The Education of American GirlsBrackett, Anna C. (Anna Callender)
General
The Education of American Girls
Brackett, Anna C. (Anna Callender)
Women -- Education -- United States
[30] Dr. Carpenter says in his _Physiology_: "From the moment when an
Indisposition is experienced to keep the mind fixed upon the subject,
and the thoughts wander from it unless coerced by the will, the mental
activity loses its spontaneous or automatic character, and more exertion
is required to maintain it volitionally during a brief period; and more
fatigue is subsequently experienced from such an effort than would be
involved in the continuance of an automatic operation through a period
many times as long. Hence he has found it practically the greatest
economy of mental labor to work vigorously when he is disposed to do so,
and to refrain from exertion, so far as possible, _when it is felt to be
an exertion_."
"Of course, this rule is not applicable to all individuals; for there
are some who would pass their whole time in listless inactivity, if not
actually spurred on by the feeling of necessity; but it holds good for
those who are sufficiently attracted by objects of interest before them,
or who have in their worldly circumstances a sufficiently strong motive
to exertion to make them feel they must work--the question with them
being, _how_ they can attain their desired results with the least
expenditure of mental effort."
[31] There lately died near Boston, a woman of eighty years, whose life
exemplified the very truth I have been seeking to enforce. Full of
courage and zeal, she withstood all the prejudices of her birth and
surroundings, freed her own slaves, and then devoted herself with voice
and pen to the Anti-Slavery cause, to the enfranchisement of woman, and
to every good word and work that she could aid. Her high literary
attainments, as well as her earnest purpose, gave her great power of
thought and expression, and she was the wise counselor of many of the
foremost men and women among the reformers of the day. As her
brother-in-law, himself a noble man of high culture, stood by her
coffin, with eyes filled with tears, these were the words of his
eulogium upon this woman of dauntless courage, firm purpose, and tender
heart: "For this dear saint and moral heroine, there is only one word
that expresses what she was, and that is LOVE. He that dwelleth in God
dwelleth in love. She dwelt in love which went out to win the warmest
friends among all sects and conditions of life, and so she dwelt in God.
Her love never failed." All who heard, felt how beautiful must have been
the private life which could receive such a tribute from such a man. Has
such a woman missed the crown and glory of womanhood?
THE OTHER SIDE.
"All mankind must serve; the widest sway
Is but the law of service."--FESTUS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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