,a ,,domestic ,,problem ,work and ,culture in the ,household by ,,mrs4 ,a4 ,m4 ,,diaz ,,author ,,of ,,the ,,schoolmaster',s ,,trunk1 ,,etc4 #ahie ,,contents4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,taking ,a ,,view ,,of ,,the ,,situation4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,one ,,cause ,,of ,,the ,,situation4--,a ,,part ,,of ,,woman',s ,,mission ,,considered4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,culture ,,proved ,,to ,,be ,a ,,need ,,of ,,the ,,child-,,trainer4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,other ,,part ,,of ,,woman',s ,,mission4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,other ,,causes ,,considered4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,reasons ,,for ,a ,,change4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,a ,,way ,,out4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,suggestions ,,for ,,lecture ,,topics ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,ways ,,of ,,immediate ,,escape ,,chapter ,x4 ,,means ,,of ,,escape ,,already ,,in ,,operation ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,supplementary ,a ,,domestic ,,problem ,,work ,,and ,,culture ,,in ,,the ,,household4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,taking ,a ,,view ,,of ,,the ,,situation4 ,our problem is this3 ,how may woman enjoy the delights of culture1 and at the same time fulfil her duties to family and household8 ,perhaps it is not assuming too much to say1 that1 in making known the existence of such a problem1 we have already taken the first step toward its solution1 just as a ship's crew in distress take the first step toward relief by making a signal which calls attention to their needs4 ,the next step--after having1 as we may say1 set our flag at half-mast--is one which1 if all we hear be true1 should come easily to women in council1 namely1 talking4 ,and talking we must have1 even if1 as in the social game called ,throwing ,light1 much of it is done at a venture4 ,in that interesting little game1 after a few hints have been given concerning the word1 different members of the company begin at once to talk about it1 and think about it1 and suggest and hazard descriptive remarks1 according to the idea each has formed of it2 that is1 they try1 though in the dark1 to throw light4 ,as the interest increases1 the excitement becomes intense4 ,many of the ideas expressed are absurdly wide of the mark1 yet even these help to show what the answer is not2 and often1 by their coming in contact1 a light is struck which helps amazingly4 ,and so1 in regard to our problem1 we have the hints2 then why not begin at once to think about it1 and talk about it1 and suggest1 and guess1 and throw light with all our might8 ,no matter if we even get excited1 say absurd things1 say utterly preposterous things1 make blunders4 ,blunders are to be expected4 ,let them fly right and left2 by hitting together right smartly they may strike out sparks which shall help us find our way4 ,we all have heard of the frank country girl who said to her bashful lover1 ,do say something1 if it isn't quite so bright6 ,this1 doubtless1 is what every thoughtful woman1 if she expressed the sincere desire of her heart regarding our perplexing question1 would say to all other women2 and it is to comply with that wish1 partly expressed to me1 that ,i have gathered up from chance observation1 chance reading1 and hearsay1 some ideas bearing on the subject4 ,suppose we begin by looking about us1 and making clear to our minds just what this state of things is1 which1 because it hinders culture1 many deem so unsatisfactory4 ,after that1 we will consider its causes1 reasons for changing it1 and the way or ways out of it4 ,a few1 a very few1 of our women are able to live and move and have their being literally regardless of expense4 ,these can buy of skilled assistants and competent supervisors1 whole lifetimes of leisure2 with these1 therefore1 our problem has no concern4 ,the larger class1 the immense majority1 either do their work themselves1 or attend personally to its being done by others2 others signifying that inefficient1 untrustworthy1 unstable horde who come fresh from their training in peat-bog and meadow1 to cook our dinners1 take care of our china dishes1 and adjust the nice little internal arrangements of our dwellings4 ,observing closely the lives of the immense majority1 ,i think we shall see1 that1 in conducting their household affairs1 the object they have in view is one and the same4 ,i think we shall see that they all strive1 some by their own labors wholly1 the rest by covering over and piecing out the shortcomings of help1 to present a smooth1 agreeable surface to husbands and company4 ,this smooth1 agreeable surface may be compared to a piece of mosaic work composed of many parts4 ,of the almost infinite number of those parts1 and of the time1 skill1 and labor required to adjust them1 it hath not entered1 it cannot enter1 into the heart of man to conceive4 ,i wonder how long it would take to name1 just merely to name1 all the duties which fall upon the woman who1 to use a common phrase1 and a true one1 carries on the family4 ,suppose we try to count them1 one by one4 ,doing this will help to give us that clear view of the present state of things which it is our present object to obtain2 though the idea reminds me of what the children used to say when ,i was a child1 ,if you count the stars you'll drop down dead1--a saying founded1 probably1 on the vastness of the undertaking compared with human endurance4 ,it certainly cannot be called trivial to enumerate the duties to which woman consecrates so large a portion of her life1 especially when we remember that into each and all of these duties she has to carry her mind4 ,where woman's mind must go1 woman's mind or man's mind1 should not scorn to follow4 ,so let us make the attempt2 and we need not stand upon the order of our counting1 but begin anywhere4 ,setting tables2 clearing them off2 keeping lamps or gas-fixtures in order2 polishing stoves1 knives1 silverware1 tinware1 faucets1 knobs1 c42 washing and wiping dishes2 taking care of food left at meals2 sweeping1 including the grand ,friday sweep1 the limited daily sweep1 and the oft-recurring dustpan sweep2 cleaning paint2 washing looking-glasses1 windows1 window-curtains2 canning and preserving fruit2 making sauces and jellies1 and catchups and pickles2 making and baking bread1 cake1 pies1 puddings2 cooking meats and vegetables2 keeping in nice order beds1 bedding1 and bedchambers2 arranging furniture1 dusting1 and picking up2 setting forth1 at their due times and in due order1 the three meals2 washing the clothes2 ironing1 including doing up shirts and other starched things2 taking care of the baby1 night and day2 washing and dressing children1 and regulating their behavior1 and making or getting made1 their clothing1 and seeing that the same is in good repair1 in good taste1 spotless from dirt1 and suited both to the weather and the occasion2 doing for herself what her own personal needs require2 arranging flowers2 entertaining company2 nursing the sick2 letting down and letting out to suit the growing ones2 patching1 darning1 knitting1 crocheting1 braiding1 quilting1--but let us remember the warning of the old saying1 and forbear in time4 ,this1 however1 is only a general enumeration4 ,this is counting the stars by constellations4 ,examining closely these items3 we shall find them made up each of a number of smaller items1 and each of these again of items still smaller4 ,what seem homogeneous are heterogeneous2 what seem simple are complex4 ,make a loaf of bread4 ,that has a simple sound1 yet the process is complex4 ,first1 hops1 potatoes1 flour1 sugar1 water1 salt1 in right proportions for the yeast4 ,the yeast for raising the yeast must be in just the right condition1 and added when the mixture is of just the right temperature4 ,in mixing up bread1 the temperature of the atmosphere must be considered1 the temperature of the water1 the situation of the dough4 ,the dough must rise quickly1 must rise just enough and no more1 must be baked in an oven just hot enough and no hotter1 and must be tended while baking4 ,try clearing off tables4 ,remove food from platters1 care for the remnants1 see that nothing is wasted1 scrape well every plate1 arrange in piles1 carry out1 wash in soap and water1 rinse in clear water1 polish with dry cloth1 set away in their places1--three times a day4 ,taking care of the baby frequently implies carrying the child on one arm while working with the other1 and this often after nights made sleepless by its worrying4 ,i've done many a baking with a child on my hip1 said a farmer's wife in my hearing4 ,but try now the humblest of household duties1 one that passes for just nothing at all2 try dusting4 ,take a cloth1 and brush the dust off1--stated in this general way1 how easy a process it seems6 ,the particular interpretation1 is that you move1 wipe1 and replace every article in the room1 from the piano down to the tiniest ornament2 that you take a cloth1 and go over every inch of accessible surface1 including panelling1 mop-boards1 window frames and sashes1 looking-glass-frames1 picture-frames and cords1 gas or lamp fixtures2 reaching up1 tiptoeing1 climbing1 stooping1 kneeling1 taking care that not even in the remotest corner shall appear one inch of undusted surface which any slippered individual1 leaning back in his arm-chair1 can spy out4 ,these are only a few examples2 but a little observation and an exceedingly little experience will show the curious inquirer that there is scarcely one of the apparently simple household operations which cannot be resolved and re-resolved into minute component parts4 ,thus dusting1 which seems at first to consist of simply a few brushes with a cloth or bunch of feathers1 when analyzed once1 is found to imply the careful wiping of every article in the room1 and of all the woodwork2 analyzed again1 it implies following the marks of the cabinet-maker's tools in every bit of carving and grooving2 analyzed again1 introducing a pointed stick under the cloth in turning corners4 ,in fact1 the investigator of household duties must do as does a distinguished scientist in analyzing matter1--continue the process of dividing as long as the parts can be discerned1 and then prolong the vision backward across the boundary of experimental evidence4 ,and1 if brave enough to attempt to count them1 he must bear in mind that what appear to be blank intervals1 or blurred1 nebulous spaces1 are1 in reality1 filled in with innumerable little duties which1 through the glass of observation1 may be discerned quite plainly4 ,let him also bear in mind1 that these household duties must be done over and over1 and over and over1 and as well1 each time1 as if done to last forever2 and1 above all1 that they every one require mind4 ,many a common saying proves this last point4 ,put your mind on your work4 ,your mind must be where your work is4 ,she's a good hand to take hold1 but she hasn't any calculation4 ,she doesn't know how to forecast her work4 ,she doesn't know how to forelay4 ,nancy's gittin' past carryin' her mind inter her work4 ,wal1 ,i remember when ,i begun to git past carryin' my mind inter my work1 said an old woman of ninety1 speaking of her sixty-years-old daughter4 ,the old couplet1 ,man works from rise till set of sun1 ,but woman's work is never done1-- tells the truth4 ,woman's work1 as now arranged1 is so varied1 so all-embracing1 that it cannot be done4 ,for every odd moment some duty lies in wait4 ,and it is generally the case1 that these multi-form duties press for performance1 crowds of them at once4 ,so many things to be done right off1 that ,i don't know which to take hold of first4 ',tis just as much as ,i can do to keep my head above water4 ,oh1 dear6 ,i can't see through6 ,my work drives me4 ,i never know what 'tis not to feel hurried4 ,the things ,i can't get done tire me more than the things ,i do4 ,such remarks have a meaning4 ,and those who keep a girl have almost equal difficulty in always presenting the smooth1 agreeable surface just now spoken of4 ,with the greater ability to hire help comes usually the desire to live in more expensive houses1 and to furnish the same with more costly furniture4 ,every article added is a care added1 and the nicer the article the nicer the care required4 ,more1 also1 is demanded of these in the way of appearance1 style1 and social civilities2 and the wear and tear of superintending a girl should by no means be forgotten4 ,at any rate1 the complaint1 no time to read1 is frequent among women1 and is not confined to any one class4 ,we see1 then1 that in the present state of things it is impossible for woman--that is1 the family woman1 the house-mother--to enjoy the delights of culture4 ,external activities1 especially the two insatiable1 all-devouring ones which know neither end nor beginning1--housework and sewing-work1--these demand her time1 her energies1 in short1 demand herself1--the whole of her4 ,yes1 the whole1 and more too2 there is not enough of her to go round4 ,there might possibly be enough1 and even something left to spend on culture1 were she in sound physical condition2 but1 alas6 a healthy woman is scarcely to be found4 ,this point1 namely1 the prevailing invalidism of woman1 will come up for consideration by and by1 when we inquire into the causes of the present state of things4 ,it is none too early1 however1 to make a note of what some physicians say in regard to it4 ,half of all who are born1 says one medical writer1 die under twenty years of age2 while four-fifths of all who reach that age1 and die before another score1 owe their death to causes which were originated in their teens4 ,this is a fact of startling import to fathers and mothers1 and shows a fearful responsibility4 ,another medical writer says1 ,beside the loss of so many children 7nearly twenty-five per cent71 society suffers seriously from those who survive1 their health being irremediably injured while they are still infants4444 ,ignorance and injudicious nursery management lie at the root of this evil4 ,we must be sure not to forget that this prevailing invalidism of women1 which is one hinderance to their obtaining culture1 can be traced directly back to the ignorance of mothers1 for this point has an important bearing on the solution of our problem4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,one ,,cause ,,of ,,the ,,situation4--,a ,,part ,,of ,,woman',s ,,mission ,,considered4 ,the question1 ,how may work and culture be combined8 was recently submitted1 in my hearing1 to a highly intelligent lady4 ,she answered with a sigh1 ,it can't be done4 ,i've tried it2 but1 as things are now1 it can't be done4 ,by as things are now she meant1 with the established ideas regarding dress1 food1 appearance1 style1 and the objects for which woman should spend her time and herself4 ,suppose we investigate the causes of the present state of things1 which1 as being a hinderance to culture1 is to us so unsatisfactory4 ,a little reflection will enable us to discover several4 ,chief among them all1 ,i think1 is one which may require close inspection before it is recognized to be such4 ,it seems to me that the great underlying cause--the cause of all the other causes--is the want of insight1 the unenlightemnent1 which prevails concerning1 not what woman's mission is1 but the ways and means by which she is to accomplish it4 ,let us consider this4 ,those who claim the right of defining it never can say often enough that the true1 mission of woman is to train up her children rightly1 and to make home happy2 and no doubt we all agree with them4 ,but have we1 or have they1 a full sense of what woman requires to fit her even for the first of these duties8 ,suppose a philosopher in disguise on a tour of observation from some distant isle or planet should favor us with a visit4 ,he finds himself1 we will say1 on a spot not a hundred miles from ,new ,york or ,boston or ,chicago4 ,among the objects which attract his attention are the little children drawn along in their little chaises4 ,are these beautiful creatures of any value8 he asks of a bystander4 ,certainly4 ,they are the hope of the country4 ,they will grow up into men and women who will take our places4 ,i suppose there is no danger of their growing up any other than the right kind of men and women1 such as your country needs8 ,on the contrary1 there is every danger4 ,evil influences surround them from their birth4 ,these beautiful creatures have in them the possibilities of becoming mean1 base1 corrupt1 treacherous1 deceitful1 cruel1 false1 revengeful2 of becoming1 in fact1 unworthy and repulsive in many ways4 ,why1 all our criminals1 our drunkards1 liars1 thieves1 burglars1 murderers1 were once innocent little children like these6 ,and whether these will become like those1 or not1 depends on chance8 ,oh1 no6 ,it depends largely on training1 especially on early training4 ,children are like wax to receive impressions1 like marble to retain them4 ,are they constituted pretty nearly alike1 so that the treatment which is best for one is best for all8 ,by no means4 ,even those in the same family are often extremely unlike4 ,they have different temperaments1 dispositions1 propensities4 ,some require urging1 others checking4 ,some do better with praise1 others without2 the same of blame4 ,it requires thought and discernment to know what words to speak1 how many to speak1 and when to speak them4 ,in fact1 a child's nature is a piece of delicate1 complex machinery1 and each one requires a separate study2 for1 as its springs of action are concealed1 the operator is liable at any time to touch the wrong one4 ,and mistakes here will affect a child through its whole lifetime8 ,they will affect it through all eternity4 ,but who among you dare make these early impressions which are to be so enduring8 ,who are the operators on these delicate and complex pieces of mental machinery8 ,oh6 the mothers always have the care of the children4 ,this is their mission1--the chief duty of their lives4 ,but how judicious1 how comprehensive1 must be the course of education which will fit a person for such an office6 ,do you think so8 ,hem6 ,well1 it is not generally considered that a woman who is going to marry and settle down to family life needs much education4 ,you mean1 doubtless1 that she only receives the special instruction which her vocation requires4 ,special instruction8 ,yes4 ,if woman's special vocation is the training of children1 of course she is educated specially with a view to that vocation4 ,well1 ,i never heard of such a kind of education4 ,but here is one of our young mothers3 she can tell you all about it4 ,we will suppose1 now1 that our philosopher is left with the young mother1 who names over what she learned at the institute4 ,and the training of children--moral1 intellectual1 and physical--was no doubt made a prominent subject of consideration4 ,training of children8 ,oh1 no6 ,that would have been a curious kind of study4 ,where1 then1 were you prepared for the duties of your mission8 ,what mission do you mean8 ,your mission of child-training4 ,i had no preparation4 ,no preparation8 ,but are you acquainted with the different temperaments a child may have1 and the different combinations of them8 ,are you competent to the direction and culture of the intellectual and moral nature8 ,have you skill to touch the hidden springs of action8 ,have you1 thus uninstructed1 the power1 the knowledge1 the wisdom1 requisite for guiding that mighty force1 a child's soul8 ,alas6 there is hardly a day that ,i do not feel my ignorance on all these points4 ,are there no sources from which knowledge may be obtained8 ,there must be books written on these subjects4 ,possibly2 but ,i have no time to read them4 ,no time8--no time to prepare for your chief mission8 ,it is our mission only in print4 ,in real life it plays an extremely subordinate part4 ,what1 then1 in real life1 is your mission8 ,chiefly cooking and sewing4 ,your husband1 then1 does not share the common belief in regard to woman's chief duty4 ,oh1 yes6 ,i have heard him express it many a time2 though ,i don't think he comprehends what a woman needs in order to do her duty by her children4 ,but he loves them dearly4 ,if one should die he would be heart-broken4 ,is it a common thing here for children to die8 ,i am grieved to say that nearly one-fourth die in infancy4 ,and those who live1--do they grow up in full health and vigor8 ,oh1 indeed they do not6 ,why1 look at our crowded hospitals6 ,look at the apothecaries' shops at almost1 every corner4 ,look at the advertisements of medicines4 ,don't you think there's meaning in these1 and a meaning in the long rows of five-story swell-front houses occupied by physicians1 and a meaning in the people themselves8 ,there's scarcely one of them but has some ailment4 ,but is this matter of health subject to no laws8 ,the phrase1 'laws of health1' is a familiar one1 but ,i don't know what those laws are4 ,mothers1 then1 are not in the habit of teaching them to their children8 ,they are not themselves acquainted with them4 ,perhaps this astonishing ignorance has something to do with the fearful mortality among infants4 ,do not husbands provide their wives with books and other means of information on this subject8 ,generally speaking1 they do nothing of the kind4 ,and does not the subject of hygienic laws1 as applied to the rearing of children1 come into the courses of study laid out for young women6 ,no1 indeed4 ,oh1 how ,i wish it had6--and those other matters you mentioned4 ,i would give up every thing else ,i ever learned for the sake of knowing how to bring up my children1 and how to keep them in health4 ,the presidents and professors of your educational institutions1--do they share the common belief as to woman's mission8 ,oh1 yes6 ,they all say that the chief business of woman is to train up her children4 7,philosopher's solo47 ,there seems to be blindness and stupidity somewhere among these people4 ,from what they say of the difficulty of bringing up their children1 it must take an archangel to do it rightly2 still they do not think a woman who is married and settles down to family life needs much education6 ,moreover1 in educating young women1 that which is universally acknowledged to be the chief business of their lives receives not the least attention4 ,if our philosopher continued his inquiries into the manners and customs of our country1 he must have felt greatly encouraged2 for he would have found that it is only in this one direction that we show such blindness and stupidity4 ,he would have found that in every other occupation we demand preparation4 ,the individual who builds our ships1 cuts our coats1 manufactures our watches1 superintends our machinery1 takes charge of our cattle1 our trees1 our flowers1 must know how1 must have been especially prepared for his calling4 ,it is only character-moulding1 only shaping the destinies of immortal beings1 for which we demand neither preparation nor a knowledge of the business4 ,it is only of our children that we are resigned to lose nearly one-fourth by death1 owing to ignorance and injudicious nursery management4 ,were this rate of mortality declared to exist among our domestic animals1 the community would be aroused at once4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,culture ,,proved ,,to ,,be ,a ,,need ,,of ,,the ,,child-,,trainer4 ,perhaps some day the community may come to perceive that woman requires for her vocation what the teacher1 the preacher1 the lawyer1 and the physician1 require for theirs2 namely1 special preparation and general culture4 ,the first1 because every vocation demands special preparation2 and the second1 because1 to satisfy the requirements of young minds1 she will need to draw from almost every kind of knowledge4 ,and we must remember here1 that the advantages derived from culture are not wholly an intellectual gain4 ,we get from books and other sources of culture not merely what informs the mind1 but that which warms the heart1 quickens the sympathies1 strengthens the understanding2 get clearness and breadth of vision1 get refining and ennobling influences1 get wisdom in its truest and most comprehensive sense2 and all of these1 the last more than all1 a mother needs for her high calling4 ,that it is a high calling1 we have high authority to show4 ,dr4 ,channing says1 ,no office can compare in importance with that of training a child4 ,yet the office is assumed without preparation4 ,herbert ,spencer asks1 in view of this omission1 ,what is to be expected when one of the most intricate of problems is undertaken by those who have given scarcely a thought as to the principles on which its solution depends8 ,is the unfolding of a human being so simple a process that any one may superintend and regulate it with no preparation whatever8444 ,is it not madness to make no provision for such a task8 ,horace ,mann speaks out plainly1 and straight to the point4 ,if she is to prepare a refection of cakes1 she fails not to examine some cookery-book or some manuscript receipt1 lest she should convert her rich ingredients into unpalatable compounds2 but without ever having read one book upon the subject of education1 without ever having sought one conversation with an intelligent person upon it1 she undertakes so to mingle the earthly and celestial elements of instruction for that child's soul that he shall be fitted to discharge all duties below1 and to enjoy all blessings above4 ,and again1 ,influences imperceptible in childhood1 work out more and more broadly into beauty or deformity in after life4 ,no unskilful hand should ever play upon a harp where the tones are left forever in the strings4 ,in a newspaper ,i find this amusingly significant sentence3 ,truthfully1 indeed1 do the ,papists boast that the ,episcopal ,church is training-ground for ,rome4 ,the female mind is frequently enticed by display of vestments and music2 and1 if the ,ritualists can pervert the mothers1 they know that the next generation is theirs4 ,this is significant1 because it signifies that1 however weak and easy of enticement the female mind may be1 it has a mighty power to influence the young4 ,but we can show not only opinions and prophecies1 but the results of actual scientific experiments4 ,a recent number of ,the ,popular ,science ,monthly contains an account of experiments made in ,jamaica upon the mental capacity for learning of the different races there existing4 ,the experimenter found1 he says1 unequal speed1 but saw nothing which can be unmistakably referred to difference of race4 ,the rate of improvement is due almost entirely to the relative elevation of the home circle in which the children live4 ,those who are restricted to the narrowest gauge of intellectual exercise live in such a material and coarse medium that their mental faculties remain slumbering2 while those who hear at home of many things1 and are brought up to intellectual employments1 show a corresponding proficiency in learning4 ,this1 and the editor's comments1 bear directly on our side1 that is to say1 the culture side4 ,the editor says it is inevitable that the medium in which the child is habitually immersed1 and by which it is continually and unconsciously impressed1 should have much greater value in the formation of mental character than the mere lesson experiences of school4 ,home education is1 after all1 the great fact2 and it is domestic influences by which the characters of children are formed4 ,where men are exhausted by business1 and women are exhausted by society 7or other means71 we may be pretty sure that but little can be done to shape and conduct the home with a reference to the higher mental needs of the children who live in it4 ,now1 who1 more than any one1 shapes and conducts the home8 ,who creates these domestic influences1 this medium in which the child is habitually immersed8 ,woman4 ,in the name of common sense1 then1 throw open to woman every avenue of knowledge4 ,surround her with all that will elevate and refine4 ,give her the highest1 broadest1 truest culture4 ,give her chances to draw inspiration from the beautiful in nature and in art4 ,and1 above all1 insure her some respite from labor1 and some tranquillity4 ,unless these conditions are observed1 but little can be done to shape and conduct the home with reference to the higher mental needs of the children who live in it4 ,i once heard ,grace ,greenwood tell a little story which ought to come in here1 for our own object is to make out as strong a case as we possibly can4 ,we want to prove that mothers must have culture because they are mothers4 ,we want to show it to be absolutely necessary for woman1 in the accomplishment of her acknowledged mission4 ,when this fact is recognized1 then culture will take rank with essentials1 and receive attention as such4 ,grace ,greenwood said that a friend of hers1 a teacher out ,west1 had in her school four or five children from one family4 ,the parents were poor1 ignorant1 and of the kind commonly called low1 coarse sort of people4 ,the children1 with one exception1 were stupid1 rough-mannered1 and depraved4 ,the one exception1 a little girl1 showed such refinement1 appreciation1 and quickness of apprehension1 that the teacher at last asked the mother if she could account for the striking difference between this child and its brothers and sisters4 ,the mother could not4 ,the children had been brought up together there in that lonely place1 had been treated alike1 and had never been separated4 ,she knew the little girl was very different from her brothers and sisters1 but knew not the reason why4 ,the teacher then asked1 ,was there any thing in your mode of life for the months preceding her birth1 that there was not in the corresponding time before the births of the others8 ,the mother at first answered decidedly that there was nothing2 but after thinking a few moments said1 ,well1 there was one1 a very small thing1 but that couldn't have had any thing to do with the matter4 ,one day a peddler came along2 and among his books was a pretty1 red-covered poetry book1 and ,i wanted it bad4 ,but my husband said he couldn't afford it1 and the peddler went off4 ,i couldn't get that book out of my mind2 and in the night ,i took some of my own money1 and travelled on foot to the next town1 found the peddler1 bought the book1 and got back before morning1 and was never missed from the house4 ,that book was the greatest comfort to me that ever was4 ,i read it over and over1 up to the day my child was born4 ,also would come in well here that oft-told story of a pauper named ,margaret1 who was once set adrift in a village of the county 444 and left to grow up as best she could1 and from whom have descended two hundred criminals4 ,the whole number of this girl's descendants1 through six generations1 is nine hundred2 and besides the 'two hundred' a large number have been idiots1 imbeciles1 drunkards1 lunatics1 and paupers4 ,friends1 to say nothing of higher motives1 would it not be good policy to educate wisely every girl in the country8 ,are not mothers1 as child-trainers1 in absolute need of true culture8 ,in cases where families depend on the labor of their girls1 perhaps the ,state would make a saving even by compensating these families for the loss of such labor4 ,perhaps it would be cheaper1 even in a pecuniary sense1 for the ,state to do this1 than to support reformatory establishments1 prisons1 almshouses1 and insane-asylums1 with their necessary retinues of officials4 ,institutions in which these girls were educated might be made self-supporting1 and the course of instruction might include different kinds of handicraft4 ,it was poor economy for the ,state to let that pauper grow up as best she could4 ,it would probably have been money in the ,state's pocket had it surrounded ,margaret in her early childhood with the choicest productions of art1 engaged competent teachers to instruct her in the solid branches1 in the accomplishments1 in hygiene1 in the principles and practice of integrity1 and then have given her particular instruction in all matters connected with the training of children4 ,and had she developed a remarkable taste for painting1 for modelling1 or for music1 the ,state could better have afforded even sending her to ,italy1 than to have taken care of those two hundred criminals1 besides a large number of idiots1 imbeciles1 drunkards1 lunatics1 and paupers4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,other ,,part ,,of ,,woman',s ,,mission4--,,ruffles ,,versus ,,reading4--,,the ,,cultivation ,,of ,,the ,,fingers4 ,let us leave for a while this matter of child-training1 and consider the other part of woman's mission1--namely1 making home happy4 ,it would seem that even for this the wife should be at least the equal of her husband in culture1 in order that the two may be in sympathy4 ,when a loving couple marry1 they unite their interests1 and it is in this union of interests that they find happiness4 ,we often hear from a wife or a husband remarks like these3 ,i only half enjoyed it1 because he 7or she7 wasn't there2 ,it will be no pleasure to me unless he 7or she7 is there too2 ,the company were charming1 but still ,i felt lonesome there without him 7or her74 ,the phrase half enjoy gives the idea2 for a sympathetic couple are to such a degree one that a pleasure which comes to either singly can only be half enjoyed1 and even this half-joy is lessened by the consciousness of what the other is losing4 ,in a rather sarcastic article1 taken from an ,english magazine1 occur a few sentences which illustrate this point very well4 ,the writer is describing a honeymoon3-- ,the real difficulty is to be entertaining4 ,the one thirst of the young bride is for amusement1 and she has no idea of amusing herself4 ,it is diverting to see the spouse of this ideal creature wend his way to the lending library1 after a week of idealism1 and the relief with which he carries home a novel4 ,how often1 in expectation1 has he framed to himself imaginary talks1--talk brighter and wittier than that of the friends he forsakes6 ,but conversation is difficult in the case of a refined creature who is as ignorant as a ,hottentot4 ,he begins with the new ,miltonic poem1 and finds she has never looked into ',paradise ,lost4' ,he plunges into the ,reform ,bill2 but she knows nothing of politics1 and has never read a leading article in her life4 ,then she tries him1 in her turn1 and floods him with the dead chat of the town and an ocean of family tattle4 ,he finds himself shut up for weeks with a creature who takes an interest in nothing but ,uncle ,crosspatch's temper and the scandal about ,lady ,x4 ,little by little the absolute pettiness1 the dense dulness1 of woman's life1 breaks on the disenchanted devotee4 ,his deity is without occupation1 without thought1 without resources4 ,he has a faint faith in her finer sensibility1 in her poetic nature3 he fetches his ,tennyson from his carpet-bag1 and wastes ',in ,memoriam' on a critic who pronounces it pretty6 ,in cases of this kind1 the half-joy is strikingly apparent4 ,we see that a husband possessing culture is likely to be lonesome among his poets and his poetry1 his works of reform1 and his lofty ideas1 unless--she is there too4 ,if it be said that learned women are prone to think lightly of home comforts and home duties1 to despise physical labor1 to look down on the ignorant1 let us hasten to reply that learning is not culture1 and that we want not learned mothers1 but enlightened mothers1 wisely educated mothers4 ,and let us steadfastly and perseveringly assert that enlightenment and a wise education are essential to the accomplishment of the mother's mission4 ,when the housefather feels the truth of this1 then shall we see him bringing home every publication he can lay his hands on which treats intelligently of mental1 moral1 or physical training4 ,then shall we hear him saying to the house-mother1 ,cease1 ,i pray you1 this ever-lasting toil4 ,read1 study1 rest4 ,with your solemn responsibilities1 it is madness thus to spend yourself1 thus to waste yourself4 ,in his home shall the true essentials assume that position which is theirs by right1 and certain occupations connected with that clamorous square inch of surface in the upper part of the mouth shall receive only their due share of attention4 ,for in one way or another1 either by lessening the work or by hiring workers1 the mother shall have her leisure4 ,and what will women1 what will the house-mothers1 do when they feel this truth8 ,certainly not as they now do4 ,now it is their custom to fill in every chink and crevice of leisure time with sewing4 ,look1 said a young mother to me3 ,i made all these myself1 when holding the baby1 or by sitting up nights4 ,they were children's clothes1 beautifully made1 and literally covered with ruffles and embroidery4 ,oh the thousands of stitches6 ,the ruffles ran up and down1 and over and across1 and three times round4 ,being white1 the garments were of course changed daily4 ,in the intervals of baby-tending1 the mother snatched a few minutes here and a few minutes there to starch1 iron1 flute1 or crimp a ruffle1 or to finish off a dress of her own4 ,this finishing off was carried on for weeks4 ,when her baby was asleep1 or was good1 or had its little ruffles all fluted1 and its little sister's little ruffles were all fluted1 then would she seize the opportunity to stitch1 to plait1 to flounce1 to pucker1 and to braid4 ,wherever a hand's breadth of the original material was left visible1 some bow1 or band1 or queer device1 was fashioned and sewed on4 ,this zealous individual1 by improving every moment1 by sitting up nights1 by working with the baby across her lap1 accomplished her task4 ,the dress was finished1 and worn with unutterable complacency4 ,it is this last part which is the worst part4 ,they have no misgivings1 these mothers4 ,they expect your warm approval4 ,i can't get a minute's time to read1 said this industrious person2 and1 on another occasion1 ,i'll own up1 ,i don't know any thing about taking care of children4 ,swift1 speaking of women1 said that they employ more thought1 memory1 and application to become fools than would serve to make them wise and useful2 and perhaps he spoke truly4 ,for suppose this young mother had been as eager to gain ideas as she was to accomplish a bias band1 a ,french fold1 or a flounce4 ,suppose that1 in the intervals of baby-tending1 instead of fluting her little girls' ruffles and embroidering their garments1 she had tried to snatch some information which would help her in the bringing up of those little girls4 ,the truth is1 mothers take their leisure time for what seems to them to be first in importance4 ,it is easy to see what they consider essentials1 and what1 from them1 children are learning to consider essentials4 ,the knowingness of some of our children on subjects connected with dress is simply appalling4 ,a girl of eight or ten summers will take you in at a glance1 from topmost plume to boot-tap1 by items and collectively1 analytically and synthetically4 ,she discourses1 in technical terms1 of the fall of your drapery1--the propriety of your trimmings1 and the effect of this1 that1 or the other4 ,she has a proper appreciation of what is ,french in your attire1 and a proper scorn of what is not4 ,she recognizes real lace in a twinkle of her eye1 and all wool with a touch of her finger-tips4 ,plainly clad school-children are often made to suffer keenly by the cutting remarks of other school-children sumptuously arrayed4 ,a little girl aged six1 returning from a child's party1 exclaimed1 ,o mamma6 ,what do you think8 ,bessie had her dress trimmed with lace1 and it wasn't real6 ,the law1 ,no child shall walk the street in a plain dress1 is just as practically a law as if it had been enacted by the legal authorities4 ,mothers obey its high behests1 and dare not rebel against it4 ,look at our little girls going to school1 each with her tucks and ruffles4 ,who gets time to do all that sewing8 where do they get it1 and at what sacrifices8 ,a goodly number of stitches and moments go to the making and putting on of even one ruffle on one skirt4 ,think of all the stitches and moments necessary for the making and putting of all the ruffles on all the skirts of the several little girls often belonging to one family6 ,what a prospect before her has a mother of little girls6 ,and there is no escape1 not even in common sense4 ,a woman considered sensible in the very highest degree will dress her little girl like other little girls1 or perish in the attempt4 ,how many do thus perish1 or are helped to perish1 we shall never know4 ,a frail1 delicate woman said to me one day1 ,oh1 ,i do hope the fashions will change before ,sissy grows up1 for ,i don't see how it will be possible for me to make her clothes4 ,you observe her submissive1 law-abiding spirit4 ,the possibility of evading the law never even suggests itself4 ,there is many a feeble mother of grown and growing ,sissys to whom the spring or fall dressmaking appears like an avalanche coming to overwhelm her1 or a ,juggernaut coming to roll over her4 ,she asks not1 ,how shall ,i escape8 but1 ,how shall ,i endure8 ,let her console herself4 ,these semi-annual experiences are all mission4 ,all sewing is mission2 all cooking is mission4 ,it matters not what she cooks1 nor what she sews4 ,domestic1 and worthy all praise1 does the community consider that woman who keeps her hands employed1 and is bodily present with her children inside the house4 ,but her bodily presence1 even with mother love and longing to do her best1 is not enough4 ,there should be added two things1--knowledge and wisdom4 ,these1 however1 she does not have1 because to obtain them are needed what she does not get1--leisure1 tranquillity1 and the various resources and appliances of culture2 also because their importance is not felt even by herself2 also because the community does not yet see that she has need of them4 ,and this brings us round to the point we started from1--namely1 that the present unsatisfactory state of things is owing largely to the want of insight1 or unenlightenment1 which prevails concerning what woman needs and must have in order rightly to fulfil her mission4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,other ,,causes ,,considered4--,,masculine ,,idea ,,of ,,woman',s ,,work4 ,another supporting cause1 as we may call it1 of the existing state of things is the ignorance of mankind concerning the cost of carrying on the family1--not the cost to themselves in money1 but the cost to woman in endurance4 ,of its power to exhaust her vital forces they have not the remotest idea4 ,each of its little ten-minute duties seems so trifling that to call it work appears absurd4 ,they do not reflect that often a dozen of these ten-minute duties must be crowded into an hour which holds but just six ten-minutes2 that her day is crowded with these crowded hours2 that consequently she can never be free from hurry1 and that constant hurry is a constant strain upon her in every way4 ,they themselves1 they think1 could do up the work in half the time1 and not feel it a bit4 ,scarcely a man of them but thinks the dishes might be just rinsed off under the faucet1 and stood up to dry4 ,scarcely a man of them who1 if this were tried1 would not cast more than inquiring glances at his trencher2 for it is always what is not done that a man sees4 ,if one chair-round escapes dusting1 it is that chair-round which he particularly notices4 ,in his mind then are two ideas3 one is of the whole long day1 the other of that infinitesimal undone duty4 ,the remark visible on his countenance is this3 ,the whole day1 and no time to dust a chair-round6 ,the painful warrior famoused for fight1 ,after a thousand victories1 once foiled1 ,is from the book of honor razed quite1 ,and all the rest forgot for which she toiled4 ,many a toiling housewife1 warring against untidiness1 has felt the truth of these lines1 though she may not have known that the great poet embodied it in words4 ,one mistake of man's is1 that he does not look upon the tidy state of a room as a result1 but as one into which1 if left to itself1 it would naturally fall and remain4 ,we know1 alas6 too well1 that every room not only has within itself possibilities of untidiness1 but that its constant tendency is in that direction1 which tendency can only be checked by as constant a vigilance4 ,again1 husbands do not always seem to understand plain ,english4 ,there are certain expressions in common use among women1 which1 if husbands did understand plain ,english1 would make them sadder and wiser men4 ,i'm completely used up2 ,i never know what 'tis to feel rested2 ,i'm too tired to sleep2 ,i'm as tired in the morning as when ,i go to bed2 ,every nerve in me throbs so that ,i can't go to sleep2 ,the life has all gone out of me2 ,i am crazed with cares2 ,the care is worse than the work2 ,nothing keeps that woman about the house but her ambition2 ,it is the excitement of work that keeps her up4 ,now1 how is it that a woman works on after she is completely used up8 ,what is the substance1 the capacity of this ambition on which alone she lives8 ,a friend of mine1 in answer to a suggestion that she should stop and take a few days' rest1 said1 ,i don't dare to stop4 ,if ,i let down1 if ,i give way for ever so little while1 ,i never could go on again4 ,think of living always in this state of tension6 ,the dictionary definition of tension is a peculiar1 abnormal1 constrained condition of the parts1 arising from the action of antagonistic forces1 in which they endeavor to return to their natural state4 ,exactly4 ,there are thousands of women in just this condition1 sustained there by the daily pressure and excitement of hurry1 and by a stern1 unyielding must4 ,in the treadmill of their household labor1 breakfast1 dinner1 and supper revolve in ceaseless course1 and they must step forward to meet them4 ,and1 when more of her vitality is expended daily than is daily renewed by food and rest1 woman does1 actually and without any figure of speech1 use herself up4 ,yes1 she burns herself for fuel1 and goes down a wreck1--not always to death2 often it is to a condition made wretched by suffering1 sometimes to insanity4 ,i would not have believed this last had ,i not found it in print4 ,in an ,english magazine occurs the following passage3 ,some whose eyes follow these lines will recollect disagreeable seasons when their attention was distracted by conflicting cures and claims2 when no one thing1 however urgent1 could be finished1 owing to the intrusion of one or more inevitable distractions4 ,a continued course of such inroads on the mind's serenity could be supported but by few intellects4 ,most pitiable is the mind's state after some hours of such distracting occupation1 in which every business interferes with every other1 and none is satisfactorily accomplished4 ,where there is a tendency to insanity it is sure to be developed by such an undesirable state of things4 ,this is fitly supplemented by a statement made in an ,american magazine3 ,we are told that the woman's wards in the ,new ,england insane asylums are filled with middle-aged wives--mothers--driven there by overwork and anxiety4 ,not long since1 ,i heard ,mr4 ,whittier tell the story of a woman who attempted suicide by throwing herself into the water4 ,discouragement was the reason she assigned for committing so dreadful a deed1--discouragement at the never-ending routine of household labor1 and from feeling herself utterly unable to go on with it4 ,this1 with care1 want of recreation1 and long confinement in-doors1 had probably caused temporary insanity4 ,the never-endingness of woman's work is something to be considered4 ,a wide-awake writer1 speaking of husbands and wives1 says1 ,the out-door air1 the stir1 the change of ideas1 the passing word for this man or that1 unconsciously refresh1 and lift him from the cankering care of work4444 ,his work may be heavier1 but it wears him on one side only4 ,he has his hours sacred to business to give to his brief1 his sermon1 his shop4 ,there is no drain on the rest of his faculties4 ,she has not a power of mind1 a skill of body1 which her daily life does not draw upon4 ,she asks nothing better of fate than that whatever strength she has of body and mind shall be drained for her husband and children4 ,now1 this spirit of martyrdom is a very good thing when it is necessary4 ,for our part1 we see no occasion for it here4 ,this is the point exactly4 ,the martyrdom1 too often1 is for objects not of the highest importance4 ,the lack of appreciation of woman's work1 as shown by man-kind in the newspapers1 would be amusing1 were it not saddening4 ,articles1 dictating with solemn pomposity what every married woman should be able to do1 often appear in print1 and these embodiments of 7masculine7 wisdom editors are eager to copy4 ,every married woman should be able to cut and make her own1 her husband's1 and her children's clothes4 ,the husband reads1--aloud of course1 this time1--and nods approval4 ,to be sure1 that would make a saving4 ,the wife hears1 and sighs1 and perhaps blames herself that on account of her incapacity money is wasted4 ,what the newspaper says must be true4 ,perhaps by sitting up later1 by getting up earlier1 by hurrying more1 and by never setting her foot outside the door1 she might follow this suggestion4 ,every married woman whose boys take to reading should snip such newspaper articles into shreds1 burn them up1 and bury the ashes4 ,another cause of the present state of things is the lowness of the standard which has been set up for woman to attain4 ,we have glanced at some of the things which are expected of the woman who carries on the family4 ,what is not expected is a point of no less significance4 ,neither husbands nor company claim the right to expect1 in that smooth1 agreeable surface mentioned at the beginning1 the results of mental culture4 ,they may be gratified at finding them2 but so long as the woman is amiable1 thrifty1 efficient1 and provides three good meals every day1 they feel bound not to complain4 ,here are the ten ,attributes of a ,wife1 as grouped by one of the world's famous writers3 note what he allots to education3 ,four to good temper1 two to good sense1 one to wit1 one to beauty2 the remaining two to be divided among other qualities1 as fortune1 connection1 education or accomplishments1 family1 and so on4 ,divide these two parts as you please1 these minor proportions must all be expressed by fractions4 ,not one among them is entitled to the dignity of an integer4 ,the prevalent belief that woman is in some degree subordinate to man1 is rather taken for granted than expressly taught1 as witness a certain kind of legend often told to young girls3 ,once upon a time a young man1 visiting a strange house1 saw a damsel putting dough into pans1 and saw that the dough which stuck to the platter was left sticking there2 whereupon the young man said1 ',this is not the wife for me4' ,in another house he sees a damsel who leaves not the dough which sticks to the platter2 and he says1 ,this is the wife for me4 ,another young man offers to successive maidens a skein of tangled silk to wind4 ,the first says1 ,i can't2 the second tries1 and gives up2 the third makes a quick job of it with her scissors2 the fourth spends hours in patiently1 untangling1 and is chosen4 ,now1 what shows the state of public sentiment is the fact that in none of these legends is it intimated that the young man was fortunate in securing a thrifty or a patient wife4 ,it was the thrifty or patient young woman who was fortunate in being selected by a young man1--by any young man2 for the character of the youth is never stated4 ,there is an inference1 also1 in the second one given1 that the hours of a young woman can be employed to no better purpose than that of untangling a skein of silk4 ,all this is throwing light on our problem1 for so long as so much is expected of woman physically1 and so little in the way of mental acquirements2 so long as it is taken for granted that she is a subordinate being1 that to contribute to the physical comfort and pleasure of man1 and gain his approval1 are the highest purposes of her existence1--it will not be considered essential that she should acquire culture4 ,these aims are by no means unimportant ones1 or unworthy ones2 but are they in all cases the highest a woman should possess8 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,reasons ,,for ,a ,,change4--,,the ,,early ,,training ,,op ,,women4--,,common ,,fallacies4--,,the ,,education ,,of ,,mothers4 ,having glanced at the present state of things1 and at some of its causes1 let us show reasons why it should be changed4 ,a sufficient reason is1 because it dwarfs the intellect1 ruins the health1 and shortens the lives1 of so many women4 ,another reason is1 that whereas the husband may keep himself informed on matters of general interest in literature1 art1 science1 and progress1 while the wife must give her mind to domestic activities1 there is danger of the two growing apart1 which growing apart is destructive of that perfect sympathy so essential to the happiness of married life4 ,a certain librarian remarked4 ,if a man wants a book for himself1 ,i pick out a solid work2 if for his wife1 a somewhat light and trifling one4 ,third1 because human beings have so much in common1 are so closely connected1 that the good of all requires the good of each1 and each of all4 ,and here is where the shortsightedness of the aristocracy of wealth and the aristocracy of sex are strikingly apparent4 ,they fail to see that the very inferiority of what are called the inferior classes re-acts on the superior classes4 ,we all know how it is in the human body4 ,an injury to one small bone in the foot may cause distress which shall be felt all over1 and shall disturb the operations of the lordly brain itself4 ,so in the body social4 ,the wealthy and refined1 into whose luxurious dwellings enters no unsightly1 no uncleanly object1 may say to themselves1 ,never mind those poor wretches down at the other end1 huddled together in their filthy tenements4 ,they are ignorant1 they don't know how to get along2 but their condition doesn't concern us1 so long as our houses are light1 clean1 and airy4 ,those poor wretches1 however1 because they are ignorant1 because they don't know how to get along1 because they live huddled together in filthy tenements1 breathing foul air1 starving on bad food1 become a ready prey to infectious diseases4 ,the infectious diseases spread4 ,men of wealth1 from the refined and cleanly quarters1 encounter in their business walks representatives from the degraded and disgusting quarter1 and take from them the seeds of those diseases2 or1 on some fatal day1 a miasma from the corruption of the degraded quarter is wafted in at the windows of the luxurious dwellings1 and the idols of those dwellings are stricken down4 ,so in the body politic4 ,the wise and well-to-do enact laws1 obedience to which is for the general good4 ,the ignorant and poverty-stricken1 because of their unenlightened condition1 cannot see that obedience is for the good of all1 and break those laws4 ,hence crimes1 the effects of which the wise and well-to-do are made to feel1 and for the punishment of which they are made to pay4 ,it is the same with man and woman4 ,man says1 ,let woman manage her domestic concerns1 attend to her children1 and gain the approbation of her husband4 ,these are her chief duties1 and for these little culture is needed4 ,but woman becomes the mother of sons who become men2 and the character1 condition1 and destiny of those sons who become men are1 as we have seen1 determined largely by the condition1 pre-natal and post-natal1 of the mothers4 ,so that the ignorance in which woman is kept by man re-acts on man4 ,a fourth reason for a change is1 that we live in a republic4 ,in a republic every man has a voice in public affairs4 ,every man is first a child2 and children1 commonly speaking1 are what the mother's influence helps to make them4 ,therefore1 if you would have the country wisely1 honestly1 and decently governed1 give the children the right kind of mothers4 ,if the community knew its own interests1 it would not merely permit women all possible means of culture1 but would force all possible means of culture upon them4 ,it would say1 ,we can't afford that you exhaust yourselves by labor1 that you fritter yourselves away in vanities2 for by your deficiencies we all suffer1 by your losses we all lose4 ,but mark how stupid the community is4 ,it desires that all its members shall possess wisdom and integrity2 it declares that1 in regard to character1 a great deal depends on early training2 it declares that this early training is the duty of mothers2 and yet it does not take the next step1 and say1 ,therefore mothers should be qualified for their duty1 and have every facility for performing it satisfactorily4 ,it asserts with great solemnity1 ,just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined1 then gives all its twigs into the hands of mothers1 saying1 ,here1 bend these3 it makes a terrible difference how they are bent1 but then it is not important that you have given any attention to the process4 ,or1 to vary the statement1 the community virtually addresses woman in this way3 ,a fearful responsibility rests upon you4 ,it is the responsibility of training these young1 immortal souls4 ,this is your mission1 your high and holy calling4 ,you will1 however1 get little time to attend to it2 and1 as for any special preparation or knowledge of the subject1 none is required4 ,there's a great deal of delicate and complex machinery to superintend1 and a mistake will tell fearfully in the result2 but1 never mind1 we'll trust luck4 ,do we not1 as ,horace ,mann once asked1 do we not need some single word where we can condense into one monosyllable the meaning of ten thousand fools8 ,some deny the power of early training4 ,look6 they say1 there is a family of children brought up just alike1 and see how differently they all turn out4 ,but a family of children should not be brought up just alike4 ,different temperaments require different treatment4 ,and this is exactly the point where knowledge is necessary1 and a wisdom almost superhuman4 ,that character is the result of inherited traits1 as well as of education1 does not affect the case1 since children inherit from mothers and the sons of mothers4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,a ,,way ,,out4 ,but suppose we leave this part of our subject1 and endeavor now to find a way out of this present state of things4 ,let us keep the situation clearly before us4 ,as things are1 woman cannot obtain culture because of being overburdened with work and care1 and also because of her enfeebled condition physically4 ,to what is this present state of things owing8 ,largely to the unworthy views of both men and women concerning the essentials of life1 and concerning the requirements of woman's vocation4 ,and these unworthy views of men and women1 to what are they owing8 ,in a very great measure to early impressions4 ,who1 chiefly1 are responsible for these8 ,mothers4 ,they are also1 as has been shown1 responsible for the larger part of the prevailing invalidism of woman4 ,let us be sure to bear in mind that these evils1 these hinderances to culture1 can be traced directly back to the influence and the ignorance of mothers2 for here is where the whole thing hinges4 ,here is a basis to build upon4 ,child-training is at the beginning4 ,child-training is woman's work4 ,everybody says so4 ,the wise say so4 ,the foolish say so4 ,the oak and vine man says so4 ,the private way1 dangerous passing man says so4 ,very good4 ,if this is woman's work1 educate her for her work4 ,if educate isn't the right word1 instruct her1 inform her1 teach her1 prepare her2 name the process as you choose1 so that it enables her to comprehend the nature of her business1 and qualifies her to perform its duties4 ,she requires not only general culture1 but special preparation1 a technical preparation if you will4 ,let this come in as the supplementary part of what is called her education4 ,many will pronounce this absurd2 but why is it absurd8 ,say we have in our young woman's class at the ,institute1 thirty or forty or fifty young women4 ,now1 we know that almost every one of these1 either as a mother or in some other capacity1 will have the care of children4 ,the ,institute assumes to give these young women such knowledge as shall be useful to them in after life4 ,if ,institutes are not for this purpose1 what are they for8 ,one might naturally suppose1 then1 that the kind of knowledge which its pupils need for their special vocation would rank first in importance4 ,and what kind will they need8 ,step into the house round the corner1 or down the street1 and ask that young mother1 looking with unutterable tenderness upon the little group around her1 what knowledge she would most value4 ,she will say1 ,i long more than words can express to know how to keep these children well4 ,i want to make them good children1 to so train them that they will be comforts to themselves and useful to others4 ,but ,i am ignorant on every point4 ,i don't know how to keep them well1 and ,i don't know how to control them1 how to guide them4 ,it is said1 you reply1 that every child brings love with it4 ,is not love all-powerful and all-sufficient8 ,love does come with every child2 but1 alas6 knowledge does not come with the love4 ,my love is so strong1 and yet so blind1 that it even does harm4 ,i would almost give up a little of my love if knowledge could be got in exchange4 ,here1 perhaps1 you inquire1 somewhat sarcastically1 if no instruction on these subjects was given at the ,institute4 ,she opens wide her astonished eyes4 ,oh1 no6 ,no1 indeed1--surely not4 ,what1 then1 were you taught there8 ,well1 many things1--,roman history for one4 ,we learned all about the ,punic ,wars1 their causes1 results1 and the names of the famous generals on both sides4 ,now1 if a ,bostonian were going to ,europe1 it would do him no harm to be told the names of all the streets in ,chicago1 the names of the inhabitants of each street1 with the stories of their lives1 their quarrels1 reconciliations1 and how each one rose or fell to his position4 ,acquiring these facts would be good mental exercise1 and from a part of them he would learn something of human nature4 ,but what that man wants to know more than any thing is1 on what day the steamer sails for ,europe3 is she seaworthy8 what are her accommodations8 is she well provisioned1 well manned1 well commanded8 are her life-preservers stuffed with cork or shavings8 ,so1 if a man is going to build a boat1 you might show him a collection of fossils1 and discourse to him of the gneiss system1 the mica-schist system1 or talk of the atomic theory and protoplasms4 ,such knowledge would help to enlarge his views1 extend his range of vision1 and strengthen his memory1 but would not help the man to build his boat4 ,he wants to know how to lay her keel straight1 how to hit the right proportions1 how to make her mind her helm1 how to make her go2 and he has been taught that the great pachyderms are divided into paleotheria and anoplotheria4 ,the same of our young mother3 she wants to know how to bring up her child1 and she has been taught how many ,punic wars there were1 their causes1 results1 and the names of the famous generals on both sides4 ,it may be asked here1 in what way1 or by what studies1 shall the young woman's class at the ,institute be taught the necessary knowledge8 ,it would be presumption in one like me to attempt a complete answer to that question4 ,but the professors1 presidents1 and stockholders of our ,institutes are learned and wise4 ,if these will let their light shine in this direction as they have let it shine in other directions1 a way will be revealed4 ,but1 while learning and wisdom are getting ready to do this1 mere common sense may offer a few suggestions4 ,suppose the young woman's class were addressed somewhat in this way3 ,it is probable that all of you1 in one capacity or another1 will have the care of young children1 and that for the majority it will be the chief duty of your lives4 ,there is1 then1 nothing in the whole vast range of learning so important to you as knowledge on this subject4 ,this for a general statement to begin with4 ,as for the particular subjects and their order1 common sense would ask1 first1 ,what does a young mother want to know first8 ,first1 she wants to know how to keep her child alive1 how to make it strong to endure or defy disease4 ,she needs to be taught1 for instance1 why a child should breathe pure air1 and why it should not get its pure air in the form of draughts4 ,she needs to know if it makes any difference what a child eats1 or how often1 and that a monotonous diet is injurious4 ,she needs to know something of the nutritive qualities of different kinds of food1 and why some are easy of digestion and others not1 and in what way each kind builds up the system4 ,she needs to understand the chemistry of cookery1 in order to judge what kinds of food are calculated to make the best blood1 bones1 and muscles4 ,she needs to have some general ideas in regard to ways of bringing back the system from an abnormal to a healthy state2 as1 for instance1 equalizing the circulations4 ,learned professors1 women physicians1 will know how to deliver courses of lectures on all such subjects1 and to tell what books have been written on them1 and where these books may be found4 ,and1 as for the absurdity of teaching these things beforehand1 compare that with the absurdity of rearing a race to hand over to physicians and undertakers1 and choose between4 ,and even apart from their practical bearing1 why are not such items of knowledge as well worth learning1 as simply items of knowledge1 as the hundreds of others which1 at present1 no young woman's course can be without8 ,there is no doubt that if mothers were given a knowledge of these matters beforehand1 instead of being left to acquire it experimentally1 the present frightful rate of infant mortality 7nearly twenty-five per cent7 would be reduced4 ,plenty of light has been thrown on this subject1 but the community does not receive it4 ,here is some which was contributed to one of the ,board of ,health reports by a physician4 ,the mother1 he says1 requires something more than her loving instincts1 her ready sympathies4 ,with all her good-will and conscientiousness1 mistakes are made4 ,the records of infant mortality offer a melancholy illustration of the necessity of the mother's previous preparation for the care of her children4 ,the first-born die in infancy in much larger proportion than their successors in the family4 ,the mother learns at the cost of her first child1 and is better prepared for the care of the second1 and still better for the third and fourth1 whose chances of development into full life and strength are much greater than those of the oldest brothers and sisters4 ,think of the mother learning at the cost of her first child1 and of the absurd young woman learning beforehand2 and choose between4 ,also please compare the previous preparation here recommended with the mere bureau-drawer preparation1 which is the only one at present deemed necessary4 ,another writer1 an ,englishman1 speaking of the high rate of infant mortality1 says1 ,it arises from ignorance of the proper means to be employed in rearing children1 which certainly is plain language4 ,such facts and opinions as these would make an excellent basis for a course of lectures at the ,institute1 to be given by competent women physicians4 ,the advertisements of ,mrs4 ,winslow's ,soothing ,syrup would be remarkably suggestive in this connection4 ,a mother of three little children said to me1 ,i give the baby her dose right after breakfast2 and she goes to sleep1 and sleeps all the forenoon4 ,that's the way ,i get my work done4 ,we all know why the baby sleeps after taking its dose4 ,we do not know how many mothers adopt this means of getting their work done2 but the fact that the proprietor of this narcotic gained his immense wealth by the sale of it enables us to form some idea4 ,the importance of educating nursery-girls for their calling1 and the physical evils which may arise from leaving young children entirely to the care of nursery-girls1 would be exceedingly suggestive as lecture subjects4 ,mr4 ,kingsley asks1 ,is it too much to ask of mothers1 sisters1 aunts1 nurses1 and governesses1 that they should study thrift of human health and human life by studying somewhat the laws of life and health8 ,there are books--,i may say a whole literature of books--written by scientific doctors on these matters1 which are1 to my mind1 far more important to the schoolroom than half the trashy accomplishments1 so called1 which are expected to be known by our governesses4 ,but1 supposing a mother succeeds in keeping her child alive and well1 what knowledge does she desire next8 ,she desires to know next how to guide it1 influence it1 mould its character4 ,she does all these1 whether she tries to or not1 whether she knows it or not1 whether she wishes to or not4 ,says ,horace ,mann1 ,it ought to be understood and felt1 that in regard to children all precept and example1 all kindness and harshness1 all rebuke and commendation1 all forms1 indeed1 of direct or indirect education1 affect mental growth1 just as dew1 and sun1 and shower1 or untimely frost1 affect vegetable growth4 ,their influences are integrated and made one with the soul4 ,they enter into spiritual combination with it1 never afterward to be wholly decompounded4 ,they are like the daily food eaten by wild game1 so pungent in its nature that it flavors every fibre of their flesh1 and colors every bone in their bodies4 ,indeed1 so pervading and enduring is the effect of education upon the youthful soul1 that it may well be compared to a certain species of writing ink1 whose color at first is scarcely perceptible1 but which penetrates deeper and grows blacker by age1 until1 if you consume the scroll over a coal-fire1 the character will still be legible in the cinders4 ,in regard to inherited bad traits1 the question arises1 if even these may not be changed for the better by skilful treatment given at a sufficiently early period4 ,children inheriting diseased bodies are sometimes so reared as to become healthy men and women4 ,to do this requires watchfulness and wise management4 ,how do we know that by watchfulness and wise management children born with inherited bad traits may not be trained to become good men and women8 ,but the majority of mothers do not watch for such traits4 ,it seldom occurs to them that they should thus watch4 ,why not bring the subject to the consideration of young women beforehand1 when1 being assembled in companies1 they are easy of access8 ,it is too late when they are scattered abroad1 and burdened each with her pressing family duties4 ,forewarned is forearmed4 ,some are of the opinion that the badness which comes by inheritance cannot be changed4 ,this is equivalent to believing that there is no help for the evil in the world4 ,unworthy and vicious parents are continually transmitting objectionable traits to their children1 who in turn will transmit them to theirs1 and so on to the end of time4 ,shall we fold our hands1 and resign ourselves to the prospect1 while our educators go on ignoring the whole matter1 and leaving those who might affect a change ignorant that it is in their power to do so8 ,but1 says one1 the children of those people who thought so much about education1 and who started with model theories1 behave no better than other people's children4 ,this may be true1 and still prove nothing4 ,those people might not have thought wisely about education4 ,their model theories might not have been adapted to the various temperaments often found in one family4 ,their children might have been exceptionally faulty by nature2 unsuspected inherited traits may have developed themselves1 and interfered with the workings of the model theories4 ,the failure of those people shows all the more the need of preparation given beforehand1 and given by those who make the subject a special study1 just as the professor of history1 or mathematics1 or natural philosophy1 makes his department a special study4 ,when we consider how much is at stake1 it really seems as if learned and wise professors could not employ their learning and wisdom to better purpose than in devising ways of enlightening the young woman's class upon any and every point which has a bearing on the intellectual and moral training of children4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,suggestions ,,for ,,lecture ,,topics4 ,it is not to be supposed that enlightenment on subjects pertaining to the intellectual and moral training of children can be given to a young woman in text-book fashion1 cut and dried1 put up in packages1 and labelled ready for use4 ,but it will be something gained to set her thinking on these subjects1 to make her feel their importance1 and to inform her in what books and by what writers they have been considered4 ,all this1 and more to the same purpose1 could be done by lectures and discussions1 for which lectures and discussions even humble common sense need be at no loss to suggest topics4 ,there are1 for instance1 the different methods of governing1 of reproving1 of punishing1 and of securing obedience2 the evils of corporal punishment1 of governing by ridicule1 of showing temper while punishing4 ,then there are questions like these3 ,how far should love of approbation be encouraged8 ,what prominence shall be given to externals1 as personal appearance1 the minutia of behavior1 politeness of speech8 ,how may perfect politeness be combined with perfect sincerity8 ,ways of inculcating integrity4 ,how to teach self-reliance1 without fostering self-conceit4 ,how to encourage prudence and economy1 and at the same time discourage parsimony4 ,how to combine firmness with kindness4 ,implicit obedience a good basis to work on4 ,how to enter into a child's life1 and make it a happy one4 ,how not to become a slave to a child's whims4 ,the different amounts of indulgence and of assistance which different temperaments will bear4 ,how shall liberality be inculcated1 and extravagance denounced8 ,on deceitfulness as taught by parents4 ,on lying as taught by parents4 ,on the impossibility of making one theory work in a whole family of children1 or always on a single child4 ,shall obedience be implicit1 and how early in the child's life shall it be exacted8 ,on marriages4 ,on the true issues of life4 ,when shall ambition and the spirit of emulation be encouraged1 and when repressed8 ,the possibility of too much fault-finding making a child callous4 ,if mere common sense discovers so many subjects1 what number may not learning and wisdom discover when their attention shall be turned in this direction8 ,the nursery-girl topic might come up again1 and be considered in its moral and intellectual aspects4 ,some mothers see their small children only once or twice a day1 while the nurse is with them constantly4 ,this fact might be made strikingly significant by placing it side by side with ,horace ,mann's words3 ,in regard to children1 all precept and example1 all kindness and harshness1 all rebuke and commendation1 all forms1 indeed1 of direct or indirect education1 affect mental growth1 just as dew and sun and shower1 or untimely frost1 affect vegetable growth4 ,their influences are integrated and made one with the soul4 ,they enter into spiritual combination with it1 never afterward to be wholly decompounded1--also with a previously quoted assertion1 founded on actual experiments1 that it is the medium in which a child is habitually immersed which helps most in forming the child's character4 ,the kind of reading which falls into the hands of the young would be found to be a lecture topic of appalling interest4 ,striking illustrations for such lectures could be taken from the advertisements and statistics of story-paper and dime-novel publishers4 ,the illustrated papers which can be bought and are bought by youth are crammed to overflowing with details of vice and barbarity4 ,they have columns headed ,a ,melange of ,murder1 ,fillicide1 or a ,son killing a ,father1 ,lust and ,blood1 ,fiendish ,assassination1 ,particulars of the ,hanging of ,john ,c4 ,kelly1 ,carving a ,darky1 ,an ,interesting ,divorce ,case in ,boston1 ,a ,band of ,juvenile ,jack ,sheppards4 ,and the pictures match the reading1--a jealous lover shooting a half-naked girl2 a father murdering his family2 an inquisitive youth peering into a ladies' dressing-room4 ,if the contents of these papers are bad for us to hear of1 what must they be to the youth who read them8 ,dime novels are advertised in these same papers as being issued once a month1 and supplied by all the news companies1 ,sensational stories from the pens of gifted ,american novelists6 ,the ,sharpers' ,league1 ,lyte1 or the ,suspected ,one1 ,the ,pirate's ,isle1 ,darrell1 the ,outlaw1 ,the ,night ,hawks1 containing ,midnight ,robbery1 ,plots dark and deep1 ,the ,female ,poisoner1 ,etne of the ,angel ,face and ,demon ,heart1 ,the ,cannibal ,kidnappers1 a ,sequel to the ,boy ,mutineers1 ,life for ,life1 or the ,spanish ,gipsy ,girl1 ,tom ,wildrake's ,school-days4 ,some of these papers are entitled ,boys' and ,girls' weeklies4 ,the old saying is1 ,build doves' nests1 and doves will come4 ,what kind of nests are being built by the young readers of these publications1 of which it may almost literally be said1 no boy can do without one8 ,the boy at school has one between the leaves of his geography2 the boy riding1 or sailing1 or resting from his work or his play1 draws one from his pocket2 the grocer's boy comes forward to serve you1 tucking one under his jacket4 ,in the way of statistics1 it might be stated that nineteen tons of obscene publications and plates for the same were seized at one time in ,new-,york ,city4 ,should representatives of our best families ask1 ,how does this affect us and ours8 it could be answered that catalogues of academies and boarding-schools are obtained1 and that these publications are then forwarded to pupils by mail4 ,topics of this kind would naturally suggest those of an opposite kind1 as modes of awakening in children an appreciation of the beauty1 the sublimity1 the wonderfulness1 of the various objects in the world of nature2 also of cultivating in their minds a taste for the beautiful and the refined in art1 literature1 manners1 conversation4 ,these considerations could be effectively introduced into a lecture or lectures ,on the ,building of ,doves' ,nests4 ,is it not essential that mothers should have the time1 the facilities1 and the knowledge necessary for accomplishing what is here suggested1 and that they be made sensible of its importance8 ,but there is many a busy mother now who can scarcely take time to look out when her children call her to see a rainbow1 much less to walk out with them among natural objects4 ,the object of these lectures should not be to teach any particular theories on which to act in the management of children1 but to so instruct1 so to enlighten young women1 that when the time for action comes they will act intelligently4 ,with the majority of women the management of children is a mere getting along4 ,in this getting along they often have recourse to deception2 thus teaching deceitfulness4 ,they are often unfair1 punishing on one occasion what they smile at or wink at on another2 thus teaching injustice4 ,they lose self-control1 and punish when in anger2 thus setting examples of violence and bad temper4 ,it is probable that a young woman who had been educated with a view to her vocation would be more likely to act wisely in these emergencies and in her general course of management1 than one who had not4 ,there would be more chance of her taking pains to consider4 ,she would not work so blindly1 so aimlessly1 so from hand to mouth1 as do some of our mothers4 ,such enlightenment is an enlightenment for which any good mother will be thankful4 ,she wants it to work with4 ,she feels the need of it every hour in the day4 ,why1 then1 is it not given to young women as a part of their education1 and as the most important part8 ,they are instructed in almost every thing else4 ,they can give you the areas1 population1 boundaries1 capitals1 and peculiarities of far-away and insignificant provinces2 the exact measurements of mountain ranges1 lakes1 and rivers2 statistics1 in figures1 of the farthest isle beyond the farthest sea4 ,they are lectured on the antediluvians1 on the ,milky ,way1 on the ,siamese1 ,japanese1 ,north ,pole1 on all the ologies2 on the literature1 modes of thought1 and modes of life1 of extinct races4 ,they can converse in foreign tongues2 they are familiar with dead languages1 and with the superstitions1 observances1 and quarrels of certain races1 barbarous or otherwise1 who existed thousands of years ago4 ,in fact1 they are taught1 after some fashion1 almost every thing except what their life-work will specially require4 ,little will it avail a mother in her seasons of perplexity or of bereavement to remember what wars engaged ,rome after the ,punic ,wars1 and how many years elapsed before she was mistress of the ,mediterranean4 ,this and the following questions are taken from the ,examination ,papers of a popular ,institute for young ladies4 ,give names and dates of the principal engagements of the ,persian wars1 with the names of the great men of ,greece during that period4 ,show cause1 object1 and result of the ,peloponnesian war4 ,give names and attributes of the seven kings of ,rome4 ,after the kings were driven out1 what does the internal history mainly consist of8 ,what were the social1 and what were the civil wars8 ,common sense might ask why every child born in the nineteenth century must go to work so solemnly to learn the minute particulars of those old wars6 ,still common sense would not declare such knowledge to be altogether worthless2 it would only suggest that woman wants the kind which will help her in her special department1 more than she wants this kind4 ,said a lady in my hearing1--an only child reared in the very centre of wealth and culture1--,i was most carefully educated2 but1 when ,i came to be the mother of children1 ,i found myself utterly helpless4 ,it is gratifying to know that in regard to these matters common sense has very respectable learning and wisdom on its side4 ,a celebrated writer and thinker says1 ,if by some strange chance not a vestige of us descended to the remote future1 save a pile of our school-books1 or some college examination papers1 we may imagine how puzzled an antiquary of the period would be on finding in them no indication that the learners were ever likely to be parents4 ',this must have been the curriculum for their celibates1' we may fancy him concluding3 ',i perceive here an elaborate preparation for many things2 especially for reading the books of extinct nations 7from which1 indeed1 it seems clear that these people had very little worth reading in their own tongue71 but ,i find no reference whatever to the bringing up of children4 ,they could not have been so absurd as to omit all training for this gravest of responsibilities4 ,evidently1 then1 this was the school-course of one of their monastic orders4' ,seriously1 is it not an astonishing fact1 that though on the treatment of offspring depend their lives or their deaths1 and their moral welfare or ruin1 not one word on such treatment is ever given to those who will hereafter be parents8 ,is it not monstrous1 that the fate of a new generation should be left to the chances of unreasoning custom1 impulse1 fancy1 joined with the suggestions of ignorant nurses and the prejudiced counsel of grandmothers8 ,to tens of thousands that are killed1 add hundreds of thousands that survive with feeble constitutions1 and millions that grow up with constitutions not so strong as they should be1 and you will have some idea of the curse inflicted on their offspring by parents ignorant of the laws of life4 ,with cruel carelessness they have neglected to learn any thing about these vital processes which they are unceasingly affecting by their commands and prohibitions2 in utter ignorance of the simplest physiological laws1 they have been1 year by year1 undermining the constitutions of their children1 and have so inflicted disease and premature death not only on them but on their descendants4 ,consider the young mother and her nursery legislation4 ,but a few years ago she was at school1 where her memory was crammed with words1 names1 and dates2 where not one idea was given her respecting the methods of dealing with the opening mind of childhood4 ,the intervening years have been passed in practising music1 in fancy work1 in novel-reading1 and in party-going2 no thought having been yet given to the grave responsibilities of maternity4 ,and now see her with an unfolding human character committed to her charge1--see her profoundly ignorant of the phenomena with which she has to deal1 undertaking to do that which can be done but imperfectly even with the aid of the profoundest knowledge4444 ,lacking knowledge of mental phenomena1 with their causes and consequences1 her interference is frequently more mischievous than absolute passivity would have been4 ,this writer1 it seems1 would also have young men educated with a view to their probable duties as fathers1 and so1 of course1 would we all2 and much might be said on this point1 especially of its bearing on the solution of our problem2 still1 as ,mr4 ,frothingham said in a recent address1 ,the mother1 of all others1 is the one to foster and control the individuality of the child4 ,it was good mothers which ,napoleon needed in order to secure the welfare of ,france4 ,such kind of women as are the mothers of great men1 is a significant sentence ,i have seen somewhere in print4 ,in fact1 so much depends on mothers1 that there seems no possible way by which our problem can be fully solved until the right kind of mothers shall have been raised up1 and their children be grown to maturity4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,ways ,,of ,,immediate ,,escape4 ,but is there no possible way by which mothers now living may escape from this present unsatisfactory condition8 ,yes2 but not many will adopt it4 ,simplicity in food and in dress would set free a very large number4 ,a great part of what are called their domestic occupations consists in the preparation of food which is worse than unnecessary4 ,a great part of their sewing work consists in fabricating trimmings which are worse than useless1 even considering beauty a use1 which it is4 ,let these simplify their cooking and their dressing1 and time for culture will appear1 and for them our problem be solved4 ,we preach against the vice of intemperance1 and with reason4 ,let us ask ourselves if intemperance in eating and in dressing is not even more to be deplored4 ,the former brings ruin to comparatively a few3 by means of the latter the whole tone of mind among women is lowered2 and we have seen what it costs to lower the tone of mind among women4 ,we must remember that not only is the condition of the mother reflected in the organism of her child1 but that the child is taught by the daily example of its mother what to look upon as the essentials of life4 ,i feel miserable1 said a feeble house-mother1 just recovering from sickness2 but ,i managed to crawl out into the kitchen1 and stir up a loaf of cake4 ,now1 why should a sick woman have crawled out into the kitchen1 to stir up a loaf of cake8 ,was that a paramount duty1--one which demanded the outlay of her little all of strength8 ,this is the obvious inference1 and one which children would naturally draw4 ,a lady of intelligence1 on hearing this case stated1 expressed the opinion that the woman did no more than her duty4 ,said this lady1 ,if her husband liked cake1 it was her duty to provide it for him at whatever sacrifice of health on her own part4 ,now1 it seems reasonable to suppose that an affectionate couple would have a mutual understanding in regard to such matters4 ,it seems reasonable to suppose that an affectionate husband would rather partake of plain fare in the society of a wife with sufficient health and spirits to be companionable1 than to eat his cake alone while she was recovering from the fatigue of making it4 ,speaking of inferences1 it is obvious what ones a child will draw from seeing its mother deprive herself of sleep and recreation and reading-time in order to trim a suit la mode4 ,and these inferences of children concerning essentials have a mighty bearing on our problem4 ,some ladies defend the present elaborate style of dress on the ground that it affords the means of subsistence to sewing-girls4 ,there is something in this1 but ,i think not so much as appears4 ,go into the upper lofts where much of this sewing is done1 and what will you find8 ,you will find them crowded with young girls1 bending over sewing-machines1 or over work-tables1 breathing foul air1 and1 in some cases1 engaged in conversations of the most objectionable character4 ,their pay is ridiculously small1--a dollar and a half for doing the machine-work on a full-trimmed fashionable suit4 ,i learned this1 and about the conversations1 from a worker at one of these establishments4 ,clothes1 especially outside clothes1 they must have and will have2 consequently the saving must be made on food4 ,some1 too poor to pay board1 hire attic rooms1 and pinch themselves in both fire and food4 ,they often carry their dinner1 say bread1 tea1 and confectioner's pie1 and remain at the store all day4 ,they are liable to be thrown among vile associates2 they are exposed to many temptations4 ,they enrich their employers1 but not themselves4 ,in dull seasons their situation is pitiable1 not to say dangerous4 ,a great number of them come from country homes4 ,of these1 many might live comfortably in those homes1 and others might earn a support by working in their neighbors' houses1 where they would be considered as members of the families1 have good lodging and nourishing food1 and where their assistance is not only desired1 but in some cases actually suffered for4 ,they prefer the excitements of city life4 7,of course1 these remarks do not apply to all of them47 ,fashionable ladies may not employ shop-girls directly or indirectly1 but their example helps to make a market for the services of these girls4 ,another consideration is1 that the poor seamstress who is benefited directly by the money of fashionable ladies is taught as directly1 by their example1 false views as to the essentials of life2 so that what helps in one way hinders in another4 ,all this should be considered by those who bring forward sewing-girls' needs as an argument for an elaborate style of dress4 ,even were this argument sound1 it fails to cover the case4 ,a very large proportion of our women have not money enough to hire their sewing done1 and it is upon these that the wearisome burden falls4 ,to keep up1 to vary with the varying fashion1 they toil in season and out of season4 ,day after day you will see them at their work-tables1 their machines1 their lap-boards2 ripping1 stitching1 turning1 altering1 furbishing2 complaining often of sideache1 of backache1 of headache1 of aching all over2 denying themselves outdoor air and exercise and reading-time1--and all because they consider dressing fashionably an essential of life4 ,with them1 what costs only time1 health1 and strength1 costs nothing4 ,think of this going on all over the country4 ,think of the sacrifices it involves4 ,in view of them1 it really seems as if those who can afford to hire their sewing done should give up elaborate trimmings just for example's sake4 ,to be sure1 this is not striking at the foundation4 ,to be sure1 this is not the true way of bringing about a reform4 ,but1 while waiting to get at the foundation1 would it not be well to work a little on the surface for the sake of immediate results8 ,you would refrain from taking a glass of wine if1 by so doing1 you made abstinence easier for your weaker brother or sister4 ,why not consider the weakness of these toiling sisters8 ,it is not their fault that they do not see what are the true issues of life4 ,they have not been wisely educated4 ,if the wealthy and influential would adopt a simple style of dress1 their doing so would be the means of relieving many overburdened women immediately1 and of helping them to solve the problem we are considering4 ,it is not wicked to dress simply1 and no principle would be sacrificed4 ,neither would good taste4 ,indeed1 the latter is opposed to excessive ornamentation1 whether in dress1 manners1 speech1 or writing4 ,long live beauty6 ,long live taste6 ,long live the aesthetic side6 ,but simplicity does not necessarily imply plainness1 nor homeliness1 nor uncouthness4 ,there can be a simplicity of adornment4 ,i am aware that acting for example's sake is not a sound principle of action2 but it is a question if it be not duty in this particular case4 ,a lady physician of large practice once said to me1 ,i see1 among poor girls1 so much misery caused by this1--meaning this rage for excessive trimming1--that ,i can scarcely bring myself to wear even one plain fold4 ,if it be asked1 ,should we not also relinquish costly fabrics1 and the elegant appointments of our dwellings8 it may be answered1 that poor girls commonly give up these as being entirely out of their reach4 ,they buy low-priced material1 and call the dress cheap which costs only their time1 their strength1 their sleep1 and their opportunities for reading and recreation4 ,we all know that the right way is to so educate woman that she will be sensible in these matters4 ,the external life is but the natural outgrowth of the internal4 ,it is of no use cutting off follies and fripperies from the outside so long as the heart's desire for them remains4 ,this heart's desire must have something better in its place1--something higher1 nobler1 worthier4 ,this something is enlightenment2 and to effect the exchange we shall have to begin at the beginning1 and enlighten the mothers4 ,follies and fripperies1 in cooking or dressing1 will give way before enlightenment1 just as do the skin paintings1 tattooings1 gaudy colors1 glass beads and tinsel1 and other absurdities of savage tribes2 just as have done the barbaric customs and splendors of the barbaric ages4 ,woman is not quite out of her barbaric stage yet4 ,at any rate1 she is not fully enlightened4 ,the desire for that redundancy of adornment which is in bad taste still remains4 ,in the process of evolution1 the nose-ring has been cast off2 but rings are still hooked into the flesh of the ears1 and worn with genuine barbaric complacency4 ,when women are all wisely educated1 our problem will melt away and disappear4 ,the wisely-educated woman will1 of her own accord1 lay hold on essentials and let go unessentials4 ,she will do the best thing with her time1 the best thing with her means4 ,she may conform to fashion1 but will not feel obliged to do so4 ,in fact1 when women become enlightened1 non-conformity to fashion will be all the fashion4 ,right of private judgment in the matter will be conceded4 ,all women shall dress as seemeth to them good2 and no woman shall say1 or think1 or look1 ,why do ye so8 ,those having insufficient means and time will be so wise as not to feel compelled to dress like those who have plenty of both4 ,meanwhile1 as an immediate measure of relief1 suppose a dozen or twenty mothers in each town should agree to adopt a simple yet tasteful style of dress for themselves and their little girls4 ,this would lighten1 at once1 their heavy burden of work1 give them time to read1 and would be a benefit to those little girls in many ways4 ,another way of immediate escape is by making the present race of husbands aware that their wives are being killed1 or crazed1 with hard work and care1 especially husbands in the small towns and villages1 and more especially farmers4 ,in regard to these last1 it is no exaggeration to say that their wives in many cases work like slaves4 ,indeed1 this falls short of the truth1 for slaves have not the added burden of responsibility4 ,as things are now1 the woman who marries a farmer often goes1 as one may say1 into a workhouse1 sentenced to hard labor for life4 ,when these husbands permit their wives to overwork1 it is not from indifference1 but from sheer ignorance4 ,they don't know1 they don't begin to conceive1 of the labor there is in woman's work4 ,it is true that neither are merchant-princes aware of what it costs their wives to superintend the complicated arrangements of their establishments2 to see that all the wheels1 and the wheels within wheels1 revolve smoothly1 and that comfort and style go hand in hand2 but let us consider now the farmers' wives1 toiling on1 and on1 and on1 in country towns1 ,east1 ,west1 and all the way between4 ,their husbands1 in not a few cases1 are able to hire at least the drudgery done1 and would if they only knew4 ,a young woman from a ,new ,hampshire village1 herself an invalid from hard work1 speaking to me of her mother1 said1 ,she suffers every thing with her back4 ,when she stoops down to the oven to attend to the pies1 she has to hold on to her back1 hard1 to get up again4 ,i said1 ,why1 ,i shouldn't think your father would let her make them4--,oh1 said she1 father don't understand4 ,he's hard4 ,one day ,i was sitting in the house of a young woman1--a fragile1 delicate creature1 scarcely able to lift the baby she was holding1--when her husband came in4 ,he was a working man1 tall and robust looking4 ,he walked toward the pantry4 ,you mustn't cut a pie1 the little wife called out laughing4 ,then turning to me1 she said1 with a sort of appealing1 piteous glance1 ,he don't understand how hard it is for me to make pies4 ,i know a young woman1 not a strong woman1 who1 with a family of very little children1 does her own work1 and makes from one to two dozen pies at a common baking1 'cause hubby loves 'em4 ,i know another1 similarly situated1 who gives her husband pies at breakfast as well as at other meals1 because he was brought up to them at home4 ,now1 all these hubbies are loving hubbies1 but--they do not know4 ,a friend of mine1 an elderly woman lately deceased1 came to her death 7so her neighbors said7 by hard work4 ,killed with work1 was the exact expression they used4 ,she was a dear good woman2 a person of natural refinement1 of strict integrity1 of a forgiving spirit1 intelligent1 sweet-tempered1 gentle-mannered2 everybody loved her4 ,her husband is a well-to-do farmer4 ,he inherited money and lands1 and has them still4 ,his wife1 who was every thing to him1 whom he could not bear out of his sight1 and for whom1 if he had known1 he would have sacrificed money and lands1 is gone4 ,but--he did not know4 ,mother never complained4 ,mother did the cooking1 did the washing1 scrubbed the floors4 ,they had company forever1 the neighbors said4 ,mother received1 with smiling hospitality1 all who came4 ,help was hard to procure2 still help might and would have been procured had the husband known the case to be1 as it certainly was1 a case of life or death4 ,but--he did not know3 so mother died of work and care4 ,you sometimes see a woman1 after hurrying through her forenoon's work1 sink down entirely prostrated1 too tired to speak a loud word1 every nerve in her body quivering4 ,the jar of a footfall upon the floor sets her all a-tremble4 ,as dinnertime approaches1 you see that woman stepping briskly about the house1 a light in her eye1 a flush on her cheek1 vivacity in her motions4 ,she is living on excitement2 it is ambition which keeps her up4 ,her husband1 coming in to his dinner1 takes her briskness and vivacity as matters of course1 regarding her1 probably1 as a woman who has nothing to do but to stay in the house all day4 ,he has no more idea of the condition of that woman than her infant has4 ,there are thousands of husbands1 who1 if they knew1 would lift the burden of at least the heaviest drudgery from their wives1 thus giving them longer leases of life4 ,but1 as a rule1 wives keep their bad feelings to themselves4 ,they know that a complaining woman is a term of reproach4 ,they are exhorted in newspaper after newspaper to make home happy by cheerful looks and words4 ,they wish to do so4 ,with a laudable desire to save money1 they spend themselves1 and get along without help4 ,it is truly a getting-along1 not a living4 ,sometimes1 however1 they are obliged to mention their feebleness1 or their ailments1 as reasons for neglect of duty4 ,it is astonishing how little importance1 in many cases1 the husband attaches to the facts thus stated4 ,apparently he considers ailments either as being natural to woman1 or as afflictions sent upon her by the ,lord4 ,he seems to look upon her as a sort of machine1 which is liable to run down1 but which may easily be wound up by a little medicine1 and set going again4 ,if the medicine does not set her going again1 he brings her pastor to pray for her2 if she dies1 he says1 ,the ,lord hath taken her away4 ,all this because he does not know4 ,when husbands are enlightened on this important point1 this solemn point1 they will insist on less work for women4 ,less work implies more leisure1 and with leisure comes time for culture4 ,another step towards the immediate solution of our problem is1 to establish the fact that woman stands on a level with man1 and is neither an appendage nor a relict4 ,relict1 it is true1 only means that which is left2 still we do not hear ,james ,smith called the relict of ,hannah ,smith4 ,standing on the same level does not imply a likeness1 but simply a natural equality1--equality1 for instance1 in matters of conscience1 judgment1 and opinion4 ,it is often said1 that1 as a barbarous race progresses toward civilization1 its women are brought nearer and nearer to an equality with its men4 ,thus in the barbaric stage woman is an appendage to man1 existing solely for his pleasure and convenience4 ,she is then at her lowest4 ,as civilization progresses1 she rises gradually nearer an equality with man4 ,when she is all the way up1 when her individuality is recognized as man's is recognized1 then civilization1 in this respect1 will have done its perfect work4 ,woman among us is almost all the way up1 but not quite4 ,she is still considered1 and considers herself1 a little bit inferior by nature4 ,we see at once how this bears upon our question4 ,just so much as woman is considered inferior1 just so much less importance is attached to the nature of her occupations and acquirements4 ,it is all right enough that an inferior being should devote herself to follies1 or to drudgeries1 or to catering to fastidious appetites4 ,these duties are on a level with her capacities2 for these she was created1 and for these culture is unneeded4 ,when civilization shall have finished its work1 so far as to bring woman up to her true position of equality with man1--equality in matters of conscience1 judgment1 opinion1 and privileges1--then will man be able to put off from his shoulders the responsibility of deciding what is1 and what is not1 proper for her to do4 ,he has carried double weight long and uncomplainingly1 and should in justice to himself be relieved4 ,equals need not decide for equals4 ,woman will take up the burden he throws off1 and decide for herself4 ,we must proceed cautiously here1 for there are lions in the path4 ,being free to choose1 she may choose to take interest in such kinds of public affairs as have a bearing on her special duty4 ,we are interested in this1 remember1 because whatever affects her special duty affects the solution of our problem4 ,now let us ask1 under our breaths1 what are public affairs8 ,the public consists of individuals4 ,if there were no individuals there would be no public4 ,public affairs1 then1 are only individual's affairs1 managed collectively1 because that is the most convenient way of managing them4 ,their good or bad management affects the comfort of men1 women1 and children4 ,let us ask1 why1 simply by being christened public affairs1 should they be turned into a great1 horrid bugaboo1 too dangerous for women even to think of8 ,schools are a part of public affairs1 and one would suppose it to be a part of woman's vocation to ascertain what is the influence of these schools on the children she is bringing up2 to learn whether they are working with her or against her4 ,cases might arise concerning choice of teachers1 hours of study1 kinds of study1 ventilation1 and so forth1 in which it would be her duty1 as a child-trainer1 to express an opinion3 like the following one1 for instance1 which comes to us in the newspapers1 as criminal negligence in the affairs at the ,mount ,pleasant ,schoolhouse1 by which about a dozen children have died of disease1 others passed through severe sickness1 and not a few1 including teachers1 made temporary invalids1 or infected with boils or scrofulous sores1 caused by breathing the polluted air that has infested the building from neglected earth-closets4 ,the ,board of ,health officially announced that this was the cause of the sickness1 and recommended the removal of the earth-closets4 ,the janitor of the building1 it seems1 is incompetent1 and holds his place only because he is also a member of the ,school ,board2 which suggests the query whether men unfit for janitors are usually placed on the ,nashua ,school ,committee4444 ,five of the lads who died were among the brightest scholars in the public schools4 ,the building has not yet been properly renovated4 ,shall woman's sons be thus destroyed1 and woman be powerless to interfere8 ,in urgent cases like this1 it might become the duty of the mother to express her opinion by dropping a slip of paper with a name written on it into a hat or a box4 ,it would even be possible to conceive of emergencies in which these slips of paper would so affect some vital issue1--as1 for instance1 the choice or removal of the janitor who will furnish the air for her children to breathe1--that the father would stay with the children while the mother went out to thus express her opinion4 ,then1 indeed1 would the climax be reached6 ,then would that state of things so long foretold have come to pass3 the husband takes care of the children1 while the wife goes out to vote6 ,then would the funny artist snatch up his pencil1 and the funny editor his quill4 ,it has always been a mystery to me where the laugh came in on this joke4 ,true1 it is not his calling2 but what is there so very incongruous in a father's taking care of his own children8 ,fathers love their children1 and will toil night and day for them1 even for the very small ones4 ,is there any thing ridiculous1 then1 in their taking them in their arms1 and overlooking their childish sports8 ,a man may take a lamb in his arms without losing an iota of his dignity1 and without being caricatured in any one of our weeklies4 ,it is quite time that these precious little human lambs ceased to be the subjects of scoffs and sneers4 ,but we must pass on from this part of our subject1 and glance at one or two other ways of immediate escape from the present unsatisfactory state of things4 ,see how quickly such escape might be made by a truly enlightened family4 ,first1 they hold counsel together1 men and women1 all desiring the same object4 ,question1 ,how shall mother find time for culture8 ,say the male members1 ,mother's work must be lessened1--must be3 there is a necessity in the case4--,but how8--,well1 investigate4 ,begin with the cooking4 ,let's see what we can do without4 ,three cheers for our side6 ,when man begins to see what cooking he can do without1 woman will begin to see her time for culture4 ,dinners are summoned to the bar1 examined1 and found guilty of too great variety and of too elaborate desserts4 ,sentence1 less variety1 and fruit for dessert instead of pies1 or even pudding3 exception filed here in favor of simple pudding when first course is scanty or lacking4 ,suppers summoned1 tried1 and found guilty of too great variety and too much richness2 sentenced to omit pies for life1 and admonished by judge not to cling too closely to work-compelling cake4 ,the time thus rescued from the usurper1 ,cooking1 is handed over to mother1 the true heir1 to have1 and to hold4 ,or1 suppose the question to be one of health4 ',mother' works too hard4 ,she will wear herself out4--,she doesn't complain4--,that makes no difference4 ,she must have help4--,where is the money coming from to pay the help8--,make it2 earn it2 dig for it2 do without something2 give up something2 sell something2 live on bread and water4 ,is there any thing that will weigh in the balance against 'mother's' life8 ,we shall feel grief when she is worn out2 why not when she is wearing out8 ,we would make sacrifices to bring her back2 why not to keep her with us8 ,the truth is1 that heretofore the wrong things have been counterbalanced4 ,placing simple food in one scale1 and dainties in the other1 of course the latter outweighs the former2 but place mother's needs and mother's life in one scale1 and dainties in the other1 and then will the latter fly up out of sight1 and never be heard from any more4 ,councils of this kind1 we must remember1 are not to become general until the requirements of woman's mission are generally understood1 and until a great many men are made aware that a great many women are killing themselves by hard work and care1 and until academic professors perceive that it is wiser to give a young woman the knowledge she will want to use than that which is given for custom's sake4 ,but how is this general enlightenment to be effected8 ,i don't know1 unless the lecturer makes these subjects the theme of his lecture1 or the poet the burden of his verse1 or the minister the text of his discourse4--,not proper to be brought into the church8 ,why not8 ,a great deal about heathen women is brought into the church4 ,are ,american women of less account than they8 ,does not the condition of our women call for missionary effort8 ,true1 ,american wives do not sacrifice themselves for their deceased husbands1 but we have seen that they are sacrificed4 ,there is here no sacred river into which the mother hurls her newborn babe2 but it has been shown1 that1 because ,american mothers are left in ignorance1 a large proportion of their children drop from their arms into the dark river of death4 ,should any object that such subjects are below the dignity of the church1 we might reply that the church is bound to help us for the reason that the present state of things is partly owing to her efforts4 ,the ministers of the church in past times have labored to convince people that this life for its own sake is of little account2 that we were placed here1 not to develop the faculties and enjoy the pleasures which pertain to this stage of our existence1 but solely to prepare for another4 ,they have taught that we sicken and die prematurely because ,god wills it1 not because we transgress his laws4 ,to those suffering physically from such transgression they have said in effect1 ,pray ,god to relieve your pain1 for he sent it upon you4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,means ,,of ,,escape ,,already ,,in ,,operation4 ,three effective means by which the desired change may be accomplished are1 first1 that women meet regularly for the purpose of discussing such matters as especially affect them and their mission2 second1 that they have a paper for this same object2 third1 that representative women from different sections of the country come together occasionally1 and compare views on these matters4 ,such means we already have in the ,woman's ,club1 the ,woman's ,journal1 and the ,woman's ,congress4 ,the first of these institutions is not what the uninitiated1 judging from its name1 might suppose4 ,the writer1 though not a club-member1 can affirm of her own knowledge1 that at the weekly gatherings questions are discussed which have a direct bearing on the interests of the family and household4 ,from these gatherings1 members return to their homes strengthened1 refreshed1 enlightened4 ,all teachers can testify that from teachers' conventions they go back to work with awakened interest1 fresh zeal1 and with newly-acquired ideas4 ,the contact of mind with mind has invigorated them4 ,they have all taken from each other1 yet none have been losers1 but all have been gainers4 ,every school which lost its teacher for a season gained tenfold by that teacher's absence4 ,so it is with the club meetings4 ,women leave their homes to consider how the standard of those homes may be raised4 ,i happened to be present once when the discussion was upon ,the amount and kind of obedience to be exacted from children2 and ,i said to myself1 ,now1 this seems the right thing exactly4 ,how natural1 how sensible1 for women to meet and confer on such subjects as this1 each one bringing her perplexities or her suggestions2 the old giving their experience1 the young profiting thereby6 ,what better could mothers do for their children than thus to meet occasionally and hold counsel together8 ,still people in general do not take this view of the case4 ,people in general are satisfied if a mother is bodily present with her children1 and do not trouble themselves as to her enlightenment4 ,look at the last ,woman's ,congress1 side by side with three other large conventions held in this country not so very long ago1 and compare its purposes with theirs4 ,the questions which occupied the members of one of the three related chiefly to articles of belief1 and to those particular articles of belief in which they all believed4 ,it was stated beforehand1 that the great object to be attained was unity1 and that no subjects would come up which1 by calling out opposing opinions1 might mar the harmony of the occasion4 ,another convention occupied much of its time in deciding whether those of the denomination who sit at communion with others of the denomination who have sat at communion with a person who has not been wholly immersed1 shall be fellowshipped by the denomination4 ,an enthusiastic member of still another convention publishes a long and glowing account of its proceedings1 in which account occurs the following curious paragraph3-- ,during the discussions in convention1 the presentation of petitions and memorials and drafts of canons1 the reports of the committees on canons1 the amendments and substitutes1 the transit of canons back and forth between the two houses1 and finally1 the conference committee1 the slowly developing action of the convention was under such confusion and cloud1 that it was and may yet be difficult for many1 especially those at a distance1 to make up their mind as to what finally took place4 ,the object of this paragraph was to account for some wrong impressions made by the published reports4 ,i submit that what humanity wants to know is1 how to live rightly1 and that it is suffering for this knowledge4 ,it is not suffering to know all about altar cloths and eucharistic lights1 and colored chasubles and the use of the viretta in worship4 ,it is not suffering to know if certain persons can partake of the ,lord's ,supper with other certain persons who have partaken with other certain persons4 ,it is not suffering to know that a large number of individuals believe exactly alike1 and exactly as did their ancestors4 ,how are all these agreements and disagreements to help a poor fellow who has inherited certain proclivities1 and wishes to be rid of them1 and that his children may overmaster them8 ,humanity does want to know1 right away1 how to keep itself alive and well and doing well4 ,it wants brought up for consideration the wrongs which oppress it1 the evils which defile it1 the crimes which degrade it2 to have their causes investigated1 and their remedies suggested4 ,this is live work2 and it is such work as this which occupied the attention of the ,woman's ,congress4 ,no uncertain sound there4 ,those at a distance1 those at the very antipodes1 might make up their mind that its members were asking themselves1 what have we1 as wives and mothers1 to do with these things8 ,while other conventions are agreeing1 and fellowshipping1 and wrangling over altar cloths1 and virettas1 the ,woman's ,congress considers matters which have an immediate practical bearing on the welfare of human beings4 ,while the community is working away at the surface1 with its prisons1 its police1 its hangmen1 its societies for the suppression of vice1 its schools for reform1 its homes for the fallen 7no doubt often with good results71 the ,woman's ,congress strikes at the foundation1 and by pointing out ,the ,influence of ,literature upon ,crime1 and the telling effect of ,pre-natal ,influences1 suggests how vice may be prevented1 character right-formed1 and humanity kept from falling4 ,it inquires1 ,how can ,woman best oppose ,intemperance8 ,it considers those two vast underlying subjects1 ,the ,education of ,women1 and ,the ,physical ,education of our ,girls2 while it by no means overlooks those unfortunates whom society sets apart1 and labels fallen women4 ,in regard to our problem1 if any light has been thrown1 if1 the word has been guessed1 ,i should say the word is enlightenment1--enlightenment of the community as to the requirements of woman's mission1 enlightenment of woman herself as a preparation for that mission4 ,what say you1 friends8 ,shall our women receive such enlightenment8 and shall it come in to the finishing or supplementary part of their education 7so called78 ,true1 this will cause innovations2 but is it therefore objectionable8 ,no one will call our present system of education a perfect one2 why1 then1 should there not be innovations8 ,why1 indeed1 asks a writer in ,the ,atlantic1 except that the training of their children is the last thing about which parents and communities will exert themselves to vigorous thought and independent action8 ,no more striking proof of the inertia of the human mind can be found1 he says1 than the fact444 that for many generations the true philosophy of teaching has had its prophets and apostles1 and yet that substantially we are training our children in the same old blundering way4 ,the fault of this old blundering way1 it seems to me1 is its one-sidedness4 ,it educates only the intellect4 ,is this the right way8 ,surely the moral nature is also educable4 ,indeed1 if the mind is trained to act energetically1 so much more should the moral sense be trained to control the workings of that mind4 ,then1 since the world1 we hope1 is outgrowing battles1 why is it considered essential that we inform ourselves so particularly1 so minutely1 so statistically1 concerning battles fought so long1 long1 long ago8 ,does the process hasten on the time of beating swords into ploughshares8 ,suppose each generation1 as it comes on to the stage1 does inform itself thus minutely3 what1 in the long-run1 does humanity gain thereby8 ,but these considerations open up subjects too vast and too important to be even mentioned in these closing chapters4 ,will not you who know the inevitable influence of the mother upon her children1--will you not see to it that some portion of the time devoted to her education is spent in preparing her for her life-work8 ,can you think of any surer way than this by which good citizens may be raised up for our country8 ,wickedness abounds4 ,it is omnipresent4 ,every day1--yes1 twice a day1--the newspapers bring us tidings of corruption1 fraud1 villany1 not only in low places1 but in high places2 in exceedingly high places4 ,crime is on the increase4 ,public officials1 supported and trusted by the people1 hesitate not to defraud the people4 ,individuals in good and regular standing socially and religiously1 church-members1 sabbath-school teachers1 defraud their nearest friends4 ,nobody can tell whom to trust4 ,if1 then1 neither church1 nor state1 nor social position1 nor any outside influence1 has power to make men honest1 where shall we look for such power8 ,we must look to an inside influence4 ,the restraining power1 in order to be effective in all cases1 must proceed from the character of the individual2 and the character of the individual is formed to a very great degree by early training2 and early training comes from--women4 ,so here we are again down to our working ground4 ,let us hope that innovations will be made4 ,let us hope that at no distant day it will be thought as important for a young person to be made a good member of society as to be able to cipher in the rule of three1 in alligation medial and alligation alternate4 ,a recent writer1 a professor in the ,university of ,pennsylvania1 urges the importance of incorporating into our public school systems such studies and such training as will tend to educate men for their place in the body politic4 ,he says1 ,a line of teaching which concerns matters of more importance to society than all the ordinary branches of knowledge put together is allowed to have no formal provision made for it4 ,this writer recommends the study of biographies4 ,in ,locke's system good principles were to be cared for first1 intellectual activity next1 and actual knowledge last of all4 ,suppose the young women of thirty years ago had been thoroughly instructed in hygienic laws3 would not the effects of such instruction be perceptible in our present health-rates and death-rates8 ,let us begin now to affect the health-rates and death-rates of thirty years hence4 ,and it will do no harm to instruct young men also in such matters4 ,even while ,i am writing these pages1 a ,state ,board of ,health report comes to me1 in which it is shown by facts and figures how our death-rates are affected by ignorance1--ignorance as exhibited in the locating1 building1 and ventilating of dwelling-houses1 drainage1 situation of wells1 planting of trees1 choice of food and cooking of the same1 as well as in the management of children4 ,can any subjects comprised in any school course compare in importance with these8 ,for humanity's sake1 let our young people take time enough from their geographies and ,latin dictionaries to learn how to keep themselves alive6 ,it is possible too1 that1 if the young women of thirty years ago had been enlightened on the subject of moral and mental training1 our present crime rates might be less than they are1 and dishonesty and dishonor in high places and in low places be less frequent4 ,mr4 ,whittier tells the story of a man in a certain town1 who desired the removal of an old building--an almshouse1 ,i think--from a certain locality4 ,as the quickest way of accomplishing this1 he gave a man a dollar a day on condition that this man should do nothing else but talk from morning to night with various people on the subject of having that building moved4 ,and it was moved4 ,the old building we have to move is made up of prejudices1 ignorance1 settled opinions1 and firmly-established customs1 and it is therefore quite time we were beginning our work4 ,remember the tremendous importance of our object4 ,an ,englishman1 ,lord ,rosebury1 in a recent address1 insists on a special preparation for the hereditary rulers who sit in ,parliament2 and1 if those who are to rule mind need this1 how much more do they need it who are to stamp mind1 and give it its first direction6 ,horace ,mann shall close this chapter with one of his impressive sentences4 ,says this truly great man1 ,if we fasten our eyes upon the effects which education may throw forward into immortal destinies1 it is then that we are awed1 amazed1 overpowered1 by the thought that we have been placed in a system where the soul's eternal flight may be made higher or lower by those who plume its tender wings1 and direct its early course4 ,such is the magnitude1 the transcendence1 of this subject4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,supplementary4 ,some persons have asked1 after hearing or reading the foregoing suggestions1 ,do not men also work too much and read too little8 ,is not the influence of fathers on their children to be considered8 ,should not fathers be educated for their vocation8 ,to these questions there can be but one answer4 ,yes6 and the yes cannot be too emphatic4 ,but the paper which formed the nucleus of these chapters was written by a woman at the request of women1 to be read before a woman's club assembled to consider the question1 ,how shall the mother obtain culture8 ,the very fact that such a question had suggested itself to them1 shows that women feel the need of more than their present opportunities for culture4 ,if men feel this need1 there is nothing to prevent them from assembling to discuss their unsatisfactory condition1 to devise ways of improving it1 to consider their responsibilities1 and to inquire how they shall best qualify themselves to fulfil the duties of their vocation4 ,the writer is under the impression that men's clubs do not meet especially with a view to such discussions4 ,the following paragraphs comprise the first part of a letter published in ,the ,new ,york ,tribune4 ,these letters will speak to the hearts of thousands of women all through the country1 and particularly to the women out ,west1 as they have already to my own4 ,this problem has been revolved in my mind again and again1 but no clew has appeared by which to solve it2 and ,i have laid it down hopelessly1 feeling that there is no alternative but to submit and carry the burden as long as strength endures1 and seeing no outlook for the future but in a brief period of old age1 when care and labor must come on younger shoulders4 ,i want to speak only of the condition of women with whom ,i am best acquainted1--the wives of farmers in this part of ,illinois4 ,many instances ,i have known of women who received in the ,east an education in some cases superior to that of their husbands1 but a life of constant care and drudgery has caused them to lose1 instead of gain in mental culture1 while the husbands have grown away from them2 and it is only in subjects of a lower nature that they have a common interest4 ,a man1 in his every-day intercourse with other men1 and his business calls into all kinds of places and scenes1 must be a fool not to receive new ideas1 not to become more intelligent on many subjects4 ,but what can be expected of the wife1 almost always at home in the isolated farm-house1 in a sparsely settled community1 and if poor and struggling with debt1 as many are1 with no reading except1 one or two newspapers8 ,if she had a library of books1 it would make but little difference1 for she has no time to read them4 ,all through the ,western country there is an absolute dearth of women's help4 ,a girl can hardly be obtained for love or money4 ,girls in towns or cities will not go into the country1 and country girls are too independent4 ,if they have a father's house1 they will not leave it for any length of time1 as actual want is not known here in the country4 ,within a radius of five miles in every direction from my home1 where ,i have lived eight years1 ,i have never known or heard of a family or person suffering for any thing to eat1 drink1 or wear2 and have never had a call for help in that direction4 ,a house-mother of my acquaintance1 whose husband owns a section farm1 suffers much from illness1 and has a large family1 yet for months has been without any help in her work but that of her little girls1--the oldest not over twelve1--simply because she could not get a servant4 ,the farmers themselves are under less necessity to labor than in many other parts of the country4 ,farms are comparatively large1 and produce large crops1 and it pays them to hire laborers4 ,many farmers work in the field very little1 while the wife and mother does the housework not only for her own family1 but for from one to three laborers4 ,during the rush of crop raising and harvesting1 from ,april to ,august1 she must be up at four in the morning1 and she cannot have her supper until the farm work is all done2 and by the time her children are put to bed1 the milk cared for1 and dishes washed1 it is nine o'clock or after4 ,it is hard for a woman who is hungry for reading to see how much leisure even hired men have to read1--their winter and rainy days1 their long noonings and evenings1 and odd bits of time1 while she has comparatively none4 ,it seems1 then1 that it is with women as with men3 at the ,west too few workers for the work1 at the ,east too little work for the workers4 ,now1 in the case of the men1 there is a regularly organized plan to bring the workers to the work4 ,laborers are taken from the ,east where they stand in each other's way1 and carried to the ,west where their services are needed4 ,why not have some arrangement of this kind for the women8 ,in the present condition of things1 destitute women and girls congregate in our cities1 and in dull seasons depend on charity for their daily food4 ,in ,boston1 during the last winter1 this charitable feeding was reduced to a system1 and1 according to published reports1 immense numbers were thus supplied with food4 ,it seems a pity that women and girls should starve or live on charity in our cities1 while so many families in the ,west are suffering for their help4 ,can there not be some concerted plan between these widely separated sections of the country whereby at least a portion of our destitute ones can be conveyed to the ,west1 and there provided with comfortable homes8 ,by private letters received from ,tribune readers living in different parts of the country1 it appears that many thoughtful people are considering our problem1 and devising ways of solving it4 ,one of these letters says1 ,you sprinkle rose water where you should pour aquafortis4 ,you say husbands 'don't know' that their wives are overworked4 ,the truth is1 they don't care4 ,the writer recommends that the laws be so altered as to make second marriages illegal1 assuming that1 if a man could have only one wife1 he would take good care of that one4 ,this is an unpleasant view of the case1 and would not be presented here1 only that1 from the earnest downrightness of the letter1 it seems probable that its writer speaks from knowledge1 and represents a class1--a small one1 let us hope4 ,three private letters1 coming one from the ,south1 one from the ,east1 and one from the ,west1 declare that woman's present state of invalidism and thraldom to labor is occasioned by the too frequent recurrence of the duties and exhaustive demands of maternity4 ,the writers of the letters affirm1 that1 in these matters1 women are often made the slaves of sensual husbands1 and earnestly entreat that this shall be mentioned among the causes of the present state of things4 ,the only sure and lasting remedy for the above-mentioned evils1 and others similar to them1 is a wise education4 ,when man is wisely educated1 and not till then1 will he have a proper consideration for woman4