The Women Of Our Time.

others , some of them staid matrons and good old bodies , the very same persons , I may observe " en paranthese , " who look so demure now , and lift up their hands and turn up the Avhites of their eyes , and shake their heads at the extreme levity and improper conduct of our young married

women . Now , for this inculpated species I always feel much admiration and no little sympathy . They are , as a general rule , kindly and cultured , gentle and refined , well-maunereQ and high-principled . They are a long way ahead of the men alike

in general education and in a personal sense of moral responsibility . They often marry those Avho are not much given to think , who are weak in educational acquirements , Avho are fond of tbe Club smoking-room , and partial still to bachelor

haunts , and who iu marrying them have by no means abjured the tastes and proclivities of their unmarried life . Hear them talk—for they are often dreadful hypocrites—you would suppose that they Avere immaculate , and that women were generally corrupt . Their view of woman is a hazy theory of a sort of fascinating inhabitant of a Turkish Harem , the

inferior creature , the subservient slave . What are women to do under such circumstances 1 They see little of their husbands , Avho , Avhen they return home bored or blase , or with tbe weariness of dissipation upon them , are anything often bat agreeable or sympatheticcompanions . Often after

the first few months of married life , when illusion is gone and the mask is thrown off , tbe Avoman has in her loneliness and tenderness , and , happily for her , her religion , to face what lies before her—a life without harmony , and a i n enage without love .

I often really admire , therefore , the courage and loyalty with which our young married women endure the undoubted demoralisation of our young married men . Let us hope for them , and for us all , that tbe tide may soon turn , for , as it is , it is a

bad look out for them , for society , and for us all . But in the meantime let us rather commend , instead of assailing , our young married women . If tbey have their faults and little weaknesses , their foibles and their shortcomings , what harm ? AVho has not , for the matter of that 1 Tbey are , as we all know , good and kind , and true and trusting , and the vast majority of them

( we will exclude a few exceptions to this and all rules , ) are most , zealous in seeking to be useful and helpful iu their generation . They make up tbe fair array of those , AVIIO , abounding in good works , are everywhere to be found just now warmly aiding all

schemes of piety and philanthropy , giA'ing their time and money gladly to many a good cause , and many a labour of love . Ornaments of the society they grace so much , how much do Ave not owe to their warm hearts and genial tempers 1

Howpleasant for us are their sunny smiles , and their kindly Avords ; how much do they adorn Avomanhood , and dignify , nay , exalt humanity 1 Instead of blaming tbem , let us admire and praise them if we believe , as I think Ave are bound to doin their

, virtues—if we realise , as I hope Ave do , their inestimable value to us ail . I bad meant to have Avritten in a lighter strain , but my tone has , you see , got more serious as I bave ru'ogressed in my " Etude des Femmes . "

The truth is , it is no laughing matter , after ail , and though it is all very well every now and then to " chaff" our domestic angels , there is a time for seriousness as Avell as for jocosity . I bave left out to-day tbe common accusation of our young married

womenthat they are extravagant and over-dressed , that their habiliments are too low , and their heels too high , < fcc ., because I doubt very much the laying down of sumptuary laws for Avomen on the part of men . I never like to bear men talking so loudly

of the " extravagance of the women , sir !" Avhen I know well how selfish , how reckless , how prodigal men are in their " menus plaisirs , " and their personal expenditure . I consider such remarks to be both an impertinence and an hypocrisy . Just think of

the sums men Avaste on their cigars , their dress , their unmentionable follies , and must Ave not feel that Avhen they begin on this score , women may fairly bid tbem to " shut up ? " I do not myself admire actually much of the dress

of these days ; but then I am oldfashioned , and if our young married women dress according to the taste of the clay , the taste of the day is more to blame than they are . So here we will stop today , for thus far my paper I fear is both prosy and heavy .