“Resolved, secondly, That this society boldly takes its stand on the platform of Simplification.
“Resolved, thirdly, That, to effectually disseminate its views, this society requires, and shall have, an organ.
“Resolved, fourthly, That said organ shall be called ‘The Columbian Simplifier and Time-Provider;’ and that writers shall be pecuniarily encouraged to illustrate in its columns our grand idea of Simplification in its bearing on household duties and on dress.”
There, I leave my great, great, great, many-times-great grandchildren these hints, with my blessing, and would leave, also, an article for “The Simplifier,” only for the difficulty of putting myself in a frame of mind corresponding with so remotely future a state of things,—a state of things, that is, when the controlling purposes of woman’s life shall have changed so entirely.
I have a mind to try to do this, and write my article, and have it read at the sewing-circle; but then it would be premature. These mothers do not yet recognize their mission; neither do they yet place mental culture among the must haves. When they do, they will work for far other than their present aims; not but that many of these are commendable, but that they stand in the way of better things.
Take ironing, for instance. This forenoon I heard Mrs. Fennel say to Martha, “Don’t slight the towels. I take just as much pains with a coarse brown towel as I do with any thing.” Mrs. Fennel prides herself on having the clothes “look well on the horse,”[A] the tinware bright, stove polished, tables scoured, towel-fringes combed out nicely, and a pantry stored with nice things to tempt the appetite. Now, the question is not, are these ends worth attaining, but are they the principal ones worth attaining?
I am aware that any insinuation of this kind read at the sewing-circle would bring a storm about my head at once. “What! slight the ironing?” “What! not scour the tin?” “What! not keep the stove bright?” Well, they would certainly have right on their side; and I should have, more certainly, right on my side. My side being, that, through all the toil and striving, something higher shall be kept in view, and that this something higher shall not be forever shoved aside for those other things lower.
I suppose the Society for the Enlightenment of Mothers will put the case somewhat in this way,—
“As woman has mind, it may be inferred that to cultivate her mind should be one special object of woman’s life. That is one statement. Then, to add another, nothing in the world can be more precious than a little child. It is no light responsibility, that of giving the first direction to an immortal soul. Woman, in assuming a duty so sacred, should feel that its claims rank above all others; that it demands of her her very best.
“A mother, then, should aim at two special duties; namely, to cultivate her mind, and to rightly train her children. Though these two are stated separately, the last really includes the first, since, to rightly train her children, a mother needs to have every mental faculty under cultivation. This implies study, reflection, deliberation; and these imply time. ‘We have no time,’ say these mothers,—‘no time for books, no time to think, no time to spend with our children.’ Which is not true, because they have all the time there is, but feel bound to use it for other purposes.”