Maternity: or, The bearing and nursing of children : Including female education and beauty.
- Orson S. Fowler
- Date:
- 1868
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Maternity: or, The bearing and nursing of children : Including female education and beauty. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.
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![Is this degrading her? I tell you, women, you infinitely underrate the maternal function—its power over human weal—its importance in the scale of being—and there- fore when I circumscribe you to this destiny, you wrong* fullv accuse me of lowering you. If this function were a trifle, and your only destiny, then indeed might you properly complain; but not all the encomiums ever lavished upon woman at all compare with the exalted character implied in this her maternal destiny. In the language of our motto, She is queen on earth who produces the highest order of children. Voting, legis- lating, public speaking, swaying the destinies of nations wearing crowns and diadems—all are trifles compared with bringing forth and bringing up superior children. Was not Washington's mother quite equal to Washing- ton himself? Could we have had him without her ? Do the world owe him a greater debt of praise and thanks- giving than her? and him, because of her? Then why accuse me of detracting from your importance, relative or absolute, by limiting you to the maternal destiny ? Nor do I put forth this definition of woman to expose her to ridicule. Xo ; I worship the true woman in genera], and the maternal function in particular, too devoutly to make light of either. I set too high a price on woman's delicate susceptibilities, to wound them, except to benefit her. I also love her too well not to tell her the truth, and the whole truth, as a means of perfecting her. Man is the one to tell woman her faults, and how to perfect herself, and woman to tell man his. The order of nature is for man to mould woman into the image he loves, and for woman to mould man. Lcve to the femi\ \e dictates every](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21024273_0062.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
