Womanhood is sometimes sacrificed in childhood, when the mother and the
family fail to develop the womanly qualities of modesty, grace,
generosity of character, and geniality of temper, which dignify, adorn,
and protect,
"The sex whose presence civilizes ours."
The child, whether girl or boy, reflects the character of its home; and
therefore we are compelled to deal with all the homes of the district or
town, and are required often to counteract the influences they exert.
Early vicious training is quite as disastrous to the girl as to the boy;
for, strange as it may seem, the world more readily tolerates ignorance,
coarseness, rudeness, immodesty, and all their answering vices, in man
than in woman. In the period of life from eight to twenty years of age
the progress of woman is, to us of sterner mould, inconceivably rapid;
but from twenty to forty the advantages of education are upon the other
side. It then follows that a defective system of education is more
pernicious to woman than to man.
We may contemplate woman in four relations with their answering
responsibilities--as pupil, teacher, companion, and mother. As a pupil,
she is sensitive, conscientious, quick, ambitious, and possesses in a
marvellous degree, as compared with the other sex, the power of
intuition. The boy is logical, or he is nothing; but logic is not
necessary for the girl.
Pages:
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200