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    66 OPEN COUNCIL.

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  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

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    To The Editor Of The English Woman's Jou...

    For as civilisationadvanceseachsex will desire and expect more in th _© otherand will seek , elsewhere , the , sympathy and companionship which are

    not does The to that , be present found of women state at home althoug of . things h indirectl affects the y . happiness of men as much as it

    marrie How d unfair while it it is for , laud the s world her success to deride and the sneers efforts at her of a failure young . girl ( We to con be - fess that , we think app the business is more , delicatel of y managed and on the the

    continent ladhas , where onl the to submit parents or negotiate refusefor instead in England manoeuvre how can , it be said young that a - woman y has more y than a veto ?) , usuall

    Her own sex is the first to fall upon her . The laws of society are y shall enacte have d by no men value and in sustained herself . by She women is the mere . Man ciher has on decided which her that husband woman p

    with bestows childhood di existence and and pup apparentl with ilage his until name with she . capacity marries She is , when but sociall becomes she y in exchanges a state suddenl of the y perpetual endowed Miss for

    Mistress gnity . The , comfort of y a home of her , ownthe power of comparative solitude instead of forcedperhaps uncongenial , companionshi , p , and even the

    considered desire for wealth , disgrace and distinction , to attainable all these are in a no sufficient other way excuse , and which even 13 if

    her whole education as no and her men mother , ' s precepts had not tended in the , same direction . She has been , told to hold herself up besides , to practise all the the ies piano which , to

    not have learn to been to give draw crammed decided , and to op into inions speak her , unfortunate forei or she gn will languages head never ; , to get be a submissive husband . _' olog and old Should obedient maid she is ,

    pronounced same fail in princi these p upon les respects . There her the . Nearl is awful generall y , mysterious every towards y a ridiculous novel the doom that end old of of she maid the dy reads ing last who an inculcates volume is either bthe the a

    bore or a buttvirtue is rewarded y hero and condescending flowers , to and propose still brig , and hter the rosy book prospects ends in of visions love and of white happiness lace . orange

    For our own part , when , we write a novel we are determined that the bore and shall ~ fche be heroine a marquis an with elderl £ 100 inster , 000 a in year black , the mittens "butt . a duchess of eighteen , y sp

    How can a man therefore natter himself that he is chosen from motives of The individual terror of personal <{ good preference match" ? at the idea of being " ht" is as absurd

    a caug is as often the race after by arts his coronet the or his of purse the , and qualities yet equall which y would reasonable make . the He

    portant happiness to won of the his man future , of talent life reverse . who But has the s choice till to make of a partner his way is ; and still how more can im he - tastes interestsstead

    expect employments an i who gnorant , or is useful to , worldl exercise pursuits y g over irl , , to without him become the the and sympathising , general constant moral , high influence - , minded y companion pure

    so much talked of in the present day as the prerogative of women ? Time will ment the nursery onl to y herself make are matters and over to , she all worse will around . become "When idle the , hey discontented day of youth , and , and fretful the , cares a tor of

    -Nature is happily stronger than . social influences . There are many characters which education cannot spoil , and we axe _les proud to their of knowin generation g some

    mothers whom we should like to hold up as examp . gregation We have , or no sit wish 011 the to see woolsack a woman . All command we ask a of and reg society iment freedom , is preach which to _accord to a con to a -

    j sing oyed le hters b woman y a wife immortal of mature or a widow beings years . whose the And same duty we respect imp it lore is to mothers improve to to the educate utmost are their en the

    talents daug which as God has intrusted , to them , and to "be contented and useful in leases Him tocall them

    the state of life to which it p ..

    66 Open Council.

    66 OPEN COUNCIL .

• Citation
  • English Woman’s Journal (1858-1864), March 1, 1860, page 66, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ewj/issues/ewj_01031860/page/66/