Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Sidor ...
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
262 LETTERS.
order to gain happiness and position, to the married state
and to the dignity of mother.
Besides, the slavery under which the unmarried woman
labors, in consequence of public opinion and the law, is,
to a great extent, the cause of her want of moral and phys-
ical health, her want of ability and happiness. And may
God bless you with a beautiful and lovable daughter for
“couching your lance” in defense of the cause of the
enchained !
But look, even at the present time, at an unmarried
woman, past the first bloom of youth, with some degree of
liberty and a little property of her own, with a good heart
and a good head. I should like to show you some such
women amongst our towns-women, active on behalf of the
poor, and you would find a freshness and aptitude, a joyous
life, bearing witness of a far happier existence than that of
many a married woman with a quarrelsome or careless hus-
band and with perhaps several children, which she has to
provide for under anxieties and cares. Yes, if women really
knew, previous to their marriage, all the troubles and all the
anxiety which the children often cause, then many a one
would think twice before she attempted such a venture. At
any rate they would, more than now too often is the case,
be careful to give their heart and hand only to a man who
could be a support and assistance to them in life’s more
serious situations.
There is also a higher aspiration which does not unfre-
quently arise, when a young woman does not give way to
an inclination so natural at her age, of concluding a matri-
monial alliance, which aspiration in Catholic countries finds
a more beautiful sphere of activity and life than in our
country. The warm feeling, turned away from seeking
response and fullness in earthly, turns frequently to heavenly
objects, and finds in its communion with and in its life in
them a perfection, which every-day life could never so.
have given. Believe me: there are delights, ecstasies, un-
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
