to save. But I need not speak of what has been done + towards the Red Man, the Black Man. Those deeds are the scoff of the + world; and they have been accompanied by such pious words that the + gentlest would not dare to intercede with "Father, forgive them, for + they know not what they do." + </p> + <p> + Here, as elsewhere, the gain of creation consists always in the + growth of individual minds, which live and aspire, as flowers bloom + and birds sing, in the midst of morasses; and in the continual + development of that thought, the thought of human destiny, which is + given to eternity adequately to express, and which ages of failure + only seemingly impede. Only seemingly; and whatever seems to the + contrary, this country is as surely destined to elucidate a great + moral law, as Europe was to promote the mental culture of Man. + </p> + <p> + Though the national independence be blurred by the servility of + individuals; though freedom and equality have been proclaimed only + to leave room for a monstrous display of slave-dealing and + slave-keeping; though the free American so often feels himself free, + like the Roman, only to pamper his appetites end his indolence + through the misery of his fellow-beings; still it is not in vain + that the verbal statement has been made, "All men are born free and + equal." There it stands, a golden certainty wherewith to encourage + the good, to shame the bad. The New World may be called clearly to + perceive that it incurs the utmost penalty if it reject or oppress + the sorrowful brother. And, if men are deaf, the angels hear. But + men cannot be deaf. It is inevitable that an external freedom, an + independence of the encroachments of other men, such as has been + achieved for the nation, should be so also for every member of it. + That which has once been clearly conceived in the intelligence + cannot fail, sooner or later, to be acted out. It has become a law + as irrevocable as that of the Medes in their ancient dominion; men + will privately sin against it, but the law, as expressed by a + leading mind of the age, + </p> + <pre> + "Tutti fatti a semblanza d'un Solo, + Figli tutti d'un solo riscatto, + In qual'ora, in qual parte del suolo + Trascorriamo quest' aura vital, + Siam fratelli, siam stretti ad un patto: + Maladetto colui che lo infrange, + Che s'innalza sul finoco che piange + Che contrista uno spirto immortal." [Footnote: Manzoni] + + "All made in the likeness of the One. + All children of one ransom, + In whatever hour, in whatever part of the soil, + We draw this vital air, + We are brothers; we must be bound by one compact; + Accursed he who infringes it, + Who raises himself upon the weak who weep, + Who saddens an immortal spirit." +</pre> + <p> + This law cannot fail of universal recognition. Accursed be he who + willingly saddens an immortal spirit—doomed to infamy in + later, wiser ages, doomed in future stages of his own being to + deadly penance, only short of death. Accursed be he who sins in + ignorance, if that ignorance be caused by sloth. + </p> + <p> + We sicken no less at the pomp than the strife of words. We feel that + never were lungs so puffed with the wind of declamation, on moral + and religious subjects, as now. We are tempted to implore these + "word-heroes," these word-Catos, word-Christs, to beware of cant + [Footnote: Dr. Johnson's one piece of advice should be written on + every door: "Clear your mind of cant." But Byron, to whom it was so + acceptable, in clearing away the noxious vine, shook down the + building. Sterling's emendation is worthy of honor: + </p> + <pre> + "Realize your cant, not cast it off."] +</pre> + <p> + <br> + above all things; to remember that hypocrisy is the most hopeless as + well as the meanest of crimes, and that those must surely be + polluted by it, who do not reserve a part of their morality and + religion for private use. Landor says that he cannot have a great + deal of mind who cannot afford to let the larger part of it lie + fallow; and what is true of genius is not less so of virtue. The + tongue is a valuable member, but should appropriate but a small part + of the vital juices that are needful all over the body. We feel that + the mind may "grow black and rancid in the smoke" even "of altars." + We start up from the harangue to go into our closet and shut the + door. There inquires the spirit, "Is this rhetoric the bloom of + healthy blood, or a false pigment artfully laid on?" And yet again + we know where is so much smoke, must be some fire; with so much talk + about virtue and freedom, must be mingled some desire for them; that + it cannot be in vain that such have become the common topics of + conversation among men, rather than schemes for tyranny and plunder, + that the very newspapers see it best to proclaim themselves + "Pilgrims," "Puritans," "Heralds of Holiness." The king that + maintains so costly a retinue cannot be a mere boast, or Carabbas + fiction. We have waited here long in the dust; we are tired and + hungry; but the triumphal procession must appear at last. + </p> + <p> + Of all its banners, none has been more steadily upheld, and under + none have more valor and willingness for real sacrifices been shown, + than that of the champions of the enslaved African. And this band it + is, which, partly from a natural following out of principles, partly + because many women have been prominent in that cause, makes, just + now, the warmest appeal in behalf of Woman. + </p> + <p> + Though there has been a growing liberality on this subject, yet + society at large is not so prepared for the demands of this party, + but that its members are, and will be for some time, coldly regarded + as the Jacobins of their day. + </p> + <p> + "Is it not enough," cries the irritated trader, "that you have done + all you could to break up the national union, and thus destroy the + prosperity of our country, but now you must be trying to break up + family union, to take my wife away from the cradle and the + kitchen-hearth to vote at polls, and preach from a pulpit? Of + course, if she does such things, she cannot attend to those of her + own sphere. She is happy enough as she is. She has more leisure than + I have,—every means of improvement, every indulgence." + </p> + <p> + "Have you asked her whether she was satisfied with these + <i>indulgences</i>?" + </p> + <p> + "No, but I know she is. She is too amiable to desire what would make + me unhappy, and too judicious to wish to step beyond the sphere of + her sex. I will never consent to have our peace disturbed by any + such discussions." + </p> + <p> + "'Consent—you?' it is not consent from you that is in + question—it is assent from your wife." + </p> + <p> + "Am not I the head of my house?" + </p> + <p> + "You are not the head of your wife. God has given her a mind of her + own. + </p> + <p> + "I am the head, and she the heart." + </p> + <p> + "God grant you play true to one another, then! I suppose I am to be + grateful that you did not say she was only the hand. If the head + represses no natural pulse of the heart, there can be no question as + to your giving your consent. Both will be of one accord, and there + needs but to present any question to get a full and true answer. + There is no need of precaution, of indulgence, nor consent. But our + doubt is whether the heart <i>does</i> consent with the head, or + only obeys its decrees with a passiveness that precludes the + exercise of its natural powers, or a repugnance that turns sweet + qualities to bitter, or a doubt that lays waste the fair occasions + of life. It is to ascertain the truth that we propose some + liberating measures." + </p> + <p> + Thus vaguely are these questions proposed and discussed at present. + But their being proposed at all implies much thought, and suggests + more. Many women are considering within themselves what they need + that they have not, and what they can have if they find they need + it. Many men are considering whether women are capable of being and + having more than they are and have, <i>and</i> whether, if so, it + will be best to consent to improvement in their condition. + </p> + <p> + This morning, I open the Boston "Daily Mail," and find in its + "poet's corner" a translation of Schiller's "Dignity of Woman." In + the advertisement of a book on America, I see in the table of + contents this sequence, "Republican Institutions. American Slavery. + American Ladies." + </p> + <p> + I open the "<i>Deutsche Schnellpost</i>" published in New York, and + find at the head of a column, <i>Juden und Frauenemancipation in + Ungarn</i>—"Emancipation of Jews and Women in Hungary." + </p> + <p> + The past year has seen action in the Rhode Island legislature, to + secure married women rights over their own property, where men + showed that a very little examination of the subject could teach + them much; an article in the Democratic Review on the same subject + more largely considered, written by a woman, impelled, it is said, + by glaring wrong to a distinguished friend, having shown the defects + in the existing laws, and the state of opinion from which they + spring; and on answer from the revered old man, J. Q. Adams, in some + respects the Phocion of his time, to an address made him by some + ladies. To this last I shall again advert in another place. + </p> + <p> + These symptoms of the times have come under my view quite + accidentally: one who seeks, may, each month or week, collect more. + </p> + <p> + The numerous party, whose opinions are already labeled and adjusted + too much to their mind to admit of any new light, strive, by + lectures on some model-woman of bride-like beauty and gentleness, by + writing and lending little treatises, intended to mark out with + precision the limits of Woman's sphere, and Woman's mission, to + prevent other than the rightful shepherd from climbing the wall, or + the flock from using any chance to go astray. + </p> + <p> + Without enrolling ourselves at once on either side, let us look upon + the subject from the best point of view which to-day offers; no + better, it is to be feared, than a high house-top. A high hill-top, + or at least a cathedral-spire, would be desirable. + </p> + <p> + It may well be an Anti-Slavery party that pleads for Woman, if we + consider merely that she does not hold property on equal terms with + men; so that, if a husband dies without making a will, the wife, + instead of taking at once his place as head of the family, inherits + only a part of his fortune, often brought him by herself, as if she + were a child, or ward only, not an equal partner. + </p> + <p> + We will not speak of the innumerable instances in which profligate + and idle men live upon the earnings of industrious wives; or if the + wives leave them, and take with them the children, to perform the + double duty of mother and father, follow from place to place, and + threaten to rob them of the children, if deprived of the rights of a + husband, as they call them, planting themselves in their poor + lodgings, frightening them into paying tribute by taking from them + the children, running into debt at the expense of these otherwise so + overtasked helots. Such instances count up by scores within my own + memory. I have seen the husband who had stained himself by a long + course of low vice, till his wife was wearied from her heroic + forgiveness, by finding that his treachery made it useless, and that + if she would provide bread for herself and her children, she must be + separate from his ill fame—I have known this man come to + install himself in the chamber of a woman who loathed him, and say + she should never take food without his company. I have known these + men steal their children, whom they knew they had no means to + maintain, take them into dissolute company, expose them to bodily + danger, to frighten the poor woman, to whom, it seems, the fact that + she alone had borne the pangs of their birth, and nourished their + infancy, does not give an equal right to them. I do believe that + this mode of kidnapping—and it is frequent enough in all + classes of society—will be by the next age viewed as it is by + Heaven now, and that the man who avails himself of the shelter of + men's laws to steal from a mother her own children, or arrogate any + superior right in them, save that of superior virtue, will bear the + stigma he deserves, in common with him who steals grown men from + their mother-land, their hopes, and their homes. + </p> + <p> + I said, we will not speak of this now; yet I <i>have</i> spoken, for + the subject makes me feel too much. I could give instances that + would startle the most vulgar and callous; but I will not, for the + public opinion of their own sex is already against such men, and + where cases of extreme tyranny are made known, there is private + action in the wife's favor. But she ought not to need this, nor, I + think, can she long. Men must soon see that as, on their own ground, + Woman is the weaker party, she ought to have legal protection, which + would make such oppression impossible. But I would not deal with + "atrocious instances," except in the way of illustration, neither + demand from men a partial redress in some one matter, but go to the + root of the whole. If principles could be established, particulars + would adjust themselves aright. Ascertain the true destiny of Woman; + give her legitimate hopes, and a standard within herself; marriage + and all other relations would by degrees be harmonized with these. + </p> + <p> + But to return to the historical progress of this matter. Knowing + that there exists in the minds of men a tone of feeling toward women + as toward slaves, such as is expressed in the common phrase, "Tell + that to women and children;" that the infinite soul can only work + through them in already ascertained limits; that the gift of reason, + Man's highest prerogative, is allotted to them in much lower degree; + that they must be kept from mischief and melancholy by being + constantly engaged in active labor, which is to be furnished and + directed by those better able to think, &c., &c.,—we + need not multiply instances, for who can review the experience of + last week without recalling words which imply, whether in jest or + earnest, these views, or views like these,—knowing this, can + we wonder that many reformers think that measures are not likely to + be taken in behalf of women, unless their wishes could be publicly + represented by women? + </p> + <p> + "That can never be necessary," cry the other side. "All men are + privately influenced by women; each has his wife, sister, or female + friends, and is too much biased by these relations to fail of + representing their interests; and, if this is not enough, let them + propose and enforce their wishes with the pen. The beauty of home + would be destroyed, the delicacy of the sex be violated, the dignity + of halls of legislation degraded, by an attempt to introduce them + there. Such duties are inconsistent with those of a mother;" and + then we have ludicrous pictures of ladies in hysterics at the polls, + and senate-chambers filled with cradles. + </p> + <p> + But if, in reply, we admit as truth that Woman seems destined by + nature rather for the inner circle, we must add that the + arrangements of civilized life have not been, as yet, such as to + secure it to her. Her circle, if the duller, is not the quieter. If + kept from "excitement," she is not from drudgery. Not only the + Indian squaw carries the burdens of the camp, but the favorites of + Louis XIV. accompany him in his journeys, and the washerwoman stands + at her tub, and carries home her work at all seasons, and in all + states of health. Those who think the physical circumstances of + Woman would make a part in the affairs of national government + unsuitable, are by no means those who think it impossible for + negresses to endure field-work, even during pregnancy, or for + sempstresses to go through their killing labors. + </p> + <p> + As to the use of the pen, there was quite as much opposition to + Woman's possessing herself of that help to free agency as there is + now to her seizing on the rostrum or the desk; and she is likely to + draw, from a permission to plead her cause that way, opposite + inferences to what might be wished by those who now grant it. + </p> + <p> + As to the possibility of her filling with grace and dignity any such + position, we should think those who had seen the great actresses, + and heard the Quaker preachers of modern times, would not doubt that + Woman can express publicly the fulness of thought and creation, + without losing any of the peculiar beauty of her sex. What can + pollute and tarnish is to act thus from any motive except that + something needs to be said or done. Woman could take part in the + processions, the songs, the dances of old religion; no one fancied + her delicacy was impaired by appearing in public for such a cause. + </p> + <p> + As to her home, she is not likely to leave it more than she now does + for balls, theatres, meetings for promoting missions, revival + meetings, and others to which she flies, in hope of an animation for + her existence commensurate with what she sees enjoyed by men. + Governors of ladies'-fairs are no less engrossed by such a charge, + than the governor of a state by his; presidents of Washingtonian + societies no less away from home than presidents of conventions. If + men look straitly to it, they will find that, unless their lives are + domestic, those of the women will not be. A house is no home unless + it contain food and fire for the mind as well as for the body. The + female Greek, of our day, is as much in the street as the male to + cry, "What news?" We doubt not it was the same in Athens of old. The + women, shut out from the market-place, made up for it at the + religious festivals. For human beings are not so constituted that + they can live without expansion. If they do not get it in one way, + they must in another, or perish. + </p> + <p> + As to men's representing women fairly at present, while we hear from + men who owe to their wives not only all that is comfortable or + graceful, but all that is wise, in the arrangement of their lives, + the frequent remark, "You cannot reason with a woman,"—when + from those of delicacy, nobleness, and poetic culture, falls the + contemptuous phrase "women and children," and that in no light sally + of the hour, but in works intended to give a permanent statement of + the best experiences,—when not one man, in the million, shall + I say? no, not in the hundred million, can rise above the belief + that Woman was made <i>for Man</i>,—when such traits as these + are daily forced upon the attention, can we feel that Man will + always do justice to the interests of Woman? Can we think that he + takes a sufficiently discerning and religious view of her office and + destiny <i>ever</i> to do her justice, except when prompted by + sentiment,—accidentally or transiently, that is, for the + sentiment will vary according to the relations in which he is + placed? The lover, the poet, the artist, are likely to view her + nobly. The father and the philosopher have some chance of + liberality; the man of the world, the legislator for expediency, + none. + </p> + <p> + Under these circumstances, without attaching importance, in + themselves, to the changes demanded by the champions of Woman, we + hail them as signs of the times. We would have every arbitrary + barrier thrown down. We would have every path laid open to Woman as + freely as to Man. Were this done, and a slight temporary + fermentation allowed to subside, we should see crystallizations more + pure and of more various beauty. We believe the divine energy would + pervade nature to a degree unknown in the history of former ages, + and that no discordant collision, but a ravishing harmony of the + spheres, would ensue. + </p> + <p> + Yet, then and only then will mankind be ripe for this, when inward + and outward freedom for Woman as much as for Man shall be + acknowledged as a <i>right</i>, not yielded as a concession. As the + friend of the negro assumes that one man cannot by right hold + another in bondage, so should the friend of Woman assume that Man + cannot by right lay even well-meant restrictions on Woman. If the + negro be a soul, if the woman be a soul, apparelled in flesh, to one + Master only are they accountable. There is but one law for souls, + and, if there is to be an interpreter of it, he must come not as + man, or son of man, but as son of God. + </p> + <p> + Were thought and feeling once so far elevated that Man should esteem + himself the brother and friend, but nowise the lord and tutor, of + Woman,—were he really bound with her in equal + worship,—arrangements as to function and employment would be + of no consequence. What Woman needs is not as a woman to act or + rule, but as a nature to grow, as an intellect to discern, as a soul + to live freely and unimpeded, to unfold such powers as were given + her when we left our common home. If fewer talents were given her, + yet if allowed the free and full employment of these, so that she + may render back to the giver his own with usury, she will not + complain; nay, I dare to say she will bless and rejoice in her + earthly birth-place, her earthly lot. Let us consider what + obstructions impede this good era, and what signs give reason to + hope that it draws near. + </p> + <p> + I was talking on this subject with Miranda, a woman, who, if any in + the world could, might speak without heat and bitterness of the + position of her sex. Her father was a man who cherished no + sentimental reverence for Woman, but a firm belief in the equality + of the sexes. She was his eldest child, and came to him at an age + when he needed a companion. From the time she could speak and go + alone, he addressed her not as a plaything, but as a living mind. + Among the few verses he ever wrote was a copy addressed to this + child, when the first locks were cut from her head; and the + reverence expressed on this occasion for that cherished head, he + never belied. It was to him the temple of immortal intellect. He + respected his child, however, too much to be an indulgent parent. He + called on her for clear judgment, for courage, for honor and + fidelity; in short, for such virtues as he knew. In so far as he + possessed the keys to the wonders of this universe, he allowed free + use of them to her, and, by the incentive of a high expectation, he + forbade, so far as possible, that she should let the privilege lie + idle. + </p> + <p> + Thus this child was early led to feel herself a child of the spirit. + She took her place easily, not only in the world of organized being, + but in the world of mind. A dignified sense of self-dependence was + given as all her portion, and she found it a sure anchor. Herself + securely anchored, her relations with others were established with + equal security. She was fortunate in a total absence of those charms + which might have drawn to her bewildering flatteries, and in a + strong electric nature, which repelled those who did not belong to + her, and attracted those who did. With men and women her relations + were noble,—affectionate without passion, intellectual without + coldness. The world was free to her, and she lived freely in it. + Outward adversity came, and inward conflict; but that faith and + self-respect had early been awakened which must always lead, at + last, to an outward serenity and an inward peace. + </p> + <p> + Of Miranda I had always thought as an example, that the restraints + upon the sex were insuperable only to those who think them so, or + who noisily strive to break them. She had taken a course of her own, + and no man stood in her way. Many of her acts had been unusual, but + excited no uproar. Few helped, but none checked her; and the many + men who knew her mind and her life, showed to her confidence as to a + brother, gentleness as to a sister. And not only refined, but very + coarse men approved and aided one in whom they saw resolution and + clearness of design. Her mind was often the leading one, always + effective. + </p> + <p> + When I talked with her upon these matters, and had said very much + what I have written, she smilingly replied; "And yet we must admit + that I have been fortunate, and this should not be. My good father's + early trust gave the first bias, and the rest followed, of course. + It is true that I have had less outward aid, in after years, than + most women; but that is of little consequence. Religion was early + awakened in my soul,—a sense that what the soul is capable to + ask it must attain, and that, though I might be aided and instructed + by others, I must depend on myself as the only constant friend. This + self-dependence, which was honored in me, is deprecated as a fault + in most women. They are taught to learn their rule from without, not + to unfold it from within. + </p> + <p> + "This is the fault of Man, who is still vain, and wishes to be more + important to Woman than, by right, he should be." + </p> + <p> + "Men have not shown this disposition toward you," I said. + </p> + <p> + "No; because the position I early was enabled to take was one of + self-reliance. And were all women as sure of their wants as I was, + the result would be the same. But they are so overloaded with + precepts by guardians, who think that nothing is so much to be + dreaded for a woman as originality of thought or character, that + their minds are impeded by doubts till they lose their chance of + fair, free proportions. The difficulty is to got them to the point + from which they shall naturally develop self-respect, and learn + self-help. + </p> + <p> + "Once I thought that men would help to forward this state of things + more than I do now. I saw so many of them wretched in the + connections they had formed in weakness and vanity. They seemed so + glad to esteem women whenever they could. + </p> + <p> + "'The soft arms of affection,' said one of the most discerning + spirits, 'will not suffice for me, unless on them I see the steel + bracelets of strength.' + </p> + <p> + "But early I perceived that men never, in any extreme of despair, + wished to be women. On the contrary, they were ever ready to taunt + one another, at any sign of weakness, with, + </p> + <pre> + "'Art thou not like the women, who,'— +</pre> + <p> + The passage ends various ways, according to the occasion and + rhetoric of the speaker. When they admired any woman, they were + inclined to speak of her as 'above her sex.' Silently I observed + this, and feared it argued a rooted scepticism, which for ages had + been fastening on the heart, and which only an age of miracles could + eradicate. Ever I have been treated with great sincerity; and I look + upon it as a signal instance of this, that an intimate friend of the + other sex said, in a fervent moment, that I 'deserved in some star + to be a man.' He was much surprised when I disclosed my view of my + position and hopes, when I declared my faith that the feminine side, + the side of love, of beauty, of holiness, was now to have its full + chance, and that, if either were better, it was better now to be a + woman; for even the slightest achievement of good was furthering an + especial work of our time. He smiled incredulously. 'She makes the + best she can of it,' thought he. 'Let Jews believe the pride of + Jewry, but I am of the better sort, and know better.' + </p> + <p> + "Another used as highest praise, in speaking of a character in + literature, the words 'a manly woman.' + </p> + <p> + "So in the noble passage of Ben Jonson: + </p> + <pre> + 'I meant the day-star should not brighter ride, + Nor shed like influence, from its lucent seat; + I meant she should be courteous, facile, sweet, + Free from that solemn vice of greatness, pride; + I meant each softest virtue there should meet, + Fit in that softer bosom to abide, + Only a learned and a <i>manly</i> soul + I purposed her, that should with even powers + The rock, the spindle, and the shears control + Of destiny, and spin her own free hours.'" +</pre> + <p> + "Me thinks," said I, "you are too fastidious in objecting to this. + Jonson, in using the word 'manly,' only meant to heighten the + picture of this, the true, the intelligent fate, with one of the + deeper colors." + </p> + <p> + "And yet," said she, "so invariable is the use of this word where a + heroic quality is to be described, and I feel so sure that + persistence and courage are the most womanly no less than the most + manly qualities, that I would exchange these words for others of a + larger sense, at the risk of marring the fine tissue of the verse. + Read, 'A heavenward and instructed soul,' and I should be satisfied. + Let it not be said, wherever there is energy or creative genius, + 'She has a masculine mind.'" + </p> + <hr> + <p> + This by no means argues a willing want of generosity toward Woman. + Man is as generous towards her as he knows how to be. + </p> + <p> + Wherever she has herself arisen in national or private history, and + nobly shone forth in any form of excellence, men have received her, + not only willingly, but with triumph. Their encomiums, indeed, are + always, in some sense, mortifying; they show too much surprise. "Can + this be you?" he cries to the transfigured Cinderella; "well, I + should never have thought it, but I am very glad. We will tell every + one that you have '<i>surpassed your sex</i>.'" + </p> + <p> + In every-day life, the feelings of the many are stained with vanity. + Each wishes to be lord in a little world, to be superior at least + over one; and he does not feel strong enough to retain a life-long + ascendency over a strong nature. Only a Theseus could conquer before + he wed the Amazonian queen. Hercules wished rather to rest with + Dejanira, and received the poisoned robe as a fit guerdon. The tale + should be interpreted to all those who seek repose with the weak. + </p> + <p> + But not only is Man vain and fond of power, but the same want of + development, which thus affects him morally, prevents his + intellectually discerning the destiny of Woman: The boy wants no + woman, but only a girl to play ball with him, and mark his pocket + handkerchief. + </p> + <p> + Thus, in Schiller's Dignity of Woman, beautiful as the poem is, + there is no "grave and perfect man," but only a great boy to be + softened and restrained by the influence of girls. Poets—the + elder brothers of their race—have usually seen further; but + what can you expect of every-day men, if Schiller was not more + prophetic as to what women must be? Even with Richter, one foremost + thought about a wife was that she would "cook him something good." + But as this is a delicate subject, and we are in constant danger of + being accused of slighting what are called "the functions," let me + say, in behalf of Miranda and myself, that we have high respect for + those who "cook something good," who create and preserve fair order + in houses, and prepare therein the shining raiment for worthy + inmates, worthy guests. Only these "functions" must not be a + drudgery, or enforced necessity, but a part of life. Let Ulysses + drive the beeves home, while Penelope there piles up the fragrant + loaves; they are both well employed if these be done in thought and + love, willingly. But Penelope is no more meant for a baker or weaver + solely, than Ulysses for a cattle-herd. + </p> + <p> + The sexes should not only correspond to and appreciate, but prophesy + to one another. In individual instances this happens. Two persons + love in one another the future good which they aid one another to + unfold. This is imperfectly or rarely done in the general life. Man + has gone but little way; now he is waiting to see whether Woman can + keep step with him; but, instead of calling but, like a good + brother, "You can do it, if you only think so," or impersonally, + "Any one can do what he tries to do;" he often discourages with + school-boy brag: "Girls can't do that; girls can't play ball." But + let any one defy their taunts, break through and be brave and + secure, they rend the air with shouts. + </p> + <p> + This fluctuation was obvious in a narrative I have lately seen, the + story of the life of Countess Emily Plater, the heroine of the last + revolution in Poland. The dignity, the purity, the concentrated + resolve, the calm, deep enthusiasm, which yet could, when occasion + called, sparkle up a holy, an indignant fire, make of this young + maiden the figure I want for my frontispiece. Her portrait is to be + seen in the book, a gentle shadow of her soul. Short was the career. + Like the Maid of Orleans, she only did enough to verify her + credentials, and then passed from a scene on which she was, + probably, a premature apparition. + </p> + <p> + When the young girl joined the army, where the report of her + exploits had preceded her, she was received in a manner that marks + the usual state of feeling. Some of the officers were disappointed + at her quiet manners; that she had not the air and tone of a + stage-heroine. They thought she could not have acted heroically + unless in buskins; had no idea that such deeds only showed the habit + of her mind. Others talked of the delicacy of her sex, advised her + to withdraw from perils and dangers, and had no comprehension of the + feelings within her breast that made this impossible. The gentle + irony of her reply to these self-constituted tutors (not one of whom + showed himself her equal in conduct or reason), is as good as her + indignant reproof at a later period to the general, whose perfidy + ruined all. + </p> + <p> + But though, to the mass of these men, she was an embarrassment and a + puzzle, the nobler sort viewed her with a tender enthusiasm worthy + of her. "Her name," said her biographer, "is known throughout + Europe. I paint her character that she may be as widely loved." + </p> + <p> + With pride, he shows her freedom from all personal affections; that, + though tender and gentle in an uncommon degree, there was no room + for a private love in her consecrated life. She inspired those who + knew her with a simple energy of feeling like her own. "We have + seen," they felt, "a woman worthy the name, capable of all sweet + affections, capable of stern virtue." + </p> + <p> + It is a fact worthy of remark, that all these revolutions in favor + of liberty have produced female champions that share the same + traits, but Emily alone has found a biographer. Only a near friend + could have performed for her this task, for the flower was reared in + feminine seclusion, and the few and simple traits of her history + before her appearance in the field could only have been known to the + domestic circle. Her biographer has gathered them up with a + brotherly devotion. + </p> + <p> + No! Man is not willingly ungenerous. He wants faith and love, + because he is not yet himself an elevated being. He cries, with + sneering scepticism, "Give us a sign." But if the sign appears, his + eyes glisten, and he offers not merely approval, but homage. + </p> + <p> + The severe nation which taught that the happiness of the race was + forfeited through the fault of a Woman, and showed its thought of + what sort of regard Man owed her, by making him accuse her on the + first question to his God,—who gave her to the patriarch as a + handmaid, and, by the Mosaical law, bound her to allegiance like a + serf,—even they greeted, with solemn rapture, all great and + holy women as heroines, prophetesses, judges in Israel; and, if they + made Eve listen to the serpent, gave Mary as a bride to the Holy + Spirit. In other nations it has been the same down to our day. To + the Woman who could conquer a triumph was awarded. And not only + those whose strength was recommended to the heart by association + with goodness and beauty, but those who were bad, if they were + steadfast and strong, had their claims allowed. In any age a + Semiramis, an Elizabeth of England, a Catharine of Russia, makes her + place good, whether in a large or small circle. How has a little + wit, a little genius, been celebrated in a Woman! What an + intellectual triumph was that of the lonely Aspasia, and how + heartily acknowledged! She, indeed, met a Pericles. But what + annalist, the rudest of men, the most plebeian of husbands, will + spare from his page one of the few anecdotes of Roman + women—Sappho! Eloisa! The names are of threadbare celebrity. + Indeed, they were not more suitably met in their own time than the + Countess Colonel Plater on her first joining the army. They had much + to mourn, and their great impulses did not find due scope. But with + time enough, space enough, their kindred appear on the scene. Across + the ages, forms lean, trying to touch the hem of their retreating + robes. The youth here by my side cannot be weary of the fragments + from the life of Sappho. He will not believe they are not addressed + to himself, or that he to whom they were addressed could be + ungrateful. A recluse of high powers devotes himself to understand + and explain the thought of Eloisa; he asserts her vast superiority + in soul and genius to her master; he curses the fate that casts his + lot in another age than hers. He could have understood her; he would + have been to her a friend, such as Abelard never could. And this one + Woman he could have loved and reverenced, and she, alas! lay cold in + her grave hundreds of years ago. His sorrow is truly pathetic. These + responses, that come too late to give joy, are as tragic as anything + we know, and yet the tears of later ages glitter as they fall on + Tasso's prison bars. And we know how elevating to the captive is the + security that somewhere an intelligence must answer to his. + </p> + <p> + The Man habitually most narrow towards Woman will be flushed, as by + the worst assault on Christianity, if you say it has made no + improvement in her condition. Indeed, those most opposed to new acts + in her favor, are jealous of the reputation of those which have been + done. + </p> + <p> + We will not speak of the enthusiasm excited by actresses, + improvisatrici, female singers,—for here mingles the charm of + beauty and grace,—but female authors, even learned women, if + not insufferably ugly and slovenly, from the Italian professor's + daughter who taught behind the curtain, down to Mrs. Carter and + Madame Dacier, are sure of an admiring audience, and, what is far + better, chance to use what they have learned, and to learn more, if + they can once get a platform on which to stand. + </p> + <p> + But how to get this platform, or how to make it of reasonably easy + access, is the difficulty. Plants of great vigor will almost always + struggle into blossom, despite impediments. But there should be + encouragement, and a free genial atmosphere for those of move timid + sort, fair play for each in its own kind. Some are like the little, + delicate flowers which love to hide in the dripping mosses, by the + sides of mountain torrents, or in the shade of tall trees. But + others require an open field, a rich and loosened soil, or they + never show their proper hues. + </p> + <p> + It may be said that Man does not have his fair play either; his + energies are repressed and distorted by the interposition of + artificial obstacles. Ay, but he himself has put them there; they + have grown out of his own imperfections. If there <i>is</i> a + misfortune in Woman's lot, it is in obstacles being interposed by + men, which do <i>not</i> mark her state; and, if they express her + past ignorance, do not her present needs. As every Man is of Woman + born, she has slow but sure means of redress; yet the sooner a + general justness of thought makes smooth the path, the better. + </p> + <p> + Man is of Woman born, and her face bends over him in infancy with an + expression he can never quite forget. Eminent men have delighted to + pay tribute to this image, and it is an hackneyed observation, that + most men of genius boast some remarkable development in the mother. + The rudest tar brushes off a tear with his coat-sleeve at the + hallowed name. The other day, I met a decrepit old man of seventy, + on a journey, who challenged the stage company to guess where he was + going. They guessed aright, "To see your mother." "Yes," said he, + "she is ninety-two, but has good eyesight still, they say. I have + not seen her these forty years, and I thought I could not die in + peace without." I should have liked his picture painted as a + companion-piece to that of a boisterous little boy, whom I saw + attempt to declaim at a school exhibition— + </p> + <pre> + "O that those lips had language! Life has passed + With me but roughly since I heard thee last." +</pre> + <p> + He got but very little way before sudden tears shamed him from the + stage. + </p> + <p> + Some gleams of the same expression which shone down upon his + infancy, angelically pure and benign, visit Man again with hopes of + pure love, of a holy marriage. Or, if not before, in the eyes of the + mother of his child they again are seen, and dim fancies pass before + his mind, that Woman may not have been born for him alone, but have + come from heaven, a commissioned soul, a messenger of truth and + love; that she can only make for him a home in which he may lawfully + repose, in so far as she is + </p> + <pre> + "True to the kindred points of Heaven and home." +</pre> + <p> + In gleams, in dim fancies, this thought visits the mind of common + men. It is soon obscured by the mists of sensuality, the dust of + routine, and he thinks it was only some meteor or ignis fatuus that + shone. But, as a Rosicrucian lamp, it burns unwearied, though + condemned to the solitude of tombs; and to its permanent life, as to + every truth, each age has in some form borne witness. For the + truths, which visit the minds of careless men only in fitful gleams, + shine with radiant clearness into those of the poet, the priest, and + the artist. + </p> + <p> + Whatever may have been the domestic manners of the ancients, the + idea of Woman was nobly manifested in their mythologies and poems, + whore she appears as Site in the Ramayana, a form of tender purity; + as the Egyptian Isis, [Footnote: For an adequate description of the + Isis, see <a href="#appendixa">Appendix A</a>.] of divine wisdom + never yet surpassed. In Egypt, too, the Sphynx, walking the earth + with lion tread, looked out upon its marvels in the calm, + inscrutable beauty of a virgin's face, and the Greek could only add + wings to the great emblem. In Greece, Ceres and Proserpine, + significantly termed "the great goddesses," were seen seated side by + side. They needed not to rise for any worshipper or any change; they + were prepared for all things, as those initiated to their mysteries + knew. More obvious is the meaning of these three forms, the Diana, + Minerva, and Vesta. Unlike in the expression of their beauty, but + alike in this,—that each was self-sufficing. Other forms were + only accessories and illustrations, none the complement to one like + these. Another might, indeed, be the companion, and the Apollo and + Diana set off one another's beauty. Of the Vesta, it is to be + observed, that not only deep-eyed, deep-discerning Greece, but ruder + Rome, who represents the only form of good man (the always busy + warrior) that could be indifferent to Woman, confided the permanence + of its glory to a tutelary goddess, and her wisest legislator spoke + of meditation as a nymph. + </p> + <p> + Perhaps in Rome the neglect of Woman was a reaction on the manners + of Etruria, where the priestess Queen, warrior Queen, would seem to + have been so usual a character. + </p> + <p> + An instance of the noble Roman marriage, where the stern and calm + nobleness of the nation was common to both, we see in the historic + page through the little that is told us of Brutus and Portia. + Shakspeare has seized on the relation in its native lineaments, + harmonizing the particular with the universal; and, while it is + conjugal love, and no other, making it unlike the same relation as + seen in Cymbeline, or Othello, even as one star differeth from + another in glory. + </p> + <pre> + "By that great vow + Which did incorporate and make us one, + Unfold to me, yourself, your other half, + Why you are heavy. ... + Dwell I but in the suburbs + Of your good pleasure? If it be no more, + Portia is Brutus' harlot, not his wife." +</pre> + <p> + Mark the sad majesty of his tone in answer. Who would not have lent + a life-long credence to that voice of honor? + </p> + <pre> + "You are my true and honorable wife; + As dear to me as are the ruddy drops + That visit this sad heart." +</pre> + <p> + It is the same voice that tells the moral of his life in the last + words— + </p> + <pre> + "Countrymen, + My heart doth joy, that, yet in all my life, + I found no man but he was true to me." +</pre> + <p> + It was not wonderful that it should be so. + </p> + <p> + Shakspeare, however, was not content to let Portia rest her plea for + confidence on the essential nature of the marriage bond: + </p> + <pre> + "I grant I am a woman; but withal, + A woman that lord Brutus took to wife. + I grant I am a woman; but withal, + A woman well reputed—Cato's daughter. + Think you I am <i>no stronger than my sex</i>, + Being so fathered and so husbanded?" +</pre> + <p> + And afterward in the very scene where Brutus is suffering under that + "insupportable and touching loss," the death of his wife, Cassius + pleads— + </p> + <pre> + "Have you not love enough to bear with me, + When that rash humor which my mother gave me + Makes me forgetful? + +<i>Brutus</i>.—Yes, Cassius, and henceforth, + When you are over-earnest with your Brutus, + He'll think your mother chides, and leaves you so." +</pre> + <p> + As indeed it was a frequent belief among the ancients, as with our + Indians, that the <i>body</i> was inherited from the mother, the + <i>soul</i> from the father. As in that noble passage of Ovid, + already quoted, where Jupiter, as his divine synod are looking down + on the funeral pyre of Hercules, thus triumphs— + </p> + <pre> + "Neo nisi <i>materna</i> Vulcanum parte potentem, + Sentiet. Aeternum est, à me quod traxit, et expers + Atque immune neois, nullaque domabile flamma + Idque ego defunctum terrà coelestibus oris + Accipiam, cunctisque meum laetabile factum + Dis fore confido. + + "The part alone of gross <i>maternal</i> flame + Fire shall devour; while that from me he drew + Shall live immortal and its force renew; + That, when he's dead, I'll raise to realms above; + Let all the powers the righteous act approve." +</pre> + <p> + It is indeed a god speaking of his union with an earthly Woman, but + it expresses the common Roman thought as to marriage,—the same + which permitted a man to lend his wife to a friend, as if she were a + chattel + </p> + <pre> + "She dwelt but in the suburbs of his good pleasure." +</pre> + <p> + Yet the same city, as I have said, leaned on the worship of Vesta, + the Preserver, and in later times was devoted to that of Isis. In + Sparta, thought, in this respect as in all others, was expressed in + the characters of real life, and the women of Sparta were as much + Spartans as the men. The "citoyen, citoyenne" of France was here + actualized. Was not the calm equality they enjoyed as honorable as + the devotion of chivalry? They intelligently shared the ideal life + of their nation. + </p> + <p> + Like the men they felt: + </p> + <pre> + "Honor gone, all's gone: + Better never have been born." +</pre> + <p> + They were the true friends of men. The Spartan, surely, would not + think that he received only his body from his mother. The sage, had + he lived in that community, could not have thought the souls of + "vain and foppish men will be degraded after death to the forms of + women; and, if they do not then make great efforts to retrieve + themselves, will become birds." + </p> + <p> + (By the way, it is very expressive of the hard intellectuality of + the merely <i>mannish</i> mind, to speak thus of birds, chosen + always by the <i>feminine</i> poet as the symbols of his fairest + thoughts.) + </p> + <p> + We are told of the Greek nations in general, that Woman occupied + there an infinitely lower place than Man. It is difficult to believe + this, when we see such range and dignity of thought on the subject + in the mythologies, and find the poets producing such ideals as + Cassandra, Iphigenia, Antigone, Macaria; where Sibylline priestesses + told the oracle of the highest god, and he could not be content to + reign with a, court of fewer than nine muses. Even Victory wore a + female form. + </p> + <p> + But, whatever were the facts of daily life, I cannot complain of the + age and nation which represents its thought by such a symbol as I + see before me at this moment. It is a zodiac of the busts of gods + and goddesses, arranged in pairs. The circle breathes the music of a + heavenly order. Male and female heads are distinct in expression, + but equal in beauty, strength and calmness. Each male head is that + of a brother and a king,—each female of a sister and a queen. + Could the thought thus expressed be lived out, there would be + nothing more to be desired. There would be unison in variety, + congeniality in difference. + </p> + <p> + Coming nearer our own time, we find religion and poetry no less true + in their revelations. The rude man, just disengaged from the sod, + the Adam, accuses Woman to his God, and records her disgrace to + their posterity. He is not ashamed to write that he could be drawn + from heaven by one beneath him,—one made, he says, from but a + small part of himself. But in the same nation, educated by time, + instructed by a succession of prophets, we find Woman in as high a + position as she has ever occupied, No figure that has ever arisen to + greet our eyes has been received with more fervent reverence than + that of the Madonna. Heine calls her the <i>Dame du Comptoir</i> of + the Catholic church, and this jeer well expresses a serious truth. + </p> + <p> + And not only this holy and significant image was worshipped by the + pilgrim, and the favorite subject of the artist, but it exercised an + immediate influence on the destiny of the sex. The empresses who + embraced the cross converted sons and husbands. Whole calendars of + female saints, heroic dames of chivalry, binding the emblem of faith + on the heart of the best-beloved, and wasting the bloom of youth in + separation and loneliness, for the sake of duties they thought it + religion to assume, with innumerable forms of poesy, trace their + lineage to this one. Nor, however imperfect may be the action, in + our day, of the faith thus expressed, and though we can scarcely + think it nearer this ideal than that of India or Greece was near + their ideal, is it in vain that the truth has been recognized, that + Woman is not only a part of Man, bone of his bone, and flesh of his + flesh, born that men might not be lonely—but that women are in + themselves possessors of and possessed by immortal souls. This truth + undoubtedly received a greater outward stability from the belief of + the church that the earthly parent of the Saviour of souls was a + woman. + </p> + <p> + The Assumption of the Virgin, as painted by sublime artists, as also + Petrarch's Hymn to the Madonna, [Footnote: <a href= + "#appendixb">Appendix B</a>.] cannot have spoken to the world wholly + without result, yet oftentimes those who had ears heard not. + </p> + <p> + See upon the nations the influence of this powerful example. In + Spain look only at the ballads. Woman in these is "very Woman;" she + is the betrothed, the bride, the spouse of Man; there is on her no + hue of the philosopher, the heroine, the savante, but she looks + great and noble. Why? Because she is also, through her deep + devotion, the betrothed of Heaven. Her upturned eyes have drawn down + the light that casts a radiance round her. See only such a ballad as + that of "Lady Teresa's Bridal," where the Infanta, given to the + Moorish bridegroom, calls down the vengeance of Heaven on his + unhallowed passion, and thinks it not too much to expiate by a life + in the cloister the involuntary stain upon her princely youth. + [Footnote: <a href="#appendixc">Appendix C</a>.] It was this + constant sense of claims above those of earthly love or happiness + that made the Spanish lady who shared this spirit a guerdon to be + won by toils and blood and constant purity, rather than a chattel to + be bought for pleasure and service. + </p> + <p> + Germany did hot need to <i>learn</i> a high view of Woman; it was + inborn in that race. Woman was to the Teuton warrior his priestess, + his friend, his sister,—in truth, a wife. And the Christian + statues of noble pairs, as they lie above their graves in stone, + expressing the meaning of all the by-gone pilgrimage by hands folded + in mutual prayer, yield not a nobler sense of the place and powers + of Woman than belonged to the <i>altvater</i> day. The holy love of + Christ which summoned them, also, to choose "the better + part—that which could not be taken from them," refined and + hallowed in this nation a native faith; thus showing that it was not + the warlike spirit alone that left the Latins so barbarous in this + respect. + </p> + <p> + But the Germans, taking so kindly to this thought, did it the more + justice. The idea of Woman in their literature is expressed both to + a greater height and depth than elsewhere. + </p> + <p> + I will give as instances the themes of three ballads: + </p> + <p> + One is upon a knight who had always the name of the Virgin on his + lips. This protected him all his life through, in various and + beautiful modes, both from sin and other dangers; and, when he died, + a plant sprang from his grave, which so gently whispered the Ave + Maria that none could pass it by with an unpurified heart. + </p> + <p> + Another is one of the legends of the famous Drachenfels. A maiden, + one of the earliest converts to Christianity, was carried by the + enraged populace to this dread haunt of "the dragon's fabled brood," + to be their prey. She was left alone, but undismayed, for she knew + in whom she trusted. So, when the dragons came rushing towards her, + she showed them a crucifix and they crouched reverently at her feet. + Next day the people came, and, seeing these wonders, were all turned + to the faith which exalts the lowly. + </p> + <p> + The third I have in mind is another of the Rhine legends. A youth is + sitting with the maid he loves on the shore of an isle, her fairy + kingdom, then perfumed by the blossoming grape-vines which draped + its bowers. They are happy; all blossoms with them, and life + promises its richest vine. A boat approaches on the tide; it pauses + at their foot. It brings, perhaps, some joyous message, fresh dew + for their flowers, fresh light on the wave. No! it is the usual + check on such great happiness. The father of the count departs for + the crusade; will his son join him, or remain to rule their domain, + and wed her he loves? Neither of the affianced pair hesitates a + moment. "I must go with my father,"—"Thou must go with thy + father." It was one thought, one word. "I will be here again," he + said, "when these blossoms have turned to purple grapes." "I hope + so," she sighed, while the prophetic sense said "no." + </p> + <p> + And there she waited, and the grapes ripened, and were gathered into + the vintage, and he came not. Year after year passed thus, and no + tidings; yet still she waited. + </p> + <p> + He, meanwhile, was in a Moslem prison. Long he languished there + without hope, till, at last, his patron saint appeared in vision and + announced his release, but only on condition of his joining the + monastic order for the service of the saint. + </p> + <p> + And so his release was effected, and a safe voyage home given. And + once more he sets sail upon the Rhine. The maiden, still watching + beneath the vines, sees at last the object of all this patient love + approach—approach, but not to touch the strand to which she, + with outstretched arms, has rushed. He dares not trust himself to + land, but in low, heart-broken tones, tells her of Heaven's will; + and that he, in obedience to his vow, is now on his way to a convent + on the river-bank, there to pass the rest of his earthly life in the + service of the shrine. And then he turns his boat, and floats away + from her and hope of any happiness in this world, but urged, as he + believes, by the breath of Heaven. + </p> + <p> + The maiden stands appalled, but she dares not murmur, and cannot + hesitate long. She also bids them prepare her boat. She follows her + lost love to the convent gate, requests an interview with the abbot, + and devotes her Elysian isle, where vines had ripened their ruby + fruit in vain for her, to the service of the monastery where her + love was to serve. Then, passing over to the nunnery opposite, she + takes the veil, and meets her betrothed at the altar; and for a + life-long union, if not the one they had hoped in earlier years. + </p> + <p> + Is not this sorrowful story of a lofty beauty? Does it not show a + sufficiently high view of Woman, of Marriage? This is commonly the + chivalric, still more the German view. + </p> + <p> + Yet, wherever there was a balance in the mind of Man, of sentiment + with intellect, such a result was sure. The Greek Xenophon has not + only painted us a sweet picture of the domestic Woman, in his + Economics, but in the Cyropedia has given, in the picture of + Panthea, a view of Woman which no German picture can surpass, + whether lonely and quiet with veiled lids, the temple of a vestal + loveliness, or with eyes flashing, and hair flowing to the free + wind, cheering on the hero to fight for his God, his country, or + whatever name his duty might bear at the time. This picture I shall + copy by and by. Yet Xenophon grew up in the same age with him who + makes Iphigenia say to Achilles, + </p> + <pre> + "Better a thousand women should perish than one man cease to see + the light." +</pre> + <p> + This was the vulgar Greek sentiment. Xenophon, aiming at the ideal + Man, caught glimpses of the ideal Woman also. From the figure of a + Cyrus the Pantheas stand not afar. They do not in thought; they + would not in life. + </p> + <p> + I could swell the catalogue of instances far beyond the reader's + patience. But enough have been brought forward to show that, though + there has been great disparity betwixt the nations as between + individuals in their culture on this point, yet the idea of Woman + has always cast some rays and often been forcibly represented. + </p> + <p> + Far less has Woman to complain that she has not had her share of + power. This, in all ranks of society, except the lowest, has been + hers to the extent that vanity would crave, far beyond what wisdom + would accept. In the very lowest, where Man, pressed by poverty, + sees in Woman only the partner of toils and cares, and cannot hope, + scarcely has an idea of, a comfortable home, he often maltreats her, + and is less influenced by her. In all ranks, those who are gentle + and uncomplaining, too candid to intrigue, too delicate to encroach, + suffer much. They suffer long, and are kind; verily, they have their + reward. But wherever Man is sufficiently raised above extreme + poverty, or brutal stupidity, to care for the comforts of the + fireside, or the bloom and ornament of life, Woman has always power + enough, if she choose to exert it, and is usually disposed to do so, + in proportion to her ignorance and childish vanity. Unacquainted + with the importance of life and its purposes, trained to a selfish + coquetry and love of petty power, she does not look beyond the + pleasure of making herself felt at the moment, and governments are + shaken and commerce broken up to gratify the pique of a female + favorite. The English shopkeeper's wife does not vote, but it is for + her interest that the politician canvasses by the coarsest flattery. + France suffers no woman on her throne, but her proud nobles kiss the + dust at the feet of Pompadour and Dubarry; for such flare in the + lighted foreground where a Roland would modestly aid in the closet. + Spain (that same Spain which sang of Ximena and the Lady Teresa) + shuts up her women in the care of duennas, and allows them no book + but the breviary; but the ruin follows only the more surely from the + worthless favorite of a worthless queen. Relying on mean + precautions, men indeed cry peace, peace, where there is no peace. + </p> + <p> + It is not the transient breath of poetic incense that women want; + each can receive that from a lover. It is not life-long sway; it + needs but to become a coquette, a shrew, or a good cook, to be sure + of that. It is not money, nor notoriety, nor the badges of authority + which men have appropriated to themselves. If demands, made in their + behalf, lay stress on any of these particulars, those who make them + have not searched deeply into the need. The want is for that which + at once includes these and precludes them; which would not be + forbidden power, lest there be temptation to steal and misuse it; + which would not have the mind perverted by flattery from a + worthiness of esteem; it is for that which is the birthright of + every being capable of receiving it,—the freedom, the + religious, the intelligent freedom of the universe to use its means, + to learn its secret, as far as Nature has enabled them, with God + alone for their guide and their judge. + </p> + <p> + Ye cannot believe it, men; but the only reason why women over assume + what is more appropriate to you, is because you prevent them from + finding out what is fit for themselves. Were they free, were they + wise fully to develop the strength and beauty of Woman; they would + never wish to be men, or man-like. The well-instructed moon flies + not from her orbit to seize on the glories of her partner. No; for + she knows that one law rules, one heaven contains, one universe + replies to them alike. It is with women as with the slave: + </p> + <pre> + "Vor dem Sklaven, wenn er die Kette bricht, + Vor dem frelen Menschen erzittert nicht." +</pre> + <p> + Tremble not before the free man, but before the slave who has chains + to break. + </p> + <p> + In slavery, acknowledged slavery, women are on a par with men. Each + is a work-tool, an article of property, no more! In perfect freedom, + such as is painted in Olympus, in Swedenborg's angelic state, in the + heaven where there is no marrying nor giving in marriage, each is a + purified intelligence, an enfranchised soul,—no less. + </p> + <pre> + "Jene himmlische Gestalten + Sie fragen nicht nach Mann und Welb, + Und keine kielder, keine Falten + Umgeben den verklarten Leib." +</pre> + <p> + The child who song this was a prophetic form, expressive of the + longing for a state of perfect freedom, pure love. She could not + remain here, but was translated to another air. And it may be that + the air of this earth will never be so tempered that such can bear + it long. But, while they stay, they must bear testimony to the truth + they are constituted to demand. + </p> + <p> + That an era approaches which shall approximate nearer to such a + temper than any has yet done, there are many tokens; indeed, so many + that only a few of the most prominent can here be enumerated. + </p> + <p> + The reigns of Elizabeth of England and Isabella of Castile foreboded + this era. They expressed the beginning of the new state; while they + forwarded its progress. These were strong characters, and in harmony + with the wants of their time. One showed that this strength did not + unfit a woman for the duties of a wife and a mother; the other, that + it could enable her to live and die alone, a wide energetic life, a + courageous death. Elizabeth is certainly no pleasing example. In + rising above the weakness, she did not lay aside the foibles + ascribed to her sex; but her strength must be respected now, as it + was in her own time. + </p> + <p> + Mary Stuart and Elizabeth seem types, moulded by the spirit of the + time, and placed upon an elevated platform, to show to the coming + ages Woman such as the conduct and wishes of Man in general is + likely to make her. The first shows Woman lovely even to allurement; + quick in apprehension and weak in judgment; with grace and dignity + of sentiment, but no principle; credulous and indiscreet, yet + artful; capable of sudden greatness or of crime, but not of a + steadfast wisdom, nor self-restraining virtue. The second reveals + Woman half-emancipated and jealous of her freedom, such as she has + figured before or since in many a combative attitude, mannish, not + equally manly; strong and prudent more than great or wise; able to + control vanity, and the wish to rule through coquetry and passion, + but not to resign these dear deceits from the very foundation, as + unworthy a being capable of truth and nobleness. Elizabeth, taught + by adversity, put on her virtues as armor, more than produced them + in a natural order from her soul. The time and her position called + on her to act the wise sovereign, and she was proud that she could + do so, but her tastes and inclinations would have led her to act the + weak woman. She was without magnanimity of any kind. + </p> + <p> + We may accept as an omen for ourselves that it was Isabella who + furnished Columbus with the means of coming hither. This land must + pay back its debt to Woman, without whose aid it would not have been + brought into alliance with the civilized world. + </p> + <p> + A graceful and meaning figure is that introduced to us by Mr. + Prescott, in the Conquest of Mexico, in the Indian girl Marina, who + accompanied Cortez, and was his interpreter in all the various + difficulties of his career. She stood at his side, on the walls of + the besieged palace, to plead with her enraged countrymen. By her + name he was known in New Spain, and, after the conquest, her gentle + intercession was often of avail to the conquered. The poem of the + Future may be read in some features of the story of "Malinche." + </p> + <p> + The influence of Elizabeth on literature was real, though, by + sympathy with its finer productions, she was no more entitled to + give name to an era than Queen Anne. It was simply that the fact of + having a female sovereign on the throne affected the course of a + writer's thoughts. In this sense, the presence of a woman on the + throne always makes its mark. Life is lived before the eyes of men, + by which their imaginations are stimulated as to the possibilities + of Woman. "We will die for our king, Maria, Theresa," cry the wild + warriors, clashing their swords; and the sounds vibrate through the + poems of that generation. The range of female character in Spenser + alone might content us for one period. Britomart and Belphoebe have + as much room on the canvas as Florimel; and, where this is the case, + the haughtiest Amazon will not murmur that Una should be felt to be + the fairest type. + </p> + <p> + Unlike as was the English queen to a fairy queen, we may yet + conceive that it was the image of a queen before the poet's mind + that called up this splendid court of women. Shakspeare's range is + also great; but he has left out the heroic characters, such as the + Macaria of Greece, the Britomart of Spenser. Ford and Massinger + have, in this respect, soared to a higher flight of feeling than he. + It was the holy and heroic Woman they most loved, and if they could + not paint an Imogen, a Desdemona, a Rosalind, yet, in those of a + stronger mould, they showed a higher ideal, though with so much less + poetic power to embody it, than we see in Portia or Isabella, the + simple truth of Cordelia, indeed, is of this sort. The beauty of + Cordelia is neither male nor female; it is the beauty of virtue. + </p> + <p> + The ideal of love and marriage rose high in the mind of all the + Christian nations who were capable of grave and deep feeling. We may + take as examples of its English aspect the lines, + </p> + <pre> + "I could not love thee, dear, so much, + Loved I not honor more." +</pre> + <p> + Or the address of the Commonwealth's man to his wife, as she looked + out from the Tower window to see him, for the last time, on his way + to the scaffold. He stood up in the cart, waved his hat, and cried, + "To Heaven, my love, to Heaven, and leave you in the storm!" + </p> + <p> + Such was the love of faith and honor,—a love which stopped, + like Colonel Hutchinson's, "on this side idolatry," because it was + religious. The meeting of two such souls Donne describes as giving + birth to an "abler soul." + </p> + <p> + Lord Herbert wrote to his love, + </p> + <pre> + "Were not our souls immortal made, + Our equal loves can make them such." +</pre> + <p> + In the "Broken Heart," of Ford, Penthea, a character which engages + my admiration even more deeply than the famous one of Calanthe, is + made to present to the mind the most beautiful picture of what these + relations should be in their purity. Her life cannot sustain the + violation of what she so clearly feels. + </p> + <p> + Shakspeare, too, saw that, in true love, as in fire, the utmost + ardor is coincident with the utmost purity. It is a true lover that + exclaims in the agony of Othello, + </p> + <pre> + "If thou art false, O then Heaven mocks Itself!" +</pre> + <p> + The son, framed, like Hamlet, to appreciate truth in all the beauty + of relations, sinks into deep melancholy when he finds his natural + expectations disappointed. He has no other. She to whom he gave the + name, disgraces from his heart's shrine all the sex. + </p> + <pre> + "Frailty, thy name is Woman." +</pre> + <p> + It is because a Hamlet could find cause to say so, that I have put + the line, whose stigma has never been removed, at the head of my + work. But, as a lover, surely Hamlet would not have so far mistaken, + as to have finished with such a conviction. He would have felt the + faith of Othello, and that faith could not, in his more + dispassionate mind, have been disturbed by calumny. + </p> + <p> + In Spain, this thought is arrayed in a sublimity which belongs to + the sombre and passionate genius of the nation. Calderon's Justina + resists all the temptation of the Demon, and raises her lover, with + her, above the sweet lures of mere temporal happiness. Their + marriage is vowed at the stake; their goals are liberated together + by the martyr flame into "a purer state of sensation and existence." + </p> + <p> + In Italy, the great poets wove into their lives an ideal love which + answered to the highest wants. It included those of the intellect + and the affections, for it was a love of spirit for spirit. It was + not ascetic, or superhuman, but, interpreting all things, gave their + proper beauty to details of the common life, the common day. The + poet spoke of his love, not as a flower to place in his bosom, or + hold carelessly in his hand, but as a light toward which he must + find wings to fly, or "a stair to heaven." He delighted to speak of + her, not only as the bride of his heart, but the mother of his soul; + for he saw that, in cases where the right direction had been taken, + the greater delicacy of her frame and stillness of her life left her + more open than is Man to spiritual influx. So he did not look upon + her as betwixt him and earth, to serve his temporal needs, but, + rather, betwixt him and heaven, to purify his affections and lead + him to wisdom through love. He sought, in her, not so much the Eve + as the Madonna. + </p> + <p> + In these minds the thought, which gleams through all the legends of + chivalry, shines in broad intellectual effulgence, not to be + misinterpreted; and their thought is reverenced by the world, though + it lies far from the practice of the world as yet,—so far that + it seems as though a gulf of death yawned between. + </p> + <p> + Even with such men the practice was, often, widely different from + the mental faith. I say mental; for if the heart were thoroughly + alive with it, the practice could not be dissonant. Lord Herbert's + was a marriage of convention, made for him at fifteen; he was not + discontented with it, but looked only to the advantages it brought + of perpetuating his family on the basis of a great fortune. He paid, + in act, what he considered a dutiful attention to the bond; his + thoughts travelled elsewhere; and while forming a high ideal of the + companionship of minds in marriage, he seems never to have doubted + that its realization must be postponed to some other state of being. + Dante, almost immediately after the death of Beatrice, married a + lady chosen for him by his friends, and Boccaccio, in describing the + miseries that attended, in this case, + </p> + <pre> + "The form of an union where union is none," +</pre> + <p> + <br> + speaks as if these were inevitable to the connection, and as if the + scholar and poet, especially, could expect nothing but misery and + obstruction in a domestic partnership with Woman. + </p> + <p> + Centuries have passed since, but civilized Europe is still in a + transition state about marriage; not only in practice but in + thought. It is idle to speak with contempt of the nations where + polygamy is an institution, or seraglios a custom, while practices + far more debasing haunt, well-nigh fill, every city and every town, + and so far as union of one with one is believed to be the only pure + form of marriage, a great majority of societies and individuals are + still doubtful whether the earthly bond must be a meeting of souls, + or only supposes a contract of convenience and utility. Were Woman + established in the rights of an immortal being, this could not be. + She would not, in some countries, be given away by her father, with + scarcely more respect for her feelings than is shown by the Indian + chief, who sells his daughter for a horse, and beats her if she runs + away from her new home. Nor, in societies where her choice is left + free, would she be perverted, by the current of opinion that seizes + her, into the belief that she must marry, if it be only to find a + protector, and a home of her own. Neither would Man, if he thought + the connection of permanent importance, form it so lightly. He would + not deem it a trifle, that he was to enter into the closest + relations with another soul, which, if not eternal in themselves, + must eternally affect his growth. Neither, did he believe Woman + capable of friendship, [Footnote: See <a href="#appendixd">Appendix + D</a>, Spinoza's view] would he, by rash haste, lose the chance of + finding a friend in the person who might, probably, live half a + century by his side. Did love, to his mind, stretch forth into + infinity, he would not miss his chance of its revelations, that he + might the sooner rest from his weariness by a bright fireside, and + secure a sweet and graceful attendant "devoted to him alone." Were + he a step higher, he would not carelessly enter into a relation + where he might not be able to do the duty of a friend, as well as a + protector from external ill, to the other party, and have a being in + his power pining for sympathy, intelligence and aid, that he could + not give. + </p> + <p> + What deep communion, what real intercourse is implied in sharing the + joys and cares of parentage, when any degree of equality is admitted + between the parties! It is true that, in a majority of instances, + the man looks upon his wife as an adopted child, and places her to + the other children in the relation of nurse or governess, rather + than that of parent. Her influence with them is sure; but she misses + the education which should enlighten that influence, by being thus + treated. It is the order of nature that children should complete the + education, moral and mental, of parents, by making them think what + is needed for the best culture of human beings, and conquer all + faults and impulses that interfere with their giving this to these + dear objects, who represent the world to them. Father and mother + should assist one another to learn what is required for this sublime + priesthood of Nature. But, for this, a religious recognition of + equality is required. + </p> + <p> + Where this thought of equality begins to diffuse itself, it is shown + in four ways. + </p> + <p> + First;—The household partnership. In our country, the woman + looks for a "smart but kind" husband; the man for a "capable, + sweet-tempered" wife. The man furnishes the house; the woman + regulates it. Their relation is one of mutual esteem, mutual + dependence. Their talk is of business; their affection shows itself + by practical kindness. They know that life goes more smoothly and + cheerfully to each for the other's aid; they are grateful and + content. The wife praises her husband as a "good provider;" the + husband, in return, compliments her as a "capital housekeeper." This + relation is good so far as it goes. + </p> + <p> + Next comes a closer tie, which takes the form either of mutual + idolatry or of intellectual companionship. The first, we suppose, is + to no one a pleasing subject of contemplation. The parties weaken + and narrow one another; they lock the gate against all the glories + of the universe, that they may live in a cell together. To + themselves they seem the only wise; to all others, steeped in + infatuation; the gods smile as they look forward to the crisis of + cure; to men, the woman seems an unlovely syren; to women, the man + an effeminate boy. + </p> + <p> + The other form, of intellectual companionship, has become more and + more frequent. Men engaged in public life, literary men, and + artists, have often found in their wives companions and confidants + in thought no less than in feeling. And, as the intellectual + development of Woman has spread wider and risen higher, they have, + not unfrequently, shared the same employment; as in the case of + Roland and his wife, who were friends in the household and in the + nation's councils, read, regulated home affairs, or prepared public + documents together, indifferently. It is very pleasant, in letters + begun by Roland and finished by his wife, to see the harmony of + mind, and the difference of nature; one thought, but various ways of + treating it. + </p> + <p> + This is one of the best instances of a marriage of friendship. It + was only friendship, whose basis was esteem; probably neither party + knew love, except by name. Roland was a good man, worthy to esteem, + and be esteemed; his wife as deserving of admiration as able to do + without it. + </p> + <p> + Madame Roland is the fairest specimen we yet have of her class; as + clear to discern her aim, as valiant to pursue it, as Spenser's + Britomart; austerely set apart from all that did not belong to her, + whether as Woman or as mind. She is an antetype of a class to which + the coming time will afford a field—the Spartan matron, + brought by the culture of the age of books to intellectual + consciousness and expansion. Self-sufficingness, strength, and + clearsightedness were, in her, combined with a power of deep and + calm affection. She, too, would have given a son or husband the + device for his shield, "Return with it or upon it;" and this, not + because she loved little, but much. The page of her life is one of + unsullied dignity. Her appeal to posterity is one against the + injustice of those who committed such crimes in the name of Liberty. + She makes it in behalf of herself and her husband. I would put + beside it, on the shelf, a little volume, containing a similar + appeal from the verdict of contemporaries to that of mankind, made + by Godwin in behalf of his wife, the celebrated, the by most men + detested, Mary Wolstonecraft. In his view, it was an appeal from the + injustice of those who did such wrong in the name of virtue. Were + this little book interesting for no other cause, it would be so for + the generous affection evinced under the peculiar circumstances. + This man had courage to love and honor this woman in the face of the + world's sentence, and of all that was repulsive in her own past + history. He believed he saw of what soul she was, and that the + impulses she had struggled to act out were noble, though the + opinions to which they had led might not be thoroughly weighed. He + loved her, and he defended her for the meaning and tendency of her + inner life. It was a good fact. + </p> + <p> + Mary Wolstonecraft, like Madame Dudevant (commonly known as George + Sand) in our day, was a woman whose existence better proved the need + of some new interpretation of Woman's Rights than anything she + wrote. Such beings as these, rich in genius, of most tender + sympathies, capable of high virtue and a chastened harmony, ought + not to find themselves, by birth, in a place so narrow, that, in + breaking bonds, they become outlaws. Were there as much room in the + world for such, as in Spenser's poem for Britomart, they would not + run their heads so wildly against the walls, but prize their shelter + rather. They find their way, at last, to light and air, but the + world will not take off the brand it has set upon them. The champion + of the Rights of Woman found, in Godwin, one who would plead that + cause like a brother. He who delineated with such purity of traits + the form of Woman in the Marguerite, of whom the weak St. Leon could + never learn to be worthy,—a pearl indeed whose price was above + rubies,—was not false in life to the faith by which he had + hallowed his romance. He acted, as he wrote, like a brother. This + form of appeal rarely fails to touch the basest man:—"Are you + acting toward other women in the way you would have men act towards + your sister?" George Sand smokes, wears male attire, wishes to be + addressed as "Mon frère;"—perhaps, if she found those + who were as brothers indeed, she would not care whether she were + brother or sister. [Footnote: A note appended by my sister in this + place, in the first edition, is here omitted, because it is + incorporated in another article in this volume, treating of George + Sand more at length.—[ED.]] We rejoice to see that she, who + expresses such a painful contempt for men in most of her works, as + shows she must have known great wrong from them, depicts, in "La + Roche Mauprat," a man raised by the workings of love from the depths + of savage sensualism to a moral and intellectual life. It was love + for a pure object, for a steadfast woman, one of those who, the + Italian said, could make the "stair to heaven." + </p> + <p> + This author, beginning like the many in assault upon bad + institutions, and external ills, yet deepening the experience + through comparative freedom, sees at last that the only efficient + remedy must come from individual character. These bad institutions, + indeed, it may always be replied, prevent individuals from forming + good character, therefore we must remove them. Agreed; yet keep + steadily the higher aim in view. Could you clear away all the bad + forms of society, it is vain, unless the individual begin to be + ready for better. There must be a parallel movement in these two + branches of life. And all the rules left by Moses availed less to + further the best life than the living example of one Messiah. + </p> + <p> + Still the mind of the age struggles confusedly with these problems, + better discerning as yet the ill it can no longer bear, than the + good by which it may supersede it. But women like Sand will speak + now and cannot be silenced; their characters and their eloquence + alike foretell an era when such as they shall easier learn to lead + true lives. But though such forebode, not such shall be parents of + it. [Footnote: <a href="#appendixe">Appendix E</a>.] Those who would + reform the world must show that they do not speak in the heat of + wild impulse; their lives must be unstained by passionate error; + they must be severe lawgivers to themselves. They must be religious + students of the divine purpose with regard to man, if they would not + confound the fancies of a day with the requisitions of eternal good. + Their liberty must be the liberty of law and knowledge. But as to + the transgressions against custom which have caused such outcry + against those of noble intention, it may be observed that the + resolve of Eloisa to be only the mistress of Abelard, was that of + one who saw in practice around her the contract of marriage made the + seal of degradation. Shelley feared not to be fettered, unless so to + be was to be false. Wherever abuses are seen, the timid will suffer; + the bold will protest. But society has a right to outlaw them till + she has revised her law; and this she must be taught to do, by one + who speaks with authority, not in anger or haste. + </p> + <p> + If Godwin's choice of the calumniated authoress of the "Rights of + Woman," for his honored wife, be a sign of a new era, no less so is + an article to which I have alluded some pages back, published five + or six years ago in one of the English Reviews, where the writer, in + doing fall justice to Eloisa, shows his bitter regret that she lives + not now to love him, who might have known bettor how to prize her + love than did the egotistical Abelard. + </p> + <p> + These marriages, these characters, with all their imperfections, + express an onward tendency. They speak of aspiration of soul, of + energy of mind, seeking clearness and freedom. Of a like promise are + the tracts lately published by Goodwyn Barmby (the European Pariah, + as he calls himself) and his wife Catharine. Whatever we may think + of their measures, we see in them wedlock; the two minds are wed by + the only contract that can permanently avail, that of a common faith + and a common purpose. + </p> + <p> + We might mention instances, nearer home, of minds, partners in work + and in life, sharing together, on equal terms, public and private + interests, and which wear not, on any side, the aspect of offence + shown by those last-named: persons who steer straight onward, yet, + in our comparatively free life, have not been obliged to run their + heads against any wall. But the principles which guide them might, + under petrified and oppressive institutions, have made them warlike, + paradoxical, and, in some sense, Pariahs. The phenomena are + different, the law is the same, in all these cases. Men and women + have been obliged to build up their house anew from the very + foundation. If they found stone ready in the quarry, they took it + peaceably; otherwise they alarmed the country by pulling down old + towers to get materials. + </p> + <p> + These are all instances of marriage as intellectual companionship. + The parties meet mind to mind, and a mutual trust is produced, which + can buckler them against a million. They work together for a common, + purpose, and, in all these instances, with the same + implement,—the pen. The pen and the writing-desk furnish forth + as naturally the retirement of Woman as of Man. + </p> + <p> + A pleasing expression, in this kind, is afforded by the union in the + names of the Howitts. William and Mary Howitt we heard named + together for years, supposing them to be brother and sister; the + equality of labors and reputation, even so, was auspicious; more so, + now we find them man and wife. In his late work on Germany, Howitt + mentions his wife, with pride, as one among the constellation of + distinguished English-women, and in a graceful, simple manner. And + still we contemplate with pleasure the partnership in literature and + affection between the Howitts,—the congenial pursuits and + productions—the pedestrian tours wherein the married pair + showed that marriage, on a wide enough basis, does not destroy the + "inexhaustible" entertainment which lovers find in one another's + company. + </p> + <p> + In naming these instances, I do not mean to imply that community of + employment is essential to the union of husband and wife, more than + to the union of friends. Harmony exists in difference, no less than + in likeness, if only the same key-note govern both parts. Woman the + poem, Man the poet! Woman the heart, Man the head! Such divisions + are only important when they are never to be transcended. If nature + is never bound down, nor the voice of inspiration stifled, that is + enough. We are pleased that women should write and speak, if they + feel need of it, from having something to tell; but silence for ages + would be no misfortune, if that silence be from divine command, and + not from Man's tradition. + </p> + <p> + While Goetz Von Berlichingen rides to battle, his wife is busy in + the kitchen; but difference of occupation does not prevent that + community of inward life, that perfect esteem, with which he says, + </p> + <pre> + "Whom God loves, to him gives he such a wife." +</pre> + <p> + Manzoni thus dedicates his "Adelchi." + </p> + <p> + "To his beloved and venerated wife, Enrichetta Luigia Blondel, who, + with conjugal affection and maternal wisdom, has preserved a virgin + mind, the author dedicates this 'Adelchi,' grieving that he could + not, by a more splendid and more durable monument, honor the dear + name, and the memory of so many virtues." + </p> + <p> + The relation could not be fairer, nor more equal, if she, too, had + written poems. Yet the position of the parties might have been the + reverse as well; the Woman might have sung the deeds, given voice to + the life of the Man, and beauty would have been the result; as we + see, in pictures of Arcadia, the nymph singing to the shepherds, or + the shepherd, with his pipe, alluring the nymphs; either makes a + good picture. The sounding lyre requires not muscular strength, but + energy of soul to animate the hand which would control it. Nature + seems to delight in varying the arrangements, as if to show that she + will be fettered by no rule; and we must admit the same varieties + that she admits. + </p> + <p> + The fourth and highest grade of marriage union is the religious, + which may be expressed as pilgrimage toward a common shrine. This + includes the others: home sympathies and household wisdom, for these + pilgrims must know how to assist each other along the dusty way; + intellectual communion, for how sad it would be on such a journey to + have a companion to whom you could not communicate your thoughts and + aspirations as they sprang to life; who would have no feeling for + the prospects that open, more and more glorious as we advance; who + would never see the flowers that may be gathered by the most + industrious traveller! It must include all these. + </p> + <p> + Such a fellow-pilgrim Count Zinzendorf seems to have found in his + countess, of whom he thus writes: + </p> + <p> + "Twenty-five years' experience has shown me that just the help-meet + whom I have is the only one that could suit my vocation. Who else + could have so carried through my family affairs? Who lived so + spotlessly before the world? Who so wisely aided me in my rejection + of a dry morality? Who so clearly set aside the Pharisaism which, as + years passed, threatened to creep in among us? Who so deeply + discerned as to the spirits of delusion which sought to bewilder us? + Who would have governed my whole economy so wisely, richly and + hospitably, when circumstances commanded? Who have taken + indifferently the part of servant or mistress, without, on the one + side, affecting an especial spirituality; on the other, being + sullied by any worldly pride? Who, in a community where all ranks + are eager to be on a level, would, from wise and real causes, have + known how to maintain inward and outward distinctions? Who, without + a murmur, have seen her husband encounter such dangers by land and + sea? Who undertaken with him, and <i>sustained</i>, such astonishing + pilgrimages? Who, amid such difficulties, would have always held up + her head and supported me? Who found such vast sums of money, and + acquitted them on her own credit? And, finally, who, of all human + beings, could so well understand and interpret to others my inner + and outer being as this one, of such nobleness in her way of + thinking, such great intellectual capacity, and so free from the + theological perplexities that enveloped me!" + </p> + <p> + Let any one peruse, with all intentness, the lineaments of this + portrait, and see if the husband had not reason, with this air of + solemn rapture and conviction, to challenge comparison? We are + reminded of the majestic cadence of the line whose feet stop in the + just proportion of Humanity, + </p> + <pre> + "Daughter of God and Mati, accomplished Eve!" +</pre> + <p> + An observer [Footnote: Spangenberg] adds this testimony: + </p> + <p> + "We may, in many marriages, regard it as the best arrangement, if + the man has so much advantage over his wife, that she can, without + much thought of her own, be led and directed by him as by a father. + But it was not so with the count and his consort. She was not made + to be a copy; she was an original; and, while she loved and honored + him, she thought for herself, on all subjects, with so much + intelligence, that he could and did look on her as a sister and + friend also." + </p> + <p> + Compare with this refined specimen of a religiously civilized life + the following imperfect sketch of a North American Indian, and we + shall see that the same causes will always produce the same results, + The Flying Pigeon (Ratchewaine) was the wife of a barbarous chief, + who had six others; but she was his only true wife, because the only + one of a strong and pure character, and, having this, inspired a + veneration, as like as the mind of the man permitted to that + inspired by the Countess Zinzendorf. She died when her son was only + four years old, yet left on his mind a feeling of reverent love + worthy the thought of Christian chivalry. Grown to manhood, he shed + tears on seeing her portrait. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h3> + THE FLYING PIGEON. + </h3> + <p> + "Ratchewaine was chaste, mild, gentle in her disposition, kind, + generous, and devoted to her husband. A harsh word was never known + to proceed from her mouth; nor was she ever known to be in a + passion. Mabaskah used to say of her, after her death, that her hand + was shut when those who did not want came into her presence; but + when the really poor came in, it was like a strainer full of holes, + letting all she held in it pass through. In the exercise of generous + feeling she was uniform, It was not indebted for its exercise to + whim, nor caprice, nor partiality. No matter of what nation the + applicant for her bounty was, or whether at war or peace with her + nation; if he were hungry, she fed him; if naked, she clothed him; + and, if houseless, she gave him shelter. The continued exercise of + this generous feeling kept her poor. And she has been known to give + away her last blanket—all the honey that was in the lodge, the + last bladder of bear's oil, and the last piece of dried meat. + </p> + <p> + "She was scrupulously exact in the observance of all the religious + rites which her faith imposed upon her. Her conscience is + represented to have been extremely tender. She often feared that her + acts were displeasing to the Great Spirit, when she would blacken + her face, and retire to some lone place, and fast and pray." + </p> + <p> + To these traits should be added, but for want of room, anecdotes + which show the quick decision and vivacity of her mind. Her face was + in harmony with this combination. Her brow is as ideal and the eyes + and lids as devout and modest as the Italian picture of the Madonna, + while the lower part of the face has the simplicity and childish + strength of the Indian race. Her picture presents the finest + specimen of Indian beauty we have ever seen. Such a Woman is the + sister and friend of all beings, as the worthy Man is their brother + and helper. + </p> + <p> + With like pleasure we survey the pairs wedded on the eve of + missionary effort They, indeed, are fellow-pilgrims on the well-made + road, and whether or no they accomplish all they hope for the sad + Hindoo, or the nearer savage, we feel that in the burning waste + their love is like to be a healing dew, in the forlorn jungle a tent + of solace to one another. They meet, as children of one Father, to + read together one book of instruction. + </p> + <p> + We must insert in this connection the most beautiful picture + presented by ancient literature of wedded love under this noble + form. + </p> + <p> + It is from the romance in which Xenophon, the chivalrous Greek, + presents his ideal of what human nature should be. + </p> + <p> + The generals of Cyrus had taken captive a princess, a woman of + unequalled beauty, and hastened to present her to the prince as that + part of the spoil he would think most worthy of his acceptance. + Cyrus visits the lady, and is filled with immediate admiration by + the modesty and majesty with which she receives him. He finds her + name is Panthea, and that she is the wife of Abradatus, a young king + whom she entirely loves. He protects her as a sister, in his camp, + till he can restore her to her husband. + </p> + <p> + After the first transports of joy at this reunion, the heart of + Panthea is bent on showing her love and gratitude to her magnanimous + and delicate protector. And as she has nothing so precious to give + as the aid of Abradatus, that is what she most wishes to offer. Her + husband is of one soul with her in this, as in all things. + </p> + <p> + The description of her grief and self-destruction, after the death + which ensued upon this devotion, I have seen quoted, but never that + of their parting when she sends him forth to battle. I shall copy + both. If they have been read by any of my readers, they may be so + again with profit in this connection, for never were the heroism of + a true Woman, and the purity of love in a true marriage, painted in + colors more delicate and more lively. + </p> + <p> + "The chariot of Abradatus, that had four perches and eight horses, + was completely adorned for him; and when he was going to put on his + linen corslet, which was a sort of armor used by those of his + country, Panthea brought him a golden helmet, and arm-pieces, broad + bracelets for his wrists, a purple habit that reached down to his + feet, and hung in folds at the bottom, and a crest dyed of a violet + color. These things she had made, unknown to her husband, and by + taking the measure of his armor. He wondered when he saw them, and + inquired thus of Panthea: 'And have you made me these arms, woman, + by destroying your own ornaments?' 'No, by Jove!' said Panthea, 'not + what is the most valuable of them; for it is you, if you appear to + others to be what I think you, that will be my greatest ornament.' + And, saying that, she put on him the armor, and, though she + endeavored to conceal it, the tears poured down her checks. When + Abradatus, who was before a man of fine appearance, was set out in + those arms, he appeared the most beautiful and noble of all, + especially being likewise so by nature. Then, taking the reins from + the driver, he was just preparing to mount the chariot, when + Panthea, after she had desired all that were there to retire, thus + said: + </p> + <p> + "'O Abradatus! if ever there was a woman who had a greater regard to + her husband than to her own soul, I believe you know that I am such + an one; what need I therefore speak of things in particular? for I + reckon that my actions have convinced you more than any words I can + now use. And yet, though I stand thus affected toward you, as you + know I do, I swear, by this friendship of mine and yours, that I + certainly would rather choose to be put under ground jointly with + you, approving yourself a brave man, than to live with you in + disgrace and shame; so much do I think you and myself worthy of the + noblest things. Then I think that we both lie under great + obligations to Cyrus, that, when I was a captive, and chosen out for + himself, he thought fit to treat me neither as a slave, nor, indeed, + as a woman of mean account, but he took and kept me for you, as if I + were his brother's wife. Besides, when Araspes, who was my guard, + went away from him, I promised him, that, if he would allow me to + send for you, you would come to him, and approve yourself a much + better and move faithful friend than Araspes.' + </p> + <p> + "Thus she spoke; and Abradatus, being struck with admiration at her + discourse, laying, his hand gently on her head, and lifting up his + eyes to heaven, made this prayer: 'Do thou, O greatest Jove! I grant + me to appear a husband worthy of Panthea, and a friend worthy of + Cyrus, who has done us so much honor!' + </p> + <p> + "Having said this, he mounted the chariot by the door of the + driver's seat; and, after he had got up, when the driver shut the + door, Panthea, who had now no other way to salute him, kissed the + seat of the chariot. The chariot then moved, and she, unknown to + him, followed, till Abradatus turning about, and seeing her, said: + 'Take courage, Panthea! Fare you happily and well, and now go your + ways.' On this her women and servants carried her to her conveyance, + and, laying her down, concealed her by throwing the covering of a + tent over her. The people, though Abradatus and his chariot made a + noble spectacle, were not able to look at him till Panthea was + gone." + </p> + <p> + After the battle— + </p> + <p> + "Cyrus calling to some of his servants, 'Tell me, said he, 'has any + one seen Abradatus? for I admire that he now does not appear.' One + replied, 'My sovereign, it is because he is not living, but died in + the battle as he broke in with his chariot on the Egyptians. All the + rest, except his particular companions, they say, turned off when + they saw the Egyptians' compact body. His wife is now said to have + taken up his dead body, to have placed it in the carriage that she + herself was conveyed in, and to have brought it hither to some place + on the river Pactolus, and her servants are digging a grave on a + certain elevation. They say that his wife, after setting him out + with all the ornaments she has, is sitting on the ground with his + head on her knees.' Cyrus, hearing this, gave himself a blow on the + thigh, mounted his horse at a leap, and, taking with him a thousand + horse, rode away to this scene of affliction; but gave orders to + Gadatas and Gobryas to take with them all the rich ornaments proper + for a friend and an excellent man deceased, and to follow after him; + and whoever had herds of cattle with him, he ordered them to take + both oxen, and horses, and sheep in good number, and to bring them + away to the place where, by inquiry, they should find him to be, + that he might sacrifice these to Abradatus. + </p> + <p> + "As soon as he saw the woman sitting on the ground, and the dead + body there lying, he shed tears at the afflicting sight, and said: + 'Alas! thou brave and faithful soul, hast thou left us, and art thou + gone?' At the same time he took him by the right hand, and the hand + of the deceased came away, for it had been cut off with a sword by + the Egyptians. He, at the sight of this, became yet much more + concerned than before. The woman shrieked out in a lamentable + manner, and, taking the hand from Cyrus, kissed it, fitted it to its + proper place again, as well as she could, and said: 'The rest, + Cyrus, is in the same condition, but what need you see it? And I + know that I was not one of the least concerned in these his + sufferings, and, perhaps, you were not less so; for I, fool that I + was! frequently exhorted him to behave in such a manner as to appear + a friend to you, worthy of notice; and I know he never thought of + what he himself should suffer, but of what he should do to please + you. He is dead, therefore,' said she, 'without reproach, and I, who + urged him on, sit here alive.' Cyrus, shedding tears for some time + in silence, then spoke:—'He has died, woman, the noblest + death; for he has died victorious! Do you adorn him with these + things that I furnish you with.' (Gobryas and Gadatas were then come + up, and had brought rich ornaments in great abundance with them.) + 'Then,' said he, 'be assured that he shall not want respect and + honor in all other things; but, over and above, multitudes shall + concur in raising him a monument that shall be worthy of us, and all + the sacrifices shall be made him that are proper to be made in honor + of a brave man. You shall not be left destitute, but, for the sake + of your modesty and every other virtue, I will pay you all other + honors, as well as place those about you who will conduct you + wherever you please. Do you but make it known to me where it is that + you desire to be conveyed to.' And Panthea replied: 'Be confident, + Cyrus, I will not conceal from you to whom it is that I desire to + go.' + </p> + <p> + "He, having said this, went away with great pity for her that she + should have lost such a husband, and for the man that he should have + left such a wife behind him, never to see her more. Panthea then + gave orders for her servants to retire, 'till such time,' said she, + 'as I shall have lamented my husband as I please.' Her nurse she bid + to stay, and gave orders that, when she was dead, she would wrap her + and her husband up in one mantle together. The nurse, after having + repeatedly begged her not to do this, and meeting with no success, + but observing her to grow angry, sat herself down, breaking out into + tears. She, being beforehand provided with a sword, killed herself, + and, laying her head down on her husband's breast, she died. The + nurse set up a lamentable cry, and covered them both, as Panthea had + directed. + </p> + <p> + "Cyrus, as soon as he was informed of what the woman had done, being + struck with it, went to help her if he could. The servants, three in + number, seeing what had been done, drew their swords and killed + themselves, as they stood at the place where she bad ordered them. + And the monument is now said to have been raised by continuing the + mound on to the servants; and on a pillar above, they say, the names + of the man and woman were written in Syriac letters. + </p> + <p> + "Below were three pillars, and they were inscribed thus, 'Of the + servants.' Cyrus, when he came to this melancholy scene, was struck + with admiration of the woman, and, having lamented over her, went + away. He took care, as was proper, that all the funeral rites should + be paid them in the noblest manner, and the monument, they say, was + raised up to a very great size." + </p> + <hr> + <p> + These be the ancients, who, so many assert, had no idea of the + dignity of Woman, or of marriage. Such love Xenophon could paint as + subsisting between those who after death "would see one another + never more." Thousands of years have passed since, and with the + reception of the Cross, the nations assume the belief that those who + part thus may meet again and forever, if spiritually fitted to one + another, as Abradatus and Panthea were, and yet do we see such + marriages among them? If at all, how often? + </p> + <p> + I must quote two more short passages from Xenophon, for he is a + writer who pleases me well. + </p> + <p> + Cyrus, receiving the Armenians whom he had conquered— + </p> + <p> + "'Tigranes,' said he, 'at what rate would you purchase the regaining + of your wife?' Now Tigranes happened to be <i>but lately + married</i>, and had a very great love for his wife." (That clause + perhaps sounds <i>modern</i>.) + </p> + <p> + "'Cyrus,' said he, 'I would ransom her at the expense of my life.' + </p> + <p> + "'Take then your own to yourself,' said he. ... + </p> + <p> + "When they came home, one talked of Cyrus' wisdom, another of his + patience and resolution, another of his mildness. One spoke of his + beauty and smallness of his person, and, on that, Tigranes asked his + wife, 'And do you, Armenian dame, think Cyrus handsome?' 'Truly,' + said she, 'I did not look at him.' 'At whom, then, <i>did</i> you + look?' said Tigranes. 'At him who said that, to save me from + servitude, he would ransom me at the expense of his own life.'" + </p> + <p> + From the Banquet.— + </p> + <p> + "Socrates, who observed her with pleasure, said, 'This young girl + has confirmed me in the opinion I have had, for a long time, that + the female sex are nothing inferior to ours, excepting only in + strength of body, or, perhaps, his steadiness of judgment.'" + </p> + <hr> + <p> + In the Economics, the manner in which the husband gives counsel to + his young wife presents the model of politeness and refinement. + Xenophon is thoroughly the gentleman; gentle in breeding and in + soul. All the men he describes are so, while the shades of manner + are distinctly marked. There is the serene dignity of Socrates, with + gleams of playfulness thrown across its cool, religious shades, the + princely mildness of Cyrus, and the more domestic elegance of the + husband in the Economics. + </p> + <p> + There is no way that men sin more against refinement, as well as + discretion, than in their conduct toward their wives. Let them look + at the men of Xenophon. Such would know how to give counsel, for + they would know how to receive it. They would feel that the most + intimate relations claimed most, not least, of refined courtesy. + They would not suppose that confidence justified carelessness, nor + the reality of affection want of delicacy in the expression of it. + </p> + <p> + Such men would be too wise to hide their affairs from the wife, and + then expect her to act as if she knew them. They would know that, if + she is expected to face calamity with courage, she must be + instructed and trusted in prosperity, or, if they had failed in wise + confidence, such as the husband shows in the Economics, they would + be ashamed of anger or querulous surprise at the results that + naturally follow. + </p> + <p> + Such men would not be exposed to the bad influence of bad wives; for + all wives, bad or good, loved or unloved, inevitably influence their + husbands, from the power their position not merely gives, but + necessitates, of coloring evidence and infusing feelings in hours + when the—patient, shall I call him?—is off his guard. + Those who understand the wife's mind, and think it worth while to + respect her springs of action, know bettor where they are. But to + the bad or thoughtless man, who lives carelessly and irreverently so + near another mind, the wrong he does daily back upon himself + recoils. A Cyrus, an Abradatus, knows where he stands. + </p> + <hr> + <p> + But to return to the thread of my subject. + </p> + <p> + Another sign of the times is furnished by the triumphs of Female + Authorship. These have been great, and are constantly increasing. + Women have taken possession of so many provinces for which men had + pronounced them unfit, that, though these still declare there are + some inaccessible to them, it is difficult to say just <i>where</i> + they must stop. + </p> + <p> + The shining names of famous women have cast light upon the path of + the sex, and many obstructions have been removed. When a Montague + could learn better than her brother, and use her lore afterwards to + such purpose as an observer, it seemed amiss to hinder women from + preparing themselves to see, or from seeing all they could, when + prepared. Since Somerville has achieved so much, will any young girl + be prevented from seeking a knowledge of the physical sciences, if + she wishes it? De Stael's name was not so clear of offence; she + could not forget the Woman in the thought; while she was instructing + you as a mind, she wished to be admired as a Woman; sentimental + tears often dimmed the eagle glance. Her intellect, too, with all + its splendor, trained in a drawing-room, fed on flattery, was + tainted and flawed; yet its beams make the obscurest school-house in + New England warmer and lighter to the little rugged girls who are + gathered together on its wooden bench. They may never through life + hear her name, but she is not the less their benefactress. + </p> + <p> + The influence has been such, that the aim certainly is, now, in + arranging school instruction for girls, to give them as fair a field + as boys. As yet, indeed, these arrangements are made with little + judgment or reflection; just as the tutors of Lady Jane Grey, and + other distinguished women of her time, taught them Latin and Greek, + because they knew nothing else themselves, so now the improvement in + the education of girls is to be made by giving them young men as + teachers, who only teach what has been taught themselves at college, + while methods and topics need revision for these new subjects, which + could better be made by those who had experienced the same wants. + Women are, often, at the head of these institutions; but they have, + as yet, seldom been thinking women, capable of organizing a new + whole for the wants of the time, and choosing persons to officiate + in the departments. And when some portion of instruction of a good + sort is got from the school, the far greater proportion which is + infused from the general atmosphere of society contradicts its + purport. Yet books and a little elementary instruction are not + furnished in vain. Women are better aware how great and rich the + universe is, not so easily blinded by narrowness or partial views of + a home circle. "Her mother did so before her" is no longer a + sufficient excuse. Indeed, it was never received as an excuse to + mitigate the severity of censure, but was adduced as a reason, + rather, why there should be no effort made for reformation. + </p> + <p> + Whether much or little has been done, or will be done,—whether + women will add to the talent of narration the power of + systematizing,—whether they will carve marble, as well as draw + and paint,—is not important. But that it should be + acknowledged that they have intellect which needs + developing—that they should not be considered complete, if + beings of affection and habit alone—is important. + </p> + <p> + Yet even this acknowledgment, rather conquered by Woman than + proffered by Man, has been sullied by the usual selfishness. Too + much is said of women being better educated, that they may become + better companions and mothers <i>for</i> men. They should be fit for + such companionship, and we have mentioned, with satisfaction, + instances where it has been established. Earth knows no fairer, + holier relation than that of a mother. It is one which, rightly + understood, must both promote and require the highest attainments. + But a being of infinite scope must not be treated with an exclusive + view to any one relation. Give the soul free course, let the + organization, both of body and mind, be freely developed, and the + being will be fit for any and every relation to which it may be + called. The intellect, no more than the sense of hearing, is to be + cultivated merely that Woman may be a more valuable companion to + Man, but because the Power who gave a power, by its mere existence + signifies that it must be brought out toward perfection. + </p> + <p> + In this regard of self-dependence, and a greater simplicity and + fulness of being, we must hail as a preliminary the increase of the + class contemptuously designated as "old maids." + </p> + <p> + We cannot wonder at the aversion with which old bachelors and old + maids have been regarded. Marriage is the natural means of forming a + sphere, of taking root in the earth; it requires more strength to do + this without such an opening; very many have failed, and their + imperfections have been in every one's way. They have been more + partial, more harsh, more officious and impertinent, than those + compelled by severer friction to render themselves endurable. Those + who have a more full experience of the instincts have a distrust as + to whether the unmarried can be thoroughly human and humane, such as + is hinted in the saying, "Old-maids' and bachelors' children are + well cared for," which derides at once their ignorance and their + presumption. + </p> + <p> + Yet the business of society has become so complex, that it could now + scarcely be carried on without the presence of these despised + auxiliaries; and detachments from the army of aunts and uncles are + wanted to stop gaps in every hedge. They rove about, mental and + moral Ishmaelites, pitching their tents amid the fixed and + ornamented homes of men. + </p> + <p> + In a striking variety of forms, genius of late, both at home and + abroad, has paid its tribute to the character of the Aunt and the + Uncle, recognizing in these personages the spiritual parents, who + have supplied defects in the treatment of the busy or careless + actual parents. + </p> + <p> + They also gain a wider, if not so deep experience. Those who are not + intimately and permanently linked with others, are thrown upon + themselves; and, if they do not there find peace and incessant life, + there is none to flatter them that they are not very poor, and very + mean. + </p> + <p> + A position which so constantly admonishes, may be of inestimable + benefit. The person may gain, undistracted by other relationships, a + closer communion with the one. Such a use is made of it by saints + and sibyls. Or she may be one of the lay sisters of charity, a + canoness, bound by an inward vow,—or the useful drudge of all + men, the Martha, much sought, little prized,—or the + intellectual interpreter of the varied life she sees; the Urania of + a half-formed world's twilight. + </p> + <p> + Or she may combine all these. Not needing to care that she may + please a husband, a frail and limited being, her thoughts may turn + to the centre, and she may, by steadfast contemplation entering into + the secret of truth and love, use it for the good of all men, + instead of a chosen few, and interpret through it all the forms of + life. It is possible, perhaps, to be at once a priestly servant and + a loving muse. + </p> + <p> + Saints and geniuses have often chosen a lonely position, in the + faith that if, undisturbed by the pressure of near ties, they would + give themselves up to the inspiring spirit, it would enable them to + understand and reproduce life better than actual experience could. + </p> + <p> + How many "old maids" take this high stand we cannot say: it is an + unhappy fact that too many who have come before the eye are gossips + rather, and not always good-natured gossips. But if these abuse, and + none make the best of their vocation, yet it has not failed to + produce some good results. It has been seen by others, if not by + themselves, that beings, likely to be left alone, need to be + fortified and furnished within themselves; and education and thought + have tended more and more to regard these beings as related to + absolute Being, as well as to others. It has been seen that, as the + breaking of no bond ought to destroy a man, so ought the missing of + none to hinder him from growing. And thus a circumstance of the + time, which springs rather from its luxury than its purity, has + helped to place women on the true platform. + </p> + <p> + Perhaps the next generation, looking deeper into this matter, will + find that contempt is put upon old maids, or old women, at all, + merely because they do not use the elixir which would keep them + always young. Under its influence, a gem brightens yearly which is + only seen to more advantage through the fissures Time makes in the + casket. [Footnote: <a href="#appendixf">Appendix F</a>.] No one + thinks of Michael Angelo's Persican Sibyl, or St. Theresa, or + Tasso's Leonora, or the Greek Electra, as an old maid, more than of + Michael Angelo or Canova as old bachelors, though all had reached + the period in life's course appointed to take that degree. + </p> + <p> + See a common woman at forty; scarcely has she the remains of beauty, + of any soft poetic grace which gave her attraction as Woman, which + kindled the hearts of those who looked on her to sparkling thoughts, + or diffused round her a roseate air of gentle love. See her, who + was, indeed, a lovely girl, in the coarse, full-blown dahlia flower + of what is commonly matron-beauty, "fat, fair, and forty," showily + dressed, and with manners as broad and full as her frill or satin + cloak. People observe, "How well she is preserved!" "She is a fine + woman still," they say. This woman, whether as a duchess in + diamonds, or one of our city dames in mosaics, charms the poet's + heart no more, and would look much out of place kneeling before the + Madonna. She "does well the honors of her house,"—"leads + society,"—is, in short, always spoken and thought of + upholstery-wise. + </p> + <p> + Or see that care-worn face, from which every soft line is + blotted,—those faded eyes, from which lonely tears have driven + the flashes of fancy, the mild white beam of a tender enthusiasm. + This woman is not so ornamental to a tea-party; yet she would please + better, in picture. Yet surely she, no more than the other, looks as + a human being should at the end of forty years. Forty years! have + they bound those brows with no garland? shed in the lamp no drop of + ambrosial oil? + </p> + <p> + Not so looked the Iphigenia in Aulis. Her forty years had seen her + in anguish, in sacrifice, in utter loneliness. But those pains were + borne for her father and her country; the sacrifice she had made + pure for herself and those around her. Wandering alone at night in + the vestal solitude of her imprisoning grove, she has looked up + through its "living summits" to the stars, which shed down into her + aspect their own lofty melody. At forty she would not misbecome the + marble. + </p> + <p> + Not so looks the Persica. She is withered; she is faded; the drapery + that enfolds her has in its dignity an angularity, too, that tells + of age, of sorrow, of a stern resignation to the <i>must</i>. But + her eye, that torch of the soul, is untamed, and, in the intensity + of her reading, we see a soul invincibly young in faith and hope. + Her age is her charm, for it is the night of the past that gives + this beacon-fire leave to shine. Wither more and more, black + Chrysalid! thou dost but give the winged beauty time to mature its + splendors! + </p> + <p> + Not so looked Victoria Colonna, after her life of a great hope, and + of true conjugal fidelity. She had been, not merely a bride, but a + wife, and each hour had helped to plume the noble bird. A coronet of + pearls will not shame her brow; it is white and ample, a worthy + altar for love and thought. + </p> + <p> + Even among the North American Indians, a race of men as completely + engaged in mere instinctive life as almost any in the world, and + where each chief, keeping many wives as useful servants, of course + looks with no kind eye on celibacy in Woman, it was excused in the + following instance mentioned by Mrs. Jameson. A woman dreamt in + youth that she was betrothed to the Sun. She built her a wigwam + apart, filled it with emblems of her alliance, and means of on + independent life. There she passed her days, sustained by her own + exertions, and true to her supposed engagement. + </p> + <p> + In any tribe, we believe, a woman, who lived as if she was betrothed + to the Sun, would be tolerated, and the rays which made her youth + blossom sweetly, would crown her with a halo in age. + </p> + <p> + There is, on this subject, a nobler view than heretofore, if not the + noblest, and improvement here must coincide with that in the view + taken of marriage. "We must have units before we can have union," + says one of the ripe thinkers of the times. + </p> + <p> + If larger intellectual resources begin to be deemed needful to + Woman, still more is a spiritual dignity in her, or even the mere + assumption of it, looked upon with respect. Joanna Southcote and + Mother Anne Lee are sure of a band of disciples; Ecstatica, + Dolorosa, of enraptured believers who will visit them in their lowly + huts, and wait for days to revere them in their trances. The foreign + noble traverses land and sea to hear a few words from the lips of + the lowly peasant girl, whom he believes especially visited by the + Most High. Very beautiful, in this way, was the influence of the + invalid of St. Petersburg, as described by De Maistre. + </p> + <p> + Mysticism, which may be defined as the brooding soul of the world, + cannot fail of its oracular promise as to Woman. "The mothers," "The + mother of all things," are expressions of thought which lead the + mind towards this side of universal growth. Whenever a mystical + whisper was heard, from Behmen down to St. Simon, sprang up the + thought, that, if it be true, as the legend says, that Humanity + withers through a fault committed by and a curse laid upon Woman, + through her pure child, or influence, shall the new Adam, the + redemption, arise. Innocence is to be replaced by virtue, dependence + by a willing submission, in the heart of the Virgin-Mother of the + new race. + </p> + <p> + The spiritual tendency is toward the elevation of Woman, but the + intellectual by itself is not so. Plato sometimes seems penetrated + by that high idea of love, which considers Man and Woman as the + two-fold expression of one thought. This the angel of Swedenborg, + the angel of the coming age, cannot surpass, but only explain more + fully. But then again Plato, the man of intellect, treats Woman in + the Republic as property, and, in the Timæus, says that Man, + if he misuse the privileges of one life, shall be degraded into the + form of Woman; and then, if ho do not redeem himself, into that of a + bird. This, as I said above, expresses most happily how antipoetical + is this state of mind. For the poet, contemplating the world of + things, selects various birds as the symbols of his most gracious + and ethereal thoughts, just as he calls upon his genius as muse + rather than as God. But the intellect, cold, is ever more masculine + than feminine; warmed by emotion, it rushes toward mother-earth, and + puts on the forms of beauty. + </p> + <p> + The electrical, the magnetic element in Woman has not been fairly + brought out at any period. Everything might be expected from it; she + has far more of it than Man. This is commonly expressed by saying + that her intuitions are more rapid and more correct. You will often + see men of high intellect absolutely stupid in regard to the + atmospheric changes, the fine invisible links which connect the + forms of life around them, while common women, if pure and modest, + so that a vulgar self do not overshadow the mental eye, will seize + and delineate these with unerring discrimination. + </p> + <p> + Women who combine this organization with creative genius are very + commonly unhappy at present. They see too much to act in conformity + with those around them, and their quick impulses seem folly to those + who do not discern the motives. This is an usual effect of the + apparition of genius, whether in Man or Woman, but is more frequent + with regard to the latter, because a harmony, an obvious order and + self-restraining decorum, is most expected from her. + </p> + <p> + Then women of genius, even more than men, are likely to be enslaved + by an impassioned sensibility. The world repels them more rudely, + and they are of weaker bodily frame. + </p> + <p> + Those who seem overladen with electricity frighten those around + them. "When she merely enters the room, I am what the French call + <i>herissé</i>," said a man of petty feelings and worldly + character of such a woman, whose depth of eye and powerful motion + announced the conductor of the mysterious fluid. + </p> + <p> + Woe to such a woman who finds herself linked to such a man in bonds + too close! It is the crudest of errors. He will detest her with all + the bitterness of wounded self-love. He will take the whole + prejudice of manhood upon himself, and, to the utmost of his power, + imprison and torture her by its imperious rigors. + </p> + <p> + Yet, allow room enough, and the electric fluid will be found to + invigorate and embellish, not destroy life. Such women are the great + actresses, the songsters. Such traits we read in a late searching, + though too French, analysis of the character of Mademoiselle Rachel, + by a modern, La Rochefeucault. The Greeks thus represent the muses; + they have not the golden serenity of Apollo; they are overflowed + with thought; there is something tragic in their air. Such are the + Sibyls of Gueroino; the eye is overfull of expression, dilated and + lustrous; it seems to have drawn the whole being into it. + </p> + <p> + Sickness is the frequent result of this overcharged existence. To + this region, however misunderstood, or interpreted with presumptuous + carelessness, belong the phenomena of magnetism, or mesmerism, as it + is now often called, where the trance of the Ecstatica purports to + be produced by the agency of one human being on another, instead of, + as in her case, direct from the spirit. + </p> + <p> + The worldling has his sneer at this as at the services of religion. + "The churches can always be filled with women"—"Show me a man + in one of your magnetic states, and I will believe." + </p> + <p> + Women are, indeed, the easy victims both of priestcraft and + self-delusion; but this would not be, if the intellect was developed + in proportion to the other powers. They would then have a regulator, + and be more in equipoise, yet must retain the same nervous + susceptibility while their physical structure is such as it is. + </p> + <p> + It is with just that hope that we welcome everything that tends to + strengthen the fibre and develop the nature on more sides. When the + intellect and affections are in harmony; when intellectual + consciousness is calm and deep; inspiration will not be confounded + with fancy. + </p> + <pre> + Then, "she who advances + With rapturous, lyrical glances, + Singing the song of the earth, singing + Its hymn to the Gods," +</pre> + <p> + will not be pitied as a mad-woman, nor shrunk from as unnatural. + </p> + <p> + The Greeks, who saw everything in forms, which we are trying to + ascertain as law, and classify as cause, embodied all this in the + form of Cassandra. Cassandra was only unfortunate in receiving her + gift too soon. The remarks, however, that the world still makes in + such cases, are well expressed by the Greek dramatist. + </p> + <p> + In the Trojan dames there are fine touches of nature with regard to + Cassandra. Hecuba shows that mixture of shame and reverence that + prosaic kindred always do toward the inspired child, the poet, the + elected sufferer for the race. + </p> + <p> + When the herald announces that Cassandra is chosen to be the + mistress of Agamemnon, Hecuba answers, with indignation, betraying + the pride and faith she involuntarily felt in this daughter. + </p> + <pre> + "<i>Hec</i>. The maiden of Phoebus, to whom the golden-haired + Gave as a privilege a virgin life! + +<i>Tal</i>. Love of the inspired maiden hath pierced him. + +<i>Hec</i>. Then cast away, my child, the sacred keys, and from thy person + The consecrated garlands which thou wearest." +</pre> + <p> + Yet, when, a moment after, Cassandra appears, singing, wildly, her + inspired song, Hecuba calls her, "My <i>frantic</i> child." + </p> + <p> + Yet how graceful she is in her tragic <i>raptus</i>, the chorus + shows. + </p> + <pre> + "<i>Chorus</i>. How sweetly at thy house's ills thou smil'st, + Chanting what, haply, thou wilt not show true." +</pre> + <p> + If Hecuba dares not trust her highest instinct about her daughter, + still less can the vulgar mind of the herald Talthybius, a man not + without feeling, but with no princely, no poetic blood, abide the + wild, prophetic mood which insults all his prejudices. + </p> + <pre> + "<i>Tal</i>. The venerable, and that accounted wise, + Is nothing better than that of no repute; + For the greatest king of all the Greeks, + The dear son of Atreus, a possessed with the love + Of this mad-Woman. I, indeed, am poor; + Yet I would not receive her to my bed." +</pre> + <p> + The royal Agamemnon could see the beauty of Cassandra; <i>he</i> was + not afraid of her prophetic gifts. + </p> + <p> + The best topic for a chapter on this subject, in the present day, + would be the history of the Seeress of Prevorst, the best observed + subject of magnetism in our present times, and who, like her + ancestresses of Delphos, was roused to ecstasy or phrensy by the + touch of the laurel. + </p> + <p> + I observe in her case, and in one known to me here, that what might + have been a gradual and gentle disclosure of remarkable powers was + broken and jarred into disease by an unsuitable marriage. Both these + persons were unfortunate in not understanding what was involved in + this relation, but acted ignorantly, as their friends desired. They + thought that this was the inevitable destiny of Woman. But when + engaged in the false position, it was impossible for them to endure + its dissonances, as those of less delicate perceptions can; and the + fine flow of life was checked and sullied. They grew sick; but, even + so, learned and disclosed more than those in health are wont to do. + </p> + <p> + In such cases, worldlings sneer; but reverent men learn wondrous + news, either from the person observed, or by thoughts caused in + themselves by the observation. Fenelon learns from Guyon, Kerner + from his Seeress, what we fain would know. But to appreciate such + disclosures one must be a child; and here the phrase, "women and + children," may, perhaps, be interpreted aright, that only little + children shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. + </p> + <p> + All these motions of the time, tides that betoken a waxing moon, + overflow upon our land. The world at large is readier to let Woman + learn and manifest the capacities of her nature than it ever was + before, and here is a less encumbered field and freer air than + anywhere else. And it ought to be so; we ought to pay for Isabella's + jewels. + </p> + <p> + The names of nations are feminine—Religion, Virtue and Victory + are feminine. To those who have a superstition, as to outward + reigns, it is not without significance that the name of the queen of + our motherland should at this crisis be Victoria,—Victoria the + First. Perhaps to us it may be given to disclose the era thus + outwardly presaged. + </p> + <p> + Another Isabella too at this time ascends the throne. Might she open + a new world to her sex! But, probably, these poor little women are, + least of any, educated to serve as examples or inspirers for the + rest. The Spanish queen is younger; we know of her that she sprained + her foot the other day, dancing in her private apartments; of + Victoria, that she reads aloud, in a distinct voice and agreeable + manner, her addresses to Parliament on certain solemn days, and, + yearly, that she presents to the nation some new prop of royalty. + These ladies have, very likely, been trained more completely to the + puppet life than any other. The queens, who have been queens indeed, + were trained by adverse circumstances to know the world around them + and their own powers. + </p> + <p> + It is moving, while amusing, to read of the Scottish peasant + measuring the print left by the queen's foot as she walks, and + priding himself on its beauty. It is so natural to wish to find what + is fair and precious in high places,—so astonishing to find + the Bourbon a glutton, or the Guelph a dullard or gossip. + </p> + <p> + In our own country, women are, in many respects, better situated + than men. Good books are allowed, with more time to read them. They + are not so early forced into the bustle of life, nor so weighed down + by demands for outward success. The perpetual changes, incident to + our society, make the blood circulate freely through the body + politic, and, if not favorable at present to the grace and bloom of + life, they are so to activity, resource, and would be to reflection, + but for a low materialist tendency, from which the women are + generally exempt in themselves, though its existence, among the men, + has a tendency to repress their impulses and make them doubt their + instincts, thus often paralyzing their action during the best years. + </p> + <p> + But they have time to think, and no traditions chain them, and few + conventionalities, compared with what must be met in other nations. + There is no reason why they should not discover that the secrets of + nature are open, the revelations of the spirit waiting, for whoever + will seek them. When the mind is once awakened to this + consciousness, it will not be restrained by the habits of the past, + but fly to seek the seeds of a heavenly future. + </p> + <p> + Their employments are more favorable to meditation than those of + men. + </p> + <p> + Woman is not addressed religiously here more than elsewhere. She is + told that she should be worthy to be the mother of a Washington, or + the companion of some good man.' But in many, many instances, she + has already learned that all bribes have the same flaw; that truth + and good are to be sought solely for their own sakes. And, already, + an ideal sweetness floats over many forms, shines in many eyes. + </p> + <p> + Already deep questions are put by young girls on the great theme: + What shall I do to enter upon the eternal life? + </p> + <p> + Men are very courteous to them. They praise them often, check them + seldom. There is chivalry in the feeling toward "the ladies," which + gives them the best seats in the stage-coach, frequent admission, + not only to lectures of all sorts, but to courts of justice, halls + of legislature, reform conventions. The newspaper editor "would be + better pleased that the Lady's Book should be filled up exclusively + by ladies. It would then, indeed, be a true gem, worthy, to be + presented by young men to the, mistress of their affections." Can + gallantry go further? + </p> + <p> + In this country is venerated, wherever seen, the character which + Goethe spoke of as an Ideal, which he saw actualized in his friend + and patroness, the Grand Duchess Amelia: "The excellent woman is + she, who, if the husband dies, can be a father to the children." And + this, if read aright, tells a great deal. + </p> + <p> + Women who speak in public, if they have a moral power, such as has + been felt from Angelina Grimke and Abby Kelly,—that is, if + they speak for conscience' sake, to serve a cause which they hold + sacred,—invariably subdue the prejudices of their hearers, and + excite an interest proportionate to the aversion with which it had + been the purpose to regard them. + </p> + <p> + A passage in a private letter so happily illustrates this, that it + must be inserted here. + </p> + <p> + Abby Kelly in the Town-House of ——. + </p> + <p> + "The scene was not unheroic—to see that woman, true to + humanity and her own nature, a centre of rude eyes and tongues, even + gentlemen feeling licensed to make part of a species of mob around a + female out of her sphere. As she took her seat in the desk amid the + great noise, and in the throng, full, like a wave, of something to + ensue, I saw her humanity in a gentleness and unpretension, tenderly + open to the sphere around her, and, had she not been supported by + the power of the will of genuineness and principle, she would have + failed. It led her to prayer, which, in Woman especially, is + childlike; sensibility and will going to the side of God and looking + up to him; and humanity was poured out in aspiration. + </p> + <p> + "She acted like a gentle hero, with her mild decision and womanly + calmness. All heroism is mild, and quiet, and gentle, for it is life + and possession; and combativeness and firmness show a want of + actualness. She is as earnest, fresh and simple, as when she first + entered the crusade. I think she did much good, more than the men in + her place could do, for Woman feels more as being and + reproducing—this brings the subject more into home relations. + Men speak through, and mostly from intellect, and this addresses + itself to that in others which is combative." + </p> + <p> + Not easily shall we find elsewhere, or before this time, any written + observations on the same subject, so delicate and profound. + </p> + <p> + The late Dr. Channing, whose enlarged and tender and religious + nature shared every onward impulse of his tune, though his thoughts + followed his wishes with a deliberative caution which belonged to + his habits and temperament, was greatly interested in these + expectations for women. His own treatment of them was absolutely and + thoroughly religious. He regarded them as souls, each of which had a + destiny of its own, incalculable to other minds, and whose leading + it must follow, guided by the light of a private conscience. He had + sentiment, delicacy, kindness, taste; but they were all pervaded and + ruled by this one thought, that all beings had souls, and must + vindicate their own inheritance. Thus all beings were treated by him + with an equal, and sweet, though solemn, courtesy. The young and + unknown, the woman and the child, all felt themselves regarded with + an infinite expectation, from which there was no reaction to vulgar + prejudice. He demanded of all he met, to use his favorite phrase, + "great truths." + </p> + <p> + His memory, every way dear and reverend, is, by many, especially + cherished for this intercourse of unbroken respect. + </p> + <p> + At one time, when the progress of Harriet Martineau through this + country, Angelina Grimke's appearance in public, and the visit of + Mrs. Jameson, had turned his thoughts to this subject, he expressed + high hopes as to what the coming era would bring to Woman. He had + been much pleased with the dignified courage of Mrs. Jameson in + taking up the defence of her sex in from which women usually shrink, + because, if they express themselves on such subjects with sufficient + force and clearness to do any good, they are exposed to assaults + whose vulgarity makes them painful. In intercourse with such a + woman, he had shared her indignation at the base injustice, in many + respects, and in many regions, done to the sex; and been led to + think of it far more than ever before. He seemed to think that he + might some time write upon the subject. That his aid is withdrawn + from the cause is a subject of great regret; for, on this question + as on others, he would have known how to sum up the evidence, and + take, in the noblest spirit, middle ground. He always furnished a + platform on which opposing parties could stand and look at one + another under the influence of his mildness and enlightened candor. + </p> + <p> + Two younger thinkers, men both, have uttered noble prophecies, + auspicious for Woman. Kinmont, all whose thoughts tended towards the + establishment of the reign of love and peace, thought that the + inevitable means of this would be an increased predominance given to + the idea of Woman. Had he lived longer, to see the growth of the + Peace Party, the reforms in life and medical practice which seek to + substitute water for wine and drugs, pulse for animal food, he would + have been confirmed in his view of the way in which the desired + changes are to be effected. + </p> + <p> + In this connection I must mention Shelley, who, like all men of + genius, shared the feminine development, and, unlike many, knew it. + His life was one of the first pulse-beats in the present + reform-growth. He, too, abhorred blood and heat, and, by his system + and his song, tended to reinstate a plant-like gentleness in the + development of energy. In harmony with this, his ideas of marriage + were lofty, and, of course, no less so of Woman, her nature, and + destiny. + </p> + <p> + For Woman, if, by a sympathy as to outward condition, she is led to + aid the enfranchisement of the slave, must be no less so, by inward + tendency, to favor measures which promise to bring the world more + thoroughly and deeply into harmony with her nature. When the lamb + takes place of the lion as the emblem of nations, both women and men + will be as children of one spirit, perpetual learners of the word + and doers thereof, not hearers only. + </p> + <p> + A writer in the New York Pathfinder, in two articles headed + "Femality," has uttered a still more pregnant word than any we have + named. He views Woman truly from the soul, and not from society, and + the depth and leading of his thoughts are proportionably remarkable. + He views the feminine nature as a harmonizer of the vehement + elements, and this has often been hinted elsewhere; but what he + expresses most forcibly is the lyrical, the inspiring and inspired + apprehensiveness of her being. + </p> + <p> + This view being identical with what I have before attempted to + indicate, as to her superior susceptibility to magnetic or electric + influence, I will now try to express myself more fully. + </p> + <p> + There are two aspects of Woman's nature, represented by the ancients + as Muse and Minerva. It is the former to which the writer in the + Pathfinder looks. It is the latter which Wordsworth has in mind, + when he says, + </p> + <pre> + "With a placid brow, + Which woman ne'er should forfeit, keep thy vow." +</pre> + <p> + The especial genius of Woman I believe to be electrical in movement, + intuitive in function, spiritual in tendency. She excels not so + easily in classification, or recreation, as in an instinctive + seizure of causes, and a simple breathing out of what she receives, + that has the singleness of life, rather than the selecting and + energizing of art. + </p> + <p> + More native is it to her to be the living model of the artist than + to set apart from herself any one form in objective reality; more + native to inspire and receive the poem, than to create it. In so far + as soul is in her completely developed, all soul is the same, but in + so far as it is modified in her as Woman, it flows, it breathes, it + sings, rather than deposits soil, or finishes work; and that which + is especially feminine flushes, in blossom, the face of earth, and + pervades, like air and water, all this seeming solid globe, daily + renewing and purifying its life. Such may be the especially feminine + element spoken of as Femality. But it is no more the order of nature + that it should be incarnated pure in any form, than that the + masculine energy should exist unmingled with it in any form. + </p> + <p> + Male and female represent the two sides of the great radical + dualism. But, in fact, they are perpetually passing into one + another. Fluid hardens to solid, solid rushes to fluid. There is no + wholly masculine man, no purely feminine woman. + </p> + <p> + History jeers at the attempts of physiologists to bind great + original laws by the forms which flow from them. They make a rule; + they say from observation what can and cannot be. In vain! Nature + provides exceptions to every rule. She sends women to battle, and + sets Hercules spinning; she enables women to bear immense burdens, + cold, and frost; she enables the man, who feels maternal love, to + nourish his infant like a mother. Of late she plays still gayer + pranks. Not only she deprives organizations, but organs, of a + necessary end. She enables people to read with the top of the head, + and see with the pit of the stomach. Presently she will make a + female Newton, and a male Syren. + </p> + <p> + Man partakes of the feminine in the Apollo, Woman of the masculine + as Minerva. + </p> + <p> + What I mean by the Muse is that unimpeded clearness of the intuitive + powers, which a perfectly truthful adherence to every admonition of + the higher instincts would bring to a finely organized human being. + It may appear as prophecy or as poesy. It enabled Cassandra to + foresee the results of actions passing round her; the Seeress to + behold the true character of the person through the mask of his + customary life. (Sometimes she saw a feminine form behind the man, + sometimes the reverse.) It enabled the daughter of Linnæus to + see the soul of the flower exhaling from the flower. [Footnote: The + daughter of Linnaeus states, that, while looking steadfastly at the + red lily, she saw its spirit hovering above it, as a red flame. It + is true, this, like many fair spirit-stories, may be explained away + as an optical illusion, but its poetic beauty and meaning would, + even then, make it valuable, as an illustration of the spiritual + fact.] It gave a man, but a poet-man, the power of which he thus + speaks: "Often in my contemplation of nature, radiant intimations, + and as it were sheaves of light, appear before me as to the facts of + cosmogony, in which my mind has, perhaps, taken especial part." He + wisely adds, "but it is necessary with earnestness to verify the + knowledge we gain by these flashes of light." And none should forget + this. Sight must be verified by light before it can deserve the + honors of piety and genius. Yet sight comes first, and of this sight + of the world of causes, this approximation to the region of + primitive motions, women I hold to be especially capable. Even + without equal freedom with the other sex, they have already shown + themselves so; and should these faculties have free play, I believe + they will open new, deeper and purer sources of joyous inspiration + than have as yet refreshed the earth. + </p> + <p> + Let us be wise, and not impede the soul. Let her work as she will. + Let us have one creative energy, one incessant revelation. Let it + take what form it will, and let us not bind it by the past to man or + woman, black or white. Jove sprang from Rhea, Pallas from Jove. So + let it be. + </p> + <p> + If it has been the tendency of these remarks to call Woman rather to + the Minerva side,—if I, unlike the more generous writer, have + spoken from society no less than the soul,—let it be pardoned! + It is love that has caused this,—love for many incarcerated + souls, that might be freed, could the idea of religious + self-dependence be established in them, could the weakening habit of + dependence on others be broken up. + </p> + <p> + Proclus teaches that every life has, in its sphere, a totality or + wholeness of the animating powers of the other spheres; having only, + as its own characteristic, a predominance of some one power. Thus + Jupiter comprises, within himself, the other twelve powers, which + stand thus: The first triad is <i>demiurgic or fabricative</i>, that + is, Jupiter, Neptune, Vulcan; the second, <i>defensive</i>, Vesta, + Minerva, Mars; the third, <i>vivific</i>, Ceres, Juno, Diana; and + the fourth, Mercury, Venus, Apollo, <i>elevating and harmonic</i>. + In the sphere of Jupiter, energy is predominant—with Venus, + beauty; but each comprehends and apprehends all the others. + </p> + <p> + When the same community of life and consciousness of mind begin + among men, humanity will have, positively and finally, subjugated + its brute elements and Titanic childhood; criticism will have + perished; arbitrary limits and ignorant censure be impossible; all + will have entered upon the liberty of law, and the harmony of common + growth. + </p> + <p> + Then Apollo will sing to his lyre what Vulcan forges on the anvil, + and the Muse weave anew the tapestries of Minerva. + </p> + <p> + It is, therefore, only in the present crisis that the preference is + given to Minerva. The power of continence must establish the + legitimacy of freedom, the power of self-poise the perfection of + motion. + </p> + <p> + Every relation, every gradation of nature is incalculably precious, + but only to the soul which is poised upon itself, and to whom no + loss, no change, can bring dull discord, for it is in harmony with + the central soul. + </p> + <p> + If any individual live too much in relations, so that he becomes a + stranger to the resources of his own nature, he falls, after a + while, into a distraction, or imbecility, from which he can only be + cured by a time of isolation, which gives the renovating fountains + time to rise up. With a society it is the same. Many minds, deprived + of the traditionary or instinctive means of passing a cheerful + existence, must find help in self-impulse, or perish. It is + therefore that, while any elevation, in the view of union, is to be + hailed with joy, we shall not decline celibacy as the great fact of + the time. It is one from which no vow, no arrangement, can at + present save a thinking mind. For now the rowers are pausing on + their oars; they wait a change before they can pull together. All + tends to illustrate the thought of a wise cotemporary. Union is only + possible to those who are units. To be fit for relations in time, + souls, whether of Man or Woman, must be able to do without them in + the spirit. + </p> + <p> + It is therefore that I would have Woman lay aside all thought, such + as she habitually cherishes, of being taught and led by men. I would + have her, like the Indian girl, dedicate herself to the Sun, the Sun + of Truth, and go nowhere if his beams did not make clear the path. I + would have her free from compromise, from complaisance, from + helplessness, because I would have her good enough and strong enough + to love one and all beings, from the fulness, not the poverty of + being. + </p> + <p> + Men, as at present instructed, will not help this work, because they + also are under the slavery of habit. I have seen with delight their + poetic impulses. A sister is the fairest ideal, and how nobly + Wordsworth, and even Byron, have written of a sister! + </p> + <p> + There is no sweeter sight than to see a father with his little + daughter. Very vulgar men become refined to the eye when leading a + little girl by the hand. At that moment, the right relation between + the sexes seems established, and you feel as if the man would aid in + the noblest purpose, if you ask him in behalf of his little + daughter. Once, two fine figures stood before me, thus. The father + of very intellectual aspect, his falcon eye softened by affection as + he looked down on his fair child; she the image of himself, only + more graceful and brilliant in expression. I was reminded of + Southey's Kehama; when, lo, the dream was rudely broken! They were + talking of education, and he said, + </p> + <p> + "I shall not have Maria brought too forward. If she knows too much, + she will never find a husband; superior women hardly ever can." + </p> + <p> + "Surely," said his wife, with a blush, "you wish Maria to be as good + and wise as she can, whether it will help her to marriage or not." + </p> + <p> + "No," he persisted, "I want her to have a sphere and a home, and + some one to protect her when I am gone." + </p> + <p> + It was a trifling incident, but made a deep impression. I felt that + the holiest relations fail to instruct the unprepared and perverted + mind. If this man, indeed, could have looked at it on the other + side, he was the last that would have been willing to have been + taken himself for the home and protection he could give, but would + have been much more likely to repeat the tale of Alcibiades with his + phials. + </p> + <p> + But men do <i>not</i> look at both sides, and women must leave off + asking them and being influenced by them, but retire within + themselves, and explore the ground-work of life till they find their + peculiar secret. Then, when they come forth again, renovated and + baptized, they will know how to turn all dross to gold, and will be + rich and free though they live in a hut, tranquil if in a crowd. + Then their sweet singing shall not be from passionate impulse, but + the lyrical overflow of a divine rapture, and a new music shall be + evolved from this many-chorded world. + </p> + <p> + Grant her, then, for a while, the armor and the javelin. Let her put + from her the press of other minds, and meditate in virgin + loneliness. The same idea shall reappear in due time as Muse, or + Ceres, the all-kindly, patient Earth-Spirit. + </p> + <p> + Among the throng of symptoms which denote the present tendency to a + crisis in the life of Woman,—which resembles the change from + girlhood, with its beautiful instincts, but unharmonized thoughts, + its blind pupilage and restless seeking, to self-possessed, wise and + graceful womanhood,—I have attempted to select a few. + </p> + <p> + One of prominent interest is the unison upon the subject of three + male minds, which, for width of culture, power of self-concentration + and dignity of aim, take rank as the prophets of the coming age, + while their histories and labors are rooted in the past. + </p> + <p> + Swedenborg came, he tells us, to interpret the past revelation and + unfold a new. He announces the New Church that is to prepare the way + for the New Jerusalem, a city built of precious stones, hardened and + purified by secret processes in the veins of earth through the ages. + </p> + <p> + Swedenborg approximated to that harmony between the scientific and + poetic lives of mind, which we hope from the perfected man. The + links that bind together the realms of nature, the mysteries that + accompany her births and growths, were unusually plain to him. He + seems a man to whom insight was given at a period when the mental + frame was sufficiently matured to retain and express its gifts. + </p> + <p> + His views of Woman are, in the main, satisfactory. In some details + we my object to them, as, in all his system, there are still remains + of what is arbitrary and seemingly groundless—fancies that + show the marks of old habits, and a nature as yet not thoroughly + leavened with the spiritual leaven. At least, so it seems to me now. + I speak reverently, for I find such reason to venerate Swedenborg, + from an imperfect knowledge of his mind, that I feel one more + perfect might explain to me much that does not now secure my + sympathy. + </p> + <p> + His idea of Woman is sufficiently large and noble to interpose no + obstacle to her progress. His idea of marriage is consequently + sufficient. Man and Woman share an angelic ministry; the union is of + one with one, permanent and pure. + </p> + <p> + As the New Church extends its ranks, the needs of Woman must be more + considered. + </p> + <p> + Quakerism also establishes Woman on a sufficient equality with Man. + But, though the original thought of Quakerism is pure, its scope is + too narrow, and its influence, having established a certain amount + of good and made clear some truth, must, by degrees, be merged in + one of wider range. [Footnote: In worship at stated periods, in + daily expression, whether by word or deed, the Quakers have placed + Woman on the same platform with Man. Can any one assert that they + have reason to repent this?] The mind of Swedenborg appeals to the + various nature of Man, and allows room for aesthetic culture and the + free expression of energy. + </p> + <p> + As apostle of the new order, of the social fabric that is to rise + from love, and supersede the old that was based on strife, Charles + Fourier comes next, expressing, in an outward order, many facts of + which Swedenborg saw the secret springs. The mind of Fourier, though + grand and clear, was, in some respects, superficial. He was a + stranger to the highest experiences. His eye was fixed on the + outward more than the inward needs of Man. Yet he, too, was a seer + of the divine order, in its musical expression, if not in its poetic + soul. He has filled one department of instruction for the new era, + and the harmony in action, and freedom for individual growth, he + hopes, shall exist; and, if the methods he proposes should not prove + the true ones, yet his fair propositions shall give many hints, and + make room for the inspiration needed for such. + </p> + <p> + He, too, places Woman on an entire equality with Man, and wishes to + give to one as to the other that independence which must result from + intellectual and practical development. + </p> + <p> + Those who will consult him for no other reason, might do so to see + how the energies of Woman may be made available in the pecuniary + way. The object of Fourier was to give her the needed means of + self-help, that she might dignify and unfold her life for her own + happiness, and that of society. The many, now, who see their + daughters liable to destitution, or vice to escape from it, may be + interested to examine the means, if they have not yet soul enough to + appreciate the ends he proposes. + </p> + <p> + On the opposite side of the advancing army leads the great apostle + of individual culture, Goethe. Swedenborg makes organization and + union the necessary results of solitary thought. Fourier, whose + nature was, above all, constructive, looked to them too exclusively. + Better institutions, he thought, will make better men. Goethe + expressed, in every way, the other side. If one man could present + better forms, the rest could not use them till ripe for them. + </p> + <p> + Fourier says, As the institutions, so the men! All follies are + excusable and natural under bad institutions. + </p> + <p> + Goethe thinks, As the man, so the institutions! There is no excuse + for ignorance and folly. A man can grow in any place, if he will. + </p> + <p> + Ay! but, Goethe, bad institutions are prison-walls and impure air, + that make him stupid, so that he does not will. + </p> + <p> + And thou, Fourier, do not expect to change mankind at once, or even + "in three generations," by arrangement of groups and series, or + flourish of trumpets for attractive industry. If these attempts are + made by unready men, they will fail. + </p> + <p> + Yet we prize the theory of Fourier no less than the profound + suggestion of Goethe. Both are educating the age to a clearer + consciousness of what Man needs, what Man can be; and better life + must ensue. + </p> + <p> + Goethe, proceeding on his own track, elevating the human being, in + the most imperfect states of society, by continual efforts at + self-culture, takes as good care of women as of men. His mother, the + bold, gay Frau Aja, with such playful freedom of nature; the wise + and gentle maiden, known in his youth, over whose sickly solitude + "the Holy Ghost brooded as a dove;" his sister, the intellectual + woman <i>par excellence</i>; the Duchess Amelia; Lili, who combined + the character of the woman of the world with the lyrical sweetness + of the shepherdess, on whose chaste and noble breast flowers and + gems were equally at home; all these had supplied abundant + suggestions to his mind, as to the wants and the possible + excellences of Woman. And from his poetic soul grew up forms new and + more admirable than life has yet produced, for whom his clear eye + marked out paths in the future. + </p> + <p> + In Faust Margaret represents the redeeming power, which, at present, + upholds Woman, while waiting for a better day. The lovely little + girl, pure in instinct, ignorant in mind, is misled and profaned by + man abusing her confidence.[Footnote: As Faust says, her only fault + was a "kindly delusion,"—"ein guter wahn."] To the Mater + <i>Dolorosa</i> she appeals for aid. It is given to the soul, if not + against outward sorrow; and the maiden, enlightened by her + sufferings, refusing to receive temporal salvation by the aid of an + evil power, obtains the eternal in its stead. + </p> + <p> + In the second part, the intellectual man, after all his manifold + strivings, owes to the interposition of her whom he had betrayed + <i>his</i> salvation. She intercedes, this time, herself a glorified + spirit, with the Mater <i>Gloriosa</i>. + </p> + <p> + Leonora, too, is Woman, as we see her now, pure, thoughtful, refined + by much acquaintance with grief. + </p> + <p> + Iphigenia he speaks of in his journals as his "daughter," and she is + the daughter [Footnote: Goethe was as false to his ideas, in + practice, as Lord Herbert. And his punishment was the just and usual + one of connections formed beneath the standard of right, from the + impulses of the baser self. Iphigenia was the worthy daughter of his + mind; but the son, child of his degrading connection in actual life, + corresponded with that connection. This son, on whom Goethe vainly + lavished so much thought and care, was like his mother, and like + Goethe's attachment for his mother. "This young man," says a late + well-informed writer (M. Henri Blaze), "Wieland, with good reason, + called the son of the servant, <i>der Sohn der Magd</i>. He + inherited from his father only his name and his <i>physique</i>."] + whom a man will wish, even if he has chosen his wife from very mean + motives. She is the virgin, steadfast, soul, to whom falsehood is + more dreadful than any other death. + </p> + <p> + But it is to Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Wandering Years + that I would especially refer, as these volumes contain the sum of + the Sage's observations during a long life, as to what Man should + do, under present circumstances, to obtain mastery over outward, + through an initiation into inward life, and severe discipline of + faculty. + </p> + <p> + As Wilhelm advances into the upward path, he becomes acquainted with + better forms of Woman, by knowing how to seek, and how to prize them + when found. For the weak and immature man will, often, admire a + superior woman, but he will not be able to abide by a feeling which + is too severe a tax on his habitual existence. But, with Wilhelm, + the gradation is natural, and expresses ascent in the scale of + being. At first, he finds charm in Mariana and Philina, very common + forms of feminine character, not without redeeming traits, no less + than charms, but without wisdom or purity. Soon he is attended by + Mignon, the finest expression ever yet given to what I have called + the lyrical element in Woman. She is a child, but too full-grown for + this man; he loves, but cannot follow her; yet is the association + not without an enduring influence. Poesy has been domesticated in + his life; and, though he strives to bind down her heavenward + impulse, as art or apothegm, these are only the tents, beneath which + he may sojourn for a while, but which may be easily struck, and + carried on limitless wanderings. + </p> + <p> + Advancing into the region of thought, he encounters a wise + philanthropy in Natalia (instructed, let us observe, by an + <i>uncle</i>); practical judgment and the outward economy of life in + Theresa; pure devotion in the Fair Saint. + </p> + <p> + Further, and last, he comes to the house of Macaria, the soul of a + star; that is, a pure and perfected intelligence embodied in + feminine form, and the centre of a world whose members revolve + harmoniously around her. She instructs him in the archives of a rich + human history, and introduces him to the contemplation of the + heavens. + </p> + <p> + From the hours passed by the side of Mariana to these with Macaria, + is a wide distance for human feet to traverse. Nor has Wilhelm + travelled so far, seen and suffered so much, in vain, He now begins + to study how he may aid the next generation; he sees objects in + harmonious arrangement, and from his observations deduces precepts + by which to guide his course as a teacher and a master, "help-full, + comfort-full." + </p> + <p> + In all these expressions of Woman, the aim of Goethe is satisfactory + to me. He aims at a pure self-subsistence, and a free development of + any powers with which they may be gifted by nature as much for them + as for men. They are units, addressed as souls. Accordingly, the + meeting between Man and Woman, as represented by him, is equal and + noble; and, if he does not depict marriage, he makes it possible. + </p> + <p> + In the Macaria, bound with the heavenly bodies in fixed revolutions, + the centre of all relations, herself unrelated, he expresses the + Minerva side of feminine nature. It was not by chance that Goethe + gave her this name. Macaria, the daughter of Hercules, who offered + herself as a victim for the good of her country, was canonized by + the Greeks, and worshipped as the Goddess of true Felicity. Goethe + has embodied this Felicity as the Serenity that arises from Wisdom, + a Wisdom such as the Jewish wise man venerated, alike instructed in + the designs of heaven, and the methods necessary to carry them into + effect upon earth. + </p> + <p> + Mignon is the electrical, inspired, lyrical nature. And wherever it + appears we echo in our aspirations that of the child, + </p> + <pre> + "So let me seem until I be:— + Take not the <i>white robe</i> away." + * * * * * + "Though I lived without care and toil, + Yet felt I sharp pain enough to + Make me again forever young." +</pre> + <p> + All these women, though we see them in relations, we can think of as + unrelated. They all are very individual, yet seem nowhere + restrained. They satisfy for the present, yet arouse an infinite + expectation. + </p> + <p> + The economist Theresa, the benevolent Natalia, the fair Saint, have + chosen a path, but their thoughts are not narrowed to it. The + functions of life to them are not ends, but suggestions. + </p> + <p> + Thus, to them, all things are important, because none is necessary. + Their different characters have fair play, and each is beautiful in + its minute indications, for nothing is enforced or conventional; but + everything, however slight, grows from the essential life of the + being. + </p> + <p> + Mignon and Theresa wear male attire when they like, and it is + graceful for them to do so, while Macaria is confined to her + arm-chair behind the green curtain, and the Fair Saint could not + bear a speck of dust on her robe. + </p> + <p> + All things are in their places in this little world, because all is + natural and free, just as "there is room for everything out of + doors." Yet all is rounded in by natural harmony, which will always + arise where Truth and Love are sought in the light of Freedom. + </p> + <p> + Goethe's book bodes an era of freedom like its own of + "extraordinary, generous seeking," and new revelations. New + individualities shall be developed in the actual world, which shall + advance upon it as gently as the figures come out upon his canvas. + </p> + <p> + I have indicated on this point the coincidence between his hopes and + those of Fourier, though his are directed by an infinitely higher + and deeper knowledge of human nature. But, for our present purpose, + it is sufficient to show how surely these different paths have + conducted to the same end two earnest thinkers. In some other place + I wish to point out similar coincidences between Goethe's model + school and the plans of Fourier, which may cast light upon the page + of prophecy. + </p> + <hr> + <p> + Many women have observed that the time drew nigh for a better care + of the sex, and have thrown out hints that may be useful. Among + these may be mentioned— + </p> + <p> + Miss Edgeworth, who, although restrained by the habits of her age + and country, and belonging more to the eighteenth than the + nineteenth century, has done excellently as far as she goes. She had + a horror of sentimentalism, and of the love of notoriety, and saw + how likely women, in the early stages of culture, were to aim at + these. Therefore she bent her efforts to recommending domestic life. + But the methods she recommends are such as will fit a character for + any position to which it may be called. She taught a contempt of + falsehood, no less in its most graceful, than in its meanest + apparitions; the cultivation of a clear, independent judgment, and + adherence to its dictates; habits of various and liberal study and + employment, and a capacity for friendship. Her standard of character + is the same for both sexes,—Truth, honor, enlightened + benevolence, and aspiration after knowledge. Of poetry, she knows + nothing, and her religion consists in honor and loyalty to + obligations once assumed—in short, in "the great idea of duty + which holds us upright." Her whole tendency is practical. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Jameson is a sentimentalist, and, therefore, suits us ill in + some respects, but she is full of talent, has a just and refined + perception of the beautiful, and a genuine courage when she finds it + necessary. She does not appear to have thought out, thoroughly, the + subject on which we are engaged, and her opinions, expressed as + opinions, are sometimes inconsistent with one another. But from the + refined perception of character, admirable suggestions are given in + her "Women of Shakspeare," and "Loves of the Poets." + </p> + <p> + But that for which I most respect her is the decision with which she + speaks on a subject which refined women are usually afraid to + approach, for fear of the insult and scurrile jest they may + encounter; but on which she neither can nor will restrain the + indignation of a full heart. I refer to the degradation of a large + portion of women into the sold and polluted slaves of men, and the + daring with which the legislator and man of the world lifts his head + beneath the heavens, and says, "This must be; it cannot be helped; + it is a necessary accompaniment of <i>civilization</i>." + </p> + <p> + So speaks the <i>citizen</i>. Man born of Woman, the father of + daughters, declares that he will and must buy the comforts and + commercial advantages of his London, Vienna, Paris, New York, by + conniving at the moral death, the damnation, so far as the action of + society can insure it, of thousands of women for each splendid + metropolis. + </p> + <p> + O men! I speak not to you. It is true that your wickedness (for you + must not deny that at least nine thousand out of the ten fall + through the vanity you have systematically flattered, or the + promises you have treacherously broken); yes, it is true that your + wickedness is its own punishment. Your forms degraded and your eyes + clouded by secret sin; natural harmony broken and fineness of + perception destroyed in your mental and bodily organization; God and + love shut out from your hearts by the foul visitants you have + permitted there; incapable of pure marriage; incapable of pure + parentage; incapable of worship; O wretched men, your sin is its own + punishment! You have lost the world in losing yourselves. Who ruins + another has admitted the worm to the root of his own tree, and the + fuller ye fill the cup of evil, the deeper must be your own bitter + draught. But I speak not to you—you need to teach and warn one + another. And more than one voice rises in earnestness. And all that + <i>women</i> say to the heart that has once chosen the evil path is + considered prudery, or ignorance, or perhaps a feebleness of nature + which exempts from similar temptations. + </p> + <p> + But to you, women, American women, a few words may not be addressed + in vain. One here and there may listen. + </p> + <p> + You know how it was in the Oriental clime, One man, if wealth + permitted, had several wives and many handmaidens. The chastity and + equality of genuine marriage, with "the thousand decencies that + flow" from its communion, the precious virtues that gradually may be + matured within its enclosure, were unknown. + </p> + <p> + But this man did not wrong according to his light. What he did, he + might publish to God and Man; it was not a wicked secret that hid in + vile lurking-places and dens, like the banquets of beasts of prey. + Those women were not lost, not polluted in their own eyes, nor those + of others. If they were not in a state of knowledge and virtue, they + were at least in one of comparative innocence. + </p> + <p> + You know how it was with the natives of this continent. A chief had + many wives, whom he maintained and who did his household work; those + women were but servants, still they enjoyed the respect of others + and their own. They lived together, in peace. They knew that a sin + against what was in their nation esteemed virtue, would be as + strictly punished in Man as in Woman. + </p> + <p> + Now pass to the countries where marriage is between one and one. I + will not speak of the Pagan nations, but come to those which own the + Christian rule. We all know what that enjoins; there is a standard + to appeal to. + </p> + <p> + See, now, not the mass of the people, for we all know that it is a + proverb and a bitter jest to speak of the "down-trodden million." We + know that, down to our own time, a principle never had so fair a + chance to pervade the mass of the people, but that we must solicit + its illustration from select examples. + </p> + <p> + Take the Paladin, take the Poet. Did <i>they</i> believe purity more + impossible to Man than to Woman? Did they wish Woman to believe that + Man was less amenable to higher motives,—that pure aspirations + would not guard him against bad passions,—that honorable + employments and temperate habits would not keep him free from + slavery to the body? O no! Love was to them a part of heaven, and + they could not even wish to receive its happiness, unless assured of + being worthy of it. Its highest happiness to them was that it made + them wish to be worthy. They courted probation. They wished not the + title of knight till the banner had been upheld in the heats of + battle, amid the rout of cowards. + </p> + <p> + I ask of you, young girls—I do not mean <i>you</i> whose heart + is that of an old coxcomb, though your looks have not yet lost their + sunny tinge. Not of you whose whole character is tainted with + vanity, inherited or taught, who have early learned the love of + coquettish excitement, and whose eyes rove restlessly in search of a + "conquest" or a "beau;" you who are ashamed <i>not</i> to be seen by + others the mark of the most contemptuous flattery or injurious + desire. To such I do not speak. But to thee, maiden, who, if not so + fair, art yet of that unpolluted nature which Milton saw when he + dreamed of Comus and the Paradise. Thou, child of an unprofaned + wedlock, brought up amid the teachings of the woods and fields, kept + fancy-free by useful employment and a free flight into the heaven of + thought, loving to please only those whom thou wouldst not be + ashamed to love; I ask of thee, whose cheek has not forgotten its + blush nor thy heart its lark-like hopes, if he whom thou mayest hope + the Father will send thee, as the companion of life's toils and + joys, is not to thy thought pure? Is not manliness to thy thought + purity, not lawlessness? Can his lips speak falsely? Can he do, in + secret, what he could not avow to the mother that bore him? O say, + dost thou not look for a heart free, open as thine own, all whose + thoughts may be avowed, incapable of wronging the innocent, or still + further degrading the fallen—a man, in short, in whom brute + nature is entirely subject to the impulses of his better self? + </p> + <p> + Yes! it was thus that thou didst hope; for I have many, many times + seen the image of a future life, of a destined spouse, painted on + the tablets of a virgin heart. + </p> + <p> + It might be that she was not true to these hopes. She was taken into + what is called "the world," froth and scum as it mostly is on the + social caldron. There, she saw fair Woman carried in the waltz close + to the heart of a being who appeared to her a Satyr. Being warned by + a male friend that he was in fact of that class, and not fit for + such familiar nearness to a chaste being, the advised replied that + "women should know nothing about such things." She saw one fairer + given in wedlock to a man of the same class. "Papa and mamma said + that 'all men were faulty at some time in their lives; they had a + great many temptations.' Frederick would be so happy at home; he + would not want to do wrong." She turned to the married women; they, + O tenfold horror! laughed at her supposing "men were like women." + Sometimes, I say, she was not true, and either sadly accommodated + herself to "Woman's lot," or acquired a taste for satyr-society, + like some of the Nymphs, and all the Bacchanals of old. But to those + who could not and would not accept a mess of pottage, or a Circe + cup, in lieu of their birthright, and to these others who have yet + their choice to make, I say, Courage! I have some words of cheer for + you. A man, himself of unbroken purity, reported to me the words of + a foreign artist, that "the world would never be better till men + subjected themselves to the same laws they had imposed on women;" + that artist, he added, was true to the thought. The same was true of + Canova, the same of Beethoven. "Like each other demi-god, they kept + themselves free from stain;" and Michael Angelo, looking over here + from the loneliness of his century, might meet some eyes that need + not shun his glance. + </p> + <p> + In private life, I am assured by men who are not so sustained and + occupied by the worship of pure beauty, that a similar consecration + is possible, is practised; that many men feel that no temptation can + be too strong for the will of man, if he invokes the aid of the + Spirit instead of seeking extenuation from the brute alliances of + his nature. In short, what the child fancies is really true, though + almost the whole world declares it a lie. Man is a child of God; and + if he seeks His guidance to keep the heart with diligence, it will + be so given that all the issues of life may be pure. Life will then + be a temple. + </p> + <pre> + The temple round + Spread green the pleasant ground; + The fair colonnade + Be of pure marble pillars made; + Strong to sustain the roof, + Time and tempest proof; + Yet, amidst which, the lightest breeze + Can play as it please; + The audience hall + Be free to all + Who revere + The power worshipped here, + Sole guide of youth, + Unswerving Truth. + In the inmost shrine + Stands the image divine, + Only seen + By those whose deeds have worthy been— + Priestlike clean. + Those, who initiated are, + Declare, + As the hours + Usher in varying hopes and powers; + It changes its face, + It changes its age, + Now a young, beaming grace, + Now Nestorian sage; + But, to the pure in heart, + This shape of primal art + In age is fair, + In youth seems wise, + Beyond compare, + Above surprise; + What it teaches native seems, + Its new lore our ancient dreams; + Incense rises from the ground; + Music flows around; + Firm rest the feet below, clear gaze the eyes above, + When Truth, to point the way through life, assumes the wand of Love; + But, if she cast aside the robe of green, + Winter's silver sheen, + White, pure as light, + Makes gentle shroud as worthy weed as bridal robe had been. +</pre> + <p> + [Footnote: As described by the historians:— + </p> + <pre> + "The temple of Juno is like what the character of Woman should be. + Columns! graceful decorums, attractive yet sheltering. + Porch! noble, inviting aspect of the life. + Kaos! receives the worshippers. See here the statue of the Divinity. + Ophistodpmos! Sanctuary where the most precious possessions were kept + safe from the hand of the spoiler and the eye of the world."] +</pre> + <p> + We are now in a transition state, and but few steps have yet been + taken. From polygamy, Europe passed to the marriage <i>de + convenance</i>. This was scarcely an improvement An attempt was then + made to substitute genuine marriage (the mutual choice of souls + inducing a permanent union), as yet baffled on every side by the + haste, the ignorance, or the impurity of Man. + </p> + <p> + Where Man assumes a high principle to which he is not yet ripened, + it will happen, for a long time, that the few will be nobler than + before; the many, worse. Thus now. In the country of Sidney and + Milton, the metropolis is a den of wickedness, and a sty of + sensuality; in the country of Lady Russell, the custom of English + peeresses, of selling their daughters to the highest bidder, is made + the theme and jest of fashionable novels by unthinking children who + would stare at the idea of sending them to a Turkish slave-dealer, + though the circumstances of the bargain are there less degrading, as + the will and thoughts of the person sold are not so degraded by it, + and it is not done in defiance of an acknowledged law of right in + the land and the age. + </p> + <p> + I must here add that I do not believe there ever was put upon record + more depravation of Man, and more despicable frivolity of thought + and aim in Woman; than in the novels which purport to give the + picture of English fashionable life, which are read with such favor + in our drawing-rooms, and give the tone to the manners of some + circles. Compared with the cold, hard-hearted folly there described, + crime is hopeful; for it, at least, shows some power remaining in + the mental constitution. + </p> + <p> + To return:—Attention has been awakened among men to the stains + of celibacy, and the profanations of marriage. They begin to write + about it and lecture about it. It is the tendency now to endeavor to + help the erring by showing them the physical law. This is wise and + excellent; but forget not the better half. Cold bathing and exercise + will not suffice to keep a life pure, without an inward baptism, and + noble, exhilarating employment for the thoughts and the passions. + Early marriages are desirable, but if (and the world is now so out + of joint that there are a hundred thousand chances to one against + it) a man does not early, or at all, find the person to whom he can + be united in the marriage of souls, will you give him in the + marriage <i>de convenance</i>? or, if not married, can you find no + way for him to lead a virtuous and happy life? Think of it well, ye + who think yourselves better than pagans, for many of <i>them</i> + knew this sure way. [Footnote: The Persian sacred books, the + Desatir, describe the great and holy prince Ky Khosrou, as being "an + angel, and the son of an angel," one to whom the Supreme says, "Thou + art not absent from before me for one twinkling of an eye. I am + never out of thy heart. And I am contained in nothing but in thy + heart, and in a heart like thy heart. And I am nearer unto thee than + thou art to thyself." This prince had in his Golden Seraglio three + ladies of surpassing beauty, and all four, in this royal monastery, + passed their lives, and left the world as virgins. + </p> + <p> + The Persian people had no scepticism when the history of such a mind + was narrated.] + </p> + <p> + To you, women of America, it is more especially my business to + address myself on this subject, and my advice may be classed under + three heads: + </p> + <p> + Clear your souls from the taint of vanity. + </p> + <p> + Do not rejoice in conquests, either that your power to allure may be + seen by other women, or for the pleasure of rousing passionate + feelings that gratify your love of excitement. + </p> + <p> + It must happen, no doubt, that frank and generous women will excite + love they do not reciprocate, but, in nine cases out of ten, the + woman has, half consciously, done much to excite. In this case, she + shall not be held guiltless, either as to the unhappiness or injury + of the lover. Pure love, inspired by a worthy object, must ennoble + and bless, whether mutual or not; but that which is excited by + coquettish attraction of any grade of refinement, must cause + bitterness and doubt, as to the reality of human goodness, so soon + as the flush of passion is over. And, that you may avoid all taste + for these false pleasures, + </p> + <pre> + "Steep the soul + In one pure love, and it will lost thee long." +</pre> + <p> + The love of truth, the love of excellence, whether you clothe them + in the person of a special object or not, will have power to save + you from following Duessa, and lead you in the green glades where + Una's feet have trod. + </p> + <p> + It was on this one subject that a venerable champion of good, the + last representative of the spirit which sanctified the Revolution, + and gave our country such a sunlight of hope in the eyes of the + nations, the same who lately, in Boston, offered anew to the young + men the pledge taken by the young men of his day, offered, also, his + counsel, on being addressed by the principal of a girl's school, + thus:— + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h3> + REPLY OF MR. ADAMS. + </h3> + <p> + Mr. Adams was so deeply affected by the address of Miss Foster, as + to be for some time inaudible. When heard, he spoke as follows: + </p> + <p> + "This is the first instance in which a lady has thus addressed me + personally; and I trust that all the ladies present will be able + sufficiently to enter into my feelings to know that I am more + affected by this honor than by any other I could hare received, + </p> + <p> + "You have been pleased, madam, to allude to the character of my + father, and the history of my family, and their services to the + country. It is indeed true that, from the existence of the republic + as an independent nation, my father and myself have been in the + public service of the country, almost without interruption. I came + into the world, as a person having personal responsibilities, with + the Declaration of Independence, which constituted us a nation. I + was a child at that time, and had then perhaps the greatest of + blessings that can be bestowed on man—a mother who was anxious + and capable to form her children to be what they ought to be. From + that mother I derived whatever instruction—religious + especially and moral—has pervaded a long life; I will not say + perfectly, and as it ought to be; but I will say, because it is + justice only to the memory of her whom I revere, that if, in the + course of my life, there has been any imperfection, or deviation + from what she taught me, the fault is mine, and not hers. + </p> + <p> + "With such a mother, and such other relations with the sex, of + sister, wife, and daughter, it has been the perpetual instruction of + my life to love and revere the female sex. And in order to carry + that sentiment of love and reverence to its highest degree of + perfection, I know of nothing that exists in human society better + adapted to produce that result, than institutions of the character + that I have now the honor to address. + </p> + <p> + "I have been taught, as I have said, through the course of my life, + to love and to revere the female sex; but I have been taught, + also—and that lesson has perhaps impressed itself on my mind + even more strongly, it may be, than the other—I have been + taught not to flatter them. It is not unusual, in the intercourse of + Man with the other sex—and especially for young men—to + think that the way to win the hearts of ladies is by flattery. To + love and to revere the sex, is what I think the duty of Man; <i>but + not to flatter them;</i> and this I would say to the young ladies + here—and if they, and others present, will allow me, with all + the authority which nearly four score years may have with those who + have not yet attained one score—I would say to them what I + have no doubt they say to themselves, and are taught here, not to + take the flattery of men as proof of perfection. + </p> + <p> + "I am now, however, I fear, assuming too much of a character that + does not exactly belong to me. I therefore conclude, by assuring + you, madam, that your reception of me has affected me, as you + perceive, more than I can express in words; and that I shall offer + my best prayers, till my latest hour, to the Creator of us all, that + this institution especially, and all others of a similar kind, + designed to form the female mind to wisdom and virtue, may prosper + to the end of time." + </p> + <p> + It will be interesting to add here the character of Mr. Adams' + mother, as drawn by her husband, the first John Adams, in a family + letter [Footnote: Journal and Correspondence of Miss Adams, vol. i., + p. 246.] written just before his death. + </p> + <p> + "I have reserved for the last the life of Lady Russell. This I have + not yet read, because I read it more than forty years ago. On this + hangs a tale which you ought to know and communicate it to your + children. I bought the Life and Letters of Lady Russell in the year + 1775, and sent it to your grandmother, with an express intent and + desire that she should consider it a mirror in which to contemplate + herself; for, at that time, I thought it extremely probable, from + the daring and dangerous career I was determined to run, that she + would one day find herself in the situation of Lady Russell, her + husband without a head. This lady was more beautiful than Lady + Russell, had a brighter genius, more information, a more refined + taste, and, at least, her equal in the virtues of the heart; equal + fortitude and firmness of character, equal resignation to the will + of Heaven, equal in all the virtues and graces of the Christian + life. Like Lady Russell, she never, by word or look, discouraged me + from running all hazards for the salvation of my country's + liberties; she was willing to share with me, and that her children + should share with us both, in all the dangerous consequences we had + to hazard." + </p> + <p> + Will a woman who loves flattery or an aimless excitement, who wastes + the flower of her mind on transitory sentiments, ever be loved with + a love like that, when fifty years' trial have entitled to the + privileges of "the golden marriage?" + </p> + <p> + Such was the love of the iron-handed warrior for her, not his + hand-maid, but his help-meet: + </p> + <p> + "Whom God loves, to him gives he such a wife." + </p> + <p> + I find the whole of what I want in this relation, in the two + epithets by which Milton makes Adam address <i>his</i> wife. + </p> + <p> + In the intercourse of every day he begins: + </p> + <pre> + "Daughter of God and man, <i>accomplished</i> Eve." + [Footnote: See <a href="#appendixh">Appendix H</a>.] +</pre> + <p> + In a moment of stronger feeling, + </p> + <pre> + "Daughter of God and man, IMMORTAL Eve." +</pre> + <p> + What majesty in the cadence of the line; what dignity, what + reverence in the attitude both of giver and receiver! + </p> + <p> + The woman who permits, in her life, the alloy of vanity; the woman + who lives upon flattery, coarse or fine, shall never be thus + addressed, She is <i>not</i> immortal so far as her will is + concerned, and every woman who does so creates miasma, whose spread + is indefinite. The hand which casts into the waters of life a stone + of offence knows not how far the circles thus caused may spread + their agitations. + </p> + <p> + A little while since I was at one of the most fashionable places of + public resort. I saw there many women, dressed without regard to the + season or the demands of the place, in apery, or, as it looked, in + mockery, of European fashions. I saw their eyes restlessly courting + attention. I saw the way in which it was paid; the style of + devotion, almost an open sneer, which it pleased those ladies to + receive from men whose expression marked their own low position in + the moral and intellectual world. Those women went to their pillows + with their heads full of folly, their hearts of jealousy, or + gratified vanity; those men, with the low opinion they already + entertained of Woman confirmed. These were American <i>ladies;</i> + that is, they were of that class who have wealth and leisure to make + full use of the day, and confer benefits on others. They were of + that class whom the possession of external advantages makes of + pernicious example to many, if these advantages be misused. + </p> + <p> + Soon after, I met a circle of women, stamped by society as among the + most degraded of their sex. "How," it was asked of them, "did you + come here?" for by the society that I saw in the former place they + were shut up in a prison. The causes were not difficult to trace: + love of dress, love of flattery, love of excitement. They had not + dresses like the other ladies, so they stole them; they could not + pay for flattery by distinctions, and the dower of a worldly + marriage, so they paid by the profanation of their persons. In + excitement, more and more madly sought from day to day, they drowned + the voice of conscience. + </p> + <p> + Now I ask you, my sisters, if the women at the fashionable house be + not answerable for those women being in the prison? + </p> + <p> + As to position in the world of souls, we may suppose the women of + the prison stood fairest, both because they had misused less light, + and because loneliness and sorrow had brought some of them to feel + the need of better life, nearer truth and good. This was no merit in + them, being an effect of circumstance, but it was hopeful. But you, + my friends (and some of you I have already met), consecrate + yourselves without waiting for reproof, in free love and unbroken + energy, to win and to diffuse a better life. Offer beauty, talents, + riches, on the altar; thus shall you keep spotless your own hearts, + and be visibly or invisibly the angels to others. + </p> + <p> + I would urge upon those women who have not yet considered this + subject, to do so. Do not forget the unfortunates who dare not cross + your guarded way. If it do not suit you to act with those who have + organized measures of reform, then hold not yourself excused from + acting in private. Seek out these degraded women, give them tender + sympathy, counsel, employment. Take the place of mothers, such as + might have saved them originally. + </p> + <p> + If you can do little for those already under the ban of the + world,—and the best-considered efforts have often failed, from + a want of strength in those unhappy ones to bear up against the + sting of shame and the prejudices of the world, which makes them + seek oblivion again in their old excitements,—you will at + least leave a sense of love and justice in their hearts, that will + prevent their becoming utterly embittered and corrupt. And you may + learn the means of prevention for those yet uninjured. These will be + found in a diffusion of mental culture, simple tastes, best taught + by your example, a genuine self-respect, and, above all, what the + influence of Man tends to hide from Woman, the love and fear of a + divine, in preference to a human tribunal. + </p> + <p> + But suppose you save many who would have lost their bodily innocence + (for as to mental, the loss of that is incalculably more general), + through mere vanity and folly; there still remain many, the prey and + spoil of the brute passions of Man; for the stories frequent in our + newspapers outshame antiquity, and vie with the horrors of war. + </p> + <p> + As to this, it must be considered that, as the vanity and proneness + to seduction of the imprisoned women represented a general + degradation in their sex; so do these acts a still more general and + worse in the male. Where so many are weak, it is natural there + should be many lost; where legislators admit that ten thousand + prostitutes are a fair proportion to one city, and husbands tell + their wives that it is folly to expect chastity from men, it is + inevitable that there should be many monsters of vice. + </p> + <p> + I must in this place mention, with respect and gratitude, the + conduct of Mrs. Child in the case of Amelia Norman. The action and + speech of this lady was of straightforward nobleness, undeterred by + custom or cavil from duty toward an injured sister. She showed the + case and the arguments the counsel against the prisoner had the + assurance to use in their true light to the public. She put the case + on the only ground of religion and equity. She was successful in + arresting the attention of many who had before shrugged their + shoulders, and let sin pass as necessarily a part of the company of + men. They begin to ask whether virtue is not possible, perhaps + necessary, to Man as well as to Woman. They begin to fear that the + perdition of a woman must involve that of a man. This is a crisis. + The results of this case will be important. + </p> + <p> + In this connection I must mention Eugene Sue, the French novelist, + several of whose works have been lately translated among us, as + having the true spirit of reform as to women. Like every other + French writer, he is still tainted with the transmissions of the old + <i>regime</i>. Still, falsehood may be permitted for the sake of + advancing truth, evil as the way to good. Even George Sand, who + would trample on every graceful decorum, and every human law, for + the sake of a sincere life, does not see that she violates it by + making her heroines able to tell falsehoods in a good cause. These + French writers need ever to be confronted by the clear perception of + the English and German mind, that the only good man, consequently + the only good reformer, is he + </p> + <pre> + "Who bases good on good alone, and owes + To virtue every triumph that he knows." +</pre> + <p> + Still, Sue has the heart of a reformer, and especially towards + women; he sees what they need, and what causes are injuring them. + From the histories of Fleur de Marie and La Louve, from the lovely + and independent character of Rigolette, from the distortion given to + Matilda's mind, by the present views of marriage, and from the truly + noble and immortal character of the "hump-backed Sempstress" in the + "Wandering Jew," may be gathered much that shall elucidate doubt and + direct inquiry on this subject. In reform, as in philosophy, the + French are the interpreters to the civilized world. Their own + attainments are not great, but they make clear the post, and break + down barriers to the future. + </p> + <p> + Observe that the good man of Sue is as pure as Sir Charles + Grandison. + </p> + <p> + Apropos to Sir Charles. Women are accustomed to be told by men that + the reform is to come <i>from them</i>. "You," say the men, "must + frown upon vice; you must decline the attentions of the corrupt; you + must not submit to the will of your husband when it seems to you + unworthy, but give the laws in marriage, and redeem it from its + present sensual and mental pollutions." + </p> + <p> + This seems to us hard. Men have, indeed, been, for more than a + hundred years, rating women for countenancing vice. But, at the same + time, they have carefully hid from them its nature, so that the + preference often shown by women for bad men arises rather from a + confused idea that they are bold and adventurous, acquainted with + regions which women are forbidden to explore, and the curiosity that + ensues, than a corrupt heart in the woman. As to marriage, it has + been inculcated on women, for centuries, that men have not only + stronger passions than they, but of a sort that it would be shameful + for them to share or even understand; that, therefore, they must + "confide in their husbands," that is, submit implicitly to their + will; that the least appearance of coldness or withdrawal, from + whatever cause, in the wife is wicked, because liable to turn her + husband's thoughts to illicit indulgence; for a man is so + constituted that he must indulge his passions or die! + </p> + <p> + Accordingly, a great part of women look upon men as a kind of wild + beasts, but "suppose they are all alike;" the unmarried are assured + by the married that, "if they knew men as they do," that is, by + being married to them, "they would not expect continence or + self-government from them." + </p> + <p> + I might accumulate illustrations on this theme, drawn from + acquaintance with the histories of women, which would startle and + grieve all thinking men, but I forbear. Let Sir Charles Grandison + preach to his own sex; or if none there be who feels himself able to + speak with authority from a life unspotted in will or deed, let + those who are convinced of the practicability and need of a pure + life, as the foreign artist was, advise the others, and warn them by + their own example, if need be. + </p> + <p> + The following passage, from a female writer, on female affairs, + expresses a prevalent way of thinking on this subject: + </p> + <p> + "It may be that a young woman, exempt from all motives of vanity, + determines to take for a husband a man who does not inspire her with + a very decided inclination. Imperious circumstances, the evident + interest of her family, or the danger of suffering celibacy, may + explain such a resolution. If, however, she were to endeavor to + surmount a personal repugnance, we should look upon this as + <i>injudicious</i>. Such a rebellion of nature marks the limit that + the influence of parents, or the self-sacrifice of the young girl, + should never pass. <i>We shall be told that this repugnance is an + affair of the imagination</i>. It may be so; but imagination is a + power which it is temerity to brave; and its antipathy is more + difficult to conquer than its preference." [Footnote: Madame Necker + de Saussure.] + </p> + <p> + Among ourselves, the exhibition of such a repugnance from a woman + who had been given in marriage "by advice of friends," was treated + by an eminent physician as sufficient proof of insanity. If he had + said sufficient cause for it, he would have been nearer right. + </p> + <p> + It has been suggested by men who were pained by seeing bad men + admitted, freely, to the society of modest women,—thereby + encouraged to vice by impunity, and corrupting the atmosphere of + homes,—that there should be a senate of the matrons in each + city and town, who should decide what candidates were fit for + admission to their houses and the society of their daughters. + [Footnote: See Goethe's Tasso. "A synod of good women should + decide,"—if the golden age is to be restored.] + </p> + <p> + Such a plan might have excellent results; but it argues a moral + dignity and decision which does not yet exist, and needs to be + induced by knowledge and reflection. It has been the tone to keep + women ignorant on these subjects, or, when they were not, to command + that they should seem so. "It is indelicate," says the father or + husband, "to inquire into the private character of such an one. It + is sufficient that I do not think him unfit to visit you." And so, + this man, who would not tolerate these pages in his house, "unfit + for family reading," because they speak plainly, introduces there a + man whose shame is written on his brow, as well as the open secret + of the whole town, and, presently, if <i>respectable</i> still, and + rich enough, gives him his daughter to wife. The mother affects + ignorance, "supposing he is no worse than most men." The daughter + <i>is</i> ignorant; something in the mind of the new spouse seems + strange to her, but she supposes it is "woman's lot" not to be + perfectly happy in her affections; she has always heard, "men could + not understand women," so she weeps alone, or takes to dress and the + duties of the house. The husband, of course, makes no avowal, and + dreams of no redemption. + </p> + <p> + "In the heart of every young woman," says the female writer above + quoted, addressing herself to the husband, "depend upon it, there is + a fund of exalted ideas; she conceals, represses, without succeeding + in smothering them. <i>So long as these ideas in your wife are + directed to YOU, they are, no doubt, innocent</i>, but take care + that they be not accompanied with <i>too much</i> pain. In other + respects, also, spare her delicacy. Let all the antecedent parts of + your life, if there are such, which would give her pain, be + concealed from her; <i>her happiness and her respect for you would + suffer from this misplaced confidence.</i> Allow her to retain that + flower of purity, <i>which should distinguish her, in your eyes, + from every other woman</i>." We should think so, truly, under this + canon. Such a man must esteem purity an exotic that could only be + preserved by the greatest care. Of the degree of mental intimacy + possible, in such a marriage, let every one judge for himself! + </p> + <p> + On this subject, let every woman, who has once begun to think, + examine herself; see whether she does not suppose virtue possible + and necessary to Man, and whether she would not desire for her son a + virtue which aimed at a fitness for a divine life, and involved, if + not asceticism, that degree of power over the lower self, which + shall "not exterminate the passions, but keep them chained at the + feet of reason." The passions, like fire, are a bad muster; but + confine them to the hearth and the altar, and they give life to the + social economy, and make each sacrifice meet for heaven. + </p> + <p> + When many women have thought upon this subject, some will be fit for + the senate, and one such senate in operation would affect the morals + of the civilized world. + </p> + <p> + At present I look to the young. As preparatory to the senate, I + should like to see a society of novices, such as the world has never + yet seen, bound by no oath, wearing no badge, In place of an oath, + they should have a religious faith in the capacity of Man for + virtue; instead of a badge, should wear in the heart a firm resolve + not to stop short of the destiny promised him as a son of God. Their + service should be action and conservatism, not of old habits, but of + a better nature, enlightened by hopes that daily grow brighter. + </p> + <p> + If sin was to remain in the world, it should not be by their + connivance at its stay, or one moment's concession to its claims. + </p> + <p> + They should succor the oppressed, and pay to the upright the + reverence due in hero-worship by seeking to emulate them. They would + not denounce the willingly bad, but they could not be with them, for + the two classes could not breathe the same atmosphere. + </p> + <p> + They would heed no detention from the time-serving, the worldly and + the timid. + </p> + <p> + They could love no pleasures that were not innocent and capable of + good fruit, + </p> + <p> + I saw, in a foreign paper, the title now given to a party abroad, + "Los Exaltados." Such would be the title now given these children by + the world: Los Exaltados, Las Exaltadas; but the world would not + sneer always, for from them would issue a virtue by which it would, + at last, be exalted too. + </p> + <p> + I have in my eye a youth and a maiden whom I look to as the nucleus + of such a class. They are both in early youth; both as yet + uncontaminated; both aspiring, without rashness; both thoughtful; + both capable of deep affection; both of strong nature and sweet + feelings; both capable of large mental development. They reside in + different regions of earth, but their place in the soul is the same. + To them I look, as, perhaps, the harbingers and leaders of a new + era, for never yet have I known minds so truly virgin, without + narrowness or ignorance. + </p> + <p> + When men call upon women to redeem them, they mean such maidens. But + such are not easily formed under the present influences of society. + As there are more such young men to help give a different tone, + there will be more such maidens. + </p> + <p> + The English, novelist, D'Israeli, has, in his novel of "The Young + Duke," made a man of the most depraved stock be redeemed by a woman + who despises him when he has only the brilliant mask of fortune and + beauty to cover the poverty of his heart and brain, but knows how to + encourage him when he enters on a better course. But this woman was + educated by a father who valued character in women. + </p> + <p> + Still, there will come now and then one who will, as I hope of my + young Exaltada, be example and instruction for the rest. It was not + the opinion of Woman current among Jewish men that formed the + character of the mother of Jesus. + </p> + <p> + Since the sliding and backsliding men of the world, no less than the + mystics, declare that, as through Woman Man was lost, so through + Woman must Man be redeemed, the time must be at hand. When she knows + herself indeed as "accomplished," still more as "immortal Eve," this + may be. + </p> + <p> + As an immortal, she may also know and inspire immortal love, a + happiness not to be dreamed of under the circumstances advised in + the last quotation. Where love is based on concealment, it must, of + course, disappear when the soul enters the scene of clear vision! + </p> + <p> + And, without this hope, how worthless every plan, every bond, every + power! + </p> + <p> + "The giants," said the Scandinavian Saga, "had induced Loke (the + spirit that hovers between good and ill) to steal for them Iduna + (Goddess of Immortality) and her apples of pure gold. He lured her + out, by promising to show, on a marvellous tree he had discovered, + apples beautiful as her own, if she would only take them with her + for a comparison. Thus having lured her beyond the heavenly domain, + she was seized and carried away captive by the powers of misrule. + </p> + <p> + "As now the gods could not find their friend Iduna, they were + confused with grief; indeed, they began visibly to grow old and + gray. Discords arose, and love grew cold. Indeed, Odur, spouse of + the goddess of love and beauty, wandered away, and returned no more. + At last, however, the gods, discovering the treachery of Loke, + obliged him to win back Iduna from the prison in which she sat + mourning. He changed himself into a falcon, and brought her back as + a swallow, fiercely pursued by the Giant King, in the form of an + eagle. So she strives to return among us, light and small as a + swallow. We must welcome her form as the speck on the sky that + assures the glad blue of Summer. Yet one swallow does not make a + summer. Let us solicit them in flights and flocks!" + </p> + <hr> + <p> + Returning from the future to the present, let us see what forms + Iduna takes, as she moves along the declivity of centuries to the + valley where the lily flower may concentrate all its fragrance. + </p> + <p> + It would seem as if this time were not very near to one fresh from + books, such as I have of late been—no: <i>not</i> reading, but + sighing over. A crowd of books having been sent me since my friends + knew me to be engaged in this way, on Woman's "Sphere,", Woman's + "Mission," and Woman's "Destiny," I believe that almost all that is + extant of formal precept has come under my eye. Among these I read + with refreshment a little one called "The Whole Duty of Woman," + "indited by a noble lady at the request of a noble lord," and which + has this much of nobleness, that the view it takes is a religious + one. It aims to fit Woman for heaven; the main bent of most of the + others is to fit her to please, or, at least, not to disturb, a + husband. + </p> + <p> + Among these I select, as a favorable specimen, the book I have + already quoted, "The Study [Footnote: This title seems to be + incorrectly translated from the French. I have not seen the + original] of the Life of Woman, by Madame Necker de Saussure, of + Geneva, translated from the French." This book was published at + Philadelphia, and has been read with much favor here. Madame Necker + is the cousin of Madame de Stael, and has taken from her works the + motto prefixed to this. + </p> + <p> + "Cette vie n'a quelque prix que si elle sert a' l'education morale + do notre coeur." + </p> + <p> + Mde. Necker is, by nature, capable of entire consistency in the + application of this motto, and, therefore, the qualifications she + makes, in the instructions given to her own sex, show forcibly the + weight which still paralyzes and distorts the energies of that sex. + </p> + <p> + The book is rich in passages marked by feeling and good suggestions; + but, taken in the whole, the impression it leaves is this: + </p> + <p> + Woman is, and <i>shall remain</i>, inferior to Man and subject to + his will, and, in endeavoring to aid her, we must anxiously avoid + anything that can be misconstrued into expression of the contrary + opinion, else the men will be alarmed, and combine to defeat our + efforts. + </p> + <p> + The present is a good time for these efforts, for men are less + occupied about women than formerly. Let us, then, seize upon the + occasion, and do what we can to make our lot tolerable. But we must + sedulously avoid encroaching on the territory of Man. If we study + natural history, our observations may be made useful, by some male + naturalist; if we draw well, we may make our services acceptable to + the artists. But our names must not be known; and, to bring these + labors to any result, we must take some man for our head, and be his + hands. + </p> + <p> + The lot of Woman is sad. She is constituted to expect and need a + happiness that cannot exist on earth. She must stifle such + aspirations within her secret heart, and fit herself, as well as she + can, for a life of resignations and consolations. + </p> + <p> + She will be very lonely while living with her husband. She must not + expect to open her heart to him fully, or that, after marriage, he + will be capable of the refined service of love. The man is not born + for the woman, only the woman for the man. "Men cannot understand + the hearts of women." The life of Woman must be outwardly a + well-intentioned, cheerful dissimulation of her real life. + </p> + <p> + Naturally, the feelings of the mother, at the birth of a female + child, resemble those of the Paraguay woman, described by Southey as + lamenting in such heart-breaking tones that her mother did not kill + her the hour she was born,—"her mother, who knew what this + life of a woman must be;"—or of those women seen at the north + by Sir A. Mackenzie, who performed this pious duty towards female + infants whenever they had an opportunity. + </p> + <p> + "After the first delight, the young mother experiences feelings a + little different, according as the birth of a son or a daughter has + been announced. + </p> + <p> + "Is it a son? A sort of glory swells at this thought the heart of + the mother; she seems to feel that she is entitled to gratitude. She + has given a citizen, a defender, to her country; to her husband an + heir of his name; to herself a protector. And yet the contrast of + all these fine titles with this being, so humble, soon strikes her. + At the aspect of this frail treasure, opposite feelings agitate her + heart; she seems to recognise in him <i>a nature superior to her + own</i>, but subjected to a low condition, and she honors a future + greatness in the object of extreme compassion. Somewhat of that + respect and adoration for a feeble child, of which some fine + pictures offer the expression in the features of the happy Mary, + seem reproduced with the young mother who has given birth to a son. + </p> + <p> + "Is it a daughter? There is usually a slight degree of regret; so + deeply rooted is the idea of the superiority of Man in happiness and + dignity; and yet, as she looks upon this child, she is more and more + <i>softened</i> towards it. A deep sympathy—a sentiment of + identity with this delicate being—takes possession of her; an + extreme pity for so much weakness, a more pressing need of prayer, + stirs her heart. Whatever sorrows she may have felt, she dreads for + her daughter; but she will guide her to become much wiser, much + better than herself. And then the gayety, the frivolity of the young + woman have their turn. This little creature is a flower to + cultivate, a doll to decorate." + </p> + <p> + Similar sadness at the birth of a daughter I have heard mothers + express not unfrequently. + </p> + <p> + As to this living so entirely for men, I should think when it was + proposed to women they would feel, at least, some spark of the old + spirit of races allied to our own. "If he is to be my bridegroom + <i>and lord</i>" cries Brunhilda, [Footnote: See the Nibelungen + Lays.] "he must first be able to pass through fire and water." "I + will serve at the banquet," says the Walkyrie, "but only him who, in + the trial of deadly combat, has shown himself a hero." + </p> + <p> + If women are to be bond-maids, let it be to men superior to women in + fortitude, in aspiration, in moral power, in refined sense of + beauty. You who give yourselves "to be supported," or because "one + must love something," are they who make the lot of the sex such that + mothers are sad when daughters are born. + </p> + <p> + It marks the state of feeling on this subject that it was mentioned, + as a bitter censure on a woman who had influence over those younger + than herself,—"She makes those girls want to see heroes?" + </p> + <p> + "And will that hurt them?" + </p> + <p> + "Certainly; how <i>can</i> you ask? They will find none, and so they + will never be married." + </p> + <p> + "<i>Get</i> married" is the usual phrase, and the one that correctly + indicates the thought; but the speakers, on this occasion, were + persons too outwardly refined to use it. They were ashamed of the + word, but not of the thing. Madame Necker, however, sees good + possible in celibacy. + </p> + <p> + Indeed, I know not how the subject could be better illustrated, than + by separating the wheat from the chaff in Madame Necker's book; + place them in two heaps, and then summon the reader to choose; + giving him first a near-sighted glass to examine the two;—it + might be a Christian, an astronomical, or an artistic + glass,—any kind of good glass to obviate acquired defects in + the eye. I would lay any wager on the result. + </p> + <p> + But time permits not here a prolonged analysis. I have given the + clues for fault-finding. + </p> + <p> + As a specimen of the good take the following passage, on the + phenomena of what I have spoken of, as the lyrical or electric + element in Woman. + </p> + <p> + "Women have been seen to show themselves poets in the most pathetic + pantomimic scenes, where all the passions were depicted full of + beauty; and these poets used a language unknown to themselves, and, + the performance once over, their inspiration was a forgotten dream. + Without doubt there is an interior development to beings so gifted; + but their sole mode of communication with us is their talent. They + are, ill all besides, the inhabitants of another planet." + </p> + <p> + Similar observations have been made by those who have seen the women + at Irish wakes, or the funeral ceremonies of modern Greece or + Brittany, at times when excitement gave the impulse to genius; but, + apparently, without a thought that these rare powers belonged to no + other planet, but were a high development of the growth of this, and + might, by wise and reverent treatment, be made to inform and + embellish the scenes of every day. But, when Woman has her fair + chance, she will do so, and the poem of the hour will vie with that + of the ages. + </p> + <p> + I come now with satisfaction to my own country, and to a writer, a + female writer, whom I have selected as the clearest, wisest, and + kindliest, who has, as yet, used pen here on these subjects. This is + Miss Sedgwick. + </p> + <p> + Miss Sedgwick, though she inclines to the private path, and wishes + that, by the cultivation of character, might should vindicate right, + sets limits nowhere, and her objects and inducements are pure. They + are the free and careful cultivation of the powers that have been + given, with an aim at moral and intellectual perfection. Her speech + is moderate and sane, but never palsied by fear or sceptical + caution. + </p> + <p> + Herself a fine example of the independent and beneficent existence + that intellect and character can give to Woman, no less than Man, if + she know how to seek and prize it,—also, that the intellect + need not absorb or weaken, but rather will refine and invigorate, + the affections,—the teachings of her practical good sense come + with great force, and cannot fail to avail much. Every way her + writings please me both as to the means and the ends. I am pleased + at the stress she lays on observance of the physical laws, because + the true reason is given. Only in a strong and clean body can the + soul do its message fitly. + </p> + <p> + She shows the meaning of the respect paid to personal neatness, both + in the indispensable form of cleanliness, and of that love of order + and arrangement, that must issue from a true harmony of feeling. + </p> + <p> + The praises of cold water seem to me an excellent sign in the age. + They denote a tendency to the true life. We are now to have, as a + remedy for ills, not orvietan, or opium, or any quack medicine, but + plenty of air and water, with due attention to warmth and freedom in + dress, and simplicity of diet. + </p> + <p> + Every day we observe signs that the natural feelings on these + subjects are about to be reïnstated, and the body to claim care + as the abode and organ of the soul; not as the tool of servile + labor, or the object of voluptuous indulgence. + </p> + <p> + A poor woman, who had passed through the lowest grades of ignominy, + seemed to think she had never been wholly lost, "for," said she, "I + would always have good under-clothes;" and, indeed, who could doubt + that this denoted the remains of private self-respect in the mind? + </p> + <p> + A woman of excellent sense said, "It might seem childish, but to her + one of the most favorable signs of the times was that the ladies had + been persuaded to give up corsets." + </p> + <p> + Yes! let us give up all artificial means of distortion. Let life be + healthy, pure, all of a piece. Miss Sedgwick, in teaching that + domestics must have the means of bathing us much as their + mistresses, and time, too, to bathe, has symbolized one of the most + important of human rights. + </p> + <p> + Another interesting sign of the time is the influence exercised by + two women, Miss Martineau and Miss Barrett, from their sick-rooms. + The lamp of life which, if it had been fed only by the affections, + depended on precarious human relations, would scarce have been able + to maintain a feeble glare in the lonely prison, now shines far and + wide over the nations, cheering fellow-sufferers and hallowing the + joy of the healthful. + </p> + <p> + These persons need not health or youth, or the charms of personal + presence, to make their thoughts available. A few more such, and + "old woman" [Footnote: An apposite passage is quoted in <a href= + "#appendixf">Appendix F</a>.] shall not be the synonyme for + imbecility, nor "old maid" a term of contempt, nor Woman be spoken + of as a reed shaken by the wind. + </p> + <p> + It is time, indeed, that men and women both should cease to grow old + in any other way than as the tree does, full of grace and honor. The + hair of the artist turns white, but his eye shines clearer than + ever, and we feel that age brings him maturity, not decay. So would + it be with all, were the springs of immortal refreshment but + unsealed within the soul; then, like these women, they would see, + from the lonely chamber window, the glories of the universe; or, + shut in darkness, be visited by angels. + </p> + <p> + I now touch on my own place and day, and, as I write, events are + occurring that threaten the fair fabric approached by so long an + avenue. Week before last, the Gentile was requested to aid the Jew + to return to Palestine; for the Millennium, the reign of the Son of + Mary was near. Just now, at high and solemn mass, thanks were + returned to the Virgin for having delivered O'Connell from unjust + imprisonment, in requital of his having consecrated to her the + league formed in behalf of Liberty on Tara's Hill. But last week + brought news which threatens that a cause identical with the + enfranchisement of Jews, Irish, women, ay, and of Americans in + general, too, is in danger, for the choice of the people threatens + to rivet the chains of slavery and the leprosy of sin permanently on + this nation, through the Annexation of Texas! + </p> + <p> + Ah! if this should take place, who will dare again to feel the throb + of heavenly hope, as to the destiny of this country? The noble + thought that gave unity to all our knowledge, harmony to all our + designs,—the thought that the progress of history had brought + on the era, the tissue of prophecies pointed out the spot, where + humanity was, at last, to have a fair chance to know itself, and all + men be born free and equal for the eagle's flight,—flutters as + if about to leave the breast, which, deprived of it, will have no + more a nation, no more a home on earth. + </p> + <p> + Women of my country!—Exaltadas! if such there be,—women + of English, old English nobleness, who understand the courage of + Boadicea, the sacrifice of Godiva, the power of Queen Emma to tread + the red-hot iron unharmed,—women who share the nature of Mrs. + Hutchinson, Lady Russell, and the mothers of our own + revolution,—have you nothing to do with this? You see the men, + how they are willing to sell shamelessly the happiness of countless + generations of fellow-creatures, the honor of their country, and + their immortal souls, for a money market and political power. Do you + not feel within you that which can reprove them, which can check, + which can convince them? You would not speak in vain; whether each + in her own home, or banded in unison. + </p> + <p> + Tell these men that you will not accept the glittering baubles, + spacious dwellings, and plentiful service, they mean to offer you + through those means. Tell them that the heart of Woman demands + nobleness and honor in Man, and that, if they have not purity, have + not mercy, they are no longer fathers, lovers, husbands, sons of + yours. + </p> + <p> + This cause is your own, for, as I have before said, there is a + reason why the foes of African Slavery seek more freedom for women; + but put it not upon that ground, but on the ground of right. + </p> + <p> + If you have a power, it is a moral power. The films of interest are + not so close around you as around the men. If you will but think, + you cannot fail to wish to save the country from this disgrace. Let + not slip the occasion, but do something to lift off the curse + incurred by Eve. + </p> + <p> + You have heard the women engaged in the Abolition movement accused + of boldness, because they lifted the voice in public, and lifted the + latch of the stranger. But were these acts, whether performed + judiciously or no, <i>so</i> bold as to dare before God and Man to + partake the fruits of such offence as this? + </p> + <p> + You hear much of the modesty of your sex. Preserve it by filling the + mind with noble desires that shall ward off the corruptions of + vanity and idleness. A profligate woman, who left her accustomed + haunts and took service in a New York boarding-house, said "she had + never heard talk so vile at the Five Points, as from the ladies at + the boarding-house." And why? Because they were idle; because, + having nothing worthy to engage them, they dwelt, with unnatural + curiosity, on the ill they dared not go to see. + </p> + <p> + It will not so much injure your modesty to have your name, by the + unthinking, coupled with idle blame, as to have upon your soul the + weight of not trying to save a whole race of women from the scorn + that is put upon <i>their</i> modesty. + </p> + <p> + Think of this well! I entreat, I conjure you, before it is too late. + It is my belief that something effectual might be done by women, if + they would only consider the subject, and enter upon it in the true + spirit,—a spirit gentle, but firm, and which feared the + offence of none, save One who is of purer eyes than to behold + iniquity. + </p> + <p> + And now I have designated in outline, if not in fulness, the stream + which is ever flowing from the heights of my thought. + </p> + <p> + In the earlier tract I was told I did not make my meaning + sufficiently clear. In this I have consequently tried to illustrate + it in various ways, and may have been guilty of much repetition. + Yet, as I am anxious to leave no room for doubt, I shall venture to + retrace, once more, the scope of my design in points, as wad done in + old-fashioned sermons. + </p> + <p> + Man is a being of two-fold relations, to nature beneath, and + intelligences above him. The earth is his school, if not his + birth-place; God his object; life and thought his means of + interpreting nature, and aspiring to God. + </p> + <p> + Only a fraction of this purpose is accomplished in the life of any + one man. Its entire accomplishment is to be hoped only from the sum + of the lives of men, or Man considered as a whole. + </p> + <p> + As this whole has one soul and one body, any injury or obstruction + to a part, or to the meanest member, affects the whole. Man can + never be perfectly happy or virtuous, till all men are so. + </p> + <p> + To address Man wisely, you must not forget that his life is partly + animal, subject to the same laws with Nature. + </p> + <p> + But you cannot address him wisely unless you consider him still more + as soul, and appreciate the conditions and destiny of soul. + </p> + <p> + The growth of Man is two-fold, masculine and feminine. + </p> + <p> + So far as these two methods can be distinguished, they are so as + </p> + <p> + Energy and Harmony; + </p> + <p> + Power and Beauty; + </p> + <p> + Intellect and Love; + </p> + <p> + <br> + or by some such rude classification; for we have not language + primitive and pure enough to express such ideas with precision. + </p> + <p> + These two sides are supposed to be expressed in Man and Woman, that + is, as the more and the less, for the faculties have not been given + pure to either, but only in preponderance. There are also exceptions + in great number, such as men of far more beauty than power, and the + reverse. But, as a general rule, it seems to have been the intention + to give a preponderance on the one side, that is called masculine, + and on the other, one that is called feminine. + </p> + <p> + There cannot be a doubt that, if these two developments were in + perfect harmony, they would correspond to and fulfil one another, + like hemispheres, or the tenor and bass in music. + </p> + <p> + But there is no perfect harmony in human nature; and the two parts + answer one another only now and then; or, if there be a persistent + consonance, it can only be traced at long intervals, instead of + discoursing an obvious melody. + </p> + <p> + What is the cause of this? + </p> + <p> + Man, in the order of time, was developed first; as energy comes + before harmony; power before beauty. + </p> + <p> + Woman was therefore under his care as an elder. He might have been + her guardian and teacher. + </p> + <p> + But, as human nature goes not straight forward, but by excessive + action and then reaction in an undulated course, he misunderstood + and abused his advantages, and became her temporal master instead of + her spiritual sire. + </p> + <p> + On himself came the punishment. He educated Woman more as a servant + than a daughter, and found himself a king without a queen. + </p> + <p> + The children of this unequal union showed unequal natures, and, more + and more, men seemed sons of the handmaid, rather than princess. + </p> + <p> + At last, there were so many Ishmaelites that the rest grew + frightened and indignant. They laid the blame on Hagar, and drove + her forth into the wilderness. + </p> + <p> + But there were none the fewer Ishmaelites for that. + </p> + <p> + At last men became a little wiser, and saw that the infant Moses + was, in every case, saved by the pure instincts of Woman's breast. + For, as too much adversity is better for the moral nature than too + much prosperity, Woman, in this respect, dwindled less than Man, + though in other respects still a child in leading-strings. + </p> + <p> + So Man did her more and more justice, and grew more and more kind. + </p> + <p> + But yet—his habits and his will corrupted by the past—he + did not clearly see that Woman was half himself; that her interests + were identical with his; and that, by the law of their common being, + he could never reach his true proportions while she remained in any + wise shorn of hers. + </p> + <p> + And so it has gone on to our day; both ideas developing, but more + slowly than they would under a clearer recognition of truth and + justice, which would have permitted the sexes their due influence on + one another, and mutual improvement from more dignified relations. + </p> + <p> + Wherever there was pure love, the natural influences were, for the + time, restored. + </p> + <p> + Wherever the poet or artist gave free course to his genius, he saw + the truth, and expressed it in worthy forms, for these men + especially share and need the feminine principle. The divine birds + need to be brooded into life and song by mothers. + </p> + <p> + Wherever religion (I mean the thirst for truth and good, not the + love of sect and dogma) had its course, the original design was + apprehended in its simplicity, and the dove presaged sweetly from + Dodona's oak. + </p> + <p> + I have aimed to show that no age was left entirely without a witness + of the equality of the sexes in function, duty and hope. + </p> + <p> + Also that, when there was unwillingness or ignorance, which + prevented this being acted upon, women had not the less power for + their want of light and noble freedom. But it was power which hurt + alike them and those against whom they made use of the arms of the + servile,—cunning, blandishment, and unreasonable emotion. + </p> + <p> + That now the time has come when a clearer vision and better action + are possible—when Man and Woman may regard one another, as + brother and sister, the pillars of one porch, the priests of one + worship. + </p> + <p> + I have believed and intimated that this hope would receive an ampler + fruition, than ever before, in our own land. + </p> + <p> + And it will do so if this land carry out the principles from which + sprang our national life. + </p> + <p> + I believe that, at present, women are the best helpers of one + another. + </p> + <p> + Let them think; let them act; till they know what they need. + </p> + <p> + We only ask of men to remove arbitrary barriers. Some would like to + do more. But I believe it needs that Woman show herself in her + native dignity, to teach them how to aid her; their minds are so + encumbered by tradition. + </p> + <p> + When Lord Edward Fitzgerald travelled with the Indians, his manly + heart obliged him at once to take the packs from the squaws and + carry them. But we do not read that the red men followed his + example, though they are ready enough to carry the pack of the white + woman, because she seems to them a superior being. + </p> + <p> + Let Woman appear in the mild majesty of Ceres, and rudest churls + will be willing to learn from her. + </p> + <p> + You ask, what use will she make of liberty, when she has so long + been sustained and restrained? + </p> + <p> + I answer; in the first place, this will not be suddenly given. I + read yesterday a debate of this year on the subject of enlarging + women's rights over property. It was a leaf from the class-book that + is preparing for the needed instruction. The men learned visibly as + they spoke. The champions of Woman saw the fallacy of arguments on + the opposite side, and were startled by their own convictions. With + their wives at home, and the readers of the paper, it was the same. + And so the stream flows on; thought urging action, and action + leading to the evolution of still better thought. + </p> + <p> + But, were this freedom to come suddenly, I have no fear of the + consequences. Individuals might commit excesses, but there is not + only in the sex a reverence for decorums and limits inherited and + enhanced from generation to generation, which many years of other + life could not efface, but a native love, in Woman as Woman, of + proportion, of "the simple art of not too much,"—a Greek + moderation, which would create immediately a restraining party, the + natural legislators and instructors of the rest, and would gradually + establish such rules as are needed to guard, without impeding, life. + </p> + <p> + The Graces would lead the choral dance, and teach the rest to + regulate their steps to the measure of beauty. + </p> + <p> + But if you ask me what offices they may fill, I reply—any. I + do not care what case you put; let them be sea-captains, if you + will. I do not doubt there are women well fitted for such an office, + and, if so, I should be as glad to see them in it, as to welcome the + maid of Saragossa, or the maid of Missolonghi, or the Suliote + heroine, or Emily Plater. + </p> + <p> + I think women need, especially at this juncture, a much greater + range of occupation than they have, to rouse their latent powers. A + party of travellers lately visited a lonely hut on a mountain. There + they found an old woman, who told them she and her husband had lived + there forty years. "Why," they said, "did you choose so barren a + spot?" She "did not know; <i>it was the man's notion."</i> + </p> + <p> + And, during forty years, she had been content to act, without + knowing why, upon "the man's notion." I would not have it so. + </p> + <p> + In families that I know, some little girls like to saw wood, others + to use carpenters' tools. Where these tastes are indulged, + cheerfulness and good-humor are promoted. Where they are forbidden, + because "such things are not proper for girls," they grow sullen and + mischievous. + </p> + <p> + Fourier had observed these wants of women, as no one can fail to do + who watches the desires of little girls, or knows the ennui that + haunts grown women, except where they make to themselves a serene + little world by art of some kind. He, therefore, in proposing a + great variety of employments, in manufactures or the care of plants + and animals, allows for one third of women as likely to have a taste + for masculine pursuits, one third of men for feminine. + </p> + <p> + Who does not observe the immediate glow and serenity that is + diffused over the life of women, before restless or fretful, by + engaging in gardening, building, or the lowest department of art? + Here is something that is not routine, something that draws forth + life towards the infinite. + </p> + <p> + I have no doubt, however, that a large proportion of women would + give themselves to the same employments as now, because there are + circumstances that must lead them. Mothers will delight to make the + nest soft and warm. Nature would take care of that; no need to clip + the wings of any bird that wants to soar and sing, or finds in + itself the strength of pinion for a migratory flight unusual to its + kind. The difference would be that <i>all</i> need not be + constrained to employments for which <i>some</i> are unfit. + </p> + <p> + I have urged upon the sex self-subsistence in its two forms of + self-reliance and self-impulse, because I believe them to be the + needed means of the present juncture. + </p> + <p> + I have urged on Woman independence of Man, not that I do not think + the sexes mutually needed by one another, but because in Woman this + fact has led to an excessive devotion, which has cooled love, + degraded marriage, and prevented either sex from being what it + should be to itself or the other. + </p> + <p> + I wish Woman to live, <i>first</i> for God's sake. Then she will not + make an imperfect man her god, and thus sink to idolatry. Then she + will not take what is not fit for her from a sense of weakness and + poverty. Then, if she finds what she needs in Man embodied, she will + know how to love, and be worthy of being loved. + </p> + <p> + By being more a soul, she will not be less Woman, for nature is + perfected through spirit. + </p> + <p> + Now there is no woman, only an overgrown child. + </p> + <p> + That her hand may be given with dignity, she must be able to stand + alone. I wish to see men and women capable of such relations as are + depicted by Landor in his Pericles and Aspasia, where grace is the + natural garb of strength, and the affections are calm, because deep. + The softness is that of a firm tissue, as when + </p> + <pre> + "The gods approve + The depth, but not the tumult of the soul, + A fervent, not ungovernable love." +</pre> + <p> + A profound thinker has said, "No married woman can represent the + female world, for she belongs to her husband. The idea of Woman must + be represented by a virgin." + </p> + <p> + But that is the very fault of marriage, and of the present relation + between the sexes, that the woman does belong to the man, instead of + forming a whole with him. Were it otherwise, there would be no such + limitation to the thought. + </p> + <p> + Woman, self-centred, would never be absorbed by any relation; it + would be only an experience to her as to man. It is a vulgar error + that love, <i>a</i> love, to Woman is her whole existence; she also + is born for Truth and Love in their universal energy. Would she but + assume her inheritance, Mary would not be the only virgin mother. + Not Manzoni alone would celebrate in his wife the virgin mind with + the maternal wisdom and conjugal affections. The soul is ever young, + ever virgin. + </p> + <p> + And will not she soon appear?—the woman who shall vindicate + their birthright for all women; who shall teach them what to claim, + and how to use what they obtain? Shall not her name be for her era + Victoria, for her country and life Virginia? Yet predictions are + rash; she herself must teach us to give her the fitting name. + </p> + <p> + An idea not unknown to ancient times has of late been revived, that, + in the metamorphoses of life, the soul assumes the form, first of + Man, then of Woman, and takes the chances, and reaps the benefits of + either lot. Why then, say some, lay such emphasis on the rights or + needs of Woman? What she wins not as Woman will come to her as Man. + </p> + <p> + That makes no difference. It is not Woman, but the law of right, the + law of growth, that speaks in us, and demands the perfection of each + being in its kind—apple as apple, Woman as Woman. Without + adopting your theory, I know that I, a daughter, live through the + life of Man; but what concerns me now is, that my life be a + beautiful, powerful, in a word, a complete life in its kind. Had I + but one more moment to live I must wish the same. + </p> + <p> + Suppose, at the end of your cycle, your great world-year, all will + be completed, whether I exert myself or not (and the supposition is + <i>false</i>,—but suppose it true), am I to be indifferent + about it? Not so! I must beat my own pulse true in the heart of the + world; for <i>that</i> is virtue, excellence, health. + </p> + <p> + Thou, Lord of Day! didst leave us to-night so calmly glorious, not + dismayed that cold winter is coming, not postponing thy beneficence + to the fruitful summer! Thou didst smile on thy day's work when it + was done, and adorn thy down-going as thy up-rising, for thou art + loyal, and it is thy nature to give life, if thou canst, and shine + at all events! + </p> + <p> + I stand in the sunny noon of life. Objects no longer glitter in the + dews of morning, neither are yet softened by the shadows of evening. + Every spot is seen, every chasm revealed. Climbing the dusty hill, + some fair effigies that once stood for symbols of human destiny have + been broken; those I still have with me show defects in this broad + light. Yet enough is left, even by experience, to point distinctly + to the glories of that destiny; faint, but not to be mistaken + streaks of the future day. I can say with the bard, + </p> + <pre> + "Though many have suffered shipwreck, still beat noble hearts." +</pre> + <p> + Always the soul says to us all, Cherish your best hopes as a faith, + and abide by them in action. Such shall be the effectual fervent + means to their fulfilment; + </p> + <pre> + For the Power to whom we bow + Has given its pledge that, if not now, + They of pure and steadfast mind, + By faith exalted, truth refined, +<i>Shall</i> hear all music loud and clear, + Whose first notes they ventured here. + Then fear not thou to wind the horn, + Though elf and gnome thy courage scorn; + Ask for the castle's King and Queen; + Though rabble rout may rush between, + Beat thee senseless to the ground, + In the dark beset thee round; + Persist to ask, and it will come; + Seek not for rest in humbler home; + So shalt thou see, what few have seen, + The palace home of King and Queen. + + 15<i>th November</i>, 1844. +</pre> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h1> + PART II. + </h1> + <hr> + <center> + <b><a name="misc">MISCELLANIES.</a></b> + </center> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="aglauron"></a> + <h2> + AGLAURON AND LAURIE. + </h2> + <center> + <b>A DRIVE THROUGH THE COUNTRY NEAR BOSTON.</b> + </center> + <p> + Aglauron and Laurie are two of the pleasantest men I know. Laurie + combines, with the external advantages of a beautiful person and + easy address, all the charm which quick perceptions and intelligent + sympathy give to the intercourse of daily life. He has an extensive, + though not a deep, knowledge of men and books,—his naturally + fine taste has been more refined by observation, both at home and + abroad, than is usual in this busy country; and, though not himself + a thinker, he follows with care and delight the flights of a rapid + and inventive mind. He is one of those rare persons who, without + being servile or vacillating, present on no side any barrier to the + free action of another mind. Yes, he is really an agreeable + companion. I do not remember ever to have been wearied or chilled in + his company. + </p> + <p> + Aglauron is a person of far greater depth and force than his friend + and cousin, but by no means as agreeable. His mind is ardent and + powerful, rather than brilliant and ready,—neither does he + with ease adapt himself to the course of another. But, when he is + once kindled, the blaze of light casts every object on which it + falls into a bold relief, and gives every scene a lustre unknown + before. He is not, perhaps, strictly original in his thoughts; but + the severe truth of his character, and the searching force of his + attention, give the charm of originality to what he says. + Accordingly, another cannot, by repetition, do it justice. I have + never any doubt when I write down or tell what Laurie says, but + Aglauron must write for himself. + </p> + <p> + Yet I almost always take notes of what has passed, for the amusement + of a distant friend, who is learning, amidst the western prairies, + patience, and an appreciation of the poor benefits of our + imperfectly civilized state. And those I took this day, seemed not + unworthy of a more general circulation. The sparkle of talk, the + free breeze that swelled its current, are always fled when you write + it down; but there is a gentle flow, and truth to the moment, rarely + attained in more elaborate compositions. + </p> + <p> + My two friends called to ask if I would drive with them into the + country, and I gladly consented. It was a beautiful afternoon of the + last week in May. Nature seemed most desirous to make up for the + time she had lost, in an uncommonly cold and wet spring. The leaves + were bursting from their sheaths with such rapidity that the trees + seemed actually to greet you as you passed along. The vestal choirs + of snow-drops and violets were chanting their gentle hopes from + every bank, the orchards were white with blossoms, and the birds + singing in almost tumultuous glee. + </p> + <p> + We drove for some time in silence, perhaps fearful to disturb the + universal song by less melodious accents, when Aglauron said: + </p> + <p> + "How entirely are we new-born today! How are all the post cold skies + and hostile breezes vanished before this single breath of sweetness! + How consoling is the truth thus indicated!" + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie</i>. It is indeed the dearest fact of our consciousness, + that, in every moment of joy, pain is annihilated. There is no past, + and the future is only the sunlight streaming into the far valley. + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron.</i> Yet it was the night that taught us to prize the + day. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie.</i> Even so. And I, you know, object to none of the "dark + masters." + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron</i>. Nor I,—because I am sure that whatever is, is + good; and to find out the <i>why</i> is all our employment here. But + one feels so at home in such a day as this! + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie.</i> As this, indeed! I never heard so many birds, nor saw + so many flowers. Do you not like these yellow flowers? + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron.</i> They gleam upon the fields as if to express the + bridal kiss of the sun. He seems most happy, if not most wealthy, + when first he is wed to the earth. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie.</i> I believe I have some such feeling about these golden + flowers. When I did not know what was the Asphodel, so celebrated by + the poets, I thought it was a golden flower; yet this yellow is so + ridiculed as vulgar. + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron</i>. It is because our vulgar luxury depreciates objects + not fitted to adorn our dwellings. These yellow flowers will not + bear being token out of their places and brought home to the + centre-table. But, when enamelling the ground, the cowslip, the + king-cup,—nay, the marigold and dandelion even,—are + resplendently beautiful. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie</i>. They are the poor man's gold. See that dark, + unpointed house, with its lilac shrubbery. As it stands, undivided + from the road to which the green bank slopes down from the door, is + not the effect of that enamel of gold dandelions beautiful? + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron</i>. It seems as if a stream of peace had flowed from + the door-step down to the very dust, in waves of light, to greet the + passer-by. That is, indeed, a quiet house. It looks as if somebody's + grandfather lived there still. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie</i>. It is most refreshing to see the dark boards amid + those houses of staring white. Strange that, in the extreme heat of + summer, aching eyes don't teach the people better. + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron</i>. We are still, in fact, uncivilized, for all our + knowledge of what is done "in foreign parts" cannot make us + otherwise. Civilization must be homogeneous,—must be a natural + growth. This glistening white paint was long preferred because the + most expensive; just as in the West, I understand, they paint houses + red to make them resemble the hideous red brick. And the eye, thus + spoiled by excitement, prefers red or white to the stone-color, or + the browns, which would harmonize with other hues. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie</i>. I should think the eye could never be spoiled so far + as to like these white palings. These bars of glare amid the foliage + are unbearable. + </p> + <p> + <i>Myself</i>. What color should they be? + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie</i>. An invisible green, as in all civilized parts of the + globe. Then your eye would rest on the shrubbery undisturbed. + </p> + <p> + <i>Myself</i>. Your vaunted Italy has its palaces of white stucco + and buildings of brick. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie</i>. Ay,—but the stucco is by the atmosphere soon + mellowed into cream-color, the brick into rich brown. + </p> + <p> + <i>Myself</i>. I have heard a connoisseur admire our own red brick + in the afternoon sun, above all other colors. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie</i>. There are some who delight too much in the stimulus + of color to be judges of harmony of coloring. It is so, often, with + the Italians. No color is too keen for the eye of the Neapolitan. He + thinks, with little Riding-hood, there is no color like red. I have + seen one of the most beautiful new palaces paved with tiles of a + brilliant red. But this, too, is barbarism. + </p> + <p> + <i>Myself</i>. You are pleased to call it so, because you make the + English your arbiters in point of taste; but I do not think they, on + your own principle, are our proper models. With their ever-weeping + skies, and seven-piled velvet of verdure, they are no rule for us, + whose eyes are accustomed to the keen blue and brilliant clouds of + our own realm, and who see the earth wholly green scarce two months + in the year. No white is more glistening than our January snows; no + house here hurts my eye more than the fields of white-weed will, a + fortnight hence. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie.</i> True refinement of taste would bid the eye seek + repose the more. But, even admitting what you say, there is no + harmony. The architecture is borrowed from England; why not the + rest? + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron.</i> But, my friend, surely these piazzas and pipe-stem + pillars are all American. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie.</i> But the cottage to which they belong is English. The + inhabitants, suffocating in small rooms, and beneath sloping roofs, + because the house is too low to admit any circulation of air, are in + need, we must admit, of the piazza, for elsewhere they must suffer + all the torments of Mons. Chaubert in his first experience of the + oven. But I do not assail the piazzas, at any rate; they are most + desirable, in these hot summers of ours, were they but in proportion + with the house, and their pillars with one another. But I do object + to houses which are desirable neither as summer nor winter + residences here. The shingle palaces, celebrated by Irving's wit, + were far more appropriate, for they, at least, gave free course to + the winds of heaven, when the thermometer stood at ninety-five + degrees in the shade. + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron.</i> Pity that American wit nipped in the bud those + early attempts at an American architecture. Here in the East, alas! + the case is become hopeless. But in the West the log-cabin still + promises a proper basis. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie.</i> You laugh at me. But so it is. I am not so silly as + to insist upon American architecture, American art, in the 4th of + July style, merely for the gratification of national vanity. But a + building, to be beautiful, should harmonize exactly with the uses to + which it is to be put, and be an index to the climate and habits of + the people. There is no objection to borrowing good thoughts from + other nations, if we adopt the new style because we find it will + serve our convenience, and not merely because it looks pretty + outside. + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron.</i> I agree with you that here, as well as in manners + and in literature, there is too ready access to the old stock, and, + though I said it in jest, my hope is, in truth, the log-cabin. This + the settler will enlarge, as his riches and his family increase; he + will beautify as his character refines, and as his eye becomes + accustomed to observe objects around him for their loveliness as + well as for their utility. He will borrow from Nature the forms and + coloring most in harmony with the scene in which his dwelling is + placed. Might growth here be but slow enough! Might not a greediness + for gain and show cheat men of all the real advantages of their + experience! + </p> + <p> + (Here a carriage passed.) + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie.</i> Who is that beautiful lady to whom you bowed? + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron.</i> Beautiful do you think her? At this distance, and + with the freshness which the open air gives to her complexion, she + certainly does look so, and was so still, five years ago, when I + knew her abroad. It is Mrs. V——. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie.</i> I remember with what interest you mentioned her in + your letters. And you promised to tell me her true story. + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron.</i> I was much interested, then, both in her and her + story, But, last winter, when I met her at the South, she had + altered, and seemed so much less attractive than before, that the + bright colors of the picture are well-nigh effaced. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie.</i> The pleasure of telling the story will revive them + again. Let us fasten our horses and go into this little wood. There + is a seat near the lake which is pretty enough to tell a story upon. + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron.</i> In all the idyls I ever read, they were told in + caves, or beside a trickling fountain. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie.</i> That was in the last century. We will innovate. Let + us begin that American originality we were talking about, and make + the bank of a lake answer our purpose. + </p> + <hr> + <p> + We dismounted accordingly, but, on reaching the spot, Aglauron at + first insisted on lying on the grass, and gazing up at the clouds in + a most uncitizen-like fashion, and it was some time before we could + get the promised story. At last,— + </p> + <hr> + <p> + I first saw Mrs. V—— at the opera in Vienna. Abroad, I + scarcely cared for anything in comparison with music. In many + respects the Old World disappointed my hopes; Society was, in + essentials, no better, nor worse, than at home, and I too easily saw + through the varnish of conventional refinement. Lions, seen near, + were scarcely more interesting than tamer cattle, and much more + annoying in their gambols and caprices. Parks and ornamental grounds + pleased me less than the native forests and wide-rolling rivers of + my own land. But in the Arts, and most of all in Music, I found all + my wishes more than realized. I found the soul of man uttering + itself with the swiftness, the freedom and the beauty, for which I + had always pined. I easily conceived how foreigners, once acquainted + with this diverse language, pass their lives without a wish for + pleasure or employment beyond hearing the great works of the + masters. It seemed to me that here was wealth to feed the thoughts + for ages. This lady fixed my attention by the rapturous devotion + with which she listened. I saw that she too had here found her + proper home. Every shade of thought and feeling expressed in the + music was mirrored in her beautiful countenance. Her rapture of + attention, during some passages, was enough of itself to make you + hold your breath; and a sudden stroke of genius lit her face into a + very heaven with its lightning. It seemed to me that in her I should + find one who would truly sympathize with me, one who looked on the + art not as a connoisseur, but a votary. + </p> + <p> + I took the speediest opportunity of being introduced to her at her + own house by a common friend. + </p> + <p> + But what a difference! At home I scarcely knew her. Still she was + beautiful; but the sweetness, the elevated expression, which the + satisfaction of an hour had given her, were entirely fled. Her eye + was restless, her cheek pale and thin, her whole expression + perturbed and sorrowful. Every gesture spoke the sickliness of a + spirit long an outcast from its natural home, bereft of happiness, + and hopeless of good. + </p> + <p> + I perceived, at first sight of her every-day face, that it was not + unknown to me. Three or four years earlier, staying in the + country-house of one of her friends, I had seen her picture. The + house was very dull,—as dull as placid content with the mere + material enjoyments of life, and an inert gentleness of nature, + could make its inhabitants. They were people to be loved, but loved + without a thought. Their wings had never grown, nor their eyes + coveted a wider prospect than could be seen from the parent nest. + The friendly visitant could not discompose them by a remark + indicating any expansion of mind or life. Much as I enjoyed the + beauty of the country around, when out in the free air, my hours + within the house would have been dull enough but for the + contemplation of this picture. While the round of common-place songs + was going on, and the whist-players were at their work, I used to + sit and wonder how this being, so sovereign in the fire of her + nature, so proud in her untamed loveliness, could ever have come of + their blood. Her eye, from the canvas, even, seemed to annihilate + all things low or little, and able to command all creation in search + of the object of its desires. She had not found it, though; I felt + this on seeing her now. She, the queenly woman, the Boadicea of a + forlorn hope, as she seemed born to be, the only woman whose face, + to my eye, had ever given promise of a prodigality of nature + sufficient for the entertainment of a poet's soul, was—I saw + it at a glance—a captive in her life, and a beggar in her + affections. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie.</i> A dangerous object to the traveller's eye, methinks! + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron.</i> Not to mine! The picture had been so; but, seeing + her now, I felt that the glorious promise of her youthful prime had + failed. She had missed her course; and the beauty, whose charm to + the imagination had been that it seemed invincible, was now subdued + and mixed with earth. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie.</i> I can never comprehend the cruelty in your way of + viewing human beings, Aglauron. To err, to suffer, is their lot; all + who have feeling and energy of character must share it; and I could + not endure a woman who at six-and-twenty bore no trace of the past. + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron.</i> Such women and such men are the companions of + everyday life. But the angels of our thoughts are those moulds of + pure beauty which must break with a fall. The common air must not + touch them, for they make their own atmosphere. I admit that such + are not for the tenderness of daily life; their influence must be + high, distant, starlike, to be pure. + </p> + <p> + Such was this woman to me before I knew her; one whose splendid + beauty drew on my thoughts to their future home. In knowing her, I + lost the happiness I had enjoyed in knowing what she should have + been. At first the disappointment was severe, but I have learnt to + pardon her, as others who get mutilated or worn in life, and show + the royal impress only in their virgin courage. But this subject + would detain me too long. Let me rather tell you of Mrs. + V——'s sad history. + </p> + <p> + A friend of mine has said that beautiful persons seem rarely born to + their proper family, but amidst persons so rough and uncongenial + that <i>their</i> presence commands like that of a reproving angel, + or pains like that of some poor prince changed at nurse, and bound + for life to the society of churls. + </p> + <p> + So it was with Emily. Her father was sordid, her mother weak; + persons of great wealth and greater selfishness. She was the + youngest by many years, and left alone in her father's house. + Notwithstanding the want of intelligent sympathy while she was + growing up, and the want of all intelligent culture, she was not an + unhappy child. The unbounded and foolish indulgence with which she + was treated did not have an obviously bad effect upon her then; it + did not make her selfish, sensual, or vain. Her character was too + powerful to dwell upon such boons as those nearest her could bestow. + She negligently received them all as her due. It was later that the + pernicious effects of the absence of all discipline showed + themselves; but in early years she was happy in her lavish feelings, + and in beautiful nature, on which she could pour them, and in her + own pursuits. Music was her passion; in it she found food, and an + answer for feelings destined to become so fatal to her peace, but + which then glowed so sweetly in her youthful form as to enchant the + most ordinary observer. + </p> + <p> + When she was not more than fifteen, and expanding like a flower in + each sunny day, it was her misfortune that her first husband saw and + loved her. Emily, though pleased by his handsome person and gay + manners, never bestowed a serious thought on him. If she had, it + would have been the first ever disengaged from her life of + pleasurable sensation. But when he did plead his cause with all the + ardor of youth, and the flourishes which have been by usage set + apart for such occasions, she listened with delight; for all his + talk of boundless love, undying faith, etc., seemed her native + tongue. It was like the most glowing sunset sky. It swelled upon the + ear like music. It was the only way she ever wished to be addressed, + and she now saw plainly why all talk of everyday people had fallen + unheeded on her ear. She could have listened all day. But when, + emboldened by the beaming eye and ready smile with which she heard, + he pressed his suit more seriously, and talked of marriage, she drew + back astonished. Marry yet?—impossible! She had never thought + of it; and as she thought now of marriages, such as she had seen + them, there was nothing in marriage to attract. But L—— + was not so easily repelled; he made her every promise of pleasure, + as one would to a child. He would take her away to journey through + scenes more beautiful than she had ever dreamed of; he would take + her to a city where, in the fairest home, she should hear the finest + music, and he himself, in every scene, would be her devoted slave, + too happy if for every now pleasure he received one of those smiles + which had become his life. + </p> + <p> + He saw her yielding, and hastened to secure her. Her father was + delighted, as fathers are strangely wont to be, that he was likely + to be deprived of his child, his pet, his pride. The mother was + threefold delighted that she would have a daughter married so + <i>young</i>,—at least three years younger than any of her + elder sisters were married. Both lent their influence; and Emily, + accustomed to rely on them against all peril, and annoyance, till + she scarcely knew there was pain or evil in the world, gave her + consent, as she would have given it to a pleasure-party for a day or + a week. + </p> + <p> + The marriage was hurried on; L—— intent on gaining his + object, as men of strong will and no sentiment are wont to be, the + parents thinking of the éclat of the match. Emily was amused + by the preparations for the festivity, and full of excitement about + the new chapter which was to be opened in her life. Yet so little + idea had she of the true business of life, and the importance of its + ties, that perhaps there was no figure in the future that occupied + her less than that of her bridegroom, a handsome man, with a sweet + voice, her captive, her adorer. She neither thought nor saw further, + lulled by the pictures of bliss and adventure which were floating + before her fancy, the more enchanting because so vague. + </p> + <p> + It was at this time that the picture that so charmed me was taken. + The exquisite rose had not yet opened its leaves so as to show its + heart; but its fragrance and blushful pride were there in + perfection. + </p> + <p> + Poor Emily! She had the promised journeys, the splendid home. Amid + the former her mind, opened by new scenes, already learned that + something she seemed to possess was wanting in the too constant + companion of her days. In the splendid home she received not only + musicians, but other visitants, who taught her strange things. + </p> + <p> + Four little months after her leaving home, her parents were + astonished by receiving a letter in which she told them they had + parted with her too soon; that she was not happy with Mr. + L——, as he had promised she should be, and that she + wished to have her marriage broken. She urged her father to make + haste about it, as she had particular reasons for impatience. You + may easily conceive of the astonishment of the good folks at home. + Her mother wondered and cried. Her father immediately ordered his + horses, and went to her. + </p> + <p> + He was received with rapturous delight, and almost at the first + moment thanked for his speedy compliance with her request. But when + she found that he opposed her desire of having her marriage broken, + and when she urged him with vehemence and those marks of caressing + fondness she had been used to find all-powerful, and he told her at + last it could not be done, she gave way to a paroxysm of passion; + she declared that she could not and would not live with Mr. + L——; that, so soon as she saw anything of the world, she + saw many men that she infinitely preferred to him; and that, since + her father and mother, instead of guarding her, so mere a child as + she was, so entirely inexperienced, against a hasty choice, had + persuaded and urged her to it, it was their duty to break the match + when they found it did not make her happy. + </p> + <p> + "My child, you are entirely unreasonable." + </p> + <p> + "It is not a time to be patient; and I was too yielding before. I am + not seventeen. Is the happiness of my whole life to be sacrificed?" + </p> + <p> + "Emily, you terrify me! Do you love anybody else?" + </p> + <p> + "Not yet; but I am sure shall find some one to love, now I know what + it is. I have seen already many whom I prefer to Mr. + L——." + </p> + <p> + "Is he not kind to you?" + </p> + <p> + "Kind! yes; but he is perfectly uninteresting. I hate to be with + him. I do not wish his kindness, nor to remain in his house." + </p> + <p> + In vain her father argued; she insisted that she could never be + happy as she was; that it was impossible the law could be so cruel + as to bind her to a vow she had taken when so mere a child; that she + would go home with her father now, and they would see what could be + done. She added that she had already told her husband her + resolution. + </p> + <p> + "And how did he bear it?" + </p> + <p> + "He was very angry; but it is better for him to be angry once than + unhappy always, as I should certainly make him did I remain here." + </p> + <p> + After long and fruitless attempts to reason her into a different + state of mind, the father went in search of the husband. He found + him irritated and mortified. He loved his wife, in his way, for her + personal beauty. He was very proud of her; he was piqued to the last + degree by her frankness. He could not but acknowledge the truth of + what she said, that she had been persuaded into the match when but a + child; for she seemed a very infant now, in wilfulness and ignorance + of the world. But I believe neither he nor her father had one + compunctious misgiving as to their having profaned the holiness of + marriage by such an union. Their minds had never been opened to the + true meaning of life, and, though they thought themselves so much + wiser, they were in truth much less so than the poor, passionate + Emily,—for her heart, at least, spoke clearly, if her mind lay + in darkness. + </p> + <p> + They could do nothing with her, and her father was at length + compelled to take her home, hoping that her mother might be able to + induce her to see things in a different light. But father, mother, + uncles, brothers, all reasoned with her in vain. Totally unused to + disappointment, she could not for a long time believe that she was + forever bound by a bond that sat uneasily on her untamed spirit. + When at last convinced of the truth, her despair was terrible. + </p> + <p> + "Am I his? his forever? Must I never then love? Never marry one whom + I could really love? Mother! it is too cruel. I cannot, will not + believe it. You always wished me to belong to him. You do not now + wish to aid me, or you are afraid! O, you would not be so, could you + but know what I feel!" + </p> + <p> + At last convinced, she then declared that if she could not be + legally separated from L——, but must consent to bear his + name, and never give herself to another, she would at least live + with him no more. She would not again leave her father's house. Here + she was deaf to all argument, and only force could have driven her + away. Her indifference to L—— had become hatred, in the + course of these thoughts and conversations. She regarded herself as + his victim, and him as her betrayer, since, she said, he was old + enough to know the importance of the step to which he led her. Her + mind, naturally noble, though now in this wild state, refused to + admit his love as an excuse. "Had he loved me," she said, "he would + have wished to teach me to love him, before securing me as his + property. He is as selfish as he is dull and uninteresting. No! I + will drag on my miserable years here alone, but I will not pretend + to love him nor gratify him by the sight of his slave!" + </p> + <p> + A year and more passed, and found the unhappy Emily inflexible. Her + husband at last sought employment abroad, to hide his mortification. + </p> + <p> + After his departure, Emily relaxed once from the severe coldness she + had shown since her return home. She had passed her time there with + her music, in reading poetry, in solitary walks. But as the person + who had been, however unintentionally, the means of making her so + miserable, was further removed from her, she showed willingness to + mingle again with the family, and see one or two young friends. + </p> + <p> + One of these, Almeria, effected what all the armament of praying and + threatening friends had been unable to do. She devoted herself to + Emily. She shared her employments and her walks; she sympathized + with all her feelings, even the morbid ones which she saw to be + sincerity, tenderness and delicacy gone astray,—perverted and + soured by the foolish indulgence of her education, and the severity + of her destiny made known suddenly to a mind quite unprepared. At + last, having won the confidence and esteem of Emily, by the wise and + gentle cheek her justice and clear perceptions gave to all + extravagance, Almeria ventured on representing to Emily her conduct + as the world saw it. + </p> + <p> + To this she found her quite insensible. "What is the world to me?" + she said. "I am forbidden to seek there all it can offer of value to + Woman—sympathy and a home." + </p> + <p> + "It is full of beauty still," said Almeria, looking out into the + golden and perfumed glories of a June day. + </p> + <p> + "Not to the prisoner and the slave," said Emily. + </p> + <p> + "All are such, whom God hath not made free;" and Almeria gently + ventured to explain the hopes of larger span which enable the soul + that can soar upon their wings to disregard the limitations of + seventy years. + </p> + <p> + Emily listened with profound attention. The words were familiar to + her, but the tone was not; it was that which rises from the depths + of a purified spirit,—purified by pain, softened into peace. + </p> + <p> + "Have you made any use of these thoughts in your life, Almeria?" + </p> + <p> + The lovely preacher hesitated not to reveal a tale before unknown + except to her own heart, of woe, renunciation, and repeated blows + from a hostile fate. + </p> + <p> + Emily heard it in silence, but she understood. The great illusions + of youth vanished. She did not suffer alone; her lot was not + peculiar. Another, perhaps many, were forbidden the bliss of + sympathy and a congenial environment. And what had Almeria done? + Revenged herself? Tormented all around her? Clung with wild passion + to a selfish resolve? Not at all. She had made the best of a wreck + of life, and deserved a blessing on a new voyage. She had sought + consolation in disinterested tenderness for her fellow-sufferers, + and she deserved to cease to suffer. + </p> + <p> + The lesson was taken home, and gradually leavened the whole being of + this spoiled but naturally noble child. + </p> + <p> + A few weeks afterwards, she asked her father when Mr. + L—— was expected to return. + </p> + <p> + "In about three months," he replied, much surprised. + </p> + <p> + "I should like to have you write to him for me." + </p> + <p> + "What now absurdity?" said the father, who, long mortified and + harassed, had ceased to be a fond father to his once adored Emily. + </p> + <p> + "Say that my views are unchanged as to his soliciting a marriage + with me when too childish to know my own mind on that or any other + subject; but I have now seen enough of the world to know that he + meant no ill, if no good, and was no more heedless in this great + matter than many others are. He is not born to know what one + constituted like me must feel, in a home where I found no rest for + my heart. I have now read, seen and thought, what has made me a + woman. I can be what you call reasonable, though not perhaps in your + way. I see that my misfortune is irreparable. I heed not the world's + opinion, and would, for myself, rather remain here, and keep up no + semblance of a connection which my matured mind disclaims. But that + scandalizes you and my mother, and makes your house a scene of pain + and mortification in your old age. I know you, too, did not neglect + the charge of me, in your own eyes. I owe you gratitude for your + affectionate intentions at least. + </p> + <p> + "L—— too is as miserable as mortification can make one + like him. Write, and ask him if he wishes my presence in his house + on my own terms. He must not expect from me the affection, or marks + of affection, of a wife. I should never have been his wife had I + waited till I understood life or myself. But I will be his attentive + and friendly companion, the mistress of his house, if he pleases. To + the world it will seem enough,—he will be more comfortable + there,—and what he wished of me was, in a great measure, to + show me to the world. I saw that, as soon as we were in it, I could + not give him happiness if I would, for we have not a thought nor + employment in common. But if we can agree on the way, we may live + together without any one being very miserable except myself, and I + have made up my mind." + </p> + <p> + The astonishment of the father may be conceived, and his cavils; + L——'s also. + </p> + <p> + To cut the story short, it was settled in Emily's way, for she was + one of the sultana kind, dread and dangerous. L—— hardly + wished her to love him now, for he half hated her for all she had + done; yet he was glad to have her back, as she had judged, for the + sake of appearances. All was smoothed over by a plausible story. + People, indeed, knew the truth as to the fair one's outrageous + conduct perfectly, but Mr. L—— was rich, his wife + beautiful, and gave good parties; so society, as such, bowed and + smiled, while individuals scandalized the pair. + </p> + <p> + They had been living on this footing for several years, when I saw + Emily at the opera. She was a much altered being. Debarred of + happiness in her affections, she had turned for solace to the + intellectual life, and her naturally powerful and brilliant mind had + matured into a splendor which had never been dreamed of by those who + had seen her amid the freaks end day-dreams of her early youth. + </p> + <p> + Yet, as I said before, she was not captivating to me, as her picture + had been. She was, in a different way, as beautiful in feature and + coloring as in her spring-time. Her beauty, all moulded and mellowed + by feeling, was far more eloquent; but it had none of the virgin + magnificence, the untouched tropical luxuriance, which had fired my + fancy. The false position in which she lived had shaded her + expression with a painful restlessness; and her eye proclaimed that + the conflicts of her mind had strengthened, had deepened, but had + not yet hallowed, her character. + </p> + <p> + She was, however, interesting, deeply so; one of those rare beings + who fill your eye in every mood. Her passion for music, and the + great excellence she had attained as a performer, drew us together. + I was her daily visitor; but, if my admiration ever softened into + tenderness, it was the tenderness of pity for her unsatisfied heart, + and cold, false life. + </p> + <p> + But there was one who saw with very different eyes. V—— + had been intimate with Emily some time before my arrival, and every + day saw him more deeply enamored. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie.</i> And pray where was the husband all this time? + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron.</i> L—— had sought consolation in ambition. + He was a man of much practical dexterity, but of little thought, and + less heart. He had at first been jealous of Emily for his honor's + sake,—not for any reality,—for she treated him with + great attention as to the comforts of daily life; but otherwise, + with polite, steady coldness. Finding that she received the court, + which many were disposed to pay her, with grace and affability, but + at heart with imperial indifference, he ceased to disturb himself; + for, as she rightly thought, he was incapable of understanding her. + A coquette he could have interpreted; but a romantic character like + hers, born for a grand passion, or no love at all, he could not. Nor + did he see that V—— was likely to be more to her than + any of her admirers. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie.</i> I am afraid I should have shamed his obtuseness. + V—— has nothing to recommend him that I know of, except + his beauty, and that is the beauty of a + <i>petit-maitre</i>—effeminate, without character, and very + unlikely, I should judge, to attract such a woman as you give me the + idea of. + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron.</i> You speak like a man, Laurie; but have you never + heard tales of youthful minstrels and pages being preferred by + princesses, in the land of chivalry, to stalwart knights, who were + riding all over the land, doing their devoirs maugre scars and + starvation? And why? One want of a woman's heart is to admire and be + protected; but another is to be understood in all her delicate + feelings, and have an object who shall know how to receive all the + marks of her inventive and bounteous affection. V—— is + such an one; a being of infinite grace and tenderness, and an equal + capacity for prizing the same in another. + </p> + <p> + Effeminate, say you? Lovely, rather, and lovable. He was not, + indeed, made to grow old; but I never saw a fairer spring-time than + shone in his eye when life, and thought, and love, opened on him all + together. + </p> + <p> + He was to Emily like the soft breathing of a flute in some solitary + valley; indeed, the delicacy of his nature made a solitude around + him in the world. So delicate was he, and Emily for a long time so + unconscious, that nobody except myself divined how strong was the + attraction which, as it drew them nearer together, invested both + with a lustre and a sweetness which charmed all around them. + </p> + <p> + But I see the sun is declining, and warns me to cut short a tale + which would keep us here till dawn if I were to detail it as I + should like to do in my own memories. The progress of this affair + interested me deeply; for, like all persons whose perceptions are + more lively than their hopes, I delight to live from day to day in + the more ardent experiments of others. I looked on with curiosity, + with sympathy, with fear. How could it end? What would become of + them, unhappy lovers? One too noble, the other too delicate, ever to + find happiness in an unsanctioned tie. + </p> + <p> + I had, however, no right to interfere, and did not, even by a look, + until one evening, when the occasion was forced upon me. + </p> + <p> + There was a summer fête given at L——'s. I had + mingled for a while with the guests in the brilliant apartments; but + the heat oppressed, the conversation failed to interest me. An open + window tempted me to the garden, whose flowers and tufted lawns lay + bathed in moonlight. I went out alone; but the music of a superb + band followed my steps, and gave impulse to my thoughts. A dreaming + state, pensive though not absolutely sorrowful, came upon + me,—one of those gentle moods when thoughts flow through the + mind amber-clear and soft, noiseless, because unimpeded. I sat down + in an arbor to enjoy it, and probably stayed much longer than I + could have imagined; for when I reëntered the large saloon it + was deserted. The lights, however, were not extinguished, and, + hearing voices in the inner room, I supposed some guests still + remained; and, as I had not spoken with Emily that evening, I + ventured in to bid her good-night. I started, repentant, on finding + her alone with V——, and in a situation that announced + their feelings to be no longer concealed from each other. She, + leaning back on the sofa, was weeping bitterly, while + V——, seated at her feet, holding her hands within his + own, was pouring forth his passionate words with a fervency which + prevented him from perceiving my entrance. But Emily perceived me at + once, and starting up, motioned me not to go, as I had intended. I + obeyed, and sat down. A pause ensued, awkward for me and for + V——, who sat with his eyes cast down and blushing like a + young girl detected in a burst of feeling long kept secret. Emily + sat buried in thought, the tears yet undried upon her cheeks. She + was pale, but nobly beautiful, as I had never yet seen her. + </p> + <p> + After a few moments I broke the silence, and attempted to tell why I + had returned so late. She interrupted me: "No matter, Aglauron, how + it happened; whatever the chance, it promises to give both + V—— and myself, what we greatly need, a calm friend and + adviser. You are the only person among these crowds of men whom I + could consult; for I have read friendship in your eye, and I know + you have truth and honor. V—— thinks of you as I do, and + he too is, or should be, glad to have some counsellor beside his own + wishes." + </p> + <p> + V—— did not raise his eyes; neither did he contradict + her. After a moment he said, "I believe Aglauron to be as free from + prejudice as any man, and most true and honorable; yet who can judge + in this matter but ourselves?" + </p> + <p> + "No one shall judge," said Emily; "but I want counsel. God help me! + I feel there is a right and wrong; but how can my mind, which has + never been trained to discern between them, be confident of its + power at this important moment? Aglauron, what remains to me of + happiness,—if anything do remain; perhaps the hope of heaven, + if, indeed, there be a heaven,—is at stake! Father and brother + have failed their trust. I have no friend able to understand, wise + enough to counsel me. The only one whose words ever came true to my + thoughts, and of whom you have often reminded me, is distant. Will + you, this hour, take her place?" + </p> + <p> + "To the best of my ability," I replied without hesitation, struck by + the dignity of her manner. + </p> + <p> + "You know," she said, "all my past history; all do so here, though + they do not talk loudly of it. You and all others have probably + blamed me. You know not, you cannot guess, the anguish, the + struggles of my childish mind when it first opened to the meaning of + those words, Love, Marriage, Life. When I was bound to Mr. + L——, by a vow which from my heedless lips was mockery of + all thought, all holiness, I had never known a duty, I had never + felt the pressure of a tie. Life had been, so far, a sweet, + voluptuous dream, and I thought of this seemingly so kind and + amiable person as a new and devoted ministrant to me of its + pleasures. But I was scarcely in his power when I awoke. I perceived + the unfitness of the tie; its closeness revolted me. + </p> + <p> + "I had no timidity; I had always been accustomed to indulge my + feelings, and I displayed them now. L——, irritated, + averted his mastery; this drove me wild; I soon hated him, and + despised too his insensibility to all which I thought most + beautiful. From all his faults, and the imperfection of our + relation, grew up in my mind the knowledge of what the true might be + to me. It is astonishing how the thought grow upon me day by day. I + had not been married more than three months before I knew what it + would be to love, and I longed to be free to do so. I had never + known what it was to be resisted, and the thought never came to me + that I could now, and for all my life, be bound by so early a + mistake. I thought only of expressing my resolve to be free. + </p> + <p> + "How I was repulsed, how disappointed, you know, or could divine if + you did not know; for all but me have been trained to bear the + burden from their youth up, and accustomed to have the individual + will fettered for the advantage of society. For the same reason, you + cannot guess the silent fury that filled my mind when I at last + found that I had struggled in vain, and that I must remain in the + bondage that I had ignorantly put on. + </p> + <p> + "My affections were totally alienated from my family, for I felt + they had known what I had not, and had neither put me on my guard, + nor warned me against precipitation whose consequences must be + fatal. I saw, indeed, that they did not look on life as I did, and + could be content without being happy; but this observation was far + from making me love them more. I felt alone, bitterly, + contemptuously alone. I hated men who had made the laws that bound + me. I did not believe in God; for why had He permitted the dart to + enter so unprepared a breast? I determined never to submit, though I + disdained to struggle, since struggle was in vain. In passive, + lonely wretchedness I would pass my days. I would not feign what I + did not feel, nor take the hand which had poisoned for me the cup of + life before I had sipped the first drops. + </p> + <p> + "A friend—the only one I have ever known—taught me other + thoughts. She taught me that others, perhaps all others, were + victims, as much as myself. She taught me that if all the wrecked + submitted to be drowned, the world would be a desert. She taught me + to pity others, even those I myself was paining; for she showed me + that they had sinned in ignorance, and that I had no right to make + them suffer so long as I myself did, merely because they were the + authors of my suffering. + </p> + <p> + "She showed me, by her own pure example, what were Duty and + Benevolence and Employment to the soul, even when baffled and + sickened in its dearest wishes. That example was not wholly lost: I + freed my parents, at least, from their pain, and, without falsehood, + became less cruel and more calm. + </p> + <p> + "Yet the kindness, the calmness, have never gone deep. I have been + forced to live out of myself; and life, busy or idle, is still most + bitter to the homeless heart. I cannot be like Almeria; I am more + ardent; and, Aglauron, you see now I might be happy," + </p> + <p> + She looked towards V——. I followed her eye, and was + well-nigh melted too by the beauty of his gaze. + </p> + <p> + "The question in my mind is," she resumed, "have I not a right to + fly? To leave this vacant life, and a tie which, but for worldly + circumstances, presses as heavily on L—— as on myself. I + shall mortify him; but that is a trifle compared with actual misery. + I shall grieve my parents; but, were they truly such, would they not + grieve still more that I must reject the life of mutual love? I have + already sacrificed enough; shall I sacrifice the happiness of one I + could really bless for those who do not know one native heart-beat + of my life?" + </p> + <p> + V—— kissed her hand. + </p> + <p> + "And yet," said she, sighing, "it does not always look so. We must, + in that case, leave the world; it will not tolerate us. Can I make + V—— happy in solitude? And what would Almeria think? + Often it seems that she would feel that now I do love, and could + make a green spot in the desert of life over which she mourned, she + would rejoice to have me do so. Then, again, something whispers she + might have objections to make; and I wish—O, I long to know + them! For I feel that this is the great crisis of my life, and that + if I do not act wisely, now that I have thought and felt, it will be + unpardonable. In my first error I was ignorant what I wished, but + now I know, and ought not to be weak or deluded." + </p> + <p> + I said, "Have you no religious scruples? Do you never think of your + vow as sacred?" + </p> + <p> + "Never!" she replied, with flashing eyes. "Shall the woman be bound + by the folly of the child? No!—have never once considered + myself as L——'s wife. If I have lived in his house, it + was to make the best of what was left, as Almeria advised. But what + I feel he knows perfectly. I have never deceived him. But O! I + hazard all! all! and should I be again ignorant, again + deceived"—— + </p> + <p> + V—— here poured forth all that can be imagined. + </p> + <p> + I rose: "Emily, this case seems to me so extraordinary that I must + have time to think. You shall hear from me. I shall certainly give + you my best advice, and I trust you will not over-value it." + </p> + <p> + "I am sure," she said, "it will be of use to me, and will enable me + to decide what I shall do. V——, now go away with + Aglauron; it is too late for you to stay here." + </p> + <p> + I do not know if I have made obvious, in this account, what struck + me most in the interview,—a certain savage force in the + character of this beautiful woman, quite independent of the + reasoning power. I saw that, as she could give no account of the + past, except that she saw it was fit, or saw it was not, so she must + be dealt with now by a strong instalment made by another from his + own point of view, which she would accept or not, as suited her. + </p> + <p> + There are some such characters, which, like plants, stretch upwards + to the light; they accept what nourishes, they reject what injures + them. They die if wounded,—blossom if fortunate; but never + learn to analyze all this, or find its reasons; but, if they tell + their story, it is in Emily's way;—"it was so;" "I found it + so." + </p> + <p> + I talked with V——, and found him, as I expected, not the + peer of her he loved, except in love. His passion was at its height. + Better acquainted with the world than Emily,—not because he + had seen it more, but because he had the elements of the citizen in + him,—he had been at first equally emboldened and surprised by + the ease with which he won her to listen to his suit. But he was + soon still more surprised to find that she would only listen. She + had no regard for her position in society as a married + woman,—none for her vow. She frankly confessed her love, so + far as it went, but doubted as to whether it was <i>her whole + love</i>, and doubted still more her right to leave L——, + since she had returned to him, and could not break the bond so + entirely as to give them firm foot-hold in the world. + </p> + <p> + "I may make you unhappy," she said, "and then be unhappy myself; + these laws, this society, are so strange, I can make nothing of + them. In music I am at home. Why is not all life music? We instantly + know when we are going wrong there. Convince me it is for the best, + and I will go with you at once. But now it seems wrong, unwise, + scarcely better than to stay as we are. We must go secretly, must + live obscurely in a corner. That I cannot bear,—all is wrong + yet. Why am I not at liberty to declare unblushingly to all men that + I will leave the man whom I <i>do not</i> love, and go with him I + <i>do</i> love? That is the only way that would suit me,—I + cannot see clearly to take any other course." + </p> + <p> + I found V—— had no scruples of conscience, any more than + herself. He was wholly absorbed in his passion, and his only wish + was to persuade her to elope, that a divorce might follow, and she + be all his own. + </p> + <p> + I took my part. I wrote next day to Emily. I told her that my view + must differ from hers in this: that I had, from early impressions, a + feeling of the sanctity of the marriage vow. It was not to me a + measure intended merely to insure the happiness of two individuals, + but a solemn obligation, which, whether it led to happiness or not, + was a means of bringing home to the mind the great idea of Duty, the + understanding of which, and not happiness, seemed to be the end of + life. Life looked not clear to me otherwise. I entreated her to + separate herself from V—— for a year, before doing + anything decisive; she could then look at the subject from other + points of view, and see the bearing on mankind as well as on herself + alone. If she still found that happiness and V—— were + her chief objects, she might be more sure of herself after such a + trial. I was careful not to add one word of persuasion or + exhortation, except that I recommended her to the enlightening love + of the Father of our spirits. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie</i>. With or without persuasion, your advice had small + chance, I fear, of being followed. + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron</i>. You err. Next day V—— departed. Emily, + with a calm brow and earnest eyes, devoted herself to thought, and + such reading as I suggested. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie</i>. And the result? + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron</i>. I grieve not to be able to point my tale with the + expected moral, though perhaps the true denouement may lead to one + as valuable. L—— died within the year, and she married + V——. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie</i>. And the result? + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron</i>. Is for the present utter disappointment in him. She + was infinitely blest, for a time, in his devotion, but presently her + strong nature found him too much hers, and too little his own. He + satisfied her as little as L—— had done, though always + lovely and dear. She saw with keen anguish, though this time without + bitterness, that we are never wise enough to be sure any measure + will fulfil our expectations. + </p> + <p> + But—I know not how it is—Emily does not yet command the + changes of destiny which she feels so keenly and faces so boldly. + Born to be happy only in the clear light of religious thought, she + still seeks happiness elsewhere. She is now a mother, and all other + thoughts are merged in that. But she will not long be permitted to + abide there. One more pang, and I look to see her find her central + point, from which all the paths she has taken lead. She loves truth + so ardently, though as yet only in detail, that she will yet know + truth as a whole. She will see that she does not live for Emily, or + for V——, or for her child, but as one link in a divine + purpose. Her large nature must at last serve knowingly. + </p> + <p> + <i>Myself</i>. I cannot understand you, Aglauron; I do not guess the + scope of your story, nor sympathize with your feeling about this + lady. She is a strange, and, I think, very unattractive person. I + think her beauty must have fascinated you. Her character seems very + inconsistent. + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron</i>. Because I have drawn from life. + </p> + <p> + <i>Myself</i>. But, surely, there should be a harmony somewhere. + </p> + <p> + <i>Aglauron</i>. Could we but get the right point of view. + </p> + <p> + <i>Laurie</i>. And where is that? + </p> + <p> + He pointed to the sun, just sinking behind the pine grove. We + mounted and rode home without a word more. But I do not understand + Aglauron yet, nor what he expects from this Emily. Yet her + character, though almost featureless at first, gains distinctness as + I think of it more. Perhaps in this life I shall find its key. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="wrongs"></a> + <h2> + THE WRONGS OF AMERICAN WOMEN. THE DUTY OF AMERICAN WOMEN. + </h2> + <p> + The same day brought us a copy of Mr. Burdett's little + book,—in which the sufferings and difficulties that beset the + large class of women who must earn their subsistence in a city like + New York, are delineated with so much simplicity, feeling, and exact + adherence to the facts,—and a printed circular, containing + proposals for immediate practical adoption of the plan wore fully + described in a book published some weeks since, under the title, + "The Duty of American Women to their Country," which was ascribed + alternately to Mrs. Stowe and Miss Catharine Beecher. The two + matters seemed linked to one another by natural parity. Full + acquaintance with the wrong must call forth all manner of inventions + for its redress. + </p> + <p> + The circular, in showing the vast want that already exists of good + means for instructing the children of this nation, especially in the + West, states also the belief that among women, as being less + immersed in other cares and toils, from the preparation it gives for + their task as mothers, and from the necessity in which a great + proportion stand of earning a subsistence somehow, at least during + the years which precede marriage, if they <i>do</i> marry, must the + number of teachers wanted be found, which is estimated already at + <i>sixty thousand</i>. + </p> + <p> + We cordially sympathize with these views. + </p> + <p> + Much has been written about woman's keeping within her sphere, which + is defined as the domestic sphere. As a little girl she is to learn + the lighter family duties, while she acquires that limited + acquaintance with the realm of literature and science that will + enable her to superintend the instruction of children in their + earliest years. It is not generally proposed that she should be + sufficiently instructed and developed to understand the pursuits or + aims of her future husband; she is not to be a help-meet to him in + the way of companionship and counsel, except in the care of his + house and children. Her youth is to be passed partly in learning to + keep house and the use of the needle, partly in the social circle, + where her manners may be formed, ornamental accomplishments + perfected and displayed, and the husband found who shall give her + the domestic sphere for which she is exclusively to be prepared. + </p> + <p> + Were the destiny of Woman thus exactly marked out; did she + invariably retain the shelter of a parent's or guardian's roof till + she married; did marriage give her a sure home and protector; were + she never liable to remain a widow, or, if so, sure of finding + immediate protection from a brother or new husband, so that she + might never be forced to stand alone one moment; and were her mind + given for this world only, with no faculties capable of eternal + growth and infinite improvement; we would still demand for her a for + wider and more generous culture, than is proposed by those who so + anxiously define her sphere. We would demand it that she might not + ignorantly or frivolously thwart the designs of her husband; that + she might be the respected friend of her sons, not less than of her + daughters; that she might give more refinement, elevation and + attraction, to the society which is needed to give the characters of + <i>men</i> polish and plasticity,—no less so than to save them + from vicious and sensual habits. But the most fastidious critic on + the departure of Woman from her sphere can scarcely fail to see, at + present, that a vast proportion of the sex, if not the better half, + do not, <i>cannot</i> have this domestic sphere. Thousands and + scores of thousands in this country, no less than in Europe, are + obliged to maintain themselves alone. Far greater numbers divide + with their husbands the care of earning a support for the family. In + England, now, the progress of society has reached so admirable a + pitch, that the position of the sexes is frequently reversed, and + the husband is obliged to stay at home and "mind the house and + bairns," while the wife goes forth to the employment she alone can + secure. + </p> + <p> + We readily admit that the picture of this is most + painful;—that Nature made an entirely opposite distribution of + functions between the sexes. We believe the natural order to be the + best, and that, if it could be followed in an enlightened spirit, it + would bring to Woman all she wants, no less for her immortal than + her mortal destiny. We are not surprised that men who do not look + deeply and carefully at causes and tendencies, should be led, by + disgust at the hardened, hackneyed characters which the present + state of things too often produces in women, to such conclusions as + they are. We, no more than they, delight in the picture of the poor + woman digging in the mines in her husband's clothes. We, no more + than they, delight to hear their voices shrilly raised in the + market-place, whether of apples, or of celebrity. But we see that at + present they must do as they do for bread. Hundreds and thousands + must step out of that hallowed domestic sphere, with no choice but + to work or steal, or belong to men, not as wives, but as the + wretched slaves of sensuality. + </p> + <p> + And this transition state, with all its revolting features, + indicates, we do believe, an approach of a nobler era than the world + has yet known. We trust that by the stress and emergencies of the + present and coming time the minds of women will be formed to more + reflection and higher purposes than heretofore; their latent powers + developed, their characters strengthened and eventually beautified + and harmonized. Should the state of society then be such that each + may remain, as Nature seems to have intended, Woman the tutelary + genius of home, while Man manages the outdoor business of life, both + may be done with a wisdom, a mutual understanding and respect, + unknown at present. Men will be no less gainers by this than women, + finding in pure and more religious marriages the joys of friendship + and love combined,—in their mothers and daughters better + instruction, sweeter and nobler companionship, and in society at + large, an excitement to their finer powers and feelings unknown at + present, except in the region of the fine arts. + </p> + <p> + Blest be the generous, the wise, who seek to forward hopes like + these, instead of struggling, against the fiat of Providence and the + march of Fate, to bind down rushing life to the standard of the + past! Such efforts are vain, but those who make them are unhappy and + unwise. + </p> + <p> + It is not, however, to such that we address ourselves, but to those + who seek to make the best of things as they are, while they also + strive to make them better. Such persons will have seen enough of + the state of things in London, Paris, New York, and manufacturing + regions everywhere, to feel that there is an imperative necessity + for opening more avenues of employment to women, and fitting them + better to enter them, rather than keeping them back. + </p> + <p> + Women have invaded many of the trades and some of the professions. + Sewing, to the present killing extent, they cannot long bear. + Factories seem likely to afford them permanent employment. In the + culture of fruit, flowers, and vegetables, even in the sale of them, + we rejoice to see them engaged. In domestic service they will be + aided, but can never be supplanted, by machinery. As much room as + there is here for Woman's mind and Woman's labor, will always be + filled. A few have usurped the martial province, but these must + always be few; the nature of Woman is opposed to war. It is natural + enough to see "female physicians," and we believe that the lace cap + and work-bag are as much at home here as the wig and gold-headed + cane. In the priesthood, they have, from all time, shared more or + less—in many eras more than at the present. We believe there + has been no female lawyer, and probably will be none. The pen, many + of the fine arts, they have made their own; and in the more refined + countries of the world, as writers, as musicians, as painters, as + actors, women occupy as advantageous ground as men. Writing and + music may be esteemed professions for them more than any other. + </p> + <p> + But there are two others—where the demand must invariably be + immense, and for which they are naturally better fitted than + men—for which we should like to see them better prepared and + better rewarded than they are. These are the professions of nurse to + the sick, and of the teacher. The first of these professions we have + warmly desired to see dignified. It is a noble one, now most + unjustly regarded in the light of menial service. It is one which no + menial, no servile nature can fitly occupy. We were rejoiced when an + intelligent lady of Massachusetts made the refined heroine of a + little romance select this calling. This lady (Mrs. George Lee) has + looked on society with unusual largeness of spirit and healthiness + of temper. She is well acquainted with the world of conventions, but + sees beneath it the world of nature. She is a generous writer, and + unpretending as the generous are wont to be. We do not recall the + name of the tale, but the circumstance above mentioned marks its + temper. We hope to see the time when the refined and cultivated will + choose this profession, and learn it, not only through experience + and under the direction of the doctor, but by acquainting themselves + with the laws of matter and of mind, so that all they do shall be + intelligently done, and afford them the means of developing + intelligence, as well as the nobler, tenderer feelings of humanity; + for even this last part of the benefit they cannot receive if their + work be done in a selfish or mercenary spirit. + </p> + <p> + The other profession is that of teacher, for which women are + peculiarly adapted by their nature, superiority in tact, quickness + of sympathy, gentleness, patience, and a clear and animated manner + in narration or description. To form a good teacher, should be added + to this, sincere modesty combined with firmness, liberal views, with + a power and will to liberalize them still further, a good method, + and habits of exact and thorough investigation. In the two last + requisites women are generally deficient, but there are now many + shining examples to prove that if they are immethodical and + superficial as teachers, it is because it is the custom so to teach + them, and that when aware of these faults, they can and will correct + them. + </p> + <p> + The profession is of itself an excellent one for the improvement of + the teacher during that interim between youth and maturity when the + mind needs testing, tempering, and to review and rearrange the + knowledge it has acquired. The natural method of doing this for + one's self, is to attempt teaching others; those years also are the + best of the practical teacher. The teacher should be near the pupil, + both in years and feelings; no oracle, but the eldest brother or + sister of the pupil. More experience and years form the lecturer and + director of studies, but injure the powers as to familiar teaching. + </p> + <p> + These are just the years of leisure in the lives even of those women + who are to enter the domestic sphere, and this calling most of all + compatible with a constant progress as to qualifications for that. + </p> + <p> + Viewing the matter thus, it may well be seen that we should hail + with joy the assurance that sixty thousand <i>female</i> teachers + are wanted, and more likely to be, and that a plan is projected + which looks wise, liberal and generous, to afford the means, to + those whose hearts answer to this high calling, of obeying their + dictates. + </p> + <p> + The plan is to have Cincinnati as a central point, where teachers + shall be for a short time received, examined, and prepared for their + duties. By mutual agreement and cooperation of the various sects, + funds are to be raised, and teachers provided, according to the + wants and tendencies of the various locations now destitute. What is + to be done for them centrally, is for suitable persons to examine + into the various kinds of fitness, communicate some general views + whose value has been tested, and counsel adapted to the difficulties + and advantages of their new positions. The central committee are to + have the charge of raising funds, and finding teachers, and places + where teachers are wanted. + </p> + <p> + The passage of thoughts, teachers and funds, will be from East to + West—the course of sunlight upon this earth. + </p> + <p> + The plan is offered as the most extensive and pliant means of doing + a good and preventing ill to this nation, by means of a national + education; whose normal school shall have an invariable object in + the search after truth, and the diffusion of the means of knowledge, + while its form shall be plastic according to the wants of the time. + This normal school promises to have good effects, for it proposes + worthy aims through simple means, and the motive for its formation + and support seems to be disinterested philanthropy. + </p> + <p> + It promises to eschew the bitter spirit of sectarianism and + proselytism, else we, for one party, could have nothing to do with + it. Men, no doubt, have oftentimes been kept from absolute famine by + the wheat with which such tares are mingled; but we believe the time + is come when a purer and more generous food is to be offered to the + people at large. We believe the aim of all education to be to rouse + the mind to action, show it the means of discipline and of + information; then leave it free, with God, Conscience, and the love + of Truth, for its guardians and teachers. Woe be to those who + sacrifice these aims of universal and eternal value to the + propagation of a set of opinions! We can accept such doctrine as is + offered by Rev. Colvin E. Stowe, one of the committee, in the + following passage: + </p> + <p> + "In judicious practice, I am persuaded there will seldom be any very + great difficulty, especially if there be excited in the community + anything like a whole-hearted and enlightened sincerity in the cause + of public instruction. + </p> + <p> + "It is all right for people to suit their own taste and convictions + in respect to sect; and by fair means, and at proper times, to teach + their children and those under their influence to prefer the + denominations which they prefer; but further than this no one has + any right to go. It is all wrong to hazard the well-being of the + soul, to jeopardize great public interests for the sake of advancing + the interests of a sect. People must learn to practise some + self-denial, on Christian principles, in respect to their + denominational prejudices as well as in respect to other things, + before pure religion can ever gain a complete victory over every + form of human selfishness." + </p> + <p> + The persons who propose themselves to the examination and + instruction of the teachers at Cincinnati, till the plan shall be + sufficiently under way to provide regularly for the office, are Mrs. + Stowe and Miss Catharine Beecher, ladies well known to fame, as + possessing unusual qualifications for the task. + </p> + <p> + As to finding abundance of teachers, who that reads this little book + of Mr. Burdett's, or the account of the compensation of female labor + in New York, and the hopeless, comfortless, useless, pernicious + lives of those who have even the advantage of getting work must + lead, with the sufferings and almost inevitable degradation to which + those who cannot are exposed, but must long to snatch such as are + capable of this better profession (and among the multitude there + must be many who are or could be made so) from their present toils, + and make them free, and the means of freedom and growth in others? + </p> + <p> + To many books on such subjects—among others to "Woman in the + Nineteenth Century"—the objection has been made, that they + exhibit ills without specifying any practical means for their + remedy. The writer of the last-named essay does indeed think that it + contains one great rule which, if laid to heart, would prove a + practical remedy for many ills, and of such daily and hourly + efficacy in the conduct of life, that any extensive observance of it + for a single year would perceptibly raise the tone of thought, + feeling and conduct, throughout the civilized world. But to those + who ask not only such a principle, but an external method for + immediate use, we say that here is one proposed which looks noble + and promising; the proposers offer themselves to the work with heart + and hand, with time and purse. Go ye and do likewise. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="sand1"></a> + <h2> + GEORGE SAND. + </h2> + <p> + When I first knew George Sand, I thought to have found tried the + experiment I wanted. I did not value Bettine so much. She had not + pride enough for me. Only now, when I am sure of myself, can I pour + out my soul at the feet of another. In the assured soul it is kingly + prodigality; in one which cannot forbear it is mere babyhood. I love + "abandon" only when natures are capable of the extreme reverse. I + know Bettine would end in nothing; when I read her book I knew she + could not outlive her love. + </p> + <p> + But in <i>"Les Sept Cordes de la Lyre,"</i> which I read first, I + saw the knowledge of the passions and of social institutions, with + the celestial choice which rose above them. I loved Helène, + who could hear so well the terrene voices, yet keep her eye fixed on + the stars. That would be my wish also,—to know all, and then + choose. I even revered her, for I was not sure that I could have + resisted the call of the <i>now</i>; could have left the spirit and + gone to God; and at a more ambitious age I could not have refused + the philosopher. But I hoped much from her steadfastness, and I + thought I heard the last tones of a purified life. Gretchen, in the + golden cloud, is raised above all past delusions, worthy to redeem + and upbear the wise man who stumbled into the pit of error while + searching for truth. + </p> + <p> + Still, in "André" and "Jacques," I trace the same high + morality of one who had tried the liberty of circumstance only to + learn to appreciate the liberty of law;—to know that license + is the foe of freedom; and, though the sophistry of Passion in these + books disgusted me, flowers of purest hue seemed to grow upon the + dark and dirty ground. I thought she had cast aside the slough of + her past life, and begun a new existence beneath the sun of a new + ideal. + </p> + <p> + But here, in the <i>"Lettres d'un Voyageur,"</i> what do I see? An + unfortunate, wailing her loneliness, wailing her mistakes, + <i>writing for money!</i> She has genius, and a manly grasp of mind, + but not a manly heart. Will there never be a being to combine a + man's mind and a woman's heart, and who yet finds life too rich to + weep over? Never? + </p> + <p> + When I read in <i>"Leon Leoni"</i> the account of the jeweller's + daughter's life with her mother, passed in dressing, and learning to + be looked at when dressed, <i>"avec un front impassible,"</i> it + reminded me of —— and her mother. What a heroine she + would be for Sand! She has the same fearless softness with Juliet, + and a sportive <i>naïveté</i> a mixture of bird and + kitten, unknown to the dupe of Leoni. + </p> + <p> + If I were a man, and wished a wife, as many do, merely as an + ornament, a silken toy, I would take —— as soon as any I + know. Her fantastic, impassioned and mutable nature would yield an + inexhaustible amusement. She is capable of the most romantic + actions,—wild as the falcon, voluptuous as the tuberose; yet + she has not in her the elements of romance, like a deeper or less + susceptible nature. My cold and reasoning ——, with her + one love lying, perhaps never to be unfolded, beneath such sheaths + of pride and reserve, would make a far better heroine. + </p> + <p> + —— and her mother differ from Juliet and <i>her</i> + mother by the impulse a single strong character gave them. Even at + this distance of time there is a light but perceptible taste of iron + in the water. + </p> + <p> + George Sand disappoints me, as almost all beings do, especially + since I have been brought close to her person by the <i>"Lettres + d'un Voyageur."</i> Her remarks on Lavater seem really shallow, + <i>à la mode du genre feminin.</i> No self-ruling Aspasia + she, but a frail woman, mourning over her lot. Any peculiarity in + her destiny seems accidental; she is forced to this and to that to + earn her bread, forsooth! + </p> + <p> + Yet her style—with what a deeply smouldering fire it burns! + Not vehement, but intense, like Jean Jacques. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="sand2"></a> + <h2> + FROM A NOTICE OF GEORGE SAND. + </h2> + <hr> + <p> + It is probably known to a great proportion of readers that this + writer is a woman, who writes under the name, and frequently assumes + the dress and manners, of a man. It is also known that she has not + only broken the marriage-bond, and, since that, formed other + connections, independent of the civil and ecclesiastical sanction, + but that she first rose into notice through works which + systematically assailed the present institution of marriage, and the + social bonds which are connected with it. + </p> + <p> + No facts are more adapted to startle every feeling of our community; + but, since the works of Sand are read here, notwithstanding, and + cannot fail to be so while they exert so important an influence + abroad, it would be well they should be read intelligently, as to + the circumstances of their birth and their tendency. + </p> + <p> + George Sand we esteem to be a person of strong passions, but of + original nobleness and a love of right sufficient to guide them all + to the service of worthy aims. But she fell upon evil times. She was + given in marriage, according to the fashion of the old + régime; she was taken from a convent, where she had heard a + great deal about the law of God and the example of Jesus, into a + society where no vice was proscribed, if it would only wear the + cloak of hypocrisy. She found herself impatient of deception, and + loudly appealed to by passion; she yielded, but she could not do so, + as others did, sinning against what she owned to be the rule of + right and the will of Heaven. She protested, she examined, she + "hacked into the roots of things," and the bold sound of her axe + called around her every foe that finds a home amid the growths of + civilization. Still she persisted. "If it be real," thought she, "it + cannot be destroyed; as to what is false, the sooner it goes the + better; and I, for one, would rather perish by its fall, than wither + in its shade." + </p> + <p> + Schiller puts into the mouth of Mary Stuart these words, as her only + plea: "The world knows the worst of me, and I may boast that, though + I have erred, I am better than my reputation." Sand may say the + same. All is open, noble; the free descriptions, the sophistry of + passion, are, at least, redeemed by a desire for truth as strong as + ever beat in any heart. To the weak or unthinking, the reading of + such books may not be desirable, for only those who take exercise as + men can digest strong meat. But to any one able to understand the + position and circumstances, we believe this reading cannot fail of + bringing good impulses, valuable suggestions; and it is quite free + from that subtle miasma which taints so large a portion of French + literature, not less since the Revolution than before. This we say + to the foreign reader. To her own country, Sand is a boon precious + and prized, both as a warning and a leader, for which none there can + be ungrateful. She has dared to probe its festering wounds; and if + they be not past all surgery, she is one who, most of any, helps + towards a cure. + </p> + <p> + Would, indeed, the surgeon had come with quite clean hands! A woman + of Sand's genius—as free, as bold, and pure from even the + suspicion of error—might have filled an apostolic station + among her people with what force had come her cry, "If it be false, + give it up; but if it be true, keep to it,— one or the other!" + </p> + <p> + But we have read all we wish to say upon this subject lately uttered + just from the quarter we could wish. It is such a woman, so + unblemished in character, so high in aim, so pure in soul, that + should address this other, as noble in nature, but clouded by error, + and struggling with circumstances. It is such women that will do + such others justice. They are not afraid to look for virtue, and + reply to aspiration, among those who have <i>not</i> dwelt "in + decencies forever." It is a source of pride and happiness to read + this address from the heart of Elizabeth Barrett:— + </p> + <h3> + TO GEORGE SAND. + </h3> + <center> + A DESIRE. + </center> + <pre> + Thou large-brained woman and large-hearted man, + Self-called George Sand! whose soul amid the lions + Of thy tumultuous senses moans defiance, + And answers roar for roar, as spirits can,— + I would some wild, miraculous thunder ran + Above the applauding circus, in appliance + Of thine own nobler nature's strength and science, + Drawing two pinions, white as wings of swan, + From the strong shoulders, to amaze the place + With holier light! That thou, to woman's claim, + And man's, might join, beside, the angel's grace + Of a pure genius, sanctified from blame, + Till child and maiden pressed to thine embrace, + To kiss upon thy lips a stainless fame! +</pre> + <hr> + <h3> + TO THE SAME. + </h3> + <center> + A RECOGNITION. + </center> + <pre> + True genius, but true woman! dost deny + Thy woman's nature with a manly scorn, + And break away the gauds and armlets worn + By weaker woman in captivity? + Ah, vain denial! that revolted cry + Is sobbed in by a woman's voice forlorn:— + Thy woman's hair, my sister! all unshorn, + Floats back dishevelled strength in agony, + Disproving thy man's name; and while before + The world thou burnest in a poet-fire, + We see thy woman-heart beat evermore + Through the large flame. Beat purer, heart! and higher, + Till God unsex thee on the spirit-shore, + To which, alone unsexing, purely aspire! +</pre> + <hr> + <p> + This last sonnet seems to have been written after seeing the picture + of Sand, which represents her in a man's dress, but with long, loose + hair, and an eye whose mournful fire is impressive, even in the + caricatures. + </p> + <p> + For some years Sand has quitted her post of assailant. She has seen + that it is better to seek some form of life worthy to supersede the + old, than rudely to destroy it, heedless of the future. Her force is + bending towards philanthropic measures. She does not appear to + possess much of the constructive faculty; and, though her writings + command a great pecuniary compensation, and have a wide sway, it is + rather for their tendency than for their thought. She has reached no + commanding point of view from which she may give orders to the + advanced corps. She is still at work with others in the breach, + though she works with more force than almost any. + </p> + <p> + In power, indeed, Sand bears the palm above all other French + novelists. She is vigorous in conception, often great in the + apprehension and the contrast of characters. She knows passion, as + has been hinted, at a <i>white</i> heat, when all the lower + particles are remoulded by its power. Her descriptive talent is very + great, and her poetic feeling exquisite. She wants but little of + being a poet, but that little is indispensable. Yet she keeps us + always hovering on the borders of enchanted fields. She has, to a + signal degree, that power of exact transcript from her own mind, in + which almost all writers fail. There is no veil, no half-plastic + integument between us and the thought; we vibrate perfectly with it. + </p> + <p> + This is her chief charm, and next to it is one in which we know no + French writer that resembles her, except Rousseau, though he, + indeed, is vastly her superior in it; that is, of concentrated glow. + Her nature glows beneath the words, like fire beneath + ashes,—deep, deep! + </p> + <p> + Her best works are unequal; in many parts written hastily, or + carelessly, or with flagging spirits. They all promise far more than + they can perform; the work is not done masterly; she has not reached + that point where a writer sits at the helm of his own genius. + </p> + <p> + Sometimes she plies the oar,—sometimes she drifts. But what + greatness she has is genuine; there is no tinsel of any kind, no + drapery carefully adjusted, no chosen gesture about her. May Heaven + lead her, at last, to the full possession of her best self, in + harmony with the higher laws of life! + </p> + <p> + We are not acquainted with all her works, but among those we know, + mention "<i>La Roche Maupart</i>," "<i>André</i>," + "<i>Jacques</i>," "<i>Les Sept Cordes de la Lyre</i>," and "<i>Les + Maitres Mosaistes</i>," as representing her higher inspirations, her + sincerity in expression, and her dramatic powers. They are full of + faults; still they show her scope and aim with some fairness, which + such of her readers as chance first on such of her books as + "<i>Leone Leoni</i>" may fail to find; or even such as + "<i>Simon</i>," and "<i>Spiridion</i>," though into the imperfect + web of these are woven threads of pure gold. Such is the first + impression made by the girl Fiamma, so noble, as she appears before + us with the words "<i>E l'onore</i>;" such the thought in + <i>Spiridion</i> of making the apparition the reward of virtue. + </p> + <p> + The work she is now publishing, "<i>Consuelo</i>" with its sequel, + "<i>Baroness de Rudolstadt</i>," exhibits her genius poised on a + firmer pedestal, breathing a serener air. Still it is faulty in + conduct, and shows some obliquity of vision. She has not reached the + Interpreter's house yet. But when she does, she will have clues to + guide many a pilgrim, whom one less tried, less tempted than herself + could not help on the way. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="consuelo"></a> + <h2> + FROM A CRITICISM ON "CONSUELO." + </h2> + <p> + * * * * *. The work itself cannot fail of innumerable readers, and a + great influence, for it counts many of the most significant + pulse-beats of the tune. Apart from its range of character and fine + descriptions, it records some of the mystical apparitions, and + attempts to solve some of the problems of the time. How to combine + the benefits of the religious life with those of the artist-life in + an existence more simple, more full, more human in short, than + either of the two hitherto known by these names has been,—this + problem is but poorly solved in the "Countess of Rudolstadt," the + sequel to Consuelo. It is true, as the English reviewer says, that + George Sand is a far better poet than philosopher, and that the + chief use she can be of in these matters is, by her great range of + observation and fine intuitions, to help to develop the thoughts of + the time a little way further. But the sincerity, the reality of all + he can obtain from this writer will be highly valued by the earnest + man. + </p> + <p> + In one respect the book is entirely successful—in showing how + inward purity and honor may preserve a woman from bewilderment and + danger, and secure her a genuine independence. Whoever aims at this + is still considered, by unthinking or prejudiced minds, as wishing + to despoil the female character of its natural and peculiar + loveliness. It is supposed that delicacy must imply weakness, and + that only an Amazon can stand upright, and have sufficient command + of her faculties to confront the shock of adversity, or resist the + allurements of tenderness. Miss Bremer, Dumas, and the northern + novelist, Andersen, make women who have a tendency to the + intellectual life of an artist fail, and suffer the penalties of + arrogant presumption, in the very first steps of a career to which + an inward vocation called them in preference to the usual home + duties. Yet nothing is more obvious than that the circumstances of + the time do, more and more frequently, call women to such lives, and + that, if guardianship is absolutely necessary to women, many must + perish for want of it. There is, then, reason to hope that God may + be a sufficient guardian to those who dare rely on him; and if the + heroines of the novelists we have named ended as they did, it was + for the want of the purity of ambition and simplicity of character + which do not permit such as Consuelo to be either unseated and + depraved, or unresisting victims and breaking reeds, if left alone + in the storm and crowd of life. To many women this picture will + prove a true Consuelo (consolation), and we think even very + prejudiced men will not read it without being charmed with the + expansion, sweetness and genuine force, of a female character, such + as they have not met, but must, when painted, recognize as possible, + and may be led to review their opinions, and perhaps to elevate and + enlarge their hopes, as to "Woman's sphere" and "Woman's mission." + If such insist on what they have heard of the private life of this + writer, and refuse to believe that any good thing can come out of + Nazareth, we reply that we do not know the true facts as to the + history of George Sand. There has been no memoir or notice of her + published on which any one can rely, and we have seen too much of + life to accept the monsters of gossip in reference to any one. But + we know, through her works, that, whatever the stains on her life + and reputation may have been, there is in her a soul so capable of + goodness and honor as to depict them most successfully in her ideal + forms. It is her works, and not her private life, that we are + considering. Of her works we have means of judging; of herself, not. + But among those who have passed unblamed through the walks of life, + we have not often found a nobleness of purpose and feeling, a + sincere religious hope, to be compared with the spirit that breathes + through the pages of Consuelo. + </p> + <p> + The experiences of the artist-life, the grand and penetrating + remarks upon music, make the book a precious acquisition to all + whose hearts are fashioned to understand such things. + </p> + <p> + We suppose that we receive here not only the mind of the writer, but + of Liszt, with whom she has publicly corresponded in the "<i>Lettres + d'un Voyageur</i>." None could more avail us, for "in him also is a + spark of the divine fire," as Beethoven said of Ichubert. We may + thus consider that we have in this book the benefit of the most + electric nature, the finest sensibility, and the boldest spirit of + investigation combined, expressing themselves in a little world of + beautiful or picturesque forms. + </p> + <p> + Although there are grave problems discussed, and sad and searching + experiences described in this work, yet its spirit is, in the main, + hopeful, serene, almost glad. It is the spirit inspired from a near + acquaintance with the higher life of art. Seeing there something + really achieved and completed, corresponding with the soul's + desires, faith is enlivened as to the eventual fulfilment of those + desires, and we feel a certainty that the existence which looks at + present so marred and fragmentary shall yet end in harmony. The + shuttle is at work, and the threads are gradually added that shall + bring out the pattern, and prove that what seems at present + confusion is really the way and means to order and beauty. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="jennylind"></a> + <h2> + JENNY LIND, + </h2> + <center> + THE "CONSUELO" OF GEORGE SAND. + </center> + <p> + Jenny Lind, the prima donna of Stockholm, is among the most + distinguished of those geniuses who have been invited to welcome the + queen to Germany. Her name has been unknown among us, as she is + still young, and has not wandered much from the scene of her first + triumphs; but many may have seen, last winter, in the foreign + papers, an account of her entrance into Stockholm after an absence + of some length. The people received her with loud cries of homage, + took the horses from her carriage and drew her home; a tribute of + respect often paid to conquerors and statesmen, but seldom, or, as + far as we know, never to the priesthood of the muses, who have + conferred the higher benefit of raising, refining and exhilarating, + the popular mind. + </p> + <p> + An accomplished Swede, now in this country, communicated to a friend + particulars of Jenny Lind's career, which suggested the thought that + she might have given the hint for the principal figure in Sand's + late famous novel, "Consuelo." + </p> + <p> + This work is at present in process of translation in "The + Harbinger," a periodical published at Brook Farm, Mass.; but, as + this translation has proceeded but a little way, and the book in its + native tongue is not generally, though it has been extensively, + circulated here, we will give a slight sketch of its plan. + </p> + <p> + It has been a work of deepest interest to those who have looked upon + Sand for some years back, as one of the best exponents of the + difficulties, the errors, the aspirations, the weaknesses, and the + regenerative powers of the present epoch. The struggle in her mind + and the experiments of her life have been laid bare to the eyes of + her fellow-creatures with fearless openness—fearless, not + shameless. Let no man confound the bold unreserve of Sand with that + of those who have lost the feeling of beauty and the love of good. + With a bleeding heart and bewildered feet she sought the truth, and + if she lost the way, returned as soon as convinced she had done so; + but she would never hide the fact that she had lost it. "What God + knows, I dare avow to man," seems to be her motto. It is impossible + not to see in her, not only the distress and doubts of the + intellect, but the temptations of a sensual nature; but we see too + the courage of a hero and a deep capacity for religion. This mixed + nature, too, fits her peculiarly to speak to men so diseased as men + are at present. They feel she knows their ailment, and if she find a + cure, it will really be by a specific remedy. + </p> + <p> + An upward tendency and growing light are observable in all her works + for several years past, till now, in the present, she has expressed + such conclusions as forty years of the most varied experience have + brought to one who had shrunk from no kind of discipline, yet still + cried to God amid it all; one who, whatever you may say against her, + you must feel has never accepted a word for a thing, or worn one + moment the veil of hypocrisy; and this person one of the most + powerful nature, both as to passion and action, and of an ardent, + glowing genius. These conclusions are sadly incomplete. There is an + amazing alloy in the last product of her crucible, but there is also + so much of pure gold that the book is truly a cordial, as its name + of Consuelo (consolation) promises. + </p> + <p> + The young Consuelo lives as a child the life of a beggar. Her youth + is passed in the lowest circumstances of the streets of Venice. She + brings the more pertinacious fire of Spanish blood to be fostered by + the cheerful airs of Italy. A vague sense of the benefits to be + derived, from such mingling of various influences, in the formation + of a character, is to be discerned in several works of art now, when + men are really wishing to become citizens of the world, though old + habits still interfere on every side with so noble a development. + </p> + <p> + Nothing can be more charming than the first volume, which describes + the young girl amid the common life of Venice. It is sunny, open, + and romantic as the place. The beauty of her voice, when a little + singing-girl in the streets, arrested the attention of a really + great and severe master, Porpora, who educated her to music. In this + she finds the vent and the echo for her higher self. Her affections + are fixed on a young companion, an unworthy object, but she does not + know him to be so. She judges from her own candid soul, that all + must be good, and derives from the tie, for a while, the fostering + influences which love alone has for genius. Clear perception follows + quickly upon her first triumphs in art. They have given her a rival, + and a mean rival, in her betrothed, whose talent, though great, is + of an inferior grade to hers; who is vain, every way impure. Her + master, Porpora, tries to avail himself of this disappointment to + convince her that the artist ought to devote himself to art alone; + that private ties must interfere with his perfection and his glory. + But the nature of Consuelo revolts against this doctrine, as it + would against the seclusion of a convent. She feels that genius + requires manifold experience for its development, and that the mind, + concentrated on a single object, is likely to pay by a loss of vital + energy for the economy of thoughts and time. + </p> + <p> + Driven by these circumstances into Germany, she is brought into + contact with the old noblesse, a very different, but far less + charming, atmosphere than that of the gondoliers of Venice. But + here, too, the strong, simple character of our Consuelo is + unconstrained, if not at home, and when her heart swells and needs + expansion, she can sing. + </p> + <p> + Here the Count de Rudolstadt, Albert, loves Consuelo, which seems, + in the conduct of the relation, a type of a religious democracy in + love with the spirit of art. We do not mean that any such cold + abstraction is consciously intended, but all that is said means + this. It shadows forth one of the greatest desires which convulse + our age. + </p> + <p> + A most noble meaning is couched in the history of Albert, and though + the writer breaks down under such great attempts, and the religion + and philosophy of the book are clumsily embodied compared with its + poesy and rhetoric, yet great and still growing thoughts are + expressed with sufficient force to make the book a companion of rare + value to one in the same phase of mind. + </p> + <p> + Albert is the aristocratic democrat, such as Alfieri was; one who, + in his keen perception of beauty, shares the good of that culture + which ages have bestowed on the more fortunate classes, but in his + large heart loves and longs for the good of all men, as if he had + himself suffered in the lowest pits of human misery. He is all this + and more in his transmigration, real or fancied, of soul, through + many forms of heroic effort and bloody error; in his incompetency to + act at the present time, his need of long silences, of the company + of the dead and of fools, and eventually of a separation from all + habitual ties, is expressed a great idea, which is still only in the + throes of birth, yet the nature of whose life we begin to + prognosticate with some clearness. + </p> + <p> + Consuelo's escape from the castle, and even from Albert, her + admiration of him, and her incapacity to love him till her own + character be more advanced, are told with great naturalness. Her + travels with Joseph Haydn, are again as charmingly told as the + Venetian life. Here the author speaks from her habitual existence, + and far more masterly than of those deep places of thought where she + is less at home. She has lived much, discerned much, felt great need + of great thoughts, but not been able to think a great way for + herself. She fearlessly accompanies the spirit of the age, but she + never surpasses it; <i>that</i> is the office of the great thinker. + </p> + <p> + At Vienna Consuelo is brought fully into connection with the great + world as an artist. She finds that its realities, so far from being + less, are even more harsh and sordid for the artist than for any + other; and that with avarice, envy and falsehood, she must prepare + for the fearful combat which awaits noble souls in any kind of + arena, with the pain of disgust when they cannot raise themselves to + patience—with the almost equal pain, when they can, of pity + for those who know not what they do. + </p> + <p> + Albert is on the verge of the grave; and Consuelo, who, not being + able to feel for him sufficient love to find in it compensation for + the loss of that artist-life to which she feels Nature has destined + her, had hitherto resisted the entreaties of his aged father, and + the pleadings of her own reverential and tender sympathy with the + wants of his soul, becomes his wife just before he dies. + </p> + <p> + The sequel, therefore, of this history is given under the title of + Countess of Rudolstadt. Consuelo is still on the stage; she is at + the Prussian court. The well-known features of this society, as + given in the memoirs of the time, are put together with much grace + and wit. The sketch of Frederic is excellent. + </p> + <p> + The rest of the book is devoted to expression of the author's ideas + on the subject of reform, and especially of association as a means + thereto. As her thoughts are yet in a very crude state, the + execution of this part is equally bungling and clumsy. Worse: she + falsifies the characters of both Consuelo and Albert,—who is + revived again by subterfuge of trance,—and stains her best + arrangements by the mixture of falsehood and intrigue. + </p> + <p> + Yet she proceeds towards, if she walks not by, the light of a great + idea; and sincere democracy, universal religion, scatter from afar + many seeds upon the page for a future time. The book should be, and + will be, universally read. Those especially who have witnessed all + Sand's doubts and sorrows on the subject of marriage, will rejoice + in the clearer, purer ray which dawns upon her now. The most natural + and deep part of the book, though not her main object, is what + relates to the struggle between the claims of art and life, as to + whether it be better for the world and one's self to develop to + perfection a talent which Heaven seemed to have assigned as a + special gift and vocation, or sacrifice it whenever the character + seems to require this for its general development. The character of + Consuelo is, throughout the first part, strong, delicate, simple, + bold, and pure. The fair lines of this picture are a good deal + broken in the second part; but we must remain true to the impression + originally made upon us by this charming and noble creation of the + soul of Sand. + </p> + <p> + It is in reference to <i>our</i> Consuelo that a correspondent + [Footnote: We do not know how accurate is this correspondent's + statement of facts. The narrative is certainly + interesting.—<i>Ed</i>.] writes, as to Jenny Lind; and we are + rejoiced to find that so many hints were, or might have been, + furnished for the picture from real life. If Jenny Lind did not + suggest it, yet she must also be, in her own sphere, a Consuelo. + </p> + <p> + "Jenny Lind must have been born about 1822 or 1828. When a young + child, she was observed, playing about and singing in the streets of + Stockholm, by Mr. Berg, master of singing for the royal opera. + Pleased and astonished at the purity and suavity of her voice, he + inquired instantly for her family, and found her father, a poor + innkeeper, willing and glad to give up his daughter to his care, on + the promise to protect her and give her an excellent musical + education. He was always very careful of her, never permitting her + to sing except in his presence, and never letting her appear on the + stage, unless as a mute figure in some ballet, such, for instance, + as Cupid and the Graces, till she was sixteen, when she at once + executed her part in 'Der Freyschutz,' to the full satisfaction and + surprise of the public of Stockholm. From that time she gradually + became the favorite of every one. Without beauty, she seems, from + her innocent and gracious manners, beautiful on the stage and + charming in society. She is one of the few actresses whom no evil + tongue can ever injure, and is respected and welcomed in any and all + societies. + </p> + <p> + "The circumstances that reminded me of Consuelo were these: that she + was a poor child, taken up by this singing-master, and educated + thoroughly and severely by him; that she loved his son, who was a + good-for-nothing fellow, like Anzoleto, and at last discarded him; + that she refused the son of an English earl, and, when he fell sick, + his father condescended to entreat for him, just as the Count of + Rudolstadt did for his son; that, though plain and low in stature, + when singing her best parts she appears beautiful, and awakens + enthusiastic admiration; that she is rigidly correct in her demeanor + towards her numerous admirers, having even returned a present sent + her by the crown-prince, Oscar, in a manner that she deemed + equivocal. This last circumstance being noised abroad, the next time + she appeared on the stage she was greeted with more enthusiastic + plaudits than ever, and thicker showers of flowers fell upon her + from the hands of her true friends, the public. She was more + fortunate than Consuelo in not being compelled to sing to a public + of Prussian corporals." + </p> + <p> + Indeed, the picture of Frederic's opera-audience, with the pit full + of his tall grenadiers with their wives on their shoulders, never + daring to applaud except when he gave the order, as if by tap of + drum, opposed to the tender and expansive nature of the artist, is + one of the best tragicomedies extant. In Russia, too, all is + military; as soon as a new musician arrives, he is invested with a + rank in the army. Even in the church Nicholas has lately done the + same. It seems as if he could not believe a man to be alive, except + in the army; could not believe the human heart could beat, except by + beat of drum. But we believe in Russia there is at least a mask of + gayety thrown over the chilling truth. The great Frederic wished no + disguise; everywhere he was chief corporal, and trampled with his + everlasting boots the fair flowers of poesy into the dust. + </p> + <p> + The North has been generous to us of late; she has sent us <i>Ole + Bull</i>. She is about to send <i>Frederika Bremer</i>. May she add + JENNY LIND! + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="caroline"></a> + <h2> + CAROLINE. + </h2> + <p> + The other evening I heard a gentle voice reading aloud the story of + Maurice, a boy who, deprived of the use of his limbs by paralysis, + was sustained in comfort, and almost in cheerfulness, by the + exertions of his twin sister. Left with him in orphanage, her + affections were centred upon him, and, amid the difficulties his + misfortunes brought upon them, grew to a fire intense and pure + enough to animate her with angelic impulses and powers. As he could + not move about, she drew him everywhere in a little cart; and when + at last they heard that sea-bathing might accomplish his cure, + conveyed him, in this way, hundreds of miles to the sea-shore. Her + pious devotion and faith were rewarded by his cure, and (a French + story would be entirely incomplete otherwise) with money, plaudits + and garlands, from the by-standers. + </p> + <p> + Though the story ends in this vulgar manner, it is, in its conduct, + extremely sweet and touching, not only as to the beautiful qualities + developed by these trials in the brother and sister, but in the + purifying and softening influence exerted, by the sight of his + helplessness and her goodness, on all around them. + </p> + <p> + Those who are the victims of some natural blight often fulfil this + important office, and bless those within their sphere more, by + awakening feelings of holy tenderness and compassion, than a man + healthy and strong can do by the utmost exertion of his good-will + and energies. Thus, in the East, men hold sacred those in whom they + find a distortion or alienation of mind which makes them unable to + provide for themselves. The well and sane feel themselves the + ministers of Providence to carry out a mysterious purpose, while + taking care of those who are thus left incapable of taking care of + themselves; and, while fulfilling this ministry, find themselves + refined and made better. + </p> + <p> + The Swiss have similar feelings as to those of their families whom + cretinism has reduced to idiocy. They are attended to, fed, dressed + clean, and provided with a pleasant place for the day, before doing + anything else, even by very busy and poor people. + </p> + <p> + We have seen a similar instance, in this country, of voluntary care + of an idiot, and the mental benefits that ensued. This idiot, like + most that are called so, was not without a glimmer of mind. + </p> + <p> + His teacher was able to give him some notions, both of spiritual and + mental facts; at least she thought she had given him the idea of + God, and though it appeared by his gestures that to him the moon was + the representative of that idea, yet he certainly did conceive of + something above him, and which inspired him with reverence and + delight. He knew the names of two or three persons who had done him + kindness, and when they were mentioned, would point upward, as he + did to the moon, showing himself susceptible, in his degree, of Mr. + Carlyle's grand method of education, hero-worship. She had awakened + in him a love of music, so that he could be soothed in his most + violent moods by her gentle singing. It was a most touching sight to + see him sitting opposite to her at such tunes, his wondering and + lack-lustre eyes filled with childish pleasure, while in hers + gleamed the same pure joy that we may suppose to animate the looks + of an angel appointed by Heaven to restore a ruined world. + </p> + <p> + We know another instance, in which a young girl became to her + village a far more valuable influence than any patron saint who + looks down from his stone niche, while his votaries recall the + legend of his goodness in days long past. + </p> + <p> + Caroline lived in a little, quiet country village—quiet as no + village can now remain, since the railroad strikes its spear through + the peace of country life. She lived alone with a widowed mother, + for whom, as well as for herself, her needle won bread, while the + mother's strength, and skill sufficed to the simple duties of their + household. They lived content and hopeful, till, whether from + sitting still too much, or some other cause, Caroline became ill, + and soon the physician pronounced her spine to be affected, and to + such a degree that she was incurable. + </p> + <p> + This news was a thunder-bolt to the poor little cottage. The mother, + who had lost her elasticity of mind, wept in despair; but the young + girl, who found so early all the hopes and joys of life taken from + her, and that she was seemingly left without any shelter from the + storm, had even at first the faith and strength to bow her head in + gentleness, and say, "God will provide." She sustained and cheered + her mother. + </p> + <p> + And God did provide. With simultaneous vibration the hearts of all + their circle acknowledged the divine obligation of love and mutual + aid between human beings. Food, clothing, medicine, service, were + all offered freely to the widow and her daughter. + </p> + <p> + Caroline grew worse, and was at last in such a state that she could + only be moved upon a sheet, and by the aid of two persons. In this + toilsome service, and every other that she required for years, her + mother never needed to ask assistance. The neighbors took turns in + doing all that was required, and the young girls, as they were + growing up, counted it among their regular employments to work for + or read to Caroline. + </p> + <p> + Not without immediate reward was their service of love. The mind of + the girl, originally bright and pure, was quickened and wrought up + to the finest susceptibility by the nervous exaltation that often + ensues upon affection of the spine. The soul, which had taken an + upward impulse from its first act of resignation, grew daily more + and more into communion with the higher regions of life, permanent + and pure. Perhaps she was instructed by spirits which, having passed + through a similar trial of pain and loneliness, had risen to see the + reason why. However that may be, she grew in nobleness of view and + purity of sentiment, and, as she received more instruction from + books also than any other person in her circle, had from many + visitors abundant information as to the events which were passing + around her, and leisure to reflect on them with a disinterested + desire for truth, she became so much wiser than her companions as to + be at last their preceptress and best friend, and her brief, gentle + comments and counsels were listened to as oracles from one + enfranchised from the films which selfishness and passion cast over + the eyes of the multitude. + </p> + <p> + The twofold blessing conferred by her presence, both in awakening + none but good feelings in the hearts of others, and in the + instruction she became able to confer, was such, that, at the end of + five years, no member of that society would have been so generally + lamented as Caroline, had Death called her away. + </p> + <p> + But the messenger, who so often seems capricious in his summons, + took first the aged mother, and the poor girl found that life had + yet the power to bring her grief, unexpected and severe. + </p> + <p> + And now the neighbors met in council. Caroline could not be left + quite alone in the house. Should they take turns, and stay with her + by night as well as by day? + </p> + <p> + "Not so," said the blacksmith's wife; "the house will never seem + like home to her now, poor thing! and 't would be kind of dreary for + her to change about her <i>nusses</i> so. I'll tell you what; all my + children but one are married and gone off; we have property enough; + I will have a good room fixed for her, and she shall live with us. + My husband wants her to, as much as me." + </p> + <p> + The council acquiesced in this truly humane arrangement, and + Caroline lives there still; and we are assured that none of her + friends dread her departure so much as the blacksmith's wife. + </p> + <p> + "'Ta'n't no trouble at all to have her," she says, "and if it was, I + shouldn't care; she is so good and still, and talks so pretty! It's + as good bein' with her as goin' to meetin'!" + </p> + <p> + De Maistre relates some similar passages as to a sick girl in St. + Petersburgh, though his mind dwelt more on the spiritual beauty + evinced in her remarks, than on the good she had done to those + around her. Indeed, none bless more than those who "only stand and + wait." Even if their passivity be enforced by fate, it will become a + spiritual activity, if accepted in a faith higher above fate than + the Greek gods were supposed to sit enthroned above misfortune. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="lives"></a> + <h2> + EVER-GROWING LIVES. + </h2> + <pre> + "Age could not wither her, nor custom stale + Her infinite variety." +</pre> + <p> + So was one person described by the pen which has made a clearer mark + than any other on the history of Man. But is it not surprising that + such a description should apply to so few? + </p> + <p> + Of two or three women we read histories that correspond with the + hint given in these lines. They were women in whom there was + intellect enough to temper and enrich, heart enough to soften and + enliven the entire being. There was soul enough to keep the body + beautiful through the term of earthly existence; for while the + roundness, the pure, delicate lineaments, the flowery bloom of youth + were passing, the marks left in the course of those years were not + merely of time and care, but also of exquisite emotions and noble + thoughts. With such chisels Time works upon his statues, tracery and + fretwork, well worth the loss of the first virgin beauty of the + alabaster; while the fire within, growing constantly brighter and + brighter, shows all these changes in the material, as rich and + varied ornaments. The vase, at last, becomes a lamp of beauty, fit + to animate the councils of the great, or the solitude of the altar. + </p> + <p> + Two or three women there have been, who have thus grown even more + beautiful with age. We know of many more men of whom this is true. + These have been heroes, or still more frequently poets and artists; + with whom the habitual life tended to expand the soul, deepen and + vary the experience, refine the perceptions, and immortalize the + hopes and dreams of youth. + </p> + <p> + They were persons who never lost their originality of character, nor + spontaneity of action. Their impulses proceeded from a fulness and + certainty of character, that made it impossible they should doubt or + repent, whatever the results of their actions might be. + </p> + <p> + They could not repent, in matters little or great, because they felt + that their notions were a sincere exposition of the wants of their + souls. Their impulsiveness was not the restless fever of one who + must change his place somehow or some-whither, but the waves of a + tide, which might be swelled to vehemence by the action of the winds + or the influence of an attractive orb, but was none the less subject + to fixed laws. + </p> + <p> + A character which does not lose its freedom of motion and impulse by + contact with the world, grows with its years more richly creative, + more freshly individual. It is a character governed by a principle + of its own, and not by rules taken from other men's experience; and + therefore it is that + </p> + <pre> + "Age cannot wither them, nor custom stale + Their infinite variety." +</pre> + <p> + Like violins, they gain by age, and the spirit of him who + discourseth through them most excellent music, + </p> + <pre> + "Like wine well kept and long, + Heady, nor harsh, nor strong, + With each succeeding year is quaffed + A richer, purer, mellower draught." +</pre> + <p> + Our French neighbors have been the object of humorous satire for + their new coinage of terms to describe the heroes of their modern + romance. A hero is no hero unless he has "ravaged brows," is + "blasé" or "brisé" or "fatigué." His eyes must + be languid, and his cheeks hollow. Youth, health and strength, charm + no more; only the tree broken by the gust of passion is beautiful, + only the lamp that has burnt out the better part of its oil + precious, in their eyes. This, with them, assumes the air of + caricature and grimace, yet it indicates a real want of this + time—a feeling that the human being ought to grow more rather + than less attractive with the passage of time, and that the decrease + in physical charms would, in a fair and full life, be more than + compensated by an increase of those which appeal to the imagination + and higher feelings. + </p> + <p> + A friend complains that, while most men are like music-boxes, which + you can wind up to play their set of tunes, and then they stop, in + our society the set consists of only two or three tunes at most That + is because no new melodies are added after five-and-twenty at + farthest. It is the topic of jest and amazement with foreigners that + what is called society is 'given up so much into the hands of boys + and girls. Accordingly it wants spirit, variety and depth of tone, + and we find there no historical presences, none of the charms, + infinite in variety, of Cleopatra, no heads of Julius Cæsar, + overflowing with meanings, as the sun with light. + </p> + <p> + Sometimes we hear an educated voice that shows us how these things + might be altered. It has lost the fresh tone of youth, but it has + gained unspeakably in depth, brilliancy, and power of expression. + How exquisite its modulations, so finely shaded, showing that all + the intervals are filled up with little keys of fairy delicacy and + in perfect tune! + </p> + <p> + Its deeper tones sound the depth of the past; its more thrilling + notes express an awakening to the infinite, and ask a thousand + questions of the spirits that are to unfold our destinies, too + far-reaching to be clothed in words. Who does not feel the sway of + such a voice? It makes the whole range of our capacities resound and + tremble, and, when there is positiveness enough to give an answer, + calls forth most melodious echoes. + </p> + <p> + The human eye gains, in like manner, by tune and experience. Its + substance fades, but it is only the more filled with an ethereal + lustre which penetrates the gazer till he feels as if + </p> + <pre> + "That eye were in itself a soul," +</pre> + <p> + <br> + and realizes the range of its power + </p> + <pre> + "To rouse, to win, to fascinate, to melt, + And by its spell of undefined control + Magnetic draw the secrets of the soul." +</pre> + <p> + The eye that shone beneath the white locks of Thorwaldsen was such + an one,—the eye of immortal youth, the indicator of the man's + whole aspect in a future sphere. We have scanned such eyes closely; + when near, we saw that the lids were red, the corners defaced with + ominous marks, the orb looked faded and tear-stained; but when we + retreated far enough for its ray to reach us, it seemed far younger + than the clear and limpid gaze of infancy, more radiant than the + sweetest beam in that of early youth. The Future and the Past met in + that glance, + </p> + <p> + O for more such eyes! The vouchers of free, of full and ever-growing + lives! + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="nobleness"></a> + <h2> + HOUSEHOLD NOBLENESS. + </h2> + <pre> + "Mistress of herself, though China fell." +</pre> + <p> + Women, in general, are indignant that the satirist should have made + this the climax to his praise of a woman. And yet, we fear, he saw + only too truly. What unexpected failures have we seen, literally, in + this respect! How often did the Martha blur the Mary out of the face + of a lovely woman at the sound of a crash amid glass and porcelain! + What sad littleness in all the department thus represented! + Obtrusion of the mop and duster on the tranquil meditation of a + husband and brother. Impatience if the carpet be defaced by the feet + even of cherished friends. + </p> + <p> + There is a beautiful side, and a good reason here; but why must the + beauty degenerate, and give place to meanness? + </p> + <p> + To Woman the care of home is confided. It is the sanctuary, of which + she should be the guardian angel. To all elements that are + introduced there she should be the "ordering mind." She represents + the spirit of beauty, and her influence should be spring-like, + clothing all objects within her sphere with lively, fresh and tender + hues. + </p> + <p> + She represents purity, and all that appertains to her should be kept + delicately pure. She is modesty, and draperies should soften all + rude lineaments, and exclude glare and dust. She is harmony, and all + objects should be in their places ready for, and matched to, their + uses. + </p> + <p> + We all know that there is substantial reason for the offence we feel + at defect in any of these ways. A woman who wants purity, modesty + and harmony, in her dress and manners, is insufferable; one who + wants them in the arrangements of her house, disagreeable to + everybody. She neglects the most obvious ways of expressing what we + desire to see in her, and the inference is ready, that the inward + sense is wanting. + </p> + <p> + It is with no merely gross and selfish feeling that all men commend + the good housekeeper, the good nurse. Neither is it slight praise to + say of a woman that she does well the honors of her house in the way + of hospitality. The wisdom that can maintain serenity, cheerfulness + and order, in a little world of ten or twelve persons, and keep + ready the resources that are needed for their sustenance and + recovery in sickness and sorrow, is the same that holds the stars in + their places, and patiently prepares the precious metals in the most + secret chambers of the earth. The art of exercising a refined + hospitality is a fine art, and the music thus produced only differs + from that of the orchestra in this, that in the former case the + overture or sonata cannot be played twice in the same manner. It + requires that the hostess shall combine true self-respect and + repose, + </p> + <pre> + "The simple art of <i>not too much</i>," +</pre> + <p> + <br> + with refined perception of individual traits and moods in character, + with variety and vivacity, an ease, grace and gentleness, that + diffuse their sweetness insensibly through every nook of an + assembly, and call out reciprocal sweetness wherever there is any to + be found. + </p> + <p> + The only danger in all this is the same that besets us in every walk + of life; to wit, that of preferring the outward sign to the inward + spirit whenever there is cause to hesitate between the two. + </p> + <p> + "I admire," says Goethe, "the Chinese novels; they express so + happily ease, peace and a finish unknown to other nations in the + interior arrangements of their homes. + </p> + <p> + "In one of them I came upon the line, 'I heard the lovely maidens + laughing, and found my way to the garden, where they were seated in + their light cane-chairs,' To me this brings an immediate animation, + by the images it suggests of lightness, brightness and elegance." + </p> + <p> + This is most true, but it is also most true that the garden-house + would not seem thus charming unless its light cane-chairs had + lovely, laughing maidens seated in them. And the lady who values her + porcelain, that most exquisite product of the peace and + thorough-breeding of China, so highly, should take the hint, and + remember that unless the fragrant herb of wit, sweetened by + kindness, and softened by the cream of affability, also crown her + board, the prettiest tea-cups in the world might as well lie in + fragments in the gutter, as adorn her social show. The show loses + its beauty when it ceases to represent a substance. + </p> + <p> + Here, as elsewhere, it is only vanity, narrowness and self-seeking, + that spoil a good thing. Women would never be too good housekeepers + for their own peace and that of others, if they considered + housekeeping only as a means to an end. If their object were really + the peace and joy of all concerned, they could bear to have their + cups and saucers broken more easily than their tempers, and to have + curtains and carpets soiled, rather than their hearts by mean and + small feelings. But they are brought up to think it is a disgrace to + be a bad housekeeper, not because they must, by such a defect, be a + cause of suffering and loss of time to all within their sphere, but + because all other women will laugh at them if they are so. Here is + the vice,—for want of a high motive there can be no truly good + action. + </p> + <p> + We have seen a woman, otherwise noble and magnanimous in a high + degree, so insane on this point as to weep bitterly because she + found a little dust on her picture-frames, and torment her guests + all dinner-time with excuses for the way in which the dinner was + cooked. + </p> + <p> + We have known others to join with their servants to backbite the + best and noblest friends for trifling derelictions against the + accustomed order of the house. The broom swept out the memory of + much sweet counsel and loving-kindness, and spots on the table-cloth + were more regarded than those they made on their own loyalty and + honor in the most intimate relations. + </p> + <p> + "The worst of furies is a woman scorned," and the sex, so lively, + mobile, impassioned, when passion is aroused at all, are in danger + of frightful error, under great temptation. The angel can give place + to a more subtle and treacherous demon, though one, generally, of + less tantalizing influence, than in the breast of man. In great + crises, Woman needs the highest reason to restrain her; but her + besetting sin is that of littleness. Just because nature and society + unite to call on her for such fineness and finish, she can be so + petty, so fretful, so vain, envious and base! O, women, see your + danger! See how much you need a great object in all your little + actions. You cannot be fair, nor can your homes be fair, unless you + are holy and noble. Will you sweep and garnish the house, only that + it may be ready for a legion of evil spirits to enter in—for + imps and demons of gossip, frivolity, detraction, and a restless + fever about small ills? What is the house for, if good spirits + cannot peacefully abide there? Lo! they are asking for the bill in + more than one well-garnished mansion. They sought a home and found a + work-house. Martha! it was thy fault! + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="glum"></a> + <h2> + "GLUMDALCLITCHES." + </h2> + <p> + This title was wittily given by an editor of this city to the ideal + woman demanded in "Woman in the Nineteenth Century." We do not + object to it, thinking it is really desirable that women should grow + beyond the average size which has been prescribed for them. We find + in the last news from Paris these anecdotes of two who "tower" an + inch or more "above their sex," if not yet of Glumdalclitch stature. + </p> + <p> + "<i>Bravissima!</i>—The 7th of May, at Paris, a young girl, + who was washing linen, fell into the Canal St. Martin. Those around + called out for help, but none ventured to give it. Just then a young + lady elegantly dressed came up and saw the case; in the twinkling of + an eye she threw off her hat and shawl, threw herself in, and + succeeded in dragging the young girl to the brink, after having + sought for her in vain several times under the water. This lady was + Mlle. Adèle Chevalier, an actress. She was carried, with the + girl she had saved, into a neighboring house, which she left, after + having received the necessary cares, in a fiacre, and amid the + plaudits of the crowd." + </p> + <p> + The second anecdote is of a different kind, but displays a kind of + magnanimity still more unusual in this poor servile world: + </p> + <p> + "One of our (French) most distinguished painters of sea-subjects, + Gudin, has married a rich young English lady, belonging to a family + of high rank, and related to the Duke of Wellington. M. Gudin was + lately at Berlin at the same time with K——, inspector of + pictures to the King of Holland. The King of Prussia desired that + both artists should be presented to him, and received Gudin in a + very flattering manner; his genius being his only letter of + recommendation. + </p> + <p> + "Monsieur K—— has not the same advantage; but, to make + up for it, he has a wife who enjoys in Holland a great reputation + for her beauty. The King of Prussia is a cavalier, who cares more + for pretty ladies than for genius. So Monsieur and Madame + K—— were invited to the royal table—an honor which + was not accorded to Monsieur and Madame Gudin. + </p> + <p> + "Humble representations were made to the monarch, advising him not + to make such a marked distinction between the French artist and the + Dutch amateur. These failing, the wise counsellors went to Madame + Gudin, and, intimating that they did so with the good-will of the + king, said that she might be received as cousin to the Duke of + Wellington, as daughter of an English general, and of a family which + dates back to the thirteenth century. She could, if she wished, + avail herself of her rights of birth to obtain the same honors with + Madame K——. To sit at the table of the king, she need + only cease for a moment to be Madame Gudin, and become once more + Lady L——." + </p> + <p> + Does not all this sound like a history of the seventeenth century? + Surely etiquette was never maintained in a more arrogant manner at + the court of Louis XIV. + </p> + <p> + But Madame Gudin replied that her highest pride lay in the + celebrated name which she bears at present; that she did not wish to + rely on any other to obtain so futile a distinction, and that, in + her eyes, the most noble escutcheon was the palette of her husband. + </p> + <p> + I need not say that this dignified feeling was not comprehended. + Madame Gudin was not received at the table, but she had shown the + nobleness of her character. For the rest, Madame K——, on + arriving at Paris, had the bad taste to boast of having been + distinguished above Madame Gudin, and the story reaching the + Tuileries, where Monsieur and Madame Gudin are highly favored, + excited no little mirth in the circle there. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="ellen"></a> + <h2> + "ELLEN: OR, FORGIVE AND FORGET." + </h2> + <p> + We notice this coarsely-written little fiction because it is one of + a class which we see growing with pleasure. We see it with pleasure, + because, in its way, it is genuine. It is a transcript of the + crimes, calumnies, excitements, half-blind love of right, and honest + indignation at the sort of wrong which it can discern, to be found + in the class from which it emanates. + </p> + <p> + That class is a large one in our country villages, and these books + reflect its thoughts and manners as half-penny ballads do the life + of the streets of London. The ballads are not more true to the + facts; but they give us, in a coarser form, far more of the spirit + than we get from the same facts reflected in the intellect of a + Dickens, for instance, or of any writer far enough above the scene + to be properly its artist. + </p> + <p> + So, in this book, we find what Cooper, Miss Sedgwick and Mrs. + Kirkland, might see, as the writer did, but could hardly believe in + enough to speak of it with such fidelity. + </p> + <p> + It is a current superstition that country people are more pure and + healthy in mind and body than those who live in cities. It may be so + in countries of old-established habits, where a genuine peasantry + have inherited some of the practical wisdom and loyalty of the past, + with most of its errors. We have our doubts, though, from the stamp + upon literature, always the nearest evidence of truth we can get, + whether, even there, the difference between town and country life is + as much in favor of the latter as is generally supposed. But in our + land, where the country is at present filled with a mixed + population, who come seeking to be purified by a better life and + culture from all the ills and diseases of the worst forms of + civilization, things often <i>look</i> worse than in the city; + perhaps because men have more time and room to let their faults grow + and offend the light of day. + </p> + <p> + There are exceptions, and not a few; but, in a very great proportion + of country villages, the habits of the people, as to food, air, and + even exercise, are ignorant and unhealthy to the last degree. Their + want of all pure faith, and appetite for coarse excitement, is shown + by continued intrigues, calumnies, and crimes. + </p> + <p> + We have lived in a beautiful village, where, more favorably placed + than any other person in it, both as to withdrawal from bad + associations and nearness to good, we heard inevitably, from + domestics, work-people, and school-children, more ill of human + nature than we could possibly sift were we to elect such a task from + all the newspapers of this city, in the same space of time. + </p> + <p> + We believe the amount of ill circulated by means of anonymous + letters, as described in this book, to be as great as can be + imported in all the French novels (and that is a bold word). We know + ourselves of two or three cases of morbid wickedness, displayed by + means of anonymous letters, that may vie with what puzzled the best + wits of France in a famous law-suit not long since. It is true, + there is, to balance all this, a healthy rebound,—a surprise + and a shame; and there are heartily good people, such as are + described in this book, who, having taken a direction upward, keep + it, and cannot be bent downward nor aside. But, then, the reverse of + the picture is of a blackness that would appall one who came to it + with any idyllic ideas of the purity and peaceful loveliness of + agricultural life. + </p> + <p> + But what does this prove? Only the need of a dissemination of all + that is best, intellectually and morally, through the whole people. + Our groves and fields have no good fairies or genii who teach, by + legend or gentle apparition, the truths, the principles, that can + alone preserve the village, as the city, from the possession of the + fiend. Their place must be taken by the school-master, and he must + be one who knows not only "readin', writin', and 'rithmetic," but + the service of God and the destiny of man. Our people require a + thoroughly-diffused intellectual life, a religious aim, such as no + people at large ever possessed before; else they must sink till they + become dregs, rather than rise to become the cream of creation, + which they are too apt to flatter themselves with the fancy of being + already. + </p> + <p> + The most interesting fiction we have ever read in this coarse, + homely, but genuine class, is one called "Metallek." It may be in + circulation in this city; but we bought it in a country nook, and + from a pedlar; and it seemed to belong to the country. Had we met + with it in any other way, it would probably have been to throw it + aside again directly, for the author does not know how to write + English, and the first chapters give no idea of his power of + apprehending the poetry of life. But happening to read on, we became + fixed and charmed, and have retained from its perusal the sweetest + picture of life lived in this land, ever afforded us, out of the + pale of personal observation. That such things are, private + observation has made us sure; but the writers of books rarely seem + to have seen them; rarely to have walked alone in an untrodden path + long enough to hold commune with the spirit of the scene. + </p> + <p> + In this book you find the very life; the most vulgar prose, and the + most exquisite poetry. You follow the hunter in his path, walking + through the noblest and fairest scenes only to shoot the poor + animals that were happy there, winning from the pure atmosphere + little benefit except to good appetite, sleeping at night in the + dirty hovels, with people who burrow in them to lead a life but + little above that of the squirrels end foxes. There is throughout + that air of room enough, and free if low forms of human nature, + which, at such times, makes bearable all that would otherwise be so + repulsive. + </p> + <p> + But when we come to the girl who is the presiding deity, or rather + the tutelary angel of the scene, how are all discords harmonized; + how all its latent music poured forth! It is a portrait from the + life—it has the mystic charm of fulfilled reality, how far + beyond the fairest ideals ever born of thought! Pure, and + brilliantly blooming as the flower of the wilderness, she, in like + manner, shares while she sublimes its nature. She plays round the + most vulgar and rude beings, gentle and caressing, yet unsullied; in + her wildness there is nothing cold or savage; her elevation is soft + and warm. Never have we seen natural religion more beautifully + expressed; never so well discerned the influence of the natural nun, + who needs no veil or cloister to guard from profanation the beauty + she has dedicated to God, and which only attracts human love to + hallow it into the divine. + </p> + <p> + The lonely life of the girl after the death of her + parents,—her fearlessness, her gay and sweet enjoyment of + nature, her intercourse with the old people of the neighborhood, her + sisterly conduct towards her "suitors,"—all seem painted from + the life; but the death-bed scene seems borrowed from some sermon, + and is not in harmony with the rest. + </p> + <p> + In this connection we must try to make amends for the stupidity of + an earlier notice of the novel, called "Margaret, or the Real and + Ideal," &c. At the time of that notice we had only looked into + it here and there, and did no justice to a work full of genius, + profound in its meaning, and of admirable fidelity to nature in its + details. Since then we have really read it, and appreciated the + sight and representation of soul-realities; and we have lamented the + long delay of so true a pleasure. + </p> + <p> + A fine critic said, "This is a Yankee novel; or rather let it be + called <i>the</i> Yankee novel, as nowhere else are the thought and + dialect of our villages really represented." Another discovered that + it must have been written in Maine, by the perfection with which + peculiar features of scenery there are described. + </p> + <p> + A young girl could not sufficiently express her delight at the + simple nature with which scenes of childhood are given, and + especially at Margaret's first going to meeting. She had never + elsewhere found written down what she had felt. + </p> + <p> + A mature reader, one of the most spiritualized and harmonious minds + we have ever met, admires the depth and fulness in which the + workings of the spirit through the maiden's life are seen by the + author, and shown to us; but laments the great apparatus with which + the consummation of the whole is brought about, and the formation of + a new church and state, before the time is yet ripe, under the + banner of Mons. Christi. + </p> + <p> + But all these voices, among those most worthy to be heard, find in + the book a <i>real presence</i>, and draw from it auspicious omens + that an American literature is possible even in our day, because + there are already in the mind here existent developments worthy to + see the light, gold-fishes amid the moss in the still waters. + </p> + <p> + For ourselves, we have been most charmed with the way the Real and + Ideal are made to weave and shoot rays through one another, in which + Margaret bestows on external nature what she receives through books, + and wins back like gifts in turn, till the pond and the mythology + are alternate sections of the same chapter. We delight in the + teachings she receives through Chilion and his violin, till on the + grave of "one who tried to love his fellow-men" grows up the full + white rose-flower of her life. The ease with which she assimilates + the city life when in it, making it a part of her imaginative + tapestry, is a sign of the power to which she has grown. + </p> + <p> + We have much more to think and to say of the book, as a whole, and + in parts; and should the mood and summer leisure ever permit a + familiar and intimate acquaintance with it, we trust they will be + both thought and said. For the present, we will only add that it + exhibits the same state of things, and strives to point out such + remedies as we have hinted at in speaking of the little book which + heads this notice; itself a rude charcoal sketch, but if read as + hieroglyphics are, pointing to important meanings and results. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="etats1"></a> + <h2> + "COURRIER DES ETATS UNIS." + </h2> + <p> + No other nation can hope to vie with the French in the talent of + communicating information with ease, vivacity and consciousness. + They must always be the best narrators and the best interpreters, so + far as presenting a clear statement of outlines goes. Thus they are + excellent in conversation, lectures, and journalizing. + </p> + <p> + After we know all the news of the day, it is still pleasant to read + the bulletin of the <i>"Courrier des Etats Unis."</i> We rarely + agree with the view taken; but as a summary it is so excellently + well done, every topic put in its best place, with such a light and + vigorous hand, that we have the same pleasure we have felt in fairy + tales, when some person under trial is helped by a kind fairy to + sort the silks and feathers to their different places, till the + glittering confusion assumes the order,—of a kaleidoscope. + </p> + <p> + Then, what excellent correspondents they have in Paris! What a + humorous and yet clear account we have before us, now, of the Thiers + game! We have traced Guizot through every day with the utmost + distinctness, and see him perfectly in the sick-room. Now, here is + Thiers, playing with his chess-men, Jesuits, &c. A hundred + clumsy English or American papers could not make the present crisis + in Paris so clear as we see it in the glass of these nimble + Frenchmen. + </p> + <p> + Certainly it is with newspaper-writing as with food; the English and + Americans have as good appetites, but do not, and never will, know + so well how to cook as the French. The Parisian correspondent of the + <i>"Schnellpost"</i> also makes himself merry with the play of M. + Thiers. Both speak with some feeling of the impressive utterance of + Lamartine in the late debates. The Jesuits stand their ground, but + there is a wave advancing which will not fail to wash away what + ought to go,—nor are its roarings, however much in advance of + the wave itself, to be misinterpreted by intelligent ears. The world + is raising its sleepy lids, and soon no organization can exist which + from its very nature interferes in any way with the good of the + whole. + </p> + <p> + In Germany the terrors of the authorities are more and more directed + against the communists. They are very anxious to know what communism + really is, or means. They have almost forgotten, says the + correspondent, the repression of the Jews, and like objects, in this + new terror. Meanwhile, the Russian Emperor has issued an edict, + commanding the Polish Jews, both men and women, to lay aside their + national garb. He hopes thus to mingle them with the rest of the + mass he moves. It will be seen whether such work can be done by + beginning upon the outward man. + </p> + <p> + The Paris correspondent of the <i>"Courrier,"</i> who gives an + account of amusements, has always many sprightly passages + illustrative of the temper of the times. Horse-races are now the + fashion, in which he rejoices, as being likely to give to France + good horses of her own. A famous lottery is on the point of coming + off,—to give an organ to the Church of St. Eustache,—on + which it does not require a very high tone of morals to be severe. A + public exhibition has been made of the splendid array of prizes, + including every article of luxury, from jewels and cashmere shawls + down to artificial flowers. + </p> + <p> + A nobleman, president of the Horticultural Society, had given an + entertainment, in which the part of the different flowers was acted + by beautiful women, that of fruit and vegetables by distinguished + men. Such an amusement would admit of much light grace and wit, + which may still be found in France, if anywhere in the world. + </p> + <p> + There is also an amusing story of the stir caused among the French + political leaders by the visit of a nobleman of one of the great + English families, to Paris. "He had had several audiences, previous + to his departure from London, of Queen Victoria; he received a + despatch daily from the English court. But in reply to all overtures + made to induce him to open his mission, he preserved a gloomy + silence. All attentions, all signs of willing confidence, are + lavished on him in vain. France is troubled. 'Has England,' thought + she, 'a secret from us, while we have none from her?' She was on the + point of inventing one, when, lo! the secret mission turns out to be + the preparation of a ball-dress, with whose elegance, fresh from + Parisian genius, her Britannic majesty wished to dazzle and surprise + her native realm." + </p> + <p> + 'T is a pity Americans cannot learn the grace which decks these + trifling jests with so much prettiness. Till we can import something + of that, we have no right to rejoice in French fashions and French + wines. Such a nervous, driving nation as we are, ought to learn to + fly along gracefully, on the light, fantastic toe. Can we not learn + something of the English beside the knife and fork conventionalities + which, with them, express a certain solidity of fortune and resolve? + Can we not get from the French something beside their worst novels? + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="etats2"></a> + <h2> + "COURRIER DES ETATS UNIS." + </h2> + <center> + OUR PROTÉGÉE, QUEEN VICTORIA. + </center> + <p> + The <i>Courrier</i> laughs, though with features somewhat too + disturbed for a graceful laugh, at a notice, published a few days + since in the <i>Tribune</i>, of one of its jests which scandalized + the American editor. It does not content itself with a slight + notice, but puts forth a manifesto, in formidably large type, in + reply. + </p> + <p> + With regard to the jest itself, we must remark that Mr. Greeley saw + this only in a translation, where it had lost whatever of light and + graceful in its manner excused a piece of raillery very coarse in + its substance. We will admit that, had he seen it as it originally + stood, connected with other items in the playful chronicle of Pierre + Durand, it would have impressed him differently. + </p> + <p> + But the cause of irritation in the <i>Courrier</i>, and of the sharp + repartees of its manifesto, is, probably, what was said of the + influence among us of "French literature and French morals," to + which the "organ of the French-American population" felt called on + to make a spirited reply, and has done so with less of wit and + courtesy than could have been expected from the organ of a people + who, whatever may be their faults, are at least acknowledged in wit + and courtesy preëminent. We hope that the French who come to us + will not become, in these respects, Americanized, and substitute the + easy sneer, and use of such terms as "ridiculous," "virtuous + misanthropy," &c., for the graceful and poignant raillery of + their native land, which tickles even where it wounds. + </p> + <p> + We may say, in reply to the <i>Courrier</i>, that if Fourierism + "recoils towards a state of nature," it arises largely from the fact + that its author lived in a country where the natural relations are, + if not more cruelly, at least more lightly violated, than in any + other of the civilized world. The marriage of convention has done + its natural office in sapping the morals of France, till breach of + the marriage vow has become one of the chief topics of its daily + wit, one of the acknowledged traits of its manners, and a + favorite—in these modern times we might say the + favorite—subject of its works of fiction. From the time of + Molière, himself an agonized sufferer behind his comic mask + from the infidelities of a wife he was not able to cease to love, + through memoirs, novels, dramas, and the volleyed squibs of the + press, one fact stares us in the face as one of so common + occurrence, that men, if they have not ceased to suffer in heart and + morals from its poisonous action, have yet learned to bear with a + shrug and a careless laugh that marks its frequency. Understand, we + do not say that the French are the most deeply stained with vice of + all nations. We do not think them so. There are others where there + is as much, but there is none where it is so openly acknowledged in + literature, and therefore there is none whose literature alone is so + likely to deprave inexperienced minds, by familiarizing them with + wickedness before they have known the lure and the shock of passion. + And we believe that this is the very worst way for youth to be + misled, since the miasma thus pervades the whole man, and he is + corrupted in head and heart at once, without one strengthening + effort at resistance. + </p> + <p> + Were it necessary, we might substantiate what we say by quoting from + the <i>Courrier</i> within the last fortnight, jokes and stories + such as are not to be found so <i>frequently</i> in the prints of + any other nation. There is the story of the girl Adelaide, which, at + another time, we mean to quote, for its terrible pathos. There is a + man on trial for the murder of his wife, of whom the witnesses say, + "he was so fond of her you would never have known she was his wife!" + Here is one, only yesterday, where a man kills a woman to whom he + was married by his relatives at eighteen, she being much older, and + disagreeable to him, but their properties matching. After twelve + years' marriage, he can no longer support the yoke, and kills both + her and her father, and "his only regret is that he cannot kill all + who had anything to do with the match." + </p> + <p> + Either infidelity or such crimes are the natural result of marriages + made as they are in France, by agreement between the friends, + without choice of the parties. It is this horrible system, and not a + native incapacity for pure and permanent relations, that leads to + such results. + </p> + <p> + We must observe, <i>en passant</i>, that this man was the father of + five children by this hated woman—a wickedness not peculiar to + France or any nation, and which cannot foil to do its work of + filling the world with sickly, weak, or depraved beings, who have + reason to curse their brutal father that he does not murder them as + well as their wretched mother,—who, more unhappy than the + victim of seduction, is made the slave of sense in the name of + religion and law. + </p> + <p> + The last steamer brings us news of the disgrace of Victor Hugo, one + of the most celebrated of the literary men of France, and but lately + created one of her peers. The affair, however, is to be publicly + "hushed up." + </p> + <p> + But we need not cite many instances to prove, what is known to the + whole world, that these wrongs are, if not more frequent, at least + more lightly treated by the French, in literature and discourse, + than by any nation of Europe. This being the case, can an American, + anxious that his country should receive, as her only safeguard from + endless temptations, good moral instruction and mental food, be + otherwise than grieved at the promiscuous introduction among us of + their writings? + </p> + <p> + We know that there are in France good men, pure books, true wit. But + there is an immensity that is bad, and more hurtful to our farmers, + clerks and country milliners, than to those to whose tastes it was + originally addressed,—as the small-pox is most fatal among the + wild men of the woods,—and this, from the unprincipled + cupidity of publishers, is broad-cast recklessly over all the land + we had hoped would become a healthy asylum for those before crippled + and tainted by hereditary abuses. This cannot be prevented; we can + only make head against it, and show that there is really another way + of thinking and living,—ay, and another voice for it in the + world. We are naturally on the alert, and if we sometimes start too + quickly, that is better than to play "<i>Le noir + Faineant</i>"—(The Black Sluggard). + </p> + <p> + We are displeased at the unfeeling manner in which the + <i>Courrier</i> speaks of those whom he calls <i>our models</i>. He + did not misunderstand us, and some things he says on this subject + deserve and suggest a retort that would be bitter. But we forbear, + because it would injure the innocent with the guilty. The + <i>Courrier</i> ranks the editor of the <i>Tribune</i> among "the + men who have undertaken an ineffectual struggle against the + perversities of this lower world." By <i>ineffectual</i> we presume + he means that it has never succeeded in exiling evil from this lower + world. We are proud to be ranked among the band of those who at + least, in the ever-memorable words of Scripture, have "done what + they could" for this purpose. To this band belong all good men of + all countries, and France has contributed no small contingent of + those whose purpose was noble, whose lives were healthy, and whose + minds, even in their lightest moods, pure. We are better pleased to + act as sutler or pursuivant of this band, whose strife the + <i>Courrier</i> thinks so <i>impuissante</i>, than to reap the + rewards of efficiency on the other side. There is not too much of + this salt, in proportion to the whole mass that needs to be salted, + nor are "occasional accesses of virtuous misanthropy" the worst of + maladies in a world that affords such abundant occasion for it. + </p> + <p> + In fine, we disclaim all prejudice against the French nation. We + feel assured that all, or almost all, impartial minds will acquiese + in what we say as to the tone of lax morality, in reference to + marriage, so common in their literature. We do not like it, in joke + or in earnest; neither are we of those to whom vice "loses most of + its deformity by losing all its grossness." If there be a deep and + ulcerated wound, we think the more "the richly-embroidered veil" is + torn away the better. Such a deep social wound exists in France; we + wish its cure, as we wish the health of all nations and of all men; + so far indeed would we "recoil towards a state of nature." We + believe that nature wills marriage and parentage to be kept sacred. + The fact of their not being so is to us not a pleasant subject of + jest; and we should really pity the first lady of England for injury + here, though she be a queen; while the ladies of the French court, + or of Parisian society, if they willingly lend themselves to be the + subject of this style of jest, or find it agreeable when made, must + be to us the cause both of pity, and disgust. We are not unaware of + the great and beautiful qualities native to the French—of + their chivalry, their sweetness of temper, their rapid, brilliant + and abundant genius. We would wish to see these qualities restored + to their native lustre, and not receive the base alloy which has + long stained the virginity of the gold. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="travel"></a> + <h2> + ON BOOKS OF TRAVEL. + </h2> + <p> + [Footnote: It need not be said, probably, that Margaret Fuller did + not think the fact that books of travel by women have generally been + piquant and lively rather than discriminating and instructive, a + result of their nature, and therefore unavoidable; on the contrary, + she regarded woman as naturally more penetrating than man, and the + fact that in journeying she would see more of home-life than he, + would give her a great advantage,—but she did believe woman + needed a wider culture, and then she would not fail to <i>excel</i> + in writing books of travels. The merits now in such works she + considered striking and due to woman's natural quickness and + availing herself of all her facilities, and any deficiencies simply + proved the need of a broader education.—[EDIT.]] + </p> + <p> + Among those we have, the best, as to observation of particulars and + lively expression, are by women. They are generally ill prepared as + regards previous culture, and their scope is necessarily narrower + than that of men, but their tact and quickness help them a great + deal. You can see their minds grow by what they feed on, when they + travel. There are many books of travel, by women, that are, at + least, entertaining, and contain some penetrating and just + observations. There has, however, been none since Lady Mary Wortley + Montague, with as much talent, liveliness, and preparation to + observe in various ways, as she had. + </p> + <p> + A good article appeared lately in one of the English periodicals, + headed by a long list of travels by women. It was easy to observe + that the personality of the writer was the most obvious thing in + each and all of these books, and that, even in the best of them, you + travelled with the writer as a charming or amusing companion, rather + than as an accomplished or instructed guide. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="jameson"></a> + <h2> + REVIEW OF "MEMOIRS AND ESSAYS, BY MRS. JAMESON." + </h2> + <p> + Mrs. Jameson appears to be growing more and more desperately modest, + if we may judge from the motto: + </p> + <pre> + "What if the little rain should say, + 'So small a drop as I + Can ne'er refresh the thirsty plain,— + I'll tarry in the sky'" +</pre> + <p> + <br> + and other superstitious doubts and disclaimers proffered in the + course of the volume. We thought the time had gone by when it was + necessary to plead "request of friends" for printing, and that it + was understood now-a-days that, from the facility of getting + thoughts into print, literature has become not merely an archive for + the preservation of great thoughts, but a means of general + communication between all classes of minds, and all grades of + culture. + </p> + <p> + If writers write much that is good, and write it well, they are read + much and long; if the reverse, people simply pass them by, and go in + search of what is more interesting. There needs be no great fuss + about publishing or not publishing. Those who forbear may rather be + considered the vain ones, who wish to be distinguished among the + crowd. Especially this extreme modesty looks superfluous in a person + who knows her thoughts have been received with interest for ten or + twelve years back. We do not like this from Mrs. Jameson, because we + think she would be amazed if others spoke of her as this little + humble flower, doubtful whether it ought to raise its head to the + light. She should leave such affectations to her aunts; they were + the fashion in their day. + </p> + <p> + It is very true, however, that she should <i>not</i> have published + the very first paragraph in her book, which presents an inaccuracy + and shallowness of thought quite amazing in a person of her fine + perceptions, talent and culture. We allude to the contrast she + attempts to establish between Raphael and Titian, in placing mind in + contradistinction to beauty, as if beauty were merely physical. Of + course she means no such thing; but the passage means this or + nothing, and, as an opening to a paper on art, is indeed + reprehensible and fallacious. + </p> + <p> + The rest of this paper, called the House of Titian, is full of + pleasant chat, though some of the judgments—that passed on + Canaletti's pictures, for instance—are opposed to those of + persons of the purest taste; and in other respects, such as in + speaking of the railroad to Venice, Mrs. Jameson is much less wise + than those over whom she assumes superiority. The railroad will + destroy Venice; the two things cannot coëxist; and those who do + not look upon that wondrous dream in this age, will, probably, find + only vestiges of its existence. + </p> + <p> + The picture of Adelaide Kemble is very pretty, though there is an + attempt of a sort too common with Mrs. Jameson to make more of the + subject than it deserves. Adelaide Kemble was not the true artist, + or she could not so soon or so lightly have stept into another + sphere. It is enough to paint her as a lovely woman, and a + woman-genius. The true artist cannot forswear his vocation; Heaven + does not permit it; the attempt makes him too unhappy, nor will he + form ties with those who can consent to such sacrilege. Adelaide + Kemble loved art, but was not truly an artist. + </p> + <p> + The "Xanthian Marbles," and "Washington Allston," are very pleasing + papers. The most interesting part, however, are the sentences copied + from Mr. Allston. These have his chaste, superior tone. We copy some + of them. + </p> + <p> + "What <i>light</i> is in the natural world, such is <i>fame</i> in + the intellectual,—both requiring an <i>atmosphere</i> in order + to become perceptible. Hence the fame of Michel Angelo is to some + minds a nonentity; even as the Sun itself would be invisible <i>in + vacuo</i>" + </p> + <p> + (A very pregnant statement, containing the true reason why "no man + is a hero to his valet de chambre.") + </p> + <p> + "Fame does not depend on the will of any man; but reputation may be + given and taken away; for fame is the sympathy of kindred + intellects, and sympathy is not a subject of <i>willing</i>; while + reputation, having its source in the popular voice, is a sentence + which may be altered or suppressed at pleasure. Reputation, being + essentially contemporaneous, is always at the mercy of the envious + and ignorant. But Fame, whose very birth is posthumous, and which is + only known to exist by the echoes of its footsteps through congenial + minds, can neither be increased nor diminished by any degree of + wilfulness." + </p> + <p> + "An original mind is rarely understood until it has been + <i>reflected</i> from some half-dozen congenial with it; so averse + are men to admitting the true in an unusual form; while any novelty, + however fantastic, however false, is greedily swallowed. Nor is this + to be wondered at, for all truth demands a response, and few people + care to <i>think</i>, yet they must have something to supply the + place of thought. Every mind would appear original if every man had + the power of projecting his own into the minds of others." + </p> + <p> + "All effort at originality must end either in the quaint or + monstrous; for no man knows himself as on original; he can only + believe it on the report of others to whom he is made known, as he + is by the projecting power before spoken of." + </p> + <p> + "There is an essential meanness in wishing to get the better of any + one. The only competition worthy of a wise man is with himself." + </p> + <p> + "Reverence is an ennobling sentiment; it is felt to be degrading + only by the vulgar mind, which would escape the sense of its own + littleness by elevating itself into the antagonist of what is above + it." + </p> + <p> + "He that has no pleasure in looking up is not fit to look down; of + such minds are the mannerists in art, and in the world—the + tyrants of all sorts." + </p> + <p> + "Make no man your idol; for the best man must have faults, and his + faults will naturally become yours, in addition to your own. This is + as true in art as in morals." + </p> + <p> + "The Devil's heartiest laugh is at a detracting witticism. Hence the + phrase 'devilish good' has sometimes a literal meaning." + </p> + <p> + "Woman's Mission and Woman's Position" is an excellent paper, in + which plain truths ere spoken with an honorable + straight-forwardness, and a great deal of good feeling. We despise + the woman who, knowing such facts, is afraid to speak of them; yet + we honor one, too, who does the plain right thing, for she exposes + herself to the assaults of vulgarity, in a way painful to a person + who has not strength to find shelter and repose in her motives. We + recommend this paper to the consideration of all those, the + unthinking, wilfully unseeing million, who are in the habit of + talking of "Woman's sphere," as if it really were, at present, for + the majority, one of protection, and the gentle offices of home. The + rhetorical gentlemen and silken dames, who, quite forgetting their + washerwomen, their seamstresses, and the poor hirelings for the + sensual pleasures of Man, that jostle them daily in the streets, + talk as if women need be fitted for no other chance than that of + growing like cherished flowers in the garden of domestic love, are + requested to look at this paper, in which the state of women, both + in the manufacturing and agricultural districts of England, is + exposed with eloquence, and just inferences drawn. + </p> + <p> + "This, then, is what I mean when I speak of the anomalous condition + of women in these days. I would point out, as a primary source of + incalculable mischief, the contradiction between her assumed and her + real position; between what is called her proper sphere by the laws + of God and Nature, and what has become her real sphere by the laws + of necessity, and through the complex relations of artificial + existence. In the strong language of Carlyle, I would say that 'Here + is a lie standing up in the midst of society.' I would say 'Down + with it, even to the ground;' for while this perplexing and + barbarous anomaly exists, fretting like an ulcer at the very heart + of society, all new specifics and palliatives are in vain. The + question must be settled one way or another; either let the man in + all the relations of life be held the natural guardian of the woman, + constrained to fulfil that trust, responsible in society for her + well-being and her maintenance; or, if she be liable to be thrust + from the sanctuary of home, to provide for herself through the + exercise of such faculties as God has given her, let her at least + have fair play; let it not be avowed, in the same breath that + protection is necessary to her, and that it is refused her; and + while we send her forth into the desert, and bind the burthen on her + back, and put the staff in her hand, let not her steps be beset, her + limbs fettered, and her eyes blindfolded." Amen. + </p> + <p> + The sixth and last of these papers, on the relative social position + of "mothers and governesses," exhibits in true and full colors a + state of things in England, beside which the custom in some parts of + China of drowning female infants looks mild, generous, and + refined;—an accursed state of things, beneath whose influence + nothing can, and nothing ought to thrive. Though this paper, of + which we have not patience to speak further at this moment, is + valuable from putting the facts into due relief, it is very inferior + to the other, and shows the want of thoroughness and depth in Mrs. + Jameson's intellect. She has taste, feeling and knowledge, but she + cannot think out a subject thoroughly, and is unconsciously tainted + and hampered by conventionalities. Her advice to the governesses + reads like a piece of irony, but we believe it was not meant as + such. Advise them to be burnt at the stake at once, rather than + submit to this slow process of petrifaction. She is as bad as the + Reports of the "Society for the relief of distressed and dilapidated + Governesses." We have no more patience. We must go to England + ourselves, and see these victims under the water torture. Till then, + à Dieu! + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="insane"></a> + <h2> + WOMAN'S INFLUENCE OVER THE INSANE. + </h2> + <p> + In reference to what is said of entrusting an infant to the insane, + we must relate a little tale which touched the heart in childhood + from the eloquent lips of the mother. + </p> + <p> + The minister of the village had a son of such uncommon powers that + the slender means on which the large family lived were strained to + the utmost to send him to college. The boy prized the means of study + as only those under such circumstances know how to prize them; + indeed, far beyond their real worth; since, by excessive study, + prolonged often at the expense of sleep, he made himself insane. + </p> + <p> + All may conceive the feelings of the family when their star returned + to them again, shorn of its beams; their pride, their hard-earned + hope, sunk to a thing so hopeless, so helpless, that there could be + none so poor to do him reverence. But they loved him, and did what + the ignorance of the time permitted. There was little provision then + for the treatment of such cases, and what there was was of a kind + that they shrunk from resorting to, if it could be avoided. They + kept him at home, giving him, during the first months, the freedom + of the house; but on his making an attempt to kill his father, and + confessing afterwards that his old veneration had, as is so often + the case in these affections, reacted morbidly to its opposite, so + that he never saw a once-loved parent turn his back without thinking + how he could rush upon him and do him an injury, they felt obliged + to use harsher measures, and chained him to a post in one room of + the house. + </p> + <p> + There, so restrained, without exercise or proper medicine, the fever + of insanity came upon him in its wildest form. He raved, shrieked, + struck about him, and tore off all the raiment that was put upon + him. + </p> + <p> + One of his sisters, named Lucy, whom he had most loved when well, + had now power to soothe him. He would listen to her voice, and give + way to a milder mood when she talked or sang. But this favorite + sister married, went to her new home, and the maniac became wilder, + more violent than ever. + </p> + <p> + After two or three years, she returned, bringing with her on infant. + She went into the room where the naked, blaspheming, raging object + was confined. He knew her instantly, and felt joy at seeing her. + </p> + <p> + "But, Lucy," said he, suddenly, "is that your baby you have in your + arms? Give it to me, I want to hold it!" + </p> + <p> + A pang of dread and suspicion shot through the young mother's + heart,—she turned pale and faint. Her brother was not at that + moment so mad that he could not understand her fears. + </p> + <p> + "Lucy," said he, "do you suppose I would hurt <i>your</i> child?" + </p> + <p> + His sister had strength of mind and of heart; she could not resist + the appeal, and hastily placed the child in his arms. Poor fellow! + he held it awhile, stroked its little face, and melted into tears, + the first he had shed since his insanity. + </p> + <p> + For some time after that he was better, and probably, had he been + under such intelligent care as may be had at present, the crisis + might have been followed up, and a favorable direction given to his + disease. But the subject was not understood then, and, having once + fallen mad, he was doomed to live and die a madman. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="browning"></a> + <h2> + FROM A CRITICISM ON BROWNING'S POEMS. + </h2> + <p> + * * * * "The return of the Druses," a "Blot in the 'Scutcheon, and + "Colombo's Birthday," all have the same originality of conception, + delicate penetration into the mysteries of human feeling, + atmospheric individuality, and skill in picturesque detail. All + three exhibit very high and pure ideas of Woman, and a knowledge, + very rare in man, of the ways in which what is peculiar in her + office and nature works. Her loftiest elevation does not, in his + eyes, lift her out of nature. She becomes, not a mere saint, but the + goddess-queen of nature. Her purity is not cold, like marble, but + the healthy, gentle energy of the flower, instinctively rejecting + what is not fit for it, with no need of disdain to dig a gulf + between it and the lower forms of creation. Her office to man is + that of the muse, inspiring him to all good thoughts and deeds. The + passions that sometimes agitate these maidens of his verso are the + surprises of noble hearts unprepared for evil; and even their + mistakes cannot cost bitter tears to their attendant angels. + </p> + <p> + The girl in the "Return of the Druses" is the sort of nature Byron + tried to paint in Myrrha. But Byron could only paint women as they + were to him. Browning can show what they are in themselves. In "A + Blot in the 'Scutcheon," we see a lily, storm-struck, half-broken, + but still a lily. In "Colombe's Birthday," a queenly rose-bud, which + expands into the full-glowing rose before our eyes. It is marvellous + in this drama how the characters are unfolded to us by the crisis, + which not only exhibits, but calls to life, the higher passions and + the thoughts which were latent within them. + </p> + <p> + We bless the poet for these pictures of women, which, however the + common tone of society, by the grossness and levity of the remarks + bandied from tongue to tongue, would seem to say to the contrary, + declare there is still in the breasts of men a capacity for pure and + exalting passion,—for immortal tenderness. + </p> + <p> + Of Browning's delicate sheaths of meaning within meaning, which must + be opened slowly, petal by petal, as we seek the heart of a flower, + and the spirit-like, distant breathings of his lute, familiar with + the secrets of shores distant and enchanted, a sense can only be + gained by reading him a great deal; and we wish "Bells and + Pomegranates" might be brought within the reach of all who have time + and soul to wait and listen for such! + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="christmas"></a> + <h2> + CHRISTMAS. + </h2> + <p> + Our festivals come rather too near together, since we have so few of + them;—Thanksgiving, Christmas-day, New-Years'-day, and then + none again till July. We know not but these four, with the addition + of a "day set apart for fasting and prayer," might answer the + purposes of rest and edification as well as a calendar full of + saints' days, if they were observed in a better spirit. But, + Thanksgiving is devoted to good dinners; Christmas and New-Years' + days to making presents and compliments; Fast-day to playing at + cricket and other games, and the Fourth of July to boasting of the + past, rather than to plans how to deserve its benefits and secure + its fruits. + </p> + <p> + We value means of marking time by appointed days, because man, on + one side of his nature so ardent and aspiring, is on the other so + indolent and slippery a being, that he needs incessant admonitions + to redeem the time. Time flows on steadily, whether <i>he</i> + regards it or not; yet, unless <i>he keep time</i>, there is no + music in that flow. The sands drop with inevitable speed; yet each + waits long enough to receive, if it be ready, the intellectual touch + that should turn it to a sand of gold. + </p> + <p> + Time, says the Grecian fable, is the parent of Power, Power is the + father of Genius and Wisdom. Time, then, is grandfather of the + noblest of the human family; and we must respect the aged sire whom + we see on the frontispiece of the almanacs, and believe his scythe + was meant to mow down harvests ripened for an immortal use. + </p> + <p> + Yet the best provision made by the mind of society at large for + these admonitions soon loses its efficacy, and requires that + individual earnestness, individual piety, should continually + reinforce the most beautiful form. The world has never seen + arrangements which might more naturally offer good suggestions than + those of the Church of Rome. The founders of that church stood very + near a history radiant at every page with divine light. All their + rites and ceremonial days illustrate facts of an universal interest. + But the life with which piety first, and afterwards the genius of + great artists, invested these symbols, waned at last, except to a + thoughtful few. Reverence was forgotten in the multitude of + genuflexions; the rosary became a string of beads rather than a + series of religious meditations; and the "glorious company of saints + and martyrs" were not regarded so much as the teachers of heavenly + truth, as intercessors to obtain for their votaries the temporal + gifts they craved. + </p> + <p> + Yet we regret that some of those symbols had not been more + reverenced by Protestants, as the possible occasion of good + thoughts, and, among others, we regret that the day set apart to + commemorate the birth of Jesus should have been stript, even by + those who observe it, of many impressive and touching accessories. + </p> + <p> + If ever there was an occasion on which the arts could become all but + omnipotent in the service of a holy thought, it is this of the birth + of the child Jesus. In the palmy days of the Catholic religion they + may be said to have wrought miracles in its behalf; and in our + colder time, when we rather reflect that light from a different + point of view than transport ourselves into it, who, that has an eye + and ear faithful to the soul, is not conscious of inexhaustible + benefits from some of the works by which sublime geniuses have + expressed their ideas?—in the adorations of the Magi and the + Shepherds, in the Virgin with the infant Jesus, or that work which + expresses what Christendom at large has not begun to + realize,—that work which makes us conscious, as we listen, why + the soul of man was thought worthy and able to upbear a cross of + such dreadful weight,—the Messiah of Handel. + </p> + <p> + Christmas would seem to be the day peculiarly sacred to children; + and something of this feeling is beginning to show itself among us, + though rather from German influence than of native growth. The + ever-green tree is often reared for the children on Christmas + evening, and its branches cluster with little tokens that may, at + least, give them a sense that the world is rich, and that there are + some in it who care to bless them. It is a charming sight to see + their glistening eyes, and well worth much trouble in preparing the + Christmas-tree. + </p> + <p> + Yet, on this occasion, as on all others, we should like to see + pleasure offered to them in a form less selfish than it is. When + shall we read of banquets prepared for the halt, the lame, and the + blind, on the day that is said to have brought <i>their</i> friend + into the world? When will children be taught to ask all the cold and + ragged little ones whom they have seen during the day wistfully + gazing at the shop-windows, to share the joys of Christmas-eve? + </p> + <p> + We borrow the Christmas-tree from Germany; might we but borrow with + it that feeling which pervades all their stories, about the + influence of the Christ-child, and has, I doubt not (for the spirit + of literature is always, though refined, the essence of popular + life), pervaded the conduct of children there. + </p> + <p> + We will mention two of these as happily expressive of different + sides of the desirable character. One is a legend of the saint + Hermann Joseph. The legend runs that this saint, when a little boy, + passed daily by a niche where was an image of the Virgin and Child, + and delighted there to pay his devotions. His heart was so drawn + towards the holy child that one day, having received what seemed to + him a gift truly precious, a beautiful red and yellow apple, he + ventured to offer it, with his prayer. To his unspeakable delight + the child put forth his hand and took the apple. After that day, + never was a gift bestowed upon the little Hermann, that was not + carried to the same place. He needed nothing for himself, but + dedicated all his childish goods to the altar. + </p> + <p> + After a while he was in trouble. His father, who was a poor man, + found it necessary to take him from school, and bind him to a trade. + He communicated his woes to his friends of the niche, and the Virgin + comforted him like a mother, and bestowed on him money, by means of + which he rose to be a learned and tender Shepherd of men. + </p> + <p> + Another still more touching story is that of the holy Rupert. Rupert + was the only child of a princely house, and had something to give + besides apples. But his generosity and human love were such that, as + a child, he could never see poor children suffering without + despoiling himself of all he had with him in their behalf. His + mother was, at first, displeased with this; but when he replied, + "They are thy children too," her reproofs yielded to tears. + </p> + <p> + One time, when he had given away his coat to a poor child, he got + wearied and belated on his homeward way. He lay down a while and + fell asleep. Then he dreamed that he was on a river-shore, and saw a + mild and noble old man bathing many children. After he had plunged + them into the water, he would place them on a beautiful island, + where they looked white and glorious as little angels. Rupert was + seized with a strong desire to join them, and begged the old man to + bathe him also in the stream. But he was answered, "It is not yet + time." Just then a rainbow spanned the island, and in its arch was + enthroned the child Jesus, dressed in a coat that Rupert knew to be + his own. And the child said to the others, "See this coat; it is one + which my brother Rupert has just sent to me. He has given us many + gifts from his love; shall we not ask him to join us here?" And they + shouted a musical "Yes!" and Rupert started out of his dream. But he + had lain too long on the damp bank of the river without his coat, + and cold and fever soon sent him to join the band of his brothers in + their home. + </p> + <p> + These are legends, superstitious, you will say. But, in casting + aside the shell, have we retained the kernel? The image of the child + Jesus is not seen in the open street. Does his heart find other + means to express itself there? Protestantism does not mean, we + suppose, to deaden the spirit in excluding the form. + </p> + <p> + The thought of Jesus, as a child, has great weight with children who + have learned to think of him at all. In thinking of him they form an + image of all that the morning of a pure and fervent life should be + and bring. + </p> + <p> + In former days I knew a boy-artist whose genius, at that time, + showed high promise. He was not more than fourteen years old—a + pale, slight boy, with a beaming eye. The hopes and sympathy of + friends, gained by his talent, had furnished him with a studio and + orders for some pictures. He had picked up from the streets a boy, + still younger and poorer than himself, to take care of the room and + prepare his colors, and the two boys were as content in their + relation as Michael Angelo with his Urbino. If you went there, you + found exposed to view many pretty pictures—"A Girl with a + Dove," "The Guitar-player," and such subjects as are commonly + supposed to interest at his age. But, hid in a corner, and never + shown, unless to the beggar-page or some most confidential friend, + was the real object of his love and pride, the slowly-growing work + of secret hours. The subject of this picture was Christ teaching the + Doctors. And in those doctors he had expressed all he had already + observed of the pedantry and shallow conceit of those in whom mature + years have not unfolded the soul: and in the child, all he felt that + early youth should be and seek, though, alas! his own feet failed + him on the difficult road. This one record of the youth of Jesus, + had, at least, been much to his mind. + </p> + <p> + In earlier days the little saints thought they best imitated the + Emanuel by giving apples and cents; but we know not why, in our age, + that esteems itself so much enlightened, they should not become also + the givers of spiritual gifts. We see in them, continually, impulses + that only require a good direction to effect infinite good. See the + little girls at work for foreign missions; that is not useless; they + devote the time to a purpose that is not selfish; the horizon of + their thoughts is extended. But they are perfectly capable of + becoming home-missionaries as well. The principle of stewardship + would make them so. + </p> + <p> + I have seen a little girl of thirteen, who had much service, too, to + do for a hard-working mother, in the midst of a circle of poor + children whom she gathered daily to a morning school. She took them + from the door-steps and the gutters; she washed their faces and + hands; she taught them to read and sew, and told them stories that + had delighted her own infancy. In her face, though in feature and + complexion plain, was something already of a Madonna sweetness, and + it had no way eclipsed the gayety of childhood. + </p> + <p> + I have seen a boy, scarce older, brought up for some time with the + sons of laborers, who, so soon as he found himself possessed of + superior advantages, thought not of surpassing others, but of + excelling that he might be able to impart; and he was able to do it. + If the other boys had less leisure, and could pay for less + instruction, they did not suffer by it. He could not be happy unless + they also could enjoy Milton, and pass from nature to natural + philosophy. He performed, though in a childish way, and in no + Grecian garb, the part of Apollo amidst the herdsmen of Admetus. + </p> + <p> + The cause of education would be indefinitely furthered if, in + addition to formal means, there were but this principle awakened in + the hearts of the young, that what they have they must bestow. All + are not natural instructors, but a large proportion are; and those + who do possess such a talent are the best possible teachers to those + a little younger than themselves. Many have more patience with the + difficulties they have lately left behind, and enjoy their power of + assisting more than those further removed in age and knowledge do. + </p> + <p> + Then the intercourse may be far more congenial and profitable than + where the teacher receives for hire all sorts of pupils as they are + sent him by their guardians. Here be need only choose those who have + a predisposition for what he is best able to teach; and, as I would + have the so-called higher instruction as much diffused in this way + as the lower, there would be a chance of awakening all the power + that now lies latent. + </p> + <p> + If a girl, for instance, who has only a passable talent for music, + but who, from the advantage of social position, has been able to + gain thorough instruction, felt it her duty to teach whomsoever she + know that had a talent without money to cultivate it, the good is + obvious. + </p> + <p> + Those who are learning, receive an immediate benefit by the effort + to rearrange and interpret what they learn; so the use of this + justice would be two-fold. + </p> + <p> + Some efforts are made here and there; nay, sometimes there are those + who can say they have returned usury for every gift of fate; and + would others make the same experiments, they might find Utopia not + so far off as the children of this world, wise in securing their own + selfish ease, would persuade us it must always be. + </p> + <p> + We have hinted what sort of Christmas-box we would wish for the + children; it must be one as full, as that of the Christ-child must + be, of the pieces of silver that were lost and are found. But + Christmas with its peculiar associations has deep interest for men + and women no less. At that time thus celebrated, a pure woman saw in + her child what the Son of man should be as a child of God. She + anticipated fur him a life of glory to God, peace and good-will + towards men. In any young mother's heart, who has any purity of + heart, the same feelings arise. But most of these mothers carelessly + let them go without obeying their instructions. If they did not, we + should see other children, other men than now throng our streets. + The boy could not invariably disappoint the mother, the man the + wife, who steadily demanded of him such a career. + </p> + <p> + And Man looks upon Woman, in this relation, always as he should. + Does he see in her a holy mother, worthy to guard the infancy of an + immortal soul? Then she assumes in his eyes those traits which the + Romish church loved to revere in Mary. Frivolity, base appetite, + contempt, are exorcised, and Man and Woman appear again, in + unprofaned connection, as brother and sister, children and servants + of one Divine Love, and pilgrims to a common aim. + </p> + <p> + Were all this right in the private sphere, the public would soon + right itself also, and the nations of Christendom might join in a + celebration such as "Kings and Prophets waited for," and so many + martyrs died to achieve, of Christ-mass. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="childrens"></a> + <h2> + CHILDREN'S BOOKS. + </h2> + <p> + There is no branch of literature that better deserves cultivation, + and none that so little obtains it from worthy hands, as this of + Children's Books. It requires a peculiar development of the genius + and sympathies, rare among men of factitious life, who are not men + enough to revive with force and beauty the thoughts and scenes of + childhood. + </p> + <p> + It is all idle to talk baby-talk, and give shallow accounts of deep + things, thinking thereby to interest the child. He does not like to + be too much puzzled; but it is simplicity be wants, not silliness. + We fancy their angels, who are always waiting in the courts of our + Father, smile somewhat sadly on the ignorance of those who would + feed them on milk and water too long, and think it would be quite as + well to give them a stone. + </p> + <p> + There is too much amongst us of the French way of palming off false + accounts of things on children, "to do them good," and showing + nature to them in a magic lantern "purified for the use of + childhood," and telling stories of sweet little girls and brave + little boys,—O, all so good, or so bad! and above all, so + <i>little</i>, and everything about them so little! Children + accustomed to move in full-sized apartments, and converse with + full-grown men and women, do not need so much of this baby-house + style in their literature. They like, or would like if they could + get them, better things much more. They like the <i>Arabian + Nights</i>, and <i>Pilgrim's Progress</i>, and <i>Bunyan's + Emblems</i>, and <i>Shakspeare</i>, and the <i>Iliad</i> and + <i>Odyssey</i>,—at least, they used to like them; and if they + do not now, it is because their taste has been injured by so many + sugar-plums. The books that were written in the childhood of nations + suit an uncorrupted childhood now. They are simple, picturesque, + robust. Their moral is not forced, nor is the truth veiled with a + well-meant but sure-to-fail hypocrisy. Sometimes they are not moral + at all,—only free plays of the fancy and intellect. These, + also, the child needs, just as the infant needs to stretch its + limbs, and grasp at objects it cannot hold. We have become so fond + of the moral, that we forget the nature in which it must find its + root; so fond of instruction, that we forget development. + </p> + <p> + Where ballads, legends, fairy-tales, are moral, the morality is + heart-felt; if instructive, it is from the healthy common sense of + mankind, and not for the convenience of nursery rule, nor the "peace + of schools and families." + </p> + <p> + O, that winter, freezing, snow-laden winter, which ushered in our + eighth birthday! There, in the lonely farm-house, the day's work + done, and the bright woodfire all in a glow, we were permitted to + slide back the panel of the cupboard in the wall,—most + fascinating object still in our eyes, with which no stateliest + alcoved library can vie,—and there saw, neatly ranged on its + two shelves, not—praised be our natal star!—<i>Peter + Parley</i>, nor a History of the Good Little Boy who never took + anything that did not belong to him; but the <i>Spectator</i>, + <i>Telemachus</i>, <i>Goldsmith's Animated Nature</i>, and the + <i>Iliad</i>. + </p> + <p> + Forms of gods and heroes more distinctly seen, and with eyes of + nearer love then than now!—our true uncle, Sir Roger de + Coverley, and ye, fair realms of Nature's history, whose pictures we + tormented all grown persons to illustrate with more knowledge, still + more,—how we bless the chance that gave to us your great + realities, which life has daily helped us, helps us still, to + interpret, instead of thin and baseless fictions that would all this + time have hampered us, though with only cobwebs! + </p> + <p> + Children need some childish talk, some childish play, some childish + books. But they also need, and need more, difficulties to overcome, + and a sense of the vast mysteries which the progress of their + intelligence shall aid them to unravel. This sense is naturally + their delight, as it is their religion, and it must not be dulled by + premature explanations or subterfuges of any kind. There has been + too much of this lately. + </p> + <p> + Miss Edgeworth is an excellent writer for children. She is a child + herself, as she writes, nursed anew by her own genius. It is not by + imitating, but by reproducing childhood, that the writer becomes its + companion. Then, indeed, we have something especially good, for, + </p> + <pre> + "Like wine, well-kept and long, + Heady, nor harsh, nor strong, + With each succeeding year is quaffed, + A richer, purer, mellower draught." +</pre> + <p> + Miss Edgeworth's grown people live naturally with the children; they + do not talk to them continually about angels or flowers, but about + the things that interest themselves. They do not force them forward, + nor keep them back. The relations are simple and honorable; all ages + in the family seem at home under one roof and sheltered by one care. + </p> + <p> + The <i>Juvenile Miscellany</i>, formerly published by Mrs. Child, + was much and deservedly esteemed by children. It was a healthy, + cheerful, natural and entertaining companion to them. + </p> + <p> + We should censure too monotonously tender a manner in what is + written for children, and too constant an attention to moral + influence. We should prefer a larger proportion of the facts of + natural or human history, and that they should speak for themselves. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="poverty"></a> + <h2> + WOMAN IN POVERTY. + </h2> + <p> + Woman, even less than Man, is what she should be as a whole. She is + not that self-centred being, full of profound intuitions, angelic + love, and flowing poesy, that she should be. Yet there are + circumstances in which the native force and purity of her being + teach her how to conquer where the restless impatience of Man brings + defeat, and leaves him crushed and bleeding on the field. + </p> + <p> + Images rise to mind of calm strength, of gentle wisdom learning from + every turn of adverse fate,—of youthful tenderness and faith + undimmed to the close of life, which redeem humanity and make the + heart glow with fresh courage as we write. They are mostly from + obscure corners and very private walks. There was nothing shining, + nothing of an obvious and sounding heroism to make their conduct + doubtful, by tainting their motives with vanity. Unknown they lived, + untrumpeted they died. Many hearts were warmed and fed by them, but + perhaps no mind but our own ever consciously took account of their + virtues. + </p> + <p> + Had Art but the power adequately to tell their simple virtues, and + to cast upon them the light which, shining through those marked and + faded faces, foretold the glories of a second spring! The tears of + holy emotion which fell from those eyes have seemed to us pearls + beyond all price; or rather, whose price will be paid only when, + beyond the grave, they enter those better spheres in whose faith + they felt and acted here. + </p> + <p> + From this private gallery we will, for the present, bring forth but + one picture. That of a Black Nun was wont to fetter the eyes of + visitors in the royal galleries of France, and my Sister of Mercy, + too, is of that complexion. The old woman was recommended as a + laundress by my friend, who had long prized her. I was immediately + struck with the dignity and propriety of her manner. In the depth of + winter she brought herself the heavy baskets through the slippery + streets; and, when I asked her why she did not employ some younger + person to do what was so entirely disproportioned to her strength, + simply said, "she lived alone, and could not afford to hire an + errand-boy." "It was hard for her?" "No, she was fortunate in being + able to get work at her age, when others could do it better. Her + friends were very good to procure it for her." "Had she a + comfortable home?" "Tolerably so,—she should not need one + long." "Was that a thought of joy to her?" "Yes, for she hoped to + see again the husband and children from whom she had long been + separated." + </p> + <p> + Thus much in answer to the questions, but at other times the little + she said was on general topics. It was not from her that I learnt + how the great idea of Duty had held her upright through a life of + incessant toil, sorrow, bereavement; and that not only she had + remained upright, but that her character had been constantly + progressive. Her latest act had been to take home a poor sick girl + who had no home of her own, and could not bear the idea of dying in + a hospital, and maintain and nurse her through the last weeks of her + life. "Her eye-sight was failing, and she should not be able to work + much longer,—but, then, God would provide. <i>Somebody</i> + ought to see to the poor, motherless girl." + </p> + <p> + It was not merely the greatness of the act, for one in such + circumstances, but the quiet matter-of-course way in which it was + done, that showed the habitual tone of the mind, and made us feel + that life could hardly do more for a human being than to make him or + her the <i>somebody</i> that is daily so deeply needed, to represent + the right, to do the plain right thing. + </p> + <p> + "God will provide." Yes, it is the poor who feel themselves near to + the God of love. Though he slay them, still do they trust him. + </p> + <p> + "I hope," said I to a poor apple-woman, who had been drawn on to + disclose a tale of distress that, almost in the mere hearing, made + me weary of life, "I hope I may yet see you in a happier condition." + "With God's help," she replied, with a smile that Raphael would have + delighted to transfer to his canvas; a Mozart, to strains of angelic + sweetness. All her life she had seemed an outcast child; still she + leaned upon a Father's love. + </p> + <p> + The dignity of a state like this may vary its form in, more or less + richness and beauty of detail, but here is the focus of what makes + life valuable. It is this spirit which makes poverty the best + servant to the ideal of human nature. I am content with this type, + and will only quote, in addition, a ballad I found in a foreign + periodical, translated from Chamisso, and which forcibly recalled my + own laundress as an equally admirable sample of the same class, the + Ideal Poor, which we need for our consolation, so long as there must + be real poverty. + </p> + <center> + "THE OLD WASHERWOMAN. + </center> + <pre> + "Among yon lines her hands have laden, + A laundress with white hair appears, + Alert as many a youthful maiden, + Spite of her five-and-seventy years; + Bravely she won those white hairs, still + Eating the bread hard toll obtained her, + And laboring truly to fulfil + The duties to which God ordained her. + + "Once she was young and full of gladness, + She loved and hoped,—was wooed and won; + Then came the matron's cares,—the sadness + No loving heart on earth may shun. + Three babes she bore her mate; she prayed + Beside his sick-bed,—he was taken; + She saw him in the church-yard laid, + Yet kept her faith and hope unshaken. + + "The task her little ones of feeding + She met unfaltering from that hour; + She taught them thrift and honest breeding, + Her virtues were their worldly dower. + To seek employment, one by one, + Forth with her blessing they departed, + And she was in the world alone— + Alone and old, but still high-hearted. + + "With frugal forethought; self-denying, + She gathered coin, and flax she bought, + And many a night her spindle plying, + Good store of fine-spun thread she wrought. + The thread was fashioned in the loom; + She brought it home, and calmly seated + To work, with not a thought of gloom, + Her decent grave-clothes she completed. + + "She looks on them with fond elation; + They are her wealth, her treasure rare, + Her age's pride and consolation, + Hoarded with all a miser's care. + She dons the sark each Sabbath day, + To hear the Word that falleth never! + Well-pleased she lays it then away + Till she shall sleep in it forever! + + "Would that my spirit witness bore me. + That, like this woman, I had done + The work my Master put before me + Duly from morn till set of sun! + Would that life's cup had been by me + Quaffed in such wise and happy measure, + And that I too might finally + Look on my shroud with such meek pleasure!" +</pre> + <p> + Such are the noble of the earth. They do not repine, they do not + chafe, even in the inmost heart. They feel that, whatever else may + be denied or withdrawn, there remains the better part, which cannot + be taken from them. This line exactly expresses the woman I + knew:— + </p> + <pre> + "Alone and old, but still high-hearted." +</pre> + <p> + Will any, poor or rich, fail to feel that the children of such a + parent were rich when + </p> + <pre> + "Her virtues were their worldly dower"? +</pre> + <p> + Will any fail to bow the heart in assent to the aspiration, + </p> + <pre> + "Would that my spirit witness bore me + That, like this woman, I had done + The work my Maker put before me + Duly from morn till set of sun"? +</pre> + <p> + May not that suffice to any man's ambition? + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="irish1"></a> + <!-- Transcriber's Note: This editorial comment DOES preceed the Title --> + + <p> + [Perhaps one of the most perplexing problems which beset Woman in + her domestic sphere relates to the proper care and influence which + she should exert over the domestic aids she employs. As these are, + and long must be, taken chiefly from one nation, the following pages + treating of the Irish Character, and the true relation between + Employer and Employed, can hardly fail to be of interest. They + contain, too, some considerations which Woman as well as Man is too + much in danger of overlooking, and which seem, even more than when + first urged, to be timely in this reactionary to-day.—ED.] + </p> + <h2> + THE IRISH CHARACTER. + </h2> + <p> + In one of the eloquent passages quoted in the "<i>Tribune</i>" of + Wednesday, under the head, "Spirit of the Irish Press," we find + these words: + </p> + <p> + "Domestic love, almost morbid from external suffering, prevents him + (the Irishman) from becoming a fanatic and a misanthrope, and + reconciles him to life." + </p> + <p> + This recalled to our mind the many touching instances known to us of + such traits among the Irish we have seen here. We have known + instances of morbidness like this. A girl sent "home," after she was + well established herself, for a young brother, of whom she was + particularly fond. He came, and shortly after died. She was so + overcome by his loss that she took poison. The great poet of serious + England says, and we believe it to be his serious thought though + laughingly said, "Men have died, and worms have eaten them, but not + for love." Whether or not death may follow from the loss of a lover + or child, we believe that among no people but the Irish would it be + upon the loss of a young brother. + </p> + <p> + Another poor young woman, in the flower of her youth, denied + herself, not only every pleasure, but almost the necessaries of life + to save the sum she thought ought to be hers before sending to + Ireland for a widowed mother. Just as she was on the point of doing + so she heard that her mother had died fifteen months before. The + keenness and persistence of her grief defy description. With a + delicacy of feeling which showed the native poetry of the Irish + mind, she dwelt, most of all, upon the thought that while she was + working, and pinching, and dreaming of happiness with her mother, it + was indeed but a dream, and that cherished parent lay still and cold + beneath the ground. She felt fully the cruel cheat of Fate. "Och! + and she was dead all those times I was thinking of her!" was the + deepest note of her lament. + </p> + <p> + They are able, however, to make the sacrifice of even these intense + family affections in a worthy cause. We knew a woman who postponed + sending for her only child, whom she had left in Ireland, for years, + while she maintained a sick friend who had no one else to help her. + </p> + <p> + The poetry of which I have spoken shows itself even here, where they + are separated from old romantic associations, and begin the new life + in the New World by doing all its drudgery. We know flights of + poetry repeated to us by those present at their + wakes,—passages of natural eloquence, from the lamentations + for the dead, more beautiful than those recorded in the annals of + Brittany or Roumelia. + </p> + <p> + It is the same genius, so exquisitely mournful, tender, and glowing, + too, with the finest enthusiasm, that makes their national music, in + these respects, the finest in the world. It is the music of the + harp; its tones are deep and thrilling. It is the harp so + beautifully described in "The Harp of Tara's Halls," a song whose + simple pathos is unsurpassed. A feeling was never more adequately + embodied. + </p> + <p> + It is the genius which will enable Emmet's appeal to draw tears from + the remotest generations, however much they may be strangers to the + circumstances which called it forth, It is the genius which beamed + in chivalrous loveliness through each act of Lord Edward + Fitzgerald,—the genius which, ripened by English culture, + favored by suitable occasions, has shed such glory on the land which + has done all it could to quench it on the parent hearth. + </p> + <p> + When we consider all the fire which glows so untamably in Irish + veins, the character of her people, considering the circumstances, + almost miraculous in its goodness, we cannot forbear, + notwithstanding all the temporary ills they aid in here, to give + them a welcome to our shores. Those ills we need not enumerate; they + are known to all, and we rank among them, what others would not, + that by their ready service to do all the hard work, they make it + easier for the rest of the population to grow effeminate, and help + the country to grow too fast. But that is her destiny, to grow too + fast: there is no use talking against it. Their extreme ignorance, + their blind devotion to their priesthood, their pliancy in the hands + of demagogues, threaten continuance of these ills; yet, on the other + hand, we must regard them as most valuable elements in the new race. + They are looked upon with contempt for their wont of aptitude in + learning new things; their ready and ingenious lying; their + eye-service. These are the faults of an oppressed race, which must + require the aid of better circumstances through two or three + generations to eradicate. Their virtues are their own; they are + many, genuine, and deeply-rooted. Can an impartial observer fail to + admire their truth to domestic ties, their power of generous bounty, + and more generous gratitude, their indefatigable good-humor (for + ages of wrong which have driven them to so many acts of desperation, + could never sour their blood at its source), their ready wit, their + elasticity of nature? They are fundamentally one of the best nations + of the world. Would they were welcomed here, not to work merely, but + to intelligent sympathy, and efforts, both patient and ardent, for + the education of their children! No sympathy could be better + deserved, no efforts wiselier timed. Future Burkes and Currans would + know how to give thanks for them, and Fitzgeralds rise upon the + soil—which boasts the magnolia with its kingly stature and + majestical white blossoms,—to the same lofty and pure beauty. + Will you not believe it, merely because that bog-bred youth you + placed in the mud-hole tells you lies, and drinks to cheer himself + in those endless diggings? You are short-sighted, my friend; you do + not look to the future; you will not turn your head to see what may + have been the influences of the past. You have not examined your own + breast to see whether the monitor there has not commanded you to do + your part to counteract these influences; and yet the Irishman + appeals to you, eye to eye. He is very personal himself,—he + expects a personal interest from you. Nothing has been able to + destroy this hope, which was the fruit of his nature. We were much + touched by O'Connell's direct appeal to the queen, as "Lady!" But + she did not listen,—and we fear few ladies and gentlemen will + till the progress of Destiny compels them. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="irish2"></a> + <h2> + THE IRISH CHARACTER. + </h2> + <p> + Since the publication of a short notice under this head in the + "<i>Tribune</i>," several persons have expressed to us that their + feelings were awakened on the subject, especially as to their + intercourse with the lower Irish. Most persons have an opportunity + of becoming acquainted, if they will, with the lower classes of + Irish, as they are so much employed among us in domestic service, + and other kinds of labor. + </p> + <p> + We feel, say these persons, the justice of what has been said as to + the duty and importance of improving these people. We have sometimes + tried; but the want of real gratitude which, in them, is associated + with such warm and wordy expressions of regard, with their + incorrigible habits of falsehood and evasion, have baffled and + discouraged us. You say their children ought to be educated; but how + can this be effected when the all but omnipotent sway of the + Catholic religion and the example of parents are both opposed to the + formation of such views and habits as we think desirable to the + citizen of the New World? + </p> + <p> + We answer first with regard to those who have grown up in another + land, and who, soon after arriving here, are engaged in our service. + </p> + <p> + First, as to ingratitude. We cannot but sadly smile on the remarks + we hear so often on this subject. + </p> + <p> + Just Heaven!—and to us how liberal! which has given those who + speak thus an unfettered existence, free from religious or political + oppression; which has given them the education of intellectual and + refined intercourse with men to develop those talents which make + them rich in thoughts and enjoyment, perhaps in money, too, + certainly rich in comparison with the poor immigrants they + employ,—what is thought in thy clear light of those who expect + in exchange for a few shillings spent in presents or medicines, a + few kind words, a little casual thought or care, such a mighty + payment of gratitude? Gratitude! Under the weight of old feudalism + their minds were padlocked by habit against the light; they might be + grateful then, for they thought their lords were as gods, of another + frame and spirit than theirs, and that they had no right to have the + same hopes and wants, scarcely to suffer from the same maladies, + with those creatures of silk, and velvet, and cloth of gold. Then, + the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table might be received + with gratitude, and, if any but the dogs came to tend the beggar's + sores, such might be received as angels. But the institutions which + sustained such ideas have fallen to pieces. It is understood, even + In Europe, that + </p> + <pre> + "The rank is but the guinea's stamp, + The man's the gowd for a' that, + A man's a man for a' that." +</pre> + <p> + And being such, has a claim on this earth for something better than + the nettles of which the French peasantry made their soup, and with + which the persecuted Irish, "under hiding," turned to green the lips + white before with famine. + </p> + <p> + And if this begins to be understood in Europe, can you suppose it is + not by those who, hearing that America opens a mother's arms with + the cry, "All men are born free and equal," rush to her bosom to be + consoled for centuries of woe, for their ignorance, their hereditary + degradation, their long memories of black bread and stripes? However + little else they may understand, believe they understand well + <i>this much</i>. Such inequalities of privilege, among men all born + of one blood, should not exist. They darkly feel that those to whom + much has been given owe to the Master an account of stewardship. + They know now that your gift is but a small portion of their right. + </p> + <p> + And you, O giver! how did you give? With religious joy, as one who + knows that he who loves God cannot fail to love his neighbor as + himself? with joy and freedom, as one who feels that it is the + highest happiness of gift to us that we have something to give + again? Didst thou put thyself into the position of the poor man, and + do for him what thou wouldst have had one who was able to do for + thee? Or, with affability and condescending sweetness, made easy by + internal delight at thine own wondrous virtue, didst thou give five + dollars to balance five hundred spent on thyself? Did you say, + "James, I shall expect you to do right in everything, and to attend + to my concerns as I should myself; and, at the end of the quarter, I + will give you my old clothes and a new pocket-handkerchief, besides + seeing that your mother is provided with fuel against Christmas?" + </p> + <p> + Line upon line, and precept upon precept, the tender parent expects + from the teacher to whom he confides his child; vigilance unwearied, + day and night, through long years. But he expects the raw Irish girl + or boy to correct, at a single exhortation, the habit of deceiving + those above them, which the expectation of being tyrannized over has + rooted in their race for ages. If we look fairly into the history of + their people, and the circumstances under which their own youth was + trained, we cannot expect that anything short of the most steadfast + patience and love can enlighten them as to the beauty and value of + implicit truth, and, having done so, fortify and refine them in the + practice of it. + </p> + <p> + This we admit at the outset: First, You must be prepared for a + religious and patient treatment of these people, not merely + <i>un</i>educated, but <i>ill</i>-educated; a treatment far more + religious and patient than is demanded by your own children, if they + were born and bred under circumstances at all favorable. + </p> + <p> + Second, Dismiss from your minds all thought of gratitude. Do what + you do for them for God's sake, and as a debt to + humanity—interest to the common creditor upon principal left + in your care. Then insensibility, forgetfulness, or relapse, will + not discourage you, and you will welcome proofs of genuine + attachment to yourself chiefly as tokens that your charge has risen + into a higher state of thought and feeling, so as to be enabled to + value the benefits conferred through you. Could we begin so, there + would be hope of our really becoming the instructors and guardians + of this swarm of souls which come from their regions of torment to + us, hoping, at least, the benefits of purgatory. + </p> + <p> + The influence of the Catholic priesthood must continue very great + till there is a complete transfusion of character in the minds of + their charge. But as the Irishman, or any other foreigner, becomes + Americanized, he will demand a new form of religion to suit his new + wants. The priest, too, will have to learn the duties of an American + citizen; he will live less and less for the church, and more for the + people, till at last, if there be Catholicism still, it will be + under Protestant influences, as begins to be the case in Germany. It + will be, not Roman, but American Catholicism; a form of worship + which relies much, perhaps, on external means and the authority of + the clergy,—for such will always be the case with religion + while there are crowds of men still living an external life, and who + have not learned to make full use of their own faculties,—but + where a belief in the benefits of confession and the power of the + church, as church, to bind and loose, atone for or decide upon sin, + with similar corruptions, must vanish in the free and searching air + of a new era. + </p> + <hr> + <p> + Between employer and employed there is not sufficient pains taken on + the part of the former to establish a mutual understanding. People + meet, in the relations of master and servant, who have lived in two + different worlds. In this respect we are much worse situated than + the same parties have been in Europe. There is less previous + acquaintance between the upper and lower classes. (We must, though + unwillingly, use these terms to designate the state of things as at + present existing.) Meals are taken separately; work is seldom + shared; there is very little to bring the parties together, except + sometimes the farmer works with his hired Irish laborer in the + fields, or the mother keeps the nurse-maid of her baby in the room + with her. + </p> + <p> + In this state of things the chances for instruction, which come + every day of themselves where parties share a common life instead of + its results merely, do not occur. Neither is there opportunity to + administer instruction in the best manner, nor to understand when + and where it is needed. + </p> + <p> + The farmer who works with his men in the field, the farmer's wife + who attends with her women to the churn and the oven, may, with + ease, be true father and mother to all who are in their employ, and + enjoy health of conscience in the relation, secure that, if they + find cause for blame, it is not from faults induced by their own + negligence. The merchant who is from home all day, the lady + receiving visitors or working slippers in her nicely-furnished + parlor, cannot be quite so sure that their demands, or the duties + involved in them, are clearly understood, nor estimate the + temptations to prevarication. + </p> + <p> + It is shocking to think to what falsehoods human beings like + ourselves will resort, to excuse a love of amusement, to hide + ill-health, while they see us indulging freely in the one, yielding + lightly to the other; and yet we have, or ought to have, far more + resources in either temptation than they. For us it is hard to + resist, to give up going to the places where we should meet our most + interesting companions, or do our work with an aching brow. But we + have not people over us whose careless, hasty anger drives us to + seek excuses for our failures; if so, perhaps,—perhaps; who + knows?—we, the better-educated, rigidly, immaculately true as + we are at present, <i>might</i> tell falsehoods. Perhaps we might, + if things were given us to do which we had never seen done, if we + were surrounded by new arrangements in the nature of which no one + instructed us. All this we must think of before we can be of much + use. + </p> + <p> + We have spoken of the nursery-maid as <i>the</i> hired domestic with + whom her mistress, or even the master, is likely to become + acquainted. But, only a day or two since, we saw, what we see so + often, a nursery-maid with the family to which she belonged, in a + public conveyance. They were having a pleasant time; but in it she + had no part, except to hold a hot, heavy baby, and receive frequent + admonitions to keep <i>it</i> comfortable. No inquiry was made as to + <i>her</i> comfort; no entertaining remark, no information of + interest as to the places we passed, was addressed to her. Had she + been in that way with that family ten years she might have known + <i>them</i> well enough, for their characters lay only too bare to a + careless scrutiny; but her joys, her sorrows, her few thoughts, her + almost buried capacities, would have been as unknown to them, and + they as little likely to benefit her, as the Emperor of China. + </p> + <p> + Let the employer place the employed first in good physical + circumstances, so as to promote the formation of different habits + from those of the Irish hovel, or illicit still-house. Having thus + induced feelings of self-respect, he has opened the door for a new + set of notions. Then let him become acquainted with the family + circumstances and history of his new pupil. He has now got some + ground on which to stand for intercourse. Let instruction follow for + the mind, not merely by having the youngest daughter set, now and + then, copies in the writing-book, or by hearing read aloud a few + verses in the Bible, but by putting good books in their way, if able + to read, and by intelligent conversation when there is a + chance,—the master with the man who is driving him, the lady + with the woman who is making her bed. Explain to them the relations + of objects around them; teach them to compare the old with the new + life. If you show a better way than theirs of doing work, teach + them, too, <i>why</i> it is better. Thus will the mind be prepared + by development for a moral reformation; there will be some soil + fitted to receive the seed. + </p> + <p> + When the time is come,—and will you think a poor, uneducated + person, in whose mind the sense of right and wrong is confused, the + sense of honor blunted, easier of access than one refined and + thoughtful? Surely you will not, if you yourself are refined and + thoughtful, but rather that the case requires far more care in the + choice of a favorable opportunity,—when, then, the good time + is come, perhaps it will be best to do what you do in a way that + will make a permanent impression. Show the Irishman that a vice not + indigenous to his nation—for the rich and noble who are not so + tempted are chivalrous to an uncommon degree in their openness, bold + sincerity, and adherence to their word—has crept over and + become deeply rooted in the poorer people from the long oppressions + they have undergone. Show them what efforts and care will be needed + to wash out the taint. Offer your aid, as a faithful friend, to + watch their lapses, and refine their sense of truth. You will not + speak in vain. If they never mend, if habit is too powerful, still, + their nobler nature will not have been addressed in vain. They will + not forget the counsels they have not strength to follow, and the + benefits will be seen in their children or children's children. + </p> + <p> + Many say, "Well, suppose we do all this; what then? They are so fond + of change, they will leave us." What then? Why, let them go and + carry the good seed elsewhere. Will you be as selfish and + short-sighted as those who never plant trees to shade a hired house, + lest some one else should be blest by their shade? + </p> + <p> + It is a simple duty we ask you to engage in; it is, also, a great + patriotic work. You are asked to engage in the great work of mutual + education, which must be for this country the system of mutual + insurance. + </p> + <p> + We have some hints upon this subject, drawn from the experience of + the wise and good, some encouragement to offer from that experience, + that the fruits of a wise planting sometimes ripen sooner than we + could dare to expect. But this must be for another day. + </p> + <p> + One word as to this love of change. We hear people blaming it in + their servants, who can and do go to Niagara, to the South, to the + Springs, to Europe, to the seaside; in short, who are always on the + move whenever they feel the need of variety to reänimate mind, + health, or spirits. Change of place, as to family employment, is the + only way domestics have of "seeing life"—the only way + immigrants have of getting thoroughly acquainted with the new + society into which they have entered. How natural that they should + incline to it! Once more; put yourself in their places, and then + judge them gently from your own, if you would be just to them, if + you would be of any use. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="souls"></a> + <h2> + EDUCATE MEN AND WOMEN AS SOULS. + </h2> + <p> + Had Christendom but been true to its standard, while accommodating + its modes of operation to the calls of successive times, Woman would + now have not only equal <i>power</i> with Man,—for of that + omnipotent nature will never suffer her to be defrauded,—but a + <i>chartered</i> power, too fully recognized to be abused. Indeed, + all that is wanting is, that Man should prove his own freedom by + making her free. Let him abandon conventional restriction, as a + vestige of that Oriental barbarity which confined Woman to a + seraglio. Let him trust her entirely, and give her every privilege + already acquired for himself,—elective franchise, tenure of + property, liberty to speak in public assemblies, &c. + </p> + <p> + Nature has pointed out her ordinary sphere by the circumstances of + her physical existence. She cannot wander far. If here and there the + gods send their missives through women as through men, let them + speak without remonstrance. In no age have men been able wholly to + hinder them. A Deborah must always be a spiritual mother in Israel. + A Corinna may be excluded from the Olympic games, yet all men will + hear her song, and a Pindar sit at her feet. It is Man's fault that + there ever were Aspasias and Ninons. These exquisite forms were + intended for the shrines of virtue. + </p> + <p> + Neither need men fear to lose their domestic deities. Woman is born + for love, and it is impossible to turn her from seeking it. Men + should deserve her love as an inheritance, rather than seize and + guard it like a prey. Were they noble, they would strive rather not + to be loved too much, and to turn her from idolatry to the true, the + only Love. Then, children of one Father, they could not err nor + misconceive one another. + </p> + <p> + Society is now so complex, that it is no longer possible to educate + Woman merely as Woman; the tasks which come to her hand are so + various, and so large a proportion of women are thrown entirely upon + their own resources. I admit that this is not their state of perfect + development; but it seems as if Heaven, having so long issued its + edict in poetry and religion without securing intelligent obedience, + now commanded the world in prose to take a high and rational view. + The lesson reads to me thus:— + </p> + <p> + Sex, like rank, wealth, beauty, or talent, is but an accident of + birth. As you would not educate a soul to be an aristocrat, so do + not to be a woman. A general regard to her usual sphere is dictated + in the economy of nature. You need never enforce these provisions + rigorously. Achilles had long plied the distaff as a princess; yet, + at first sight of a sword, he seized it. So with Woman; one hour of + love would teach her more of her proper relations than all your + formulas and conventions. Express your views, men, of what you + <i>seek</i> in women; thus best do you give them laws. Learn, women, + what you should <i>demand</i> of men; thus only can they become + themselves. Turn both from the contemplation of what is merely + phenomenal in your existence, to your permanent life as souls. Man, + do not prescribe how the Divine shall display itself in Woman. + Woman, do not expect to see all of God in Man. Fellow-pilgrims and + helpmeets are ye, Apollo and Diana, twins of one heavenly birth, + both beneficent, and both armed. Man, fear not to yield to Woman's + hand both the quiver and the lyre; for if her urn be filled with + light, she will use both to the glory of God. There is but one + doctrine for ye both, and that is the doctrine of the SOUL. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="extracts"></a> + <h1> + PART III. + </h1> + <hr> + <center> + <b>EXTRACTS FROM JOURNALS AND LETTERS.</b> + </center> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + [The following extract from Margaret's Journal will be read with a + degree of melancholy interest when connected with the eventful end + of her eventful life. It was written many years before her journey + to Europe, and rings in our ears now almost with the tones of + prophecy.—Ed.] + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + I like to listen to the soliloquies of a bright child. In this + microcosm the philosophical observer may trace the natural + progression of the mind of mankind. I often silently observe + L—-, with this view. He is generally imitative and dramatic; + the day-school, the singing-school or the evening party, are acted + out with admirable variety in the humors of the scene, end great + discrimination of character in its broader features. What is chiefly + remarkable is his unconsciousness of his mental processes, and how + thoughts it would be impossible for him to recall spring up in his + mind like flowers and weeds in the soil. But to-night he was truly + in a state of lyrical inspiration, his eyes flashing, his face + glowing, and his whole composition chanted out in an almost metrical + form. He began by mourning the death of a certain Harriet whom he + had let go to foreign parts, and who had died at sea. He described + her as having "blue, sparkling eyes, and a sweet smile," and + lamented that he could never kiss her cold lips again. This part, + which he continued for some time, was in prolonged cadences, and a + low, mournful tone, with a frequently recurring burden of "O, my + Harriet, shall I never see thee more!" + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + EXTRACT FROM JOURNAL. + </h3> + <hr> + <p> + It is so true that a woman may be in love with a woman, and a man + with a man. It is pleasant to be sure of it, because it is + undoubtedly the same love that we shall feel when we are angels, + when we ascend to the only fit place for the Mignons, where + </p> + <pre> + "Sie fragen nicht nach Mann und Welb." +</pre> + <p> + It is regulated by the same law as that of love between persons of + different sexes, only it is purely intellectual and spiritual, + unprefaced by any mixture of lower instincts, undisturbed by any + need of consulting temporal interests; its law is the desire of the + spirit to realize a whole, which makes it seek in another being that + which it finds not in itself. + </p> + <p> + Thus the beautiful seek the strong; the mute seek the eloquent; the + butterfly settles on the dark flower. Why did Socrates so love + Alcibiades? Why did Körner so love Schneider? How natural is + the love of Wallenstein for Max, that of Madame de Stael for de + Recamier, mine for ——-! I loved —— for a + time with as much passion as I was then strong enough to feel. Her + face was always gleaming before me; her voice was echoing in my ear; + all poetic thoughts clustered round the dear image. This love was + for me a key which unlocked many a treasure which I still possess; + it was the carbuncle (emblematic gem!) which cast light into many of + the darkest corners of human nature. She loved me, too, though not + so much, because her nature was "less high, less grave, less large, + less deep;" but she loved more tenderly, less passionately. She + loved me, for I well remember her suffering when she first could + feel my faults, and knew one part of the exquisite veil rent + away—how she wished to stay apart and weep the whole day. + </p> + <p> + These thoughts were suggested by a large engraving representing + Madame Recamier in her boudoir. I have so often thought over the + intimacy between her and Madame de Stael. + </p> + <p> + Madame Recamier is half-reclining on a sofa; she is clad in white + drapery, which clings very gracefully to her round, but + elegantly-slender form; her beautiful neck and arms are bare; her + hair knotted up so as to show the contour of her truly-feminine head + to great advantage. A book lies carelessly on her lap; one hand yet + holds it at the place where she left off reading; her lovely face is + turned towards us; she appears to muse on what she has been reading. + When we see a woman in a picture with a book, she seems to be doing + precisely that for which she was born; the book gives such an + expression of purity to the female figure. A large window, partially + veiled by a white curtain, gives a view of a city at some little + distance. On one side stand the harp and piano; there are just books + enough for a lady's boudoir. There is no picture, except one of De + Recamier herself, as Corinne. This is absurd; but the absurdity is + interesting, as recalling the connection. You imagine her to have + been reading one of De Stael's books, and to be now pondering what + those brilliant words of her gifted friend can mean. + </p> + <p> + Everything in the room is in keeping. Nothing appears to have been + put there because other people have it; but there is nothing which + shows a taste more noble and refined than you would expect from the + fair Frenchwoman. All is elegant, modern, in harmony with the + delicate habits and superficial culture which you would look for in + its occupant. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO HER MOTHER. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Sept</i>. 5, 1837. + </p> + <p> + * * * * If I stay in Providence, and more money is wanting than can + otherwise be furnished, I will take a private class, which is ready + for me, and by which, even if I reduced my terms to suit the place, + I can earn the four hundred dollars that —— will need. + If I do not stay, I will let her have my portion of our income, with + her own, or even capital which I have a right to take up, and come + into this or some other economical place, and live at the cheapest + rate. It will not be even a sacrifice to me to do so, for I am weary + of society, and long for the opportunity for solitary concentration + of thought. I know what I say; if I live, you may rely upon me. + </p> + <p> + God be with you, my dear mother! I am sure he will prosper the + doings of so excellent a woman if you will only keep your mind calm + and be firm. Trust your daughter too. I feel increasing trust in + mine own good mind. We will take good care of the children and of + one another. Never fear to trouble me with your perplexities. I can + never be so situated that I do not earnestly wish to know them. + Besides, things do not trouble me as they did, for I feel within + myself the power to aid, to serve. + </p> + <p> + Most affectionately, + </p> + <p> + Your daughter, M. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + PART OF LETTER TO M. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Providence</i>, Oct. 7, 1838. + </p> + <p> + * * * For yourself, dear ——, you have attained an + important age. No plan is desirable for you which is to be pursued + with precision. The world, the events of every day, which no one can + predict, are to be your teachers, and you must, in some degree, give + yourself up, and submit to be led captive, if you would learn from + them. Principle must be at the helm, but thought must shift its + direction with the winds and waves. + </p> + <p> + Happy as you are thus far in worthy friends, you are not in much + danger of rash intimacies or great errors. I think, upon the whole, + quite highly of your judgment about people and conduct; for, though + your first feelings are often extravagant, they are soon balanced. + </p> + <p> + I do not know other faults in you beside that want of retirement of + mind which I have before spoken of. If M——— and + A——— want too much seclusion, and are too severe + in their views of life and man, I think you are too little so. There + is nothing so fatal to the finer faculties as too ready or too + extended a publicity. There is some danger lest there be no real + religion in the heart which craves too much of daily sympathy. + Through your mind the stream of life has coursed with such rapidity + that it has often swept away the seed or loosened the roots of the + young plants before they had ripened any fruit. + </p> + <p> + I should think writing would be very good for you. A journal of your + life, and analyses of your thoughts, would teach you how to + generalize, and give firmness to your conclusions. Do not write down + merely that things are beautiful, or the reverse; but <i>what</i> + they are, and <i>why</i> they are beautiful or otherwise; and show + these papers, at least at present, to nobody. Be your own judge and + your own helper. Do not go too soon to any one with your + difficulties, but try to clear them up for yourself. + </p> + <p> + I think the course of reading you have fallen upon, of late, will be + better for you than such books as you formerly read, addressed + rather to the taste and imagination than the judgment. The love of + beauty has rather an undue development in your mind. See now what it + is, and what it has been. Leave for a time the Ideal, and return to + the Real. + </p> + <p> + I should think two or three hours a day would be quite enough, at + present, for you to give to books. Now learn buying and selling, + keeping the house, directing the servants; all that will bring you + worlds of wisdom if you keep it subordinate to the one grand aim of + perfecting the whole being. And let your self-respect forbid you to + do imperfectly anything that you do at all. + </p> + <p> + I always feel ashamed when I write with this air of wisdom; but you + will see, by my hints, what I mean. Your mind wants depth and + precision; your character condensation. Keep your high aim steadily + in view; life will open the path to reach it. I think + ——, even if she be in excess, is an excellent friend for + you; her character seems to have what yours wants, whether she has + or has not found the right way. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO HER BROTHER, A. B. F. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Providence, Feb</i>. 19, 1838 + </p> + <p> + MY DEAR A.: + </p> + <hr> + <p> + I wish you could see the journals of two dear little girls, eleven + years old, in my school. They love one another like Bessie Bell and + Mary Gray in the ballad. They are just of a size, both lively as + birds, affectionate, gentle, ambitious in good works and knowledge. + They encourage one another constantly to do right; they are rivals, + but never jealous of one another. One has the quicker intellect, the + other is the prettier. I have never had occasion to find fault with + either, and the forwardness of their minds has induced me to take + both into my reading-class, where they are associated with girls + many years their elders. Particular pains do they take with their + journals. These are written daily, in a beautiful, fair, round hand, + well-composed, showing attention, and memory well-trained, with many + pleasing sallies of playfulness, and some very interesting thoughts. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO THE SAME. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Jamaica Plain, Dec</i>. 20, 1840. + </p> + <p> + * * * * About your school I do not think I could give you much + advice which would be of value, unless I could know your position + more in detail. The most important rule is, in all relations with + our fellow-creatures, never forget that, if they are imperfect + persons, they are immortal souls, and treat them as you would wish + to be treated by the light of that thought. + </p> + <p> + As to the application of means, abstain from punishment as much as + possible, and use encouragement as far as you can <i>without + flattery</i>. But be even more careful as to strict truth in this + regard, towards children, than to persons of your own age; for, to + the child, the parent or teacher is the representative of + <i>justice;</i> and as that of life is severe, an education which, + in any degree, excites vanity, is the very worst preparation for + that general and crowded school. + </p> + <p> + I doubt not you will teach grammar well, as I saw you aimed at + principles in your practice. + </p> + <p> + In geography, try to make pictures of the scenes, that they may be + present to their imaginations, and the nobler faculties be brought + into action, as well as memory. + </p> + <p> + In history, try to study and paint the characters of <i>great + men</i>; they best interpret the leadings of events amid the + nations. + </p> + <p> + I am pleased with your way of speaking of both people and pupils; + your view seems from the right point. Yet beware of over great + pleasure in being popular, or even beloved. As far as an amiable + disposition and powers of entertainment make you so, it is a + happiness; but if there is one grain of plausibility, it is poison. + </p> + <p> + But I will not play Mentor too much, lest I make you averse to write + to your very affectionate sister, + </p> + <p> + M. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO HER BROTHER, R. + </h3> + <p> + I entirely agree in what you say of <i>tuition</i> and + <i>intuition;</i> the two must act and react upon one another, to + make a man, to form a mind. Drudgery is as necessary, to call out + the treasures of the mind, as harrowing and planting those of the + earth. And besides, the growths of literature and art are as much + nature as the trees in Concord woods; but nature idealized and + perfected. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO THE SAME. + </h3> + <p> + 1841. + </p> + <p> + I take great pleasure in that feeling of the living presence of + beauty in nature which your letters show. But you, who have now + lived long enough to see some of my prophecies fulfilled, will not + deny, though you may not yet believe the truth of my words when I + say you go to an extreme in your denunciations of cities and the + social institutions. <i>These</i> are a growth also, and, as well as + the diseases which come upon them, under the control of the one + spirit as much as the great tree on which the insects prey, and in + whose bark the busy bird has made many a wound. + </p> + <p> + When we get the proper perspective of these things we shall find + man, however artificial, still a part of nature. Meanwhile, let us + trust; and while it is the soul's duty ever to bear witness to the + best it knows, let us not be hasty to conclude that in what suits us + not there can be no good. Let us be sure there <i>must</i> be + eventual good, could we but see far enough to discern it. In + maintaining perfect truth to ourselves and choosing that mode of + being which suits us, we had best leave others alone as much as may + be. You prefer the country, and I doubt not it is on the whole a + better condition of life to live there; but at the country party you + have mentioned you saw that no circumstances will keep people from + being frivolous. One may be gossipping, and vulgar, and idle in the + country,—earnest, noble and wise, in the city. Nature cannot + be kept from us while there is a sky above, with so much as one star + to remind us of prayer in the silent night. + </p> + <p> + As I walked home this evening at sunset, over the Mill-Dam, towards + the city, I saw very distinctly that the city also is a bed in God's + garden. More of this some other time. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO A YOUNG FRIEND. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Concord, May</i> 2, 1837. + </p> + <p> + MY DEAR: I am passing happy here, except that I am not + well,—so unwell that I fear I must go home and ask my good + mother to let me rest and vegetate beneath her sunny kindness for a + while. The excitement of conversation prevents my sleeping. The + drive here with Mr. E——— was delightful. Dear + Nature and Time, so often calumniated, will take excellent care of + us if we will let them. The wisdom lies in schooling the heart not + to expect too much. I did that good thing when I came here, and I am + rich. On Sunday I drove to Watertown with the author of "Nature." + The trees were still bare, but the little birds care not for that; + they revel, and carol, and wildly tell their hopes, while the + gentle, "voluble" south wind plays with the dry leaves, and the + pine-trees sigh with their soul-like sounds for June. It was + beauteous; and care and routine fled away, and I was as if they had + never been, except that I vaguely whispered to myself that all had + been well with me. + </p> + <hr> + <p> + The baby here is beautiful. He looks like his father, and smiles so + sweetly on all hearty, good people. I play with him a good deal, and + he comes so <i>natural,</i> after Dante and other poets. + </p> + <p> + Ever faithfully your friend. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO THE SAME. + </h3> + <p> + 1837. + </p> + <p> + MY BELOVED CHILD: I was very glad to get your note. Do not think you + must only write to your friends when you can tell them you are + happy; they will not misunderstand you in the dark hour, nor think + you <i>forsaken</i>, if cast down. Though your letter of Wednesday + was very sweet to me, yet I knew it could not last as it was then. + These hours of heavenly, heroic strength leave us, but they come + again: their memory is with us amid after-trials, and gives us a + foretaste of that era when the steadfast soul shall be the only + reality. + </p> + <p> + My dearest, you must suffer, but you will always be growing + stronger, and with every trial nobly met, you will feel a growing + assurance that nobleness is not a mere <i>sentiment</i> with you. I + sympathize deeply in your anxiety about your mother; yet I cannot + but remember the bootless fear and agitation about my mother, and + how strangely our destinies were guided. Take refuge in prayer when + you are most troubled; the door of the sanctuary will never be shut + against you. I send you a paper which is very sacred to me. Bless + Heaven that your heart is awakened to sacred duties before any kind + of gentle ministering has become impossible, before any relation has + been broken. [Footnote: It has always been my desire to find + appropriate time and place to correct an erroneous impression which + has gained currency in regard to my father, and which does injustice + to his memory. That impression is that he was exceedingly stern and + exacting in the parental relation, and especially in regard to my + sister; that he forbid or frowned upon her sports;—excluded + her from intercourse with other children when she, a child, needed + such companionship, and required her to bend almost unceasingly over + her books. This impression has, certainly in part, arisen from an + autobiographical sketch, never written for publication nor intended + for a literal or complete statement of her father's educational + method, or the relation which existed between them, which was most + loving and true on both sides. While the narrative is true, it is + not the all she would have said, and, therefore, taken alone, + conveys an impression which misleads those who did not know our + father well. Perhaps no better opportunity or place than this may + ever arise to correct this impression so for us it is wrong. It is + true that my father had a very high standard of scholarship, and did + expect conformity to it in his children. He was not stern toward + them. + </p> + <p> + It is doubtless true, also, that he did not perfectly comprehend the + rare mind of his daughter, or see for some years that she required + no stimulating to intellectual effort, as do most children, but + rather the reverse. But how many fathers are there who would have + understood at once such a child as Margaret Fuller was, or would + have done even as wisely as he? And how long is it since a wiser era + has dawned upon the world (its light not yet fully welcomed), in + which attention first to physical development to the exclusion of + the mental, is an axiom in education! Was it so deemed forty years + ago? Nor has it been considered that so gifted a child would + naturally, as she did, <i>seek</i> the companionship of those older + than herself, and not of children who had little in unison with her. + She needed, doubtless, to be <i>urged</i> into the usual sports of + children, and the company of those of her own age; if <i>not</i> + urged to enter these she was never excluded from either. She needed + to be kept from books for a period, or to be led to those of a + lighter cost than such as she read, and which usually task the + thoughts of mature men. This simply was not done, and the error + arose from no lack of tenderness, or consideration, from no lack of + the wisdom of those times, but from the simple fact that the laws of + physiology as connected with those of mind were not understood then + as now, nor was attention so much directed to physical culture as of + the primary importance it is now regarded. Our father was indeed + exact and strict with himself and others; but none has ever been + more devoted to his children than he, or more painstaking with their + education, nor more fondly loved them; and in later life they have + ever been more and more impressed with the conviction of his + fidelity and wisdom. That Margaret venerated her father, and that + his love was returned, is abundantly evidenced in her poem which + accompanies this letter. This, too, was not written for the public + eye, but it is too noble a tribute, too honorable both to father and + daughter, to be suppressed. I trust that none, passing from one + extreme to the other, will infer from the natural self-reproach and + upbraiding because of short-comings, felt by every true mind when an + honored and loved parent departs, that she lacked fidelity in the + relation of daughter. She agreed not always with his views and + methods, but this diversity of mind never affected their mutual + respect and love.—[Ed.]] + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + LINES WRITTEN IN MARCH, 1836. + </h3> + <pre> + "I will not leave you comfortless." +</pre> + <pre> + O, Friend divine! this promise dear + Falls sweetly on the weary ear! + Often, in hours of sickening pain, + It soothes me to thy rest again. + + Might I a true disciple be, + Following thy footsteps faithfully, + Then should I still the succor prove + Of him who gave his life for love. + + When this fond heart would vainly beat + For bliss that ne'er on earth we meet, + For perfect sympathy of soul, + From those such heavy laws control; + + When, roused from passion's ecstasy, + I see the dreams that filled it fly, + Amid my bitter tears and sighs + Those gentle words before me rise. + + With aching brows and feverish brain + The founts of intellect I drain, + And con with over-anxious thought + What poets sung and heroes wrought. + + Enchanted with their deeds and lays, + I with like gems would deck my days; + No fires creative in me burn, + And, humbled, I to Thee return; + + When blackest clouds around me rolled + Of scepticism drear and cold, + When love, and hope, and joy and pride, + Forsook a spirit deeply tried; + + My reason wavered in that hour, + Prayer, too impatient, lost its power; + From thy benignity a ray, + I caught, and found the perfect day. + + A head revered in dust was laid; + For the first time I watched my dead; + The widow's sobs were checked in vain, + And childhood's tears poured down like rain. + + In awe I gaze on that dear face, + In sorrow, years gone by retrace, + When, nearest duties most forgot, + I might have blessed, and did it not! + + Ignorant, his wisdom I reproved, + Heedless, passed by what most he loved, + Knew not a life like his to prize, + Of ceaseless toil and sacrifice. + + No tears can now that hushed heart move, + No cares display a daughter's love, + The fair occasion lost, no more + Can thoughts more just to thee restore. + + What can I do? And how atone + For all I've done, and left undone? + Tearful I search the parting words + Which the beloved John records. + + "Not comfortless!" I dry my eyes, + My duties clear before me rise,— + Before thou think'st of taste or pride, + See home-affections satisfied! + + Be not with generous <i>thoughts</i> content, + But on well-doing constant bent; + When self seems dear, self-seeking fair; + Remember this sad hour in prayer! + + Though all thou wishest fly thy touch, + Much can one do who loveth much. + More of thy spirit, Jesus give, + Not comfortless, though sad, to live. + + And yet not sad, if I can know + To copy Him who here below + Sought but to do his Father's will, + Though from such sweet composure still + + My heart be far. Wilt thou not aid + One whose best hopes on thee are stayed? + Breathe into me thy perfect love, + And guide me to thy rest above! +</pre> + <hr> + <h3> + TO HER BROTHER, R——. + </h3> + <p> + * * * Mr. Keats, Emma's father, is dead. To me this brings unusual + sorrow, though I have never yet seen him; but I thought of him as + one of the very few persons known to me by reputation, whose + acquaintance might enrich me. His character was a sufficient answer + to the doubt, whether a merchant can be a man of honor. He was, like + your father, a man all whose virtues had stood the test. He was no + word-hero. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO A YOUNG FRIEND. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Providence, June 16,1837</i>. + </p> + <p> + MY DEAR ———: I pray you, amid all your duties, to + keep some hours to yourself. Do not let my example lead you into + excessive exertions. I pay dear for extravagance of this sort; five + years ago I had no idea of the languor and want of animal spirits + which torment me now. Animal spirits are not to be despised. An + earnest mind and seeking heart will not often be troubled by + despondency; but unless the blood can dance at proper times, the + lighter passages of life lose all their refreshment and suggestion. + </p> + <p> + I wish you and ———- had been here last Saturday. + Our school-house was dedicated, and Mr. Emerson made the address; it + was a noble appeal in behalf of the best interests of culture, and + seemingly here was fit occasion. The building was beautiful, and + furnished with an even elegant propriety. + </p> + <p> + I am at perfect liberty to do what I please, and there are + apparently the best dispositions, if not the best preparation, on + the part of the hundred and fifty young minds with whom I am to be + brought in contact. + </p> + <p> + I sigh for the country; trees, birds and flowers, assure me that + June is here, but I must walk through streets many and long, to get + sight of any expanse of green. I had no fine weather while at home, + though the quiet and rest were delightful to me; the sun did not + shine once really warmly, nor did the apple-trees put on their + blossoms until the very day I came away. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + SONNET. + </h3> + <center> + TO THE SAME. + </center> + <pre> + Although the sweet, still watches of the night + Find me all lonely now, yet the delight + Hath not quite gone, which from thy presence flows. + The love, the joy that in thy bosom glows, + Lingers to cheer thy friend. From thy fresh dawn + Some golden exhalations have I drawn + To make less dim my dusty noon. Thy tones + Are with me still; some plaintive as the moans + Of Dryads, when their native groves must fall, + Some wildly wailing, like the clarion-call + On battle-field, strewn with the noble dead. + Some in soft romance, like the echoes bred + In the most secret groves of Arcady; + Yet all, wild, sad, or soft, how steeped in poesy! + +<i>Providence, April</i>, 1838. +</pre> + <hr> + <h3> + TO THE SAME. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Providence, Oct</i>. 21, 1838. + </p> + <p> + * * * * I am reminded by what you say, of an era in my own + existence, it is seven years bygone. For bitter months a heavy + weight had been pressing on me,—the weight of deceived + friendship. I could not be much alone,—a great burden of + family cares pressed upon me; I was in the midst of society, and + obliged to act my part there as well as I could. At that time I took + up the study of German, and my progress was like the rebound of a + string pressed almost to bursting. My mind being then in the highest + state of action, heightened, by intellectual appreciation, every + pang; and imagination, by prophetic power, gave to the painful + present all the weight of as painful a future. + </p> + <p> + At this time I never had any consolation, except in long solitary + walks, and my meditations then were so far aloof from common life, + that on my return my fall was like that of the eagle, which the + sportsman's hand calls bleeding from his lofty flight, to stain the + earth with his blood. + </p> + <p> + In such hours we feel so noble, so full of love and bounty, that we + cannot conceive how any pain should have been needed to teach us. It + then seems we are so born for good, that such means of leading us to + it were wholly unnecessary. But I have lived to know that the secret + of all things is pain, and that nature travaileth most painfully + with her noblest product. I was not without hours of deep spiritual + insight, and consciousness of the inheritance of vast powers. I + touched the secret of the universe, and by that touch was invested + with talismanic power which has never left me, though it sometimes + lies dormant for a long time. + </p> + <p> + One day lives always in my memory; one chastest, heavenliest day of + communion with the soul of things. It was Thanksgiving-day. I was + free to be alone; in the meditative woods, by the choked-up + fountain, I passed its hours, each of which contained ages of + thought and emotion. I saw, then, how idle were my griefs; that I + had acquired <i>the thought</i> of each object which had been taken + from me; that more extended personal relations would only have given + me pleasures which then seemed not worth my care, and which would + surely have dimmed my sense of the spiritual meaning of all which + had passed. I felt how true it was that nothing in any being which + was fit for me, could long be kept from me; and that, if separation + could be, real intimacy had never been. All the films seemed to drop + from my existence, and I was sure that I should never starve in this + desert world, but that manna would drop from Heaven, if I would but + rise with every rising sun to gather it. + </p> + <p> + In the evening I went to the church-yard; the moon sailed above the + rosy clouds,—the crescent moon rose above the + heavenward-pointing spire. At that hour a vision came upon my soul, + whose final scene last month interpreted. The rosy clouds of + illusion are all vanished; the moon has waxed to full. May my life + be a church, full of devout thoughts end solemn music. I pray thus, + my dearest child! "Our Father! let not the heaviest shower be + spared; let not the gardener forbear his knife till the fair, + hopeful tree of existence be brought to its fullest blossom and + fruit!" + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO THE SAME. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Jamaica Plain, June</i>, 1839. + </p> + <p> + * * * I have had a pleasant visit at Naliant, but was no sooner + there than the air braced me so violently as to drive all the blood + to my head. I had headache two of the three days we were there, and + yet I enjoyed my stay very much. We had the rocks and piazzas to + ourselves, and were on sufficiently good terms not to destroy, if we + could not enhance, one another's pleasure. + </p> + <p> + The first night we had a storm, and the wind roared and wailed round + the house that Ossianic poetry of which you hear so many strains. + Next day was clear and brilliant, with a high north-west wind. I + went out about six o'clock, and had a two hours' scramble before + breakfast. I do not like to sit still in this air, which exasperates + all my nervous feelings; but when I can exhaust myself in climbing, + I feel delightfully,—the eye is so sharpened, and the mind so + full of thought. The outlines of all objects, the rocks, the distant + sails, even the rippling of the ocean, were so sharp that they + seemed to press themselves into the brain. When I see a natural + scene by such a light it stays in my memory always as a picture; on + milder days it influences me more in the way of reverie. After + breakfast, we walked on the beaches. It was quite low tide, no + waves, and the fine sand eddying wildly about. I came home with that + frenzied headache which you are so unlucky as to know, covered my + head with wet towels, and went to bed. After dinner I was better, + and we went to the Spouting-horn. C—— was perched close + to the fissure, far above me, and, in a pale green dress, she looked + like the nymph of the place. I lay down on a rock, low in the water, + where I could hear the twin harmonies of the sucking of the water + into the spout, and the washing of the surge on the foot of the + rock. I never passed a more delightful afternoon. Clouds of pearl + and amber were slowly drifting across the sky, or resting a while to + dream, like me, near the water. Opposite me, at considerable + distance, was a line of rock, along which the billows of the + advancing tide chased one another, and leaped up exultingly as they + were about to break. That night we had a sunset of the gorgeous, + autumnal kind, and in the evening very brilliant moonlight; but the + air was so cold I could enjoy it but a few minutes. Next day, which + was warm and soft, I was out on the rocks all day. In the afternoon + I was out alone, and had an admirable place, a cleft between two + vast towers of rock with turret-shaped tops. I got on a ledge of + rock at their foot, where I could lie and let the waves wash up + around me, and look up at the proud turrets rising into the + prismatic light. This evening was very fine; all the sky covered + with crowding clouds, profound, but not sullen of mood, the moon + wading, the stars peeping, the wind sighing very softly. We lay on + the high rocks and listened to the plashing of the waves. The next + day was good, but the keen light was too much for my eyes and brain; + and, though I am glad to have been there, I am as glad to get back + to our garlanded rocks, and richly-green fields and groves. I wish + you could come to me now; we have such wealth of roses. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO THE SAME. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Jamaica Plain, Aug., 1839</i>. + </p> + <p> + * * * * I returned home well, full of earnestness; yet, I know not + why, with the sullen, boding sky came a mood of sadness, nay, of + gloom, black as Hades, which I have vainly striven to fend off by + work, by exercise, by high memories. Very glad was I of a painful + piece of intelligence, which came the same day with your letter, to + bring me on excuse for tears. That was a black Friday, both above + and within. What demon resists our good angel, and seems at such + times to have the mastery? Only <i>seems</i>, I say to myself; it is + but the sickness of the immortal soul, and shall by-and-by be cast + aside like a film. I think this is the great step of our + life,—to change the <i>nature</i> of our self-reliance. We + find that the will cannot conquer circumstances, and that our + temporal nature must vary its hue here with the food that is given + it. Only out of mulberry leaves will the silk-worm spin its thread + fine and durable. The mode of our existence is not in our own power; + but behind it is the immutable essence that cannot be tarnished; and + to hold fast to this conviction, to live as far as possible by its + light, cannot be denied us if we elect this kind of self-trust. Yet + is sickness wearisome; and I rejoice to say that my demon seems to + have been frightened away by this day's sun. But, conscious of these + diseases of the mind, believe that I can sympathize with a friend + when subject to the same. Do not fail to go and stay with + ———; few live so penetrating and yet so kind, so + true, so kind, so true, so sensitive. She is the spirit of love as + well as of intellect. * * * * + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO THE SAME. + </h3> + <p> + MY BELOVED CHILD: I confess I was much disappointed when I first + received your letter this evening. I have been quite ill for two or + three days, and looked forward to your presence as a restorative. + But think not I would have had you act differently; far better is it + for me to have my child faithful to duty than even to have her with + me. Such was the lesson I taught her in a better hour. I am abashed + to think how often lately I have found excuses for indolence in the + weakness of my body; while now, after solitary communion with my + better nature, I feel it was weakness of mind, weak fear of + depression and conflict. But the Father of our spirits will not long + permit a heart fit for worship + </p> + <pre> + "———— to seek + From weak recoils, exemptions weak, + After false gods to go astray, + Deck altars vile with garlands gay," etc. +</pre> + <p> + His voice has reached me; and I trust the postponement of your visit + will give me space to nerve myself to what strength I should, so + that, when we do meet, I shall rejoice that you did not come to help + or soothe me; for I shall have helped and soothed myself. Indeed, I + would not so willingly that you should see my short-comings as know + that they exist. Pray that I may never lose sight of my vocation; + that I may not make ill-health a plea for sloth and cowardice; pray + that, whenever I do, I may be punished more swiftly than this time, + by a sadness as deep as now. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO HER BROTHER, R. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Cambridge, August</i> 6, 1842. + </p> + <p> + My dear R.: I want to hear how you enjoyed your journey, and what + you think of the world as surveyed from mountain-tops. I enjoy + exceedingly staying among the mountains. I am satisfied with reading + these bolder lines in the manuscript of Nature. Merely gentle and + winning scenes are not enough for me. I wish my lot had been cast + amid the sources of the streams, where the voice of the hidden + torrent is heard by night, where the eagle soars, and the thunder + resounds in long peals from side to side; where the grasp of a more + powerful emotion has rent asunder the rocks, and the long purple + shadows fall like a broad wing upon the valley. All places, like all + persons, I know, have beauty; but only in some scenes, and with some + people, can I expand and feel myself at home. I feel all this the + more for having passed my earlier life in such a place as + Cambridgeport. There I had nothing except the little flower-garden + behind the house, and the elms before the door. I used to long and + sigh for beautiful places such as I read of. There was not one walk + for me, except over the bridge. I liked that very much,—the + river, and the city glittering in sunset, and the lively undulating + line all round, and the light smokes, seen in some weather. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + LETTER TO THE SAME. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Milwaukie, July</i> 29, 1848. + </p> + <p> + DEAR R.: * * * Daily I thought of you during my visit to the + Rock-river territory. It is only five years since the poor Indians + have been dispossessed of this region of sumptuous loveliness, such + as can hardly be paralleled in the world. No wonder they poured out + their blood freely before they would go. On one island, belonging to + a Mr. H., with whom we stayed, are still to be found their "caches" + for secreting provisions,—the wooden troughs in which they + pounded their corn, the marks of their tomahawks upon felled trees. + When he first came, he found the body of an Indian woman, in a + canoe, elevated on high poles, with all her ornaments on. This + island is a spot, where Nature seems to have exhausted her invention + in crowding it with all kinds of growths, from the richest trees + down to the most delicate plants. It divides the river which there + sweeps along in clear and glittering current, between noble parks, + richest green lawns, pictured rocks crowned with old hemlocks, or + smooth bluffs, three hundred feet high, the most beautiful of all. + Two of these,—the Eagle's Nest, and the Deer's Walk, still the + resort of the grand and beautiful creature from which they are + named,—were the scene of some of the happiest hours of my + life. I had no idea, from verbal description, of the beauty of these + bluffs, nor can I hope to give any to others. They lie so + magnificently bathed in sunlight, they touch the heavens with so + sharp and fair a line. This is one of the finest parts of the river; + but it seems beautiful enough to fill any heart and eye all along + its course, nowhere broken or injured by the hand of man. And there, + I thought, if we two could live, and you could have a farm which + would not cost a twentieth part the labor of a New England farm, and + would pay twenty times as much for the labor, and have our books + and, our pens and a little boat on the river, how happy we might be + for four or five years,—at least, <i>as</i> happy as Fate + permits mortals to be. For we, I think, are congenial, and if I + could hope permanent peace on the earth, I might hope it with you. + </p> + <p> + You will be glad to hear that I feel overpaid for coming here. Much + is my life enriched by the images of the great Niagara, of the vast + lakes, of the heavenly sweetness of the prairie scenes, and, above + all, by the heavenly region where I would so gladly have lived. My + health, too, is materially benefited. I hope to come back better + fitted for toil and care, as well as with beauteous memories to + sustain me in them. + </p> + <p> + Affectionately always, &c. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO MISS R. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Chicago</i>, <i>August</i> 4, 1848. + </p> + <p> + I HAVE hoped from time to time, dear ——, that I should + receive a few lines from you, apprizing me how you are this summer, + but a letter from Mrs. F—— lately comes to tell me that + you are not better, but, at least when at Saratoga, worse. + </p> + <p> + So writing is of course fatiguing, and I must not expect letters any + more. To that I could make up my mind if I could hear that you were + well again. I fear, if your malady disturbs you as much as it did, + it must wear on your strength very much, and it seems in itself + dangerous. However, it is good to think that your composure is such + that disease can only do its legitimate work, and not undermine two + ways,—the body with its pains, and the body through the mind + with thoughts and fears of pains. + </p> + <p> + I should have written to you long ago except that I find little to + communicate this summer, and little inclination to communicate that + little; so what letters I have sent, have been chiefly to beg some + from my friends. I have had home-sickness sometimes here, as do + children for the home where they are even little indulged, in the + boarding-school where they are only tolerated. This has been in the + town, where I have felt the want of companionship, because the + dissipation of fatigue, or expecting soon to move again, has + prevented my employing myself for myself; and yet there was nothing + well worth looking at without. When in the country I have enjoyed + myself highly, and my health has improved day by day. The characters + of persons are brought out by the little wants and adventures of + country life as you see it in this region; so that each one awakens + a healthy interest; and the same persons who, if I saw them at these + hotels, would not have a word to say that could fix the attention, + become most pleasing companions; their topics are before them, and + they take the hint. You feel so grateful, too, for the hospitality + of the log-cabin; such gratitude as the hospitality of the rich, + however generous, cannot inspire; for these wait on you with their + domestics and money, and give of their superfluity only; but here + the Master gives you his bed, his horse, his lamp, his grain from + the field, his all, in short; and you see that he enjoys doing so + thoroughly, and takes no thought for the morrow; so that you seem in + fields full of lilies perfumed with pure kindness; and feel, verily, + that Solomon in all his glory could not have entertained you so much + to the purpose. Travelling, too, through the wide green woods and + prairies, gives a feeling both of luxury and repose that the sight + of highly-cultivated country never can. There seems to be room + enough for labor to pause and man to fold his arms and gaze, + forgetting poverty, and care, and the thousand walls and fences that + in the cultivated region must be built and daily repaired both for + mind and body. Nature seems to have poured forth her riches so + without calculation, merely to mark the fulness of her joy; to swell + in larger strains the hymn, "the one Spirit doeth all things veil, + for its life is love." + </p> + <p> + I will not ask you to write to me now, as I shall so soon be at + home. Probably, too, I shall reserve a visit to B—— for + another summer; I have been so much a rover that when once on the + road I shall wish to hasten home. + </p> + <p> + Ever yours, M. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO THE SAME. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Cambridge, January</i> 21, 1644. + </p> + <p> + MY DEAR ———: I am anxious to get a letter, telling + me how you fare this winter in the cottage. Your neighbors who come + this way do not give very favorable accounts of your looks; and, if + you are well enough, I should like to see a few of those firm, + well-shaped characters from your own hand. Is there no chance of + your coming to Boston all this winter? I had hoped to see you for a + few hours at least. + </p> + <p> + I wrote you one letter while at the West; I know not if it was ever + received; it was sent by a private opportunity, one of those "traps + to catch the unwary," as they have been called. It was no great + loss, if lost. I did not feel like writing letters while travelling. + It took all my strength of mind to keep moving and to receive so + many new impressions. Surely I never had so clear an idea before of + the capacity to bless, of mere <i>Earth</i>, when fresh from the + original breath of the creative spirit. To have this impression, one + must see large tracts of wild country, where the traces of man's + inventions are too few and slight to break the harmony of the first + design. It will not be so, long, even where I have been now; in + three or four years those vast flowery plains will be broken up for + tillage,—those shapely groves converted into logs and boards. + I wished I could have kept on now, for two or three years, while yet + the first spell rested on the scene. I feel much refreshed, even by + this brief intimacy with Nature in an aspect of large and unbroken + lineaments. + </p> + <p> + I came home with a treasure of bright pictures and suggestions, and + seemingly well. But my strength, which had been sustained by a free, + careless life in the open air, has yielded to the chills of winter, + and a very little work, with an ease that is not encouraging. + However, I have had the influenza, and that has been about as bad as + fever to everybody. <i>Now</i> I am pretty well, but much writing + does not agree with me. + </p> + <p> + * * * I wish you were near enough for me to go in and see you now + and then. I know that, sick or well, you are always serene, and + sufficient to yourself; but now you are so much shut up, it might + animate existence agreeably to hear some things I might have to + tell. * * * + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO THE SAME. + </h3> + <pre> + * * * * * +</pre> + <p> + Just as I was beginning to visit the institutions here, of a + remedial and benevolent kind, I was stopped by influenza. So soon as + I am quite well I shall resume the survey. I do not expect to do + much, practically, for the suffering, but having such an organ of + expression as the <i>Tribune</i>, any suggestions that are well + grounded may be of use. I have always felt great interest for those + women who are trampled in the mud to gratify the brute appetites of + men, and I wished I might be brought, naturally, into contact with + them. Now I am so, and I think I shall have much that is interesting + to tell you when we meet. + </p> + <p> + I go on very moderately, for my strength is not great; but I am now + connected with a person who is anxious I should not overtask it. I + hope to do more for the paper by-and-by. At present, besides the + time I spend in looking round and examining my new field, I am + publishing a volume, of which you will receive a copy, called "Woman + in the Nineteenth Century." A part of my available time is spent in + attending to it as it goes through the press; for, really, the work + seems but half done when your book is <i>written</i>. I like being + here; the streams of life flow free, and I learn much. I feel so far + satisfied as to have laid my plans to stay a year and a half, if not + longer, and to have told Mr. G—— that I probably shall + do so. That is long enough for a mortal to look forward, and not too + long, as I must look forward in order to get what I want from + Europe. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Greeley is a man of genuine excellence, honorable, benevolent, + of an uncorrupted disposition, and of great, abilities. In modes of + life and manners he is the man of the people, and of the + <i>American</i> people. * * * + </p> + <p> + I rejoice to hear that your situation is improved. I hope to pass a + day or two with you next summer, if you can receive me when I can + come. I want to hear from you now and then, if it be only a line to + let me know the state of your health. Love to Miss G——, + and tell her I have the cologne-bottle on my mantle-piece now. I + sent home for all the little gifts I had from friends, that my room + might look more homelike. My window commands a most beautiful view, + for we are quite out of the town, in a lovely place on the East + River. I like this, as I can be in town when I will, and here have + much retirement. You were right in supposing my signature is the + star. + </p> + <p> + Ever affectionately yours. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO HER BROTHER, R. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Fishkill-Landing, Nov 28, 1844.</i> + </p> + <p> + DEAR R.: + </p> + <pre> + * * * * * +</pre> + <p> + The seven weeks of proposed abode here draw to a close, and have + brought what is rarest,—fruition, of the sort proposed from + them. I have been here all the time, except that three weeks since I + went down to New York, and with —— visited the prison at + Sing-Sing. On Saturday we went up to Sing-Sing in a little way-boat, + thus seeing that side of the river to much greater advantage than we + can in the mammoth boats. We arrived in resplendent moonlight, by + which we might have supposed the prisons palaces, if we had not + known too well what was within. + </p> + <p> + On Sunday —— addressed the male convicts in a strain of + most noble and pathetic eloquence. They listened with earnest + attention; many were moved to tears,—some, I doubt not, to a + better life. I never felt such sympathy with an audience;—as I + looked over that sea of faces marked with the traces of every ill, I + felt that at least heavenly truth would not be kept out by + self-complacency and a dependence on good appearances. + </p> + <p> + I talked with a circle of women, and they showed the natural + aptitude of the sex for refinement. These women—some black, + and all from the lowest haunts of vice—showed a sensibility + and a sense of propriety which would not have disgraced any place. + </p> + <p> + Returning, we had a fine storm on the river, clearing up with strong + winds. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO HER BROTHER, A. B. F. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Rome, Jan.</i> 20, 1849. + </p> + <p> + My Dear A.: Your letter and mother's gave me the first account of + your illness. Some letters were lost during the summer, I do not + know how. It did seem very hard upon you to have that illness just + after your settlement; but it is to be hoped we shall some time know + a good reason for all that seems so strange. I trust you are now + becoming fortified in your health, and if this could only be, feel + as if things would go well with you in this difficult world. I trust + you are on the threshold of an honorable and sometimes happy career. + From many pains, many dark hours, let none of the progeny of Eve + hope to escape! * * * * + </p> + <p> + Meantime, I hope to find you in your home, and make you a good visit + there. Your invitation is sweet in its tone, and rouses a vision of + summer woods and New England Sunday-morning bells. + </p> + <p> + It seems to me that mother is at last truly in her sphere, living + with one of her children. Watch over her carefully, and don't let + her do too much. Her spirit is only all too willing,—but the + flesh is weak, and her life so precious to us all! * * * * + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO MAZZINI. + </h3> + <p> + "Al Cittadino Reppresentante del Popolo Romano." + </p> + <p> + <i>Rome, March</i> 8, 1849. + </p> + <p> + Dear Mazzini: Though knowing you occupied by the most important + affairs, I again feel impelled to write a few lines. What emboldens + me is the persuasion that the best friends, in point of sympathy and + intelligence,—the only friends of a man of ideas and of marked + character,—must be women. You have your mother; no doubt you + have others, perhaps many. Of that I know nothing; only I like to + offer also my tribute of affection. + </p> + <p> + When I think that only two years ago you thought of coming into + Italy with us in disguise, it seems very glorious that you are about + to enter republican Rome as a Roman citizen. It seems almost the + most sublime and poetical fact of history. Yet, even in the first + thrill of joy, I felt "he will think his work but beginning, now." + </p> + <p> + When I read from your hand these words, "II lungo esilio + testè ricominciato, la vita non confortata, fuorchè + d'affetti lontani e contesi, e la speranza lungamente protrata, e il + desiderio che comincia a farmi si supremo, di dormire finalmente in + pace, da chè non ho potuto, vivere in terra mia,"—when + I read these words they made me weep bitterly, and I thought of them + always with a great pang at the heart. But it is not so, dear + Mazzini,—you do not return to sleep under the sod of Italy, + but to see your thought springing up all over the soil. The + gardeners seem to me, in point of instinctive wisdom or deep + thought, mostly incompetent to the care of the garden; but on idea + like this will be able to make use of any implements. The necessity, + it is to be hoped, will educate the men, by making them work. It is + not this, I believe, which still keeps your heart so melancholy; for + I seem to read the same melancholy in your answer to the Roman + assembly, You speak of "few and late years," but some full ones + still remain. A century is not needed, nor should the same man, in + the same form of thought, work too long on an age. He would mould + and bind it too much to himself. Better for him to die and return + incarnated to give the same truth on yet another side. Jesus of + Nazareth died young; but had he not spoken and acted as much truth + as the world could bear in his time? A frailty, a perpetual + short-coming, motion in a curve-line, seems the destiny of this + earth. + </p> + <p> + The excuse awaits us elsewhere; there must be one,—for it is + true, as said Goethe, "care is taken that the tree grow not up into + the heavens." Men like you, appointed ministers, must not be less + earnest in their work; yet to the greatest, the day, the moment is + all their kingdom, God takes care of the increase. + </p> + <p> + Farewell! For your sake I could wish at this moment to be an Italian + and a man of action; but though I am an <i>American</i>, I am not + even <i>a woman of action</i>; so the best I can do is to pray with + the whole heart, "Heaven bless dear Mazzini!—cheer his heart, + and give him worthy helpers to carry out his holy purposes." + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO MR. AND MRS. SPRING. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Florence, Dec.</i> 12, 1840. + </p> + <p> + DEAR M. AND R.: * * * Your letter, dear R, was written in your + noblest and most womanly spirit. I thank you warmly for your + sympathy about my little boy. What he is to me, even you can hardly + dream; you that have three, in whom the natural thirst of the heart + was earlier satisfied, can scarcely know what my one ewe-lamb is to + me. That he may live, that I may find bread for him, that I may not + spoil him by overweening love, that I may grow daily better for his + sake, are the ever-recurring thoughts,—say prayers,—that + give their hue to all the current of my life. + </p> + <p> + But, in answer to what you say, that it is still better to give the + world a living soul than a portion of my life in a printed book, it + is true; and yet, of my book I could know whether it would be of + some worth or not; of my child, I must wait to see what his worth + will be. I play with him, my ever-growing mystery! but from the + solemnity of the thoughts he brings is refuge only in God. Was I + worthy to be parent of a soul, with its eternal, immense capacity + for weal and woe? "God be merciful to me a sinner!" comes so + naturally to a mother's heart! + </p> + <pre> + * * * * * +</pre> + <p> + What you say about the Peace way is deeply true; if any one see + clearly how to work in that way, let him, in God's name! Only, if he + abstain from fighting against giant wrongs, let him be sure he is + really and ardently at work undermining them, or, better still, + sustaining the rights that are to supplant them. Meanwhile, I am not + sure that I can keep my hands free from blood. Cobden is good; but + if he had stood in Kossuth's place, would he not have drawn his + sword against the Austrian? You, could you let a Croat insult your + wife, carry off your son to be an Austrian serf, and leave your + daughter bleeding in the dust? Yet it is true that while Moses slew + the Egyptian, Christ stood still to be spit upon; and it is true + that death to man could do him no harm. You have the truth, you have + the right, but could you act up to it in all circumstances? Stifled + under the Roman priesthood, would you not have thrown it off with + all your force? Would you have waited unknown centuries, hoping for + the moment when you could see another method? + </p> + <p> + Yet the agonies of that baptism of blood I feel, O how deeply! in + the golden June days of Rome. Consistent no way, I felt I should + have shrunk back,—I could not have had it shed. Christ did not + have to see his dear ones pass the dark river; he could go alone, + however, in prophetic spirit. No doubt he foresaw the crusades. + </p> + <p> + In answer to what you say of ——, I wish the little + effort I made for him had been wiselier applied. Yet these are not + the things one regrets. It does not do to calculate too closely with + the affectionate human impulse. We must be content to make many + mistakes, or we should move too slowly to help our brothers much. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO HER BROTHER, R. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Florence, Jan.</i> 8, 1850. + </p> + <p> + My Dear R.: * * * * The way in which you speak of my marriage is + such as I expected from you. Now that we have once exchanged words + on these important changes in our lives, it matters little to write + letters, so much has happened, and the changes are too great to be + made clear in writing. It would not be worth while to keep the + family thinking of me. I cannot fix precisely the period of my + return, though at present it seems to me probable we may make the + voyage in May or June. At first we should wish to go and make a + little visit to mother. I should take counsel with various friends + before fixing myself in any place; see what openings there are for + me, &c. I cannot judge at all before I am personally in the + United States, and wish to engage myself no way. Should I finally + decide on the neighborhood of New York, I should see you all, often. + I wish, however, to live with mother, if possible. We will discuss + it on all sides when I come. Climate is one thing I must think of. + The change from the Roman winter to that of New England might be + very trying for Ossoli. In New York he would see Italians often, + hear his native tongue, and feel less exiled. If we had our affairs + in New York and lived in the neighboring country, we could find + places as quiet as C———, more beautiful, and from + which access to a city would be as easy by means of steam. + </p> + <p> + On the other hand, my family and most cherished friends are in New + England. I shall weigh all advantages at the time, and choose as may + then seem best. + </p> + <p> + I feel also the great responsibility about a child, and the mixture + of solemn feeling with the joy its sweet ways and caresses give; yet + this is only different in degree, not in kind, from what we should + feel in other relations. We may more or less impede or brighten the + destiny of all with whom we come in contact. Much as the child lies + in our power, still God and Nature are there, furnishing a thousand + masters to correct our erroneous, and fill up our imperfect, + teachings. I feel impelled to try for good, for the sake of my + child, most powerfully; but if I fail, I trust help will be tendered + to him from some other quarter. I do not wish to trouble myself more + than is inevitable, or lose the simple, innocent pleasure of + watching his growth from day to day, by thinking of his future. At + present my care of him is to keep him pure, in body and mind, to + give for body and mind simple nutriment when he requires it, and to + play with him. Now he learns, playing, as we all shall when we enter + a higher existence. With him my intercourse thus far has been + precious, and if I do not well for <i>him</i>, he at least has + taught <i>me</i> a great deal. + </p> + <p> + I may say of Ossoli, it would be difficult to help liking him, so + sweet is his disposition, so disinterested without effort, so simply + wise his daily conduct, so harmonious his whole nature. And he is a + perfectly unconscious character, and never dreams that he does well. + He is studying English, but makes little progress. For a good while + you may not be able to talk freely with him, but you will like + showing him your favorite haunts,—he is so happy in nature, so + sweet in tranquil places. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO ———. + </h3> + <p> + What a difference it makes to come home to a child! How it fills up + all the gaps of life just in the way that is most consoling, most + refreshing! Formerly I used to feel sad at that hour; the day had + not been nobly spent,—I had not done my duty to myself or + others, and I felt so lonely! Now I never feel lonely; for, even if + my little boy dies, our souls will remain eternally united. And I + feel <i>infinite</i> hope for him,—hope that he will serve God + and man more loyally than I have done; and seeing how full he is of + life, how much he can afford to throw away, I feel the + inexhaustibleness of nature, and console myself for my own + incapacities. + </p> + <p> + Madame Arconati is near me. We have had some hours of great content + together, but in the last weeks her only child has been dangerously + ill. I have no other acquaintance except in the American circle, and + should not care to make any unless singularly desirable; for I want + all my time for the care of my child, for my walks, and visits to + objects of art, in which again I can find pleasure, end in the + evening for study and writing. Ossoli is forming some taste for + books; he is also studying English; he learns of Horace Sumner, to + whom he teaches Italian in turn. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO MR. AND MRS. S. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Florence</i>, Feb. 6, 1850. + </p> + <p> + My Dear M. and R.: You have no doubt ere this received a letter + written, I think, in December, but I must suddenly write again to + thank you for the New Year's letter. It was a sweet impulse that led + you all to write together, and had its full reward in the pleasure + you gave! I have said as little as possible about Ossoli and our + relation, wishing my old friends to form their own impressions + naturally, when they see us together. I have faith that all who ever + knew me will feel that I have become somewhat milder, kinder, and + more worthy to serve all who need, for my new relations. I have + expected that those who have cared for me chiefly for my activity of + intellect, would not care for him; but that those in whom the moral + nature predominates would gradually learn to love and admire him, + and see what a treasure his affection must be to me. But even that + would be only gradually; for it is by acts, not by words, that one + so simple, true, delicate and retiring, can be known. For me, while + some of my friends have thought me exacting, I may say Ossoli has + always outgone my expectations in the disinterestedness, the + uncompromising bounty, of his every act. + </p> + <p> + He was the same to his father as to me. His affections are few, but + profound, and thoroughly acted out. His permanent affections are + few, but his heart is always open to the humble, suffering, + heavy-laden. His mind has little habitual action, except in a + simple, natural poetry, that one not very intimate with him would + never know anything about. But once opened to a great impulse, as it + was to the hope of freeing his country, it rises to the height of + the occasion, and stays there. His enthusiasm is quiet, but + unsleeping. He is very unlike most Italians, but very unlike most + Americans, too. I do not expect all who cared for me to care for + him, nor is it of importance to him that they should. He is wholly + without vanity. He is too truly the gentleman not to be respected by + all persons of refinement. For the rest, if my life is free, and not + too much troubled, if he can enjoy his domestic affections, and + fulfil his duties in his own way, he will be content. Can we find + this much for ourselves in bustling America the next three or four + years? I know not, but think we shall come and try. I wish much to + see you all, and exchange the kiss of peace. There will, I trust, be + peace within, if not without. I thank you most warmly for your gift. + Be assured it will turn to great profit. I have learned to be a + great adept in economy, by looking at my little boy. I cannot bear + to spend a cent for fear he may come to want. I understand now how + the family-men get so mean, and shall have to begin soon to pray + against that danger. My little Nino, as we call him for house and + pet name, is in perfect health. I wash, and dress, and sew for him; + and think I see a great deal of promise in his little ways, and + shall know him better for doing all for him, though it is fatiguing + and inconvenient at times. He is very gay and laughing, sometimes + violent,—for he is come to the age when he wants everything in + his own hands,—but, on the whole, sweet as yet, and very fond + of me. He often calls me to kiss him. He says, "kiss," in preference + to the Italian word bàcio. I do not cherish sanguine visions + about him, but try to do my best by him, and enjoy the present + moment. + </p> + <p> + It was a nice account you gave of Miss Bremer. She found some + "neighbors" as good as her own. You say she was much pleased by + ——; could she know her, she might enrich the world with + a portrait as full of little delicate traits as any in her gallery, + and of a higher class than any in which she has been successful. I + would give much that a competent person should paint ——. + It is a shame she should die and leave the world no copy. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO MR. CASS, CHARGE D'AFFAIRES DES ETATS UNIS D'AMERIQUE. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Florence, May</i> 2, 1850. + </p> + <p> + Dear Mr. Cass: I shall most probably leave Florence and Italy the + 8th or 10th of this month, and am not willing to depart without + saying adieu to yourself. I wanted to write the 30th of April, but a + succession of petty interruptions prevented. That was the day I saw + you first, and the day the French first assailed Rome. What a + crowded day that was! I had been to visit Ossoli in the morning, in + the garden of the Vatican. Just after my return you entered. I then + went to the hospital, and there passed the eight amid the groans of + many suffering and some dying men. What a strange first of May it + was, as I walked the streets of Rome by the early sunlight of the + nest day! Those were to me grand and impassioned hours. Deep sorrow + followed,—many embarrassments, many pains! Let me once more, + at parting, thank you for the sympathy you showed me amid many of + these. A thousand years might pass, and you would find it + unforgotten by me. + </p> + <p> + I leave Italy with profound regret, and with only a vague hope of + returning. I could have lived here always, full of bright visions, + and expanding in my faculties, had destiny permitted. May you be + happy who remain here! It would be well worth while to be happy in + Italy! + </p> + <p> + I had hoped to enjoy some of the last days, but the weather has been + steadily bad since you left Florence. Since the 4th of April we have + not had a fine day, and all our little plans for visits to favorite + spots and beautiful objects, from which we have long been separated, + have been marred! + </p> + <p> + I sail in the barque Elizabeth for New York. She is laden with + marble and rags—a very appropriate companionship for wares of + Italy! She carries Powers' statue of Calhoun. Adieu! Remember that + we look to you to keep up the dignity of our country. Many important + occasions are now likely to offer for the American (I wish I could + write the Columbian) man to advocate,—more, to + <i>represent</i> the cause of Truth and Freedom in the face of their + foes. Remember me as their lover, and your friend, M. O. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + To ———. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Florence</i>, <i>April</i> 16, 1860. + </p> + <p> + * * * There is a bark at Leghorn, highly spoken of, which sails at + the end of this month, and we shall very likely take that. I find it + imperatively necessary to go to the United States to make + arrangements that may free me from care. Shall I be more fortunate + if I go in person? I do not know. I am ill adapted to push my claims + and pretensions; but, at least, it will not be such slow work as + passing from disappointment to disappointment here, where I wait + upon the post-office, and must wait two or three months, to know the + fate of any proposition. + </p> + <p> + I go home prepared to expect all that is painful and difficult. It + will be a consolation to see my dear mother; and my dear brother E., + whom I have not seen for ten years, is coming to New England this + summer. On that account I wish to go <i>this</i> year. + </p> + <pre> + * * * * * +</pre> + <p> + <i>May</i> 10.—My head is full of boxes, bundles, phials of + medicine, and pots of jelly. I never thought much about a journey + for myself, except to try and return all the things, books + especially, which I had been borrowing; but about my child I feel + anxious lest I should not take what is necessary for his health and + comfort on so long a voyage, where omissions are irreparable. The + unpropitious, rainy weather delays us now from day to day, as our + ship; the Elizabeth,—(look out for news of shipwreck!) cannot + finish taking in her cargo till come one or two good days. + </p> + <p> + I leave Italy with most sad and unsatisfied heart,—hoping, + indeed, to return, but fearing that may not be permitted in my + "cross-biased" life, till strength of feeling and keenness of + perception be less than during these bygone rich, if troubled, + years! + </p> + <p> + I can say least to those whom I prize most. I am so sad and weary, + leaving Italy, that I seem paralyzed. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + TO THE SAME. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Ship Elizabeth, off Gibraltar, June</i> 8, 1850. + </p> + <p> + My Dear M——: You will, I trust, long ere receiving this, + have read my letter from Florence, enclosing one to my mother, + informing her under what circumstances I had drawn on you through + ——, and mentioning how I wished the bill to be met in + case of any accident to me on my homeward course. That course, as + respects weather, has been thus far not unpleasant; but the disaster + that has befallen us is such as I never dreamed of. I had taken + passage with Captain Hasty—one who seemed to me one of the + best and most high-minded of our American men. He showed the kindest + interest in us. His wife, an excellent woman, was with him. I + thought, during the voyage, if safe and my child well, to have as + much respite from care and pain as sea-sickness would permit. But + scarcely was that enemy in some measure quelled, when the captain + fell sick. At first his disease presented the appearance of nervous + fever. I was with him a great deal; indeed, whenever I could relieve + his wife from a ministry softened by great love and the courage of + womanly heroism: The last days were truly terrible with disgusts and + fatigues; for he died, we suppose,—no physician has been + allowed to come on board to see the body,—of confluent + small-pox. I have seen, since we parted, great suffering, but + nothing physical to be compared to this, where the once fair and + expressive mould of man is thus lost in corruption before life has + fled. He died yesterday morning, and was buried in deep water, the + American Consul's barge towing out one from this ship which bore the + body, about six o'clock. It was Sunday. A divinely calm, glowing + afternoon had succeeded a morning of bleak, cold wind. You cannot + think how beautiful the whole thing was:—the decent array and + sad reverence of the sailors; the many ships with their banners + flying; the stern pillar of Hercules all bathed in roseate vapor; + the little white sails diving into the blue depths with that solemn + spoil of the good man, so still, when he had been so agonized and + gasping as the last sun stooped. Yes, it was beautiful; but how dear + a price we pay for the poems of this world! We shall now be in + quarantine a week; no person permitted to come on board until it be + seen whether disease break out in other cases. I have no good reason + to think it will <i>not</i>; yet I do not feel afraid. Ossoli has + had it; so he is safe. The baby is, of course, subject to injury. In + the earlier days, before I suspected small-pox, I carried him twice + into the sick-room, at the request of the captain, who was becoming + fond of him. He laughed and pointed; he did not discern danger, but + only thought it odd to see the old friend there in bed. It is vain + by prudence to seek to evade the stern assaults of destiny. I + submit. Should all end well, we shall be in New York later than I + expected; but keep a look-out. Should we arrive safely, I should + like to see a friendly face. Commend me to my dear friends; and, + with most affectionate wishes that joy and peace may continue to + dwell in your house, adieu, and love as you can, + </p> + <p> + Your friend, MARGARET. + </p> + <hr> + <h3> + LETTER FROM HON. LEWIS CASS, JR., UNITED STATES CHARGE D'AFFAIRES AT + ROME, TO MRS. E. K. CHANNING. + </h3> + <p> + <i>Legation des Etats Unis d'Amerique, Rome, May</i> 10, 1851. + </p> + <p> + Madame: I beg leave to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the + —— ult., and to express my regret that the weak state of + my eyesight has prevented me from giving it an earlier reply. + </p> + <p> + In compliance with your request, I have the honor to state, + succinctly, the circumstances connected with my acquaintance with + the late Madame Ossoli, your deceased sister, during her residence + in Rome. + </p> + <p> + In the month of April, 1849, Rome, as you are no doubt aware, was + placed in a state of siege by the approach of the French army. It + was filled at that time with exiles and fugitives who had been + contending for years, from Milan in the north to Palermo in the + south, for the republican cause; and when the gates were closed, it + was computed that there were, of Italians alone, thirteen thousand + refugees within the walls of the city, all of whom had been expelled + from adjacent states, till Rome became their last rallying-point, + and, to many, their final resting-place. Among these was to be seen + every variety of age, sentiment, and condition,—striplings and + blanched heads; wild, visionary enthusiasts; grave, heroic men, who, + in the struggle for freedom, had ventured all, and lost all; nobles + and beggars; bandits, felons and brigands. Great excitement + naturally existed; and, in the general apprehension which pervaded + all classes, that acts of personal violence and outrage would soon + be committed, the foreign residents, especially, found themselves + placed in an alarming situation. + </p> + <p> + On the 30th of April the first engagement took place between the + French and Roman troops, and in a few days subsequently I visited + several of my countrymen, at their request, to concert measures for + their safety. Hearing, on that occasion, and for the first time, of + Miss Fuller's presence in Rome, and of her solitary mode of life, I + ventured to call upon her, and offer my services in any manner that + might conduce to her comfort and security. She received me with much + kindness, and thus an acquaintance commenced. Her residence on the + Piazzi Barberini being considered an insecure abode, she removed to + the Casa Dies, which was occupied by several American families. + </p> + <p> + In the engagements which succeeded between the Roman and French + troops, the wounded of the former were brought into the city, and + disposed throughout the different hospitals, which were under the + superintendence of several ladies of high rank, who had formed + themselves into associations, the better to ensure care and + attention to those unfortunate men. Miss Fuller took an active part + in this noble work; and the greater portion of her time, during the + entire siege, was passed in the hospital of the Trinity of the + Pilgrims, which was placed under her direction, in attendance upon + its inmates. + </p> + <p> + The weather was intensely hot; her health was feeble and delicate; + the dead and dying were around her in every stage of pain and + horror; but she never shrank from the duty she had assumed. Her + heart and soul were in the cause for which those men had fought, and + all was done that Woman could do to comfort them in their + sufferings. I have seen the eyes of the dying, as she moved among + them, extended on opposite beds, meet in commendation of her + universal kindness; and the friends of those who then passed away + may derive consolation from the assurance that nothing of tenderness + and attention was wanting to soothe their last moments. And I have + heard many of those who recovered speak with all the passionate + fervor of the Italian nature, of her whose sympathy and compassion, + throughout their long illness, fulfilled all the offices of love and + affection. Mazzini, the chief of the Triumvirate, who, better than + any man in Rome, knew her worth, often expressed to me his + admiration of her high character; and the Princess Belgiojoso. to + whom was assigned the charge of the Papal Palace, on the Quirinal, + which was converted on this occasion into a hospital, was + enthusiastic in her praise. And in a letter which I received not + long since from this lady, who was gaining the bread of an exile by + teaching languages in Constantinople, she alludes with much feeling + to the support afforded by Miss Fuller to the republican party in + Italy. Here, in Rome, she is still spoken of in terms of regard and + endearment, and the announcement of her death was received with a + degree of sorrow not often bestowed upon a foreigner, especially one + of a different faith. + </p> + <p> + On the 29th of June, the bombardment from the French camp was very + heavy, shells and grenades falling in every part of the city. In the + afternoon of the 30th, I received a brief note from Miss Fuller, + requesting me to call at her residence. I did so without delay, and + found her lying on a sofa, pale and trembling, evidently much + exhausted. She informed me that she had sent for me to place in my + hand a packet of important papers, which she wished me to keep for + the present, and, in the event of her death, to transmit it to her + friends in the United States. She then stated that she was married + to Marquis Ossoli, who was in command of a battery on the Pincian + Hill,—that being the highest and most exposed position in + Rome, and directly in the line of bombs from the French camp. It was + not to be expected, she said, that he could escape the dangers of + another night, such as the last; and therefore it was her intention + to remain with him, and share his fate. At the Ave Maria, she added, + he would come for her, and they would proceed together to his post. + The packet which she placed in my possession, contained, she said, + the certificates of her marriage, and of the birth and baptism of + her child. After a few words more, I took my departure, the hour she + named having nearly arrived. At the porter's lodge I met the Marquis + Ossoli, and a few moments afterward I saw them walking toward the + Pincian Hill. + </p> + <p> + Happily, the cannonading was not renewed that night, and at dawn of + day she returned to her apartments, with her husband by her side. On + that day the French army entered Rome, and, the gates being opened, + Madame Ossoli, accompanied by the Marquis, immediately proceeded to + Rieti, where she had left her child in the charge of a confidential + nurse, formerly in the service of the Ossoli family. + </p> + <p> + She remained, as you are no doubt aware, some months at Rieti, + whence she removed to Florence, where she resided until her + ill-fated departure for the United States. During this period I + received several letters from her, all of which, though reluctant to + part with them, I enclose to your address in compliance with your + request. + </p> + <p> + I am, Madame, very respectfully, + </p> + <p> + Your obedient servant, + </p> + <p> + LEWIS CASS, JR. + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="appendix"></a> + <h1> + APPENDIX. + </h1> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p><a name="appendixa"></a> + <h2> + A. + </h2> + <p> + Apparition of the goddess Isis to her votary, from Apulelus. + </p> + <p> + "Scarcely had I closed my eyes, when, behold (I saw in a dream), a + divine form emerging from the middle of the sea, and raising a + countenance venerable even to the gods themselves. Afterward, the + whole of the most splendid image seemed to stand before me, having + gradually shaken off the sea. I will endeavor to explain to you its + admirable form, if the poverty of human language will but afford me + the power of an appropriate narration; or if the divinity itself, of + the most luminous form, will supply me with a liberal abundance of + fluent diction. In the first place, then, her most copious and long + hairs, being gradually intorted, and promiscuously scattered on her + divine neck, were softly defluous. A multiform crown, consisting of + various flowers, bound the sublime summit of her head. And in the + middle of the crown, just on her forehead, there was a smooth orb, + resembling a mirror, or rather a white refulgent light, which + indicated that she was the moon. Vipers, rising up after the manner + of furrows, environed the crown on the right hand and on the left, + and Cerealian ears of corn were also extended from above. Her + garment was of many colors, and woven from the finest flax, and was + at one time lucid with a white splendor, at another yellow, from the + flower of crocus, and at another flaming with a rosy redness. But + that which most excessively dazzled my sight, was a very black robe, + fulgid with a dark splendor, and which, spreading round and passing + under her right side, and ascending to her left shoulder, there rose + protuberant, like the centre of a shield, the dependent part of her + robe falling in many folds, and having small knots of fringe, + gracefully flowing in its extremities. Glittering stars were + dispersed through the embroidered border of the robe, and through + the whole of its surface, and the full moon, shining in the middle + of the stars, breathed forth flaming fires. A crown, wholly + consisting of flowers and fruits of every kind, adhered with + indivisible connection to the border of conspicuous robe, in all its + undulating motions. + </p> + <p> + "What she carried in her hands also consisted of things of a very + different nature. Her right hand bore a brazen rattle, through the + narrow lamina of which, bent like a belt, certain rods passing, + produced a sharp triple sound through the vibrating motion of her + arm. An oblong vessel, in the shape of a boat, depended from her + left hand, on the handle of which, in that part which was + conspicuous, an asp raised its erect head and largely swelling neck. + And shoes, woven from the leaves of the victorious palm-tree, + covered her immortal feet. Such, and so great a goddess, breathing + the fragrant odor of the shores of Arabia the happy, deigned thus to + address me." + </p> + <p> + The foreign English of the translator, Thomas Taylor, gives this + description the air of being itself a part of the mysteries. But its + majestic beauty requires no formal initiation to be enjoyed. + </p> + <hr> + <a name="appendixb"></a> + <h2> + B. + </h2> + <p> + I give this in the original, as it does not bear translation. Those + who read Italian will judge whether it is not a perfect description + of a perfect woman. + </p> + <h3> + LODI E PREGHIERE A MARIA. + </h3> + <pre> + Vergine bella che di sol vestita, +Coronata di stelle, al sommo Sole + Piacesti si, che'n te sua luce ascose; +Amor mi spinge a dir di te parole; + Ma non so 'ncominciar senza tu' alta, +E di Coiul che amando in te si pose. + + Invoco lei che ben sempre rispose, +Chi la chiamò con fede. + Vergine, s'a mercede +Miseria extrema dell' smane cose + Giammal tivoise, al mio prego t'inohina; +Soccorri alla mia guerra; + Bench' l' sia terra, e tu del oiel Regina. + + Vergine saggia, e del bel numero una +Delle beata vergini prudenti; + Anzi la prima, e con più chiara lampa; +O saldo scudo dell' afflitte gente + Contra colpi di Morte e di Fortuna, +Sotto' l' quai si trionfu, non pur scampa: + O refrigerio alcieco ardor ch' avvampa +Qui fra mortali schiocchi, + Vergine, que' begli occhi +Che vider tristi la spietata stampa + Ne' dolci membri del tuo caro figlio, +Volgi ai mio dubbio stato; + Che sconsigliato a te vien per consiglio. + + Vergine pura, d'ognti parte intera, +Del tuo parto gentil figlluola e madre; + Che allumi questa vita, e t'altra adorni; +Per te il tuo Figlio e quel del sommo Padre, + O finestra del ciel lucente altera, +Venne a salvarne in su gli estremi giorni, + E fra tutt' i terreni altri soggiorni +Sola tu fusti eletta, + Vergine benedetta; +Che 'l pianto d' Eva in allegrezza torni'; + Fammi; che puoi; della sua grazia degno, +Senza fine o beata, + Glà coronata nel superno regno. + + Vergine santa d'ogni grazia piena; +Che per vera e altissima umiltate. + Salisti al ciel, onde miel preghi ascolti; +Tu partoristi il fonte di pietate, + E di giustizia il Sol, che rasserena +Il secol pien d'errori oscuri et tolti; + Tre dolci et cari nomi ha' in te raccolti, +Madre, Figliuola e Sposa: + Vergine gloriosa, +Donna del Re che nostri lacci à sciolti + E fatto 'l mondo libero et felice, +Nelle cui sante piaghe + Prego ch'appaghe il cor, vera beatrice. + + Vergine sola al mondo senza exempio +Che 'l ciel di tue bellezze innamorasti, + Cui né prima fu simil né seconda, +Santi penseri, atti pietosi et casti + Al vero Dio sacrato et vivo tempio +Fecero in tua verginità feconda. + Per te pò la mia vita esser ioconda, +Sa' tuoi preghi, o Maria, + Vergine dolce et pia, +Ove 'l fallo abondò, la gratia abonda. + Con le ginocchia de la mente inchine, +Prego che sia mia scorta, + E la mia torta via drizzi a buon fine. + + Vergine chiara et stabile in eterno, +Di questo tempestoso mare stella, + D'ogni fedel nocchier fidata guida, +Pon' mente in che terribile procella + I' mi ritrovo sol, senza governo, +Et ò già da vicin l'ultime strida. + Ma pur in te l'anima mia si fida, +Peccatrice, i' nol nego, + Vergine; ma ti prego +Che 'l tuo nemico del mio mal non rida: + Ricorditi che fece il peccar nostro +Prender Dio, per scamparne, + Umana carne al tuo virginal chiostro. + + Vergine, quante lagrime hò già sparte, +Quante lusinghe et quanti preghi indarno, + Pur per mia pena et per mio grave danno! +Da poi ch'i nacqui in su la riva d'Arno; + Cercando or questa ed or quell altra parte, +Non è stata mia vita altro ch'affanno. + Mortal bellezza, atti, o parole m' hanno +Tutta ingombrata l'alma, + Vergine sacra, ed alma, +Non tardar; ch' i' non forse all' ultim 'ann, + I di miel piu correnti che saetta, +Fra mierie e peccati + Sonsen andati, e sol Morte n'aspetta. + + Vergine, tale è terra, e posto ha in doglia +Lo mio cor; che vivendo in pianto il tenne; + E di mille miel mali un non sapea; +E per saperlo, pur quel che n'avvenne, + Fora avvento: ch' ogni altra sua voglia +Era a me morte, ed a lei fama rea + Or tu, donna del ciel, tu nostra Dea, +Se dir lice, e convicusi; + Vergine d'alti sensi, +Tu vedi il tutto; e quel che non potea + Far oltri, è nulla a e la tua gran virtute; +Pon fine al mio dolore; + Ch'a te onore ed a mo fia salute. + + Vergine, in cui ho tutta mia speranza +Che possi e vogli al gran bisogno altarme; + Non mi lasciare in su l'estremo passo; +Non guardar me, ma chi degnò crearme; + No'l mio valor, ma l'alta sua sembianza; +Che in me ti mova a curar d'uorm si basso. + Medusa, e l'error mio lo han fatto un sasso +D'umor vano stillante; + Vergine, tu di sante +Lagrime, e pie adempi 'l mio cor lasso; + Ch' almen l'ultlmo pianto sia divoto, + Senza terrestro limo; + Come fu'l primo non d'insania voto. + + Vergine umana, e nemica d'orgoglio, +Del comune principio amor t'induca; + Miserere d'un cor contrito umile; +Che se poca mortal terra caduca + Amar con si mirabil fede soglio; +Che devro far di te cosa gentile? + Se dal mio stato assai misero, e vile +Per le tue man resurgo, + Vergine; è sacro, e purgo +Al tuo nome e pensieri e'ngegno, o stile; + La lingua, o'l cor, le lagrime, e i sospiri, +Scorgimi al migilor guado; + E prendi in grado i cangiati desiri. + + Il di s'appressa, e non pote esser lunge; +Si corre il tempo, e vola, + Vergine unica, e sola; +E'l cor' or conscienza, or morte punge. +Raccommandami al tuo Figiluol, verace + Uomo, e veraco Dio; +Ch'accolga i mio spirto ultimo in pace. +</pre> + <p> + As the Scandinavian represented Frigga the Earth, or World-mother, + knowing all things, yet never herself revealing them, though ready + to be called to counsel by the gods, it represents her in action, + decked with jewels and gorgeously attended. But, says the Mythes, + when she ascended the throne of Odin, her consort (Heaven), she left + with mortals her friend, the Goddess of Sympathy, to protect them in + her absence. + </p> + <p> + Since, Sympathy goes about to do good. Especially she devotes + herself to the most valiant and the most oppressed. She consoles the + gods in some degree even for the death of their darling Baldur. + Among the heavenly powers she has no consort. + </p> + <hr> + <a name="appendixc"></a> + <h2> + C. + </h2> + <center> + <b>THE WEDDING OF THE LADY THERESA.</b><br> + From Lockhart's Spanish ballads. + </center> + <pre> + 'Twas when the fifth Alphonso in Leon held his sway, + King Abdulla of Toledo an embassy did send; + He asked his sister for a wife, and in an evil day + Alphonso sent her, for he feared Abdalla to offend; + He feared to move his anger, for many times before + He had received in danger much succor from the Moor. + + Sad heart had fair Theresa, when she their paction knew; + With streaming tears she heard them tell she 'mong the Moors must go; + That she, a Christian damsel, a Christian firm and true, + Must wed a Moorish husband, it well might cause her woe; + But all her tears and all her prayers they are of small avail; + At length she for her fate prepares, a victim sad and pale. + + The king hath sent his sister to fair Toledo town, + Where then the Moor Abdalla his royal state did keep; + When she drew near, the Moslem from his golden throne came down, + And courteously received her, and bade her cease to weep; + With loving words he pressed her to come his bower within; + With kisses he caressed her, but still she feared the sin. + + "Sir King, Sir King, I pray thee,"—'twas thus Theresa spake,— + "I pray thee, have compassion, and do to me no wrong; + For sleep with thee I may not, unless the vows I break, + Whereby I to the holy church of Christ my lord belong; + For thou hast sworn to serve Mahoun, and if this thing should be, + The curse of God it must bring down upon thy realm and thee. + + "The angel of Christ Jesu, to whom my heavenly Lord + Hath given my soul in keeping, is ever by my side; + If thou dost me dishonor, he will unsheathe his sword, + And smite thy body fiercely, at the crying of thy bride; + Invisible he standeth; his sword like fiery flame + Will penetrate thy bosom the hour that sees my shame." + + The Moslem heard her with a smile; the earnest words she said + He took for bashful maiden's wile, and drew her to his bower: + In vain Theresa prayed and strove,—she pressed Abdalla's bed, + Perforce received his kiss of love, and lost her maiden flower. + A woeful woman there she lay, a loving lord beside, + And earnestly to God did pray her succor to provide. + + The angel of Christ Jesu her sore complaint did hear, + And plucked his heavenly weapon from out his sheath unseen: + He waved the brand in his right hand, and to the King came near, + And drew the point o'er limb and joint, beside the weeping Queen: + A mortal weakness from the stroke upon the King did fall; + He could not stand when daylight broke, but on his knees must crawl. + + Abdalla shuddered inly, when he this sickness felt, + And called upon his barons, his pillow to come nigh; + "Rise up," he said, "my liegemen," as round his bed they knelt, + "And take this Christian lady, else certainly I die; + Let gold be in your girdles, and precious stones beside, + And swiftly ride to Leon, and render up my bride." + + When they were come to Leon Theresa would not go + Into her brother's dwelling, where her maiden years were spent; + But o'er her downcast visage a white veil she did throw, + And to the ancient nunnery of Las Huelgas went. + There, long, from worldly eyes retired, a holy life she led; + There she, an agéd saint, expired; there sleeps she with the dead. +</pre> + <hr> + <a name="appendixd"></a> + <h2> + D. + </h2> + <p> + The following extract from Spinoza is worthy of attention, as + expressing the view which a man of the largest intellectual scope + may take of Woman, if that part of his life to which her influence + appeals has been left unawakened. He was a man of the largest + intellect, of unsurpassed reasoning powers; yet he makes a statement + false to history, for we well know how often men and women have + ruled together without difficulty, and one in which very few men + even at the present day—I mean men who are thinkers, like + him—would acquiesce. + </p> + <p> + I have put in contrast with it three expressions of the latest + literature. + </p> + <p> + First, from the poems of W. E. Channing, a poem called "Reverence," + equally remarkable for the deep wisdom of its thought and the beauty + of its utterance, and containing as fine a description of one class + of women as exists in literature. + </p> + <p> + In contrast with this picture of Woman, the happy Goddess of Beauty, + the wife, the friend, "the summer queen," I add one by the author of + "Festus," of a woman of the muse, the sybil kind, which seems + painted from living experience. + </p> + <p> + And, thirdly, I subjoin Eugene Sue's description of a wicked but + able woman of the practical sort, and appeal to all readers whether + a species that admits of three such varieties is so easily to be + classed away, or kept within prescribed limits, as Spinoza, and + those who think like him, believe. + </p> + <h3> + SPINOZA. TRACTATUS POLITICI DE DEMOCRATIA.<br> + CAPUT XI. + </h3> + <p> + Perhaps some one will here ask, whether the supremacy of Man over + Woman is attributable to nature or custom? Since, if It be human + institutions alone to which this fact is owing, there is no reason + why we should exclude women from a share in government. Experience + most plainly teaches that it is Woman's weakness which places her + under the authority of Man. It has nowhere happened that men and + women ruled together; but wherever men and women are found, the + world over, there we see the men ruling and the women ruled, and in + this order of things men and women live together in peace and + harmony. The Amazons, it is true, are reputed formerly to have held + the reins of government, but they drove men from their dominions; + the male of their offspring they invariably destroyed, permitting + their daughters alone to live. Now, if women were by nature upon an + equality with men, if they equalled men in fortitude, in genius + (qualities which give to men might, and consequently right), it + surely would be the case, that, among the numerous and diverse + nations of the earth, some would be found where both sexes ruled + conjointly, and others where the men were ruled by the women, and so + educated as to be mentally inferior; and since this state of things + nowhere exists, it is perfectly fair to infer that the rights of + women are not equal to those of men; but that women must be + subordinate, and therefore cannot have an equal, far less a superior + place in the government. If, too, we consider the passions of + men—how the love men feel towards women is seldom anything but + lust and impulse, and much less a reverence for qualities of soul + than an admiration of physical beauty; observing, too, the jealousy + of lovers, and other things of the same character—we shall see + at a glance that it would be, in the highest degree, detrimental to + peace and harmony, for men and women to possess on equal share in + government. + </p> + <h3> + REVERENCE. + </h3> + <pre> + As an ancestral heritage revere + All learning, and all thought. The painter's fame + Is thine, whate'er thy lot, who honorest grace. + And need enough in this low time, when they, + Who seek to captivate the fleeting notes + Of heaven's sweet beauty, must despair almost, + So heavy and obdurate show the hearts + Of their companions. Honor kindly then + Those who bear up in their so generous arms + The beautiful ideas of matchless forms; + For were these not portrayed, our human fate,— + Which is to be all high, majestical, + To grow to goodness with each coming age, + Till virtue leap and sing for joy to see + So noble, virtuous men,—would brief decay; + And the green, festering slime, oblivious, haunt + About our common fate. O, honor them! + + But what to all true eyes has chiefest charm, + And what to every breast where beats a heart + Framed to one beautiful emotion,—to + One sweet and natural feeling, lends a grace + To all the tedious walks of common life, + This is fair Woman,—Woman, whose applause + Each poet sings,—Woman the beautiful. + Not that her fairest brow, or gentlest form, + Charm us to tears; not that the smoothest cheek, + Wherever rosy tints have made their home, + So rivet us on her; but that she is + The subtle, delicate grace,—the inward grace, + For words too excellent; the noble, true, + The majesty of earth; the summer queen; + In whose conceptions nothing but what's great + Has any right. And, O! her love for him, + Who does but his small part in honoring her; + Discharging a sweet office, sweeter none, + Mother and child, friend, counsel and repose; + Naught matches with her, naught has leave with her + To highest human praise. Farewell to him + Who reverences not with an excess + Of faith the beauteous sex; all barren he + Shall live a living death of mockery. + Ah! had but words the power, what could we say + Of Woman! We, rude men of violent phrase, + Harsh action, even in repose inwardly harsh; + Whose lives walk blustering on high stilts, removed + From all the purely gracious influence + Of mother earth. To single from the host + Of angel forms one only, and to her + Devote our deepest heart and deepest mind, + Seems almost contradiction. Unto her + We owe our greatest blessings, hours of cheer, + Gay smiles, and sudden tears, and more than these + A sure perpetual love. Regard her as + She walks along the vast still earth; and see! + Before her flies a laughing troop of joys, + And by her side treads old experience, + With never-failing voice admonitory; + The gentle, though infallible, kind advice, + The watchful care, the fine regardfulness, + Whatever mates with what we hope to find, + All consummate in her—the summer queen. + + To call past ages better than what now + Man is enacting on life's crowded stage, + Cannot improve our worth; and for the world + Blue is the sky as ever, and the stars + Kindle their crystal flames at soft fallen eve + With the same purest lustre that the east + Worshipped. The river gently flows through fields + Where the broad-leaved corn spreads out, and loads + Its ear as when the Indian tilled the soil. + The dark green pine,—green in the winter's cold,— + Still whispers meaning emblems, as of old; + The cricket chirps, and the sweet eager birds + In the sad woods crowd their thick melodies; + But yet, to common eyes, life's poetry + Something has faded, and the cause of this + May be that Man, no longer at the shrine + Of Woman, kneeling with true reverence, + In spite of field, wood, river, stars and sea, + Goes most disconsolate. A babble now, + A huge and wind-swelled babble, fills the place + Of that great adoration which of old + Man had for Woman. In these days no more + Is love the pith and marrow of Man's fate. + Thou who in early years feelest awake + To finest impulses from nature's breath, + And in thy walk hearest such sounds of truth + As on the common ear strike without heed, + Beware of men around thee! Men are foul + With avarice, ambition and deceit; + The worst of all, ambition. This is life, + Spent in a feverish chase for selfish ends, + Which has no virtue to redeem its toil, + But one long, stagnant hope to raise the self. + The miser's life to this seems sweet and fair; + Better to pile the glittering coin, than seek + To overtop our brothers and our loves. + Merit in this? Where lies it, though thy name + Ring over distant lands, meeting the wind + Even on the extremest verge of the wide world? + Merit in this? Better be hurled abroad + On the vast whirling tide, than, in thyself + Concentred, feed upon thy own applause. + Thee shall the good man yield no reverence; + But, while the Idle, dissolute crowd are loud + In voice to send thee flattery, shall rejoice + That he has 'scaped thy fatal doom, and known + How humble faith in the good soul of things + Provides amplest enjoyment. O, my brother + If the Past's counsel any honor claim + From thee, go read the history of those + Who a like path have trod, and see a fate + Wretched with fears, changing like leaves at noon, + When the new wind sings in the white birch wood. + Learn from the simple child the rule of life, + And from the movements of the unconscious tribes + Of animal nature, those that bend the wing + Or cleave the azure tide, content to be, + What the great frame provides,—freedom and grace. + Thee, simple child, do the swift winds obey, + And the white waterfalls with their bold leaps + Follow thy movements. Tenderly the light + Thee watches, girding with a zone of radiance, + And all the swinging herbs love thy soft steps. +</pre> + <h3> + DESCRIPTION OF ANGELA, FROM "FESTUS." + </h3> + <pre> + I loved her for that she was beautiful, + And that to me she seemed to be all nature + And all varieties of things in one; + Would set at night in clouds of tears, and rise + All light and laughter in the morning; fear + No petty customs nor appearances, + But think what others only dreamed about; + And say what others did but think; and do + What others would but say; and glory in + What others dared but do; it was these which won me; + And that she never schooled within her breast + One thought or feeling, but gave holiday + To all; that she told me all her woes, + And wrongs, and ills; and so she made them mine + In the communion of love; and we + Grew like each other, for we loved each other; + She, mild and generous as the sun in spring; And + I, like earth, all budding out with love. + * * * * * * + The beautiful are never desolate; + For some one alway loves them; God or man; + If man abandons, God himself takes them; + And thus it was. She whom I once loved died; + The lightning loathes its cloud; the soul its clay. + Can I forget the hand I took in mine, + Pale as pale violets; that eye, where mind + And matter met alike divine?—ah, no! + May God that moment judge me when I do! + O! she was fair; her nature once all spring + And deadly beauty, like a maiden sword, + Startlingly beautiful. I see her now! + Wherever thou art thy soul is in my mind; + Thy shadow hourly lengthens o'er my brain + And peoples all its pictures with thyself; + Gone, not forgotten; passed, not lost; thou wilt shine + In heaven like a bright spot in the sun! + She said she wished to die, and so she died, + For, cloudlike, she poured out her love, which was + Her life, to freshen this parched heart. It was thus; + I said we were to part, but she said nothing; + There was no discord; it was music ceased, + Life's thrilling, bursting, bounding joy. She sate, + Like a house-god, her hands fixed on her knee, + And her dark hair lay loose and long behind her, + Through which her wild bright eye flashed like a flint; + She spake not, moved not, but she looked the more, + As if her eye were action, speech, and feeling. + I felt it all, and came and knelt beside her, + The electric touch solved both our souls together; + Then came the feeling which unmakes, undoes; + Which tears the sea-like soul up by the roots, + And lashes it in scorn against the skies. + * * * * * * + It is the saddest and the sorest sight, + One's own love weeping. But why call on God? + But that the feeling of the boundless bounds + All feeling; as the welkin does the world; + It is this which ones us with the whole and God. + Then first we wept; then closed and clung together; + And my heart shook this building of my breast + Like a live engine booming up and down; + She fell upon me like a snow-wreath thawing. + Never were bliss and beauty, love and woe, + Ravelled and twined together into madness, + As in that one wild hour to which all else + The past is but a picture. That alone + Is real, and forever there in front. + * * * * * * + * * * After than I left her, + And only saw her once again alive. +</pre> + <p> + "Mother Saint Perpetua, the superior of the convent, was a tall + woman, of about forty years, dressed in dark gray serge, with a long + rosary hanging at her girdle. A white mob-cap, with a long black + veil, surrounded her thin, wan face with its narrow, hooded border. + A great number of deep, transverse wrinkles ploughed her brow, which + resembled yellowish ivory in color and substance. Her keen and + prominent nose was curved like the hooked beak of a bird of prey; + her black eye was piercing and sagacious; her face was at once + intelligent, firm, and cold. + </p> + <p> + "For comprehending and managing the material interests of the + society, Mother Saint Perpetua could have vied with the shrewdest + and most wily lawyer. When women are possessed of what is called + <i>business talent</i>, and when they apply thereto the sharpness of + perception, the indefatigable perseverance, the prudent + dissimulation, and, above all, the correctness and rapidity of + judgment at first sight, which are peculiar to them, they arrive at + prodigious results. + </p> + <p> + "To Mother Saint Perpetua, a woman of a strong and solid head, the + vast moneyed business of the society was but child's play. None + better than she understood how to buy depreciated properties, to + raise them to their original value, and sell them to advantage; the + average purchase of rents, the fluctuations of exchange, and the + current prices of shares in all the leading speculations, were + perfectly familiar to her. Never had she directed her agents to make + a single false speculation, when it had been the question how to + invest funds, with which good souls were constantly endowing the + society of Saint Mary. She had established in the house a degree of + order, of discipline, and, above all, of economy, that were indeed + remarkable; the constant aim of all her exertions being, not to + enrich herself, but the community over which she presided; for the + spirit of association, when it is directed to an object of + <i>collective selfishness</i>, gives to corporations all the faults + and vices of individuals." + </p> + <hr> + <a name="appendixe"></a> + <h2> + E. + </h2> + <p> + The following is an extract from a letter addressed to me by one of + the monks of the nineteenth century. A part I have omitted, because + it does not express my own view, unless with qualifications which I + could not make, except by full discussion of the subject. + </p> + <p> + "Woman in the Nineteenth Century should be a pure, chaste, holy + being. + </p> + <p> + "This state of being in Woman is no more attained by the expansion + of her intellectual capacity, than by the augmentation of her + physical force. + </p> + <p> + "Neither is it attained by the increase or refinement of her love + for Man, or for any object whatever, or for all objects + collectively; but + </p> + <p> + "This state of being is attained by the reference of all her powers + and all her actions to the source of Universal Love, whose constant + requisition is a pure, chaste and holy life. + </p> + <p> + "So long as Woman looks to Man (or to society) for that which she + needs, she will remain in an indigent state, for he himself is + indigent of it, and as much needs it as she does. + </p> + <p> + "So long as this indigence continues, all unions or relations + constructed between Man and Woman are constructed in indigence, and + can produce only indigent results or unhappy consequences. + </p> + <p> + "The unions now constructing, as well as those in which the parties + constructing them were generated, being based on self-delight, or + lust, can lead to no more happiness in the twentieth than is found + in the nineteenth century. + </p> + <p> + "It is not amended institutions, it is not improved education, it is + not another selection of individuals for union, that can meliorate + the said result, but the <i>basis</i> of the union must be changed. + </p> + <p> + "If in the natural order Woman and Man would adhere strictly to + physiological or natural laws, in physical chastity, a most + beautiful amendment of the human race, and human condition, would in + a few generations adorn the world. + </p> + <p> + "Still, it belongs to Woman in the spiritual order, to devote + herself wholly to her eternal husband, and become the Free Bride of + the One who alone can elevate her to her true position, and + reconstruct her a pure, chaste, and holy being." + </p> + <hr> + <a name="appendixf"></a> + <h2> + F. + </h2> + <p> + I have mislaid an extract from "The Memoirs of an American Lady," + which I wished to use on this subject, but its import is, briefly, + this: + </p> + <p> + Observing of how little consequence the Indian women are in youth, + and how much in age, because in that trying life, good counsel and + sagacity are more prized than charms, Mrs. Grant expresses a wish + that reformers would take a hint from observation of this + circumstance. + </p> + <p> + In another place she says: "The misfortune of our sex is, that young + women are not regarded as the material from which old women must be + made." + </p> + <p> + I quote from memory, but believe the weight of the remark is + retained. + </p> + <hr> + <a name="appendixg"></a> + <h2> + G. + </h2> + <h3> + EURIPIDES. SOPHOCLES. + </h3> + <p> + As many allusions are made in the foregoing pages to characters of + women drawn by the Greek dramatists, which may not be familiar to + the majority of readers, I have borrowed from the papers of Miranda + some notes upon them. I trust the girlish tone of apostrophising + rapture may be excused. Miranda was very young at the time of + writing, compared with her present mental age. <i>Now</i>, she would + express the same feelings, but in a worthier garb—if she + expressed them at all. + </p> + <p> + Iphigenia! Antigone! you were worthy to live! <i>We</i> are fallen + on evil times, my sisters; our feelings have been checked; our + thoughts questioned; our forms dwarfed and defaced by a bad nurture. + Yet hearts like yours are in our breasts, living, if unawakened; and + our minds are capable of the same resolves. You we understand at + once; those who stare upon us pertly in the street, we + cannot—could never understand. + </p> + <p> + You knew heroes, maidens, and your fathers were kings of men. You + believed in your country and the gods of your country. A great + occasion was given to each, whereby to test her character. + </p> + <p> + You did not love on earth; for the poets wished to show us the force + of Woman's nature, virgin and unbiased. You were women; not wives, + or lovers, or mothers. Those are great names, but we are glad to see + <i>you</i> in untouched flower. + </p> + <p> + Were brothers so dear, then, Antigone? We have no brothers. We see + no men into whose lives we dare look steadfastly, or to whose + destinies we look forward confidently. We care not for their urns; + what inscription could we put upon them? They live for petty + successes, or to win daily the bread of the day. No spark of kingly + fire flashes from their eyes. + </p> + <p> + None! are there <i>none</i>? + </p> + <p> + It is a base speech to say it. Yes! there are some such; we have + sometimes caught their glances. But rarely have they been rocked in + the same cradle as we, and they do not look upon us much; for the + time is not yet come. + </p> + <p> + Thou art so grand and simple! we need not follow thee; thou dost not + need our love. + </p> + <p> + But, sweetest Iphigenia! who knew <i>thee</i>, as to me thou art + known? I was not born in vain, if only for the heavenly tears I have + shed with thee. She will be grateful for them. I have understood her + wholly, as a friend should; better than she understood herself. + </p> + <p> + With what artless art the narrative rises to the crisis! The + conflicts in Agamemnon's mind, and the imputations of Menelaus, give + us, at once, the full image of him, strong in will and pride, weak + in virtue, weak in the noble powers of the mind that depend on + imagination. He suffers, yet it requires the presence of his + daughter to make him feel the full horror of what he is to do. + </p> + <pre> + "Ah me! that breast, those cheeks, those golden tresses!" +</pre> + <p> + It is her beauty, not her misery, that makes the pathos. This is + noble. And then, too, the injustice of the gods, that she, this + creature of unblemished loveliness, must perish for the sake of a + worthless woman. Even Menelaus feels it the moment he recovers from + his wrath. + </p> + <pre> + "What hath she to do, + The virgin daughter, with my Helena! + * * Its former reasonings now + My soul forgoes. * * * * + For it is not just + That thou shouldst groan, while my affairs go pleasantly, + That those of thy house should die, and mine see the light." +</pre> + <p> + Indeed, the overwhelmed aspect of the king of men might well move + him. + </p> + <pre> + "<i>Men</i>. Brother, give me to take thy right hand. + +<i>Aga</i>. I give it, <i>for</i> the victory is thine, and I am wretched. + I am, indeed, ashamed to drop the tear, + And not to drop the tear I am ashamed." +</pre> + <p> + How beautifully is Iphigenia introduced; beaming more and more + softly on us with every touch of description! After Clytemnestra has + given Orestes (then an infant) out of the chariot, she says: + </p> + <pre> + "Ye females, in your arms + Receive her, for she is of tender age. + Sit here by my feet, my child, + By thy mother, Iphigenia, and show + These strangers how I am blessed in thee, + And here address thee to thy father. + +<i>Iphi</i>. O, mother! should I run, wouldst thou be angry? + And embrace my father heart to heart?" +</pre> + <p> + With the same sweet, timid trust she prefers the request to himself, + and, as he holds her in his arms, he seems as noble as Guido's + Archangel; as if he never could sink below the trust of such a + being! + </p> + <p> + The Achilles, in the first scene, is fine. A true Greek hero; not + too good; all flushed with the pride of youth, but capable of + godlike impulses. At first, he thinks only of his own wounded pride + (when he finds Iphigenia has been decoyed to Aulis under the pretest + of becoming his wife); but the grief of the queen soon makes him + superior to his arrogant chafings. How well he says, + </p> + <pre> + "<i>Far as a young man may</i>, I will repress + So great a wrong!" +</pre> + <p> + By seeing him here, we understand why he, not Hector, was the hero + of the Iliad. The beautiful moral nature of Hector was early + developed by close domestic ties, and the cause of his country. + Except in a purer simplicity of speech and manner, he might be a + modern and a Christian. But Achilles is cast in the largest and most + vigorous mould of the earlier day. His nature is one of the richest + capabilities, and therefore less quickly unfolds its meaning. The + impression it makes at the early period is only of power and pride; + running as fleetly with his armor on as with it off; but sparks of + pure lustre are struck, at moments, from the mass of ore. Of this + sort is his refusal to see the beautiful virgin he has promised to + protect. None of the Grecians must have the right to doubt his + motives, How wise and prudent, too, the advice he gives as to the + queen's conduct! He will cot show himself unless needed. His pride + is the farthest possible remote from vanity. His thoughts are as + free as any in our own time. + </p> + <pre> + "The prophet? what is he? a man + Who speaks, 'mong many falsehoods, but few truths, + Whene'er chance leads him to speak true; when false, + The prophet is no more." +</pre> + <p> + Had Agamemnon possessed like clearness of sight, the virgin would + not have perished, but Greece would have had no religion and no + national existence. + </p> + <p> + When, in the interview with Agamemnon, the queen begins her speech, + in the true matrimonial style, dignified though her gesture be, and + true all she says, we feel that truth, thus sauced with taunts, will + not touch his heart, nor turn him from his purpose. But when + Iphigenia, begins her exquisite speech, as with the breathings of a + lute,— + </p> + <pre> + "Had I, my father, the persuasive voice + Of Orpheus, &c. + Compel me not + What is beneath to view. I was the first + To call thee father; me thou first didst call + Thy child. I was the first that on thy knees + Fondly caressed thee, and from thee received + The fond caress. This was thy speech to me:— + 'Shall I, my child, e'er see thee in some house + Of splendor, happy in thy husband, live + And flourish, as becomes my dignity?' + My speech to thee was, leaning 'gainst thy cheek, + (Which with my hand I now caress): 'And what + Shall I then do for thee? Shall I receive + My father when grown old, and in my house + Cheer him with each fond office, to repay + The careful nurture which he gave my youth?' + These words are in my memory deep impressed; + Thou hast forgot them, and will kill thy child." +</pre> + <p> + Then she adjures him by all the sacred ties, and dwells pathetically + on the circumstance which had struck even Menelaus. + </p> + <pre> + "If Paris be enamored of his bride, + His Helen,—what concerns it me? and how + Comes he to my destruction? + Look upon me; + Give me a smile, give me a kiss, my father; + That, if my words persuade thee not, in death + I may have this memorial of thy love." +</pre> + <p> + Never have the names of father and daughter been uttered with a + holier tenderness than by Euripides, as in this most lovely passage, + or in the "Supplicants," after the voluntary death of Evadne. Iphis + says: + </p> + <pre> + "What shall this wretch now do? Should I return + To my own house?—sad desolation there + I shall behold, to sink my soul with grief. + Or go I to the house of Capaneus? + That was delightful to me, when I found + My daughter there; but she is there no more. + Oft would she kiss my check, with fond caress + Oft soothe me. To a father, waxing old, + Nothing is dearer than a daughter! Sons + Have spirits of higher pitch, but less inclined + To sweet, endearing fondness. Lead me then, + Instantly lead me to my house; consign + My wretched age to darkness, there to pine + And waste away. + Old age, + Struggling with many griefs, O, how I hate thee!" +</pre> + <p> + But to return to Iphigenia,—how infinitely melting is her + appeal to Orestes, whom she holds in her robe! + </p> + <pre> + "My brother, small assistance canst thou give + Thy friends; yet for thy sister with thy tears + Implore thy father that she may not die. + Even infants have a sense of ills; and see, + My father! silent though he be, he sues + To thee. Be gentle to me; on my life + Have pity. Thy two children by this beard + Entreat thee, thy dear children; one is yet + An infant, one to riper years arrived." +</pre> + <p> + The mention of Orestes, then an infant, though slight, is of a + domestic charm that prepares the mind to feel the tragedy of his + after lot. When the queen says, + </p> + <pre> + "Dost thou sleep, + My son? The rolling chariot hath subdued thee; + Wake to thy sister's marriage happily." +</pre> + <p> + <br> + we understand the horror of the doom which makes this cherished + child a parricide. And so, when Iphigenia takes leave of him after + her fate is by herself accepted,— + </p> + <pre> + "<i>Iphi</i>. To manhood train Orestes. +<i>Cly</i>. Embrace him, for thou ne'er shalt see him more. +<i>Iphi</i>. (<i>To Orestes</i>.) Far as thou couldst, thou + didst assist thy friends,"— +</pre> + <p> + <br> + we know not how to blame the guilt of the maddened wife and mother. + In her last meeting with Agamemnon, as in her previous + expostulations and anguish, we see that a straw may turn the + balance, and make her his deadliest foe. Just then, came the suit of + Aegisthus,—then, when every feeling was uprooted or lacerated + in her heart. + </p> + <p> + Iphigenia's moving address has no further effect than to make her + father turn at bay and brave this terrible crisis. He goes out, firm + in resolve; and she and her mother abandon themselves to a natural + grief. + </p> + <p> + Hitherto nothing has been seen in Iphigenia, except the young girl, + weak, delicate, full of feeling, and beautiful as a sunbeam on the + full, green tree. But, in the next scene, the first impulse of that + passion which makes and unmakes us, though unconfessed even to + herself, though hopeless and unreturned, raises her at once into the + heroic woman, worthy of the goddess who demands her. + </p> + <p> + Achilles appears to defend her, whom all others clamorously seek to + deliver to the murderous knife. She sees him, and, fired with + thoughts unknown before, devotes herself at once for the country + which has given birth to such a man. + </p> + <pre> + "To be too fond of life + Becomes not me; nor for myself alone, + But to all Greece, a blessing didst thou bear me. + Shall thousands, when their country's injured, lift + Their shields? shall thousands grasp the oar and dare, + Advancing bravely 'gainst the foe, to die + For Greece? And shall my life, my single life, + Obstruct all this? Would this be just? What word + Can we reply? Nay more, it is not right + That he with all the Grecians should contest + In fight, should die, <i>and for a woman</i>. No! + More than a thousand women is one man + Worthy to see the light of day. + * * * for Greece I give my life. + Slay me! demolish Troy! for these shall be + Long time my monuments, my children these, + My nuptials and my glory." +</pre> + <p> + This sentiment marks Woman, when she loves enough to feel what a + creature of glory and beauty a true <i>Man</i> would be, as much in + our own time as that of Euripides. Cooper makes the weak Hetty say + to her beautiful sister: + </p> + <p> + "Of course, I don't compare you with Harry. A handsome man is always + far handsomer than any woman." True, it was the sentiment of the + age, but it was the first time Iphigenia had felt it. In Agamemnon + she saw <i>her father</i>; to him she could prefer her claim. In + Achilles she saw a <i>Man</i>, the crown of creation, enough to fill + the world with his presence, were all other beings blotted from its + spaces. [Footnote: Men do not often reciprocate this pure love. + </p> + <pre> + "Her prentice han' she tried on man, + And then she made the lasses o'," +</pre> + <p> + <br> + is a fancy, not a feeling, in their more frequently passionate and + strong than noble or tender natures.] + </p> + <p> + The reply of Achilles is as noble. Here is his bride; he feels it + now, and all his vain vaunting are hushed. + </p> + <pre> + "Daughter of Agamemnon, highly blest + Some god would make me, if I might attain + Thy nuptials. Greece in thee I happy deem, + And thee in Greece. * * + * * * in thy thought + Revolve this well; death is a dreadful thing." +</pre> + <p> + How sweet it her reply,—and then the tender modesty with which + she addresses him here and elsewhere as "<i>stranger</i>" + </p> + <pre> + "Reflecting not on any, thus I speak: + Enough of wars and slaughters from the charms + Of Helen rise; but die not thou for me, + O Stranger, nor distain thy sword with blood, + But let me save my country if I may. +<i>Achilles</i>. O glorious spirit! naught have I 'gainst this + To urge, since such thy will, for what thou sayst + Is generous. Why should not the truth be spoken?" +</pre> + <p> + But feeling that human weakness may conquer yet, he goes to wait at + the alter, resolved to keep his promise of protection thoroughly. + </p> + <p> + In the next beautiful scene she shows that a few tears might + overwhelm her in his absence. She raises her mother beyond weeping + them, yet her soft purity she cannot impart. + </p> + <pre> + "<i>Iphi</i>. My father, and my husband do not hate; +<i>Cly</i>. For thy dear sake fierce contest must he bear. +<i>Iphi</i>. For Greece reluctant me to death he yields; +<i>Cly</i>. Basely, with guile unworthy Atreus' son." +</pre> + <p> + This is truth incapable of an answer, and Iphigenia attempts none. + </p> + <p> + She begins the hymn which is to sustain her: + </p> + <pre> + "Lead me; mine the glorious fate, + To o'erturn the Phrygian state." +</pre> + <p> + After the sublime flow of lyric heroism, she suddenly sinks back + into the tenderer feeling of her dreadful fate. + </p> + <pre> + "O my country, where these eyes + Opened on Pelasgic skies! + O ye virgins, once my pride, + In Mycenæ who abide! + + CHORUS. + + Why of Perseus, name the town, + Which Cyclopean ramparts crown? + + IPHIGENIA + + Me you reared a beam of light, + Freely now I sink in night." +</pre> + <p> + <i>Freely</i>; as the messenger afterwards recounts it. + </p> + <hr> + <pre> + "Imperial Agamemnon, when he saw + His daughter, as a victim to the grave, + Advancing, groaned, and, bursting into tears, + Turned from the sight his head, before his eyes, + Holding his robe. The virgin near him stood, + And thus addressed him: 'Father, I to thee + Am present; for my country, and for all + The land of Greece, I freely give myself + A victim: to the altar let them lead me, + Since such the oracle. If aught on me + Depends, be happy, and obtain the prize + Of glorious conquest, and revisit safe + Your country. Of the Grecians, for this cause, + Let no one touch me; with intrepid spirit + Silent will I present my neck.' She spoke, + And all that heard revered the noble soul + And virtue of the virgin." +</pre> + <p> + How quickly had the fair bud bloomed up into its perfection! Had she + lived a thousand years, she could not have surpassed this. Goethe's + Iphigenia, the mature Woman, with its myriad delicate traits, never + surpasses, scarcely equals, what we know of her in Euripides. + </p> + <p> + Can I appreciate this work in a translation? I think so, impossible + as it may seem to one who can enjoy the thousand melodies, and words + in exactly the right place, and cadence of the original. They say + you can see the Apollo Belvidere in a plaster cast, and I cannot + doubt it, so great the benefit conferred on my mind by a transcript + thus imperfect. And so with these translations from the Greek. I can + divine the original through this veil, as I can see the movements of + a spirited horse by those of his coarse grasscloth muffler. Besides, + every translator who feels his subject is inspired, and the divine + Aura informs even his stammering lips. + </p> + <p> + Iphigenia is more like one of the women Shakspeare loved than the + others; she is a tender virgin, ennobled and strengthened by + sentiment more than intellect; what they call a Woman <i>par + excellence</i>. + </p> + <p> + Macaria is more like one of Massinger's women. She advances boldly, + though with the decorum of her sex and nation: + </p> + <pre> + "<i>Macaria</i>. Impute not boldness to me that I come + Before you, strangers; this my first request + I urge; for silence and a chaste reserve + Is Woman's genuine praise, and to remain + Quiet within the house. But I come forth, + Hearing thy lamentations, Iolaus; + Though charged with no commission, yet perhaps + I may be useful." * * * +</pre> + <p> + Her speech when she offers herself as the victim is reasonable, as + one might speak to-day. She counts the cost all through. Iphigenia + is too timid and delicate to dwell upon the loss of earthly bliss + and the due experience of life, even as much as Jephtha'a daughter + did; but Macaria is explicit, as well befits the daughter of + Hercules. + </p> + <pre> + "Should <i>these</i> die, myself + Preserved, of prosperous future could I form + One cheerful hope? + A poor forsaken virgin who would deign + To take in marriage? Who would wish for sons + From one so wretched? Better then to die, + Than bear such undeserved miseries; + One less illustrious this might more beseem. + * * * * * + I have a soul that unreluctantly + Presents itself, and I proclaim aloud + That for my brothers and myself I die. + I am not fond of life, but think I gain + An honorable prize to die with glory." +</pre> + <p> + Still nobler when Iolaus proposes rather that she shall draw lots + with her sisters. + </p> + <pre> + "By <i>lot</i> I will not die, for to such death + No thanks are due, or glory—name it not. + If you accept me, if my offered life + Be grateful to you, willingly I give it + For these; but by constraint I will not die." +</pre> + <p> + Very fine are her parting advice and injunctions to them all: + </p> + <pre> + "Farewell! revered old man, farewell! and teach + These youths in all things to be wise, like thee, + Naught will avail them more." +</pre> + <p> + Macaria has the clear Minerva eye; Antigone's is deeper and more + capable of emotion, but calm; Iphigenia's glistening, gleaming with + angel truth, or dewy as a hidden violet. + </p> + <p> + I am sorry that Tennyson, who spoke with such fitness of all the + others in his "Dream of fair Women," has not of Iphigenia. Of her + alone he has not made a fit picture, but only of the circumstances + of the sacrifice. He can never have taken to heart this work of + Euripides, yet he was so worthy to feel it. Of Jephtha's daughter he + has spoken as he would of Iphigenia, both in her beautiful song, and + when + </p> + <pre> + "I heard Him, for He spake, and grief became + A solemn scorn of Ills. + + It comforts me in this one thought to dwell— + That I subdued me to my father's will; + Because the kiss he gave me, ere I fell, + Sweetens the spirit still. + + Moreover it is written, that my race + Hewed Ammon, hip and thigh, from Arroer + Or Arnon unto Minneth. Here her face + Glowed as I looked on her. + + She looked her lips; she left me where I stood; + 'Glory to God,' she sang, and past afar, + Thridding the sombre boskage of the woods, + Toward the morning-star." +</pre> + <p> + In the "Trojan dames" there are fine touches of nature with regard + to Cassandra. Hecuba shows that mixture of shame and reverence that + prose kindred always do, towards the inspired child, the poet, the + elected sufferer for the race. + </p> + <p> + When the herald announces that she is chosen to be the mistress of + Agamemnon, Hecuba answers indignant, and betraying the involuntary + pride and faith she felt in this daughter. + </p> + <pre> + "The virgin of Apollo, whom the God, + Radiant with golden looks, allowed to live. + In her pure vow of maiden chastity? +<i>Tal</i>. With love the raptured virgin smote his heart. +<i>Hec</i>. Cast from thee, O my daughter, cast away + Thy sacred wand; rend off the honored wreaths, + The splendid ornaments that grace thy brows." +</pre> + <p> + But the moment Cassandra appears, singing wildly her inspired song, + Hecuba, calls her + </p> + <pre> + "My <i>frantic</i> child." +</pre> + <p> + Yet how graceful she is in her tragic phrenzy, the chorus + shows— + </p> + <pre> + "How sweetly at thy house's ills thou smilest, + Chanting what haply thou wilt not show true!" +</pre> + <p> + But if Hecuba dares not trust her highest instinct about her + daughter, still less can the vulgar mind of the herald (a man not + without tenderness of heart, but with no princely, no poetic blood) + abide the wild, prophetic mood which insults his prejudices both as + to country and decorums of the sex. Yet Agamemnon, though not a + noble man, is of large mould, and could admire this strange beauty + which excited distaste in common minds. + </p> + <pre> + "<i>Tal</i>. What commands respect, and is held high + As wise, is nothing better than the mean + Of no repute; for this most potent king + Of all the Grecians, the much-honored son + Of Atreus, is enamored with his prize, + This frantic raver. I am a poor man, + Yet would I not receive her to my bed." +</pre> + <p> + Cassandra answers, with a careless disdain, + </p> + <pre> + "This is a busy slave." +</pre> + <p> + With all the lofty decorum of manners among the ancients, how free + was their intercourse, man to man, how full the mutual understanding + between prince and "busy slave!" Not here in adversity only, but in + the pomp of power it was so. Kings were approached with ceremonious + obeisance, but not hedged round with etiquette; they could see and + know their fellows. + </p> + <p> + The Andromache here is just as lovely as that of the Iliad. + </p> + <p> + To her child whom they are about to murder, the same that was + frightened at the "glittering plume," she says, + </p> + <pre> + "Dost thou weep, + My son? Hast thou a sense of thy ill fate? + Why dost thou clasp me with thy hands, why hold + My robes, and shelter thee beneath my wings, + Like a young bird? No more my Hector comes, + Returning from the tomb; he grasps no more + His glittering spear, bringing protection to thee." + * * * * * + * * * "O, soft embrace, + And to thy mother dear. O, fragrant breath! + In vain I swathed thy infant limbs, in vain + I gave thee nurture at this breast, and tolled, + Wasted with care. <i>If ever</i>, now embrace, + Now clasp thy mother; throw thine arms around + My neck, and join thy cheek, thy lips to mine." +</pre> + <p> + As I look up, I meet the eyes of Beatrice Cenci, Beautiful one! + these woes, even, were less than thine, yet thou seemest to + understand them all. Thy clear, melancholy gaze says, they, at + least, had known moments of bliss, and the tender relations of + nature had not been broken and polluted from the very first. Yes! + the gradations of woe are all but infinite: only good can be + infinite. + </p> + <p> + Certainly the Greeks knew more of real home intercourse and more of + Woman than the Americans. It is in vain to tell me of outward + observances. The poets, the sculptors, always tell the truth. In + proportion as a nation is refined, women <i>must</i> have an + ascendency. It is the law of nature. + </p> + <p> + Beatrice! thou wert not "fond of life," either, more than those + princesses. Thou wert able to cut it down in the full flower of + beauty, as an offering to <i>the best</i> known to thee. Thou wert + not so happy as to die for thy country or thy brethren, but thou + wert worthy of such an occasion. + </p> + <p> + In the days of chivalry, Woman was habitually viewed more as an + ideal; but I do not know that she inspired a deeper and more + home-felt reverence than Iphigenia in the breast of Achilles, or + Macarla in that of her old guardian, Iolaus. + </p> + <p> + We may, with satisfaction, add to these notes the words to which + Haydn has adapted his magnificent music in "The Creation." + </p> + <p> + "In native worth and honor clad, with beauty, courage, strength + adorned, erect to heaven, and tall, he stands, a Man!—the lord + and king of all! The large and arched front sublime of wisdom deep + declares the seat, and in his eyes with brightness shines the soul, + the breath and image of his God. With fondness leans upon his breast + the partner for him formed,—a woman fair, and graceful spouse. + Her softly smiling virgin looks, of flowery spring the mirror, + bespeak him love, and joy and bliss." + </p> + <p> + Whoever has heard this music must have a mental standard as to what + Man and Woman should be. Such was marriage in Eden when "erect to + heaven <i>he</i> stood;" but since, like other institutions, this + must be not only reformed, but revived, the following lines may be + offered as a picture of something intermediate,—the seed of + the future growth:— + </p> + <hr> + <a name="appendixh"></a> + <h2> + H. + </h2> + <h3> + THE SACRED MARRIAGE. + </h3> + <pre> + And has another's life as large a scope? + It may give due fulfilment to thy hope, + And every portal to the unknown may ope. + + If, near this other life, thy inmost feeling + Trembles with fateful prescience of revealing + The future Deity, time is still concealing; + + If thou feel thy whole force drawn more and more + To launch that other bark on seas without a shore; + And no still secret must be kept in store; + + If meannesses that dim each temporal deed, + The dull decay that mars the fleshly weed, + And flower of love that seems to fall and leave no seed— + + Hide never the full presence from thy sight + Of mutual aims and tasks, ideals bright, + Which feed their roots to-day on all this seeming blight. + + Twin stars that mutual circle in the heaven, + Two parts for spiritual concord given, + Twin Sabbaths that inlock the Sacred Seven; + + Still looking to the centre for the cause, + Mutual light giving to draw out the powers, + And learning all the other groups by cognizance of one another's laws. + + The parent love the wedded love includes; + The one permits the two their mutual moods; + The two each other know, 'mid myriad multitudes; + + With child-like intellect discerning love, + And mutual action energising love, + In myriad forms affiliating love. + + A world whose seasons bloom from pole to pole, + A force which knows both starting-point and goal, + A Home in Heaven,—the Union in the Soul. +</pre> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Woman in the Nineteenth Century, by +Margaret Fuller Ossoli + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WOMAN IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY *** + +***** This file should be named 8642-h.htm or 8642-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/8/6/4/8642/ + +Produced by David Garcia, Yvonne Dailey, Carlo Traverso, +Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution. + + + +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at + www.gutenberg.org/license. + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 +North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email +contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the +Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. +To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. + + +</pre> + + </body> +</html> diff --git a/8642-h/images/mfuller.png b/8642-h/images/mfuller.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..656e0e4 --- /dev/null +++ b/8642-h/images/mfuller.png |
