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Article THE WOMEN OF OUR TIME. ← Page 2 of 3 →
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The Women Of Our Time.
gown and slippers . " Neither , though we remember and laugh at Molieve ' s caustic words to-day , need we either subscribe to them fully , or agree with them entirely : " Tout le monde conuoit leur imperfection , Ce n ' est qu ' extravagance et
qu'indiscretion , Leur esprit est mediant , et leur ame fragile , II n ' est rien de plus faible et de plus imbecile , Rien de plus infidele , et malgre tout cela Dans le monde on fait tout pour ces
animaux la . " * Surely we may pass over these old and modern attacks against the poor "Sheemale , " aud confine our attention to woman as she really is . Now I , for one , do not believe that there is anything which betokens either an inferior creation , or inferior intellect in
woman . On the contrary , not only is woman on a complete par with man in . all these respects , but she often excels—she often surpasses man . In somethings , especially , she is clearly superior to man ; that is to say in her
intuition into the moral aspects of life , — her adherence to principle , her distinct and often noble avowal of right and truth . When men are very weak and wavering , shallow and self-sufficient , nay credulous and very easily satisfiedalways ready to
, compromise , not particularly strong in morals , or " the eternal fitness of things , " a woman will pierce at once through the clouds of sophistry aud subtlety , and openly assert "first principles , '' and gallantly do battle for the right !
We owe , in fact , a great debt to woman for her resolute and rigid attention to the laws of morality , virtue , decency , and decorum , when society is apt to run riot , and man is inclined to take a lax and easy view of things and persons .
It is to the warm faith , and clear con . victions of woman that the various sure ^ of doubt and unbelief have after all rolled back , leaving only happily a thin line of unhealthy sediment behind . ¦ It is to woman that even now societ y its most
owes redeeming graces , and its most hopeful hours ; in that though some times the votary of fashion , and sometimes the captive of some childish phantasy of the moment , her great good sense ere hnn strikes a balance , and keeps the vessel trim .
What must we not admit , of gratitude is due from us all for that grace which gladdens , those smiles which enliven , the troubled pathway of man ? for that goodness of heart which never wearies , for that unselfishness of which shines so brightly in
life ' s darkest hours ? for that cool , calm courage and animating trust which are often man ' s best props and mainstays amid the turbulent ocean of existence , through the troubles which harass , through the griefs which depress ?
It is very noteworthy how woman seems to rise superior to fear and danger ; and still , as of old , the old song is quite true , — " When the heart of a man is oppressed with care , The mist is dispelled when a woman appears . " If we are to sum up then all that woman is to life and to man , we must say that site is
ever true when men often desert us , — "faithful among the faithless found , "—always ready to sacrifice herself for the sake of one whom she trul y loves ; and while she is the ornament and pride of the society which she graces , she is the bright genius who
consecrates the household hearth , the angel of peace , and purity , and gentleness , who lightens up the inner shrine ! Now it appears to me that we are often very hard on women , in society and in the world ? We condemn too hastily , we
judge too partially ! We seem to make no allowance often for the peculiar trials difficulties , temptations , clangers , which are a woman ' s lot and inheritance , and we frame a moral code of our own , by which we pass sentence upon woman , and from which
we allow no appeal , as the French wife says in " Pour et Confcre" : — Ah ! a loi joli ! Et laissez moi done avec vos lois ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Women Of Our Time.
gown and slippers . " Neither , though we remember and laugh at Molieve ' s caustic words to-day , need we either subscribe to them fully , or agree with them entirely : " Tout le monde conuoit leur imperfection , Ce n ' est qu ' extravagance et
qu'indiscretion , Leur esprit est mediant , et leur ame fragile , II n ' est rien de plus faible et de plus imbecile , Rien de plus infidele , et malgre tout cela Dans le monde on fait tout pour ces
animaux la . " * Surely we may pass over these old and modern attacks against the poor "Sheemale , " aud confine our attention to woman as she really is . Now I , for one , do not believe that there is anything which betokens either an inferior creation , or inferior intellect in
woman . On the contrary , not only is woman on a complete par with man in . all these respects , but she often excels—she often surpasses man . In somethings , especially , she is clearly superior to man ; that is to say in her
intuition into the moral aspects of life , — her adherence to principle , her distinct and often noble avowal of right and truth . When men are very weak and wavering , shallow and self-sufficient , nay credulous and very easily satisfiedalways ready to
, compromise , not particularly strong in morals , or " the eternal fitness of things , " a woman will pierce at once through the clouds of sophistry aud subtlety , and openly assert "first principles , '' and gallantly do battle for the right !
We owe , in fact , a great debt to woman for her resolute and rigid attention to the laws of morality , virtue , decency , and decorum , when society is apt to run riot , and man is inclined to take a lax and easy view of things and persons .
It is to the warm faith , and clear con . victions of woman that the various sure ^ of doubt and unbelief have after all rolled back , leaving only happily a thin line of unhealthy sediment behind . ¦ It is to woman that even now societ y its most
owes redeeming graces , and its most hopeful hours ; in that though some times the votary of fashion , and sometimes the captive of some childish phantasy of the moment , her great good sense ere hnn strikes a balance , and keeps the vessel trim .
What must we not admit , of gratitude is due from us all for that grace which gladdens , those smiles which enliven , the troubled pathway of man ? for that goodness of heart which never wearies , for that unselfishness of which shines so brightly in
life ' s darkest hours ? for that cool , calm courage and animating trust which are often man ' s best props and mainstays amid the turbulent ocean of existence , through the troubles which harass , through the griefs which depress ?
It is very noteworthy how woman seems to rise superior to fear and danger ; and still , as of old , the old song is quite true , — " When the heart of a man is oppressed with care , The mist is dispelled when a woman appears . " If we are to sum up then all that woman is to life and to man , we must say that site is
ever true when men often desert us , — "faithful among the faithless found , "—always ready to sacrifice herself for the sake of one whom she trul y loves ; and while she is the ornament and pride of the society which she graces , she is the bright genius who
consecrates the household hearth , the angel of peace , and purity , and gentleness , who lightens up the inner shrine ! Now it appears to me that we are often very hard on women , in society and in the world ? We condemn too hastily , we
judge too partially ! We seem to make no allowance often for the peculiar trials difficulties , temptations , clangers , which are a woman ' s lot and inheritance , and we frame a moral code of our own , by which we pass sentence upon woman , and from which
we allow no appeal , as the French wife says in " Pour et Confcre" : — Ah ! a loi joli ! Et laissez moi done avec vos lois ,