https://dh.scu.edu/exhibits/files/original/68/2393/CobbeDutiesExcerpts.pdf 0948aa91bc8cc6ab1f7f63ba8124f8b7 PDF Text Text 96 LEC'.l'C n m III. subject of the Duti es arising from tho tics of Natural Rcla.tionship . I-Ioly ancl blossccl thin gs that they arc! I aiu pers uaded that oven tho best and happiest of us only half apprehencl th eir bcnutifol meaning, and that we must look to tho life beyond tho gl'avo to int erpret for us all their significance. In tho no:xt Lecture we shall discuss a very difficult que st ion inclcecl- thc Dntios of ri , Vifc- and then tho Duti es of tho :Mistr ess of a Household. LECTURE I\T. Dldi"esof· Contr act-- 1Vives-}' riends. . • · 0 • f. p ASSING from Du ties ar1,,nnt:> i om tho. tics. of Bloo(l. , l cit wn,:1oi . . ,, .l) (I)nronts and Children, .Sisters, Broth01s l ,e •" . f tho oxccoclino-ly important class o anc,, so on), v.·o i•onch « , o Duties foundoclon Contract; pro-eminent ly on tho great Contl'act of 1\l ,rn 1UAGi,;. . . . 'rh o for mal :Marr iage Cont ract of most c1v1hzccl nations includes two natu rcll, and one cirliflcinl obliga.t ion. First there is tho mut ual prom ise of Conj ugal Union, to which is added a mut ual ongagomont of exclusive Fidelity of each to each . 'l'his is strictly speaking lite i\Iani ago Vow ; tho one essential promise among monogamous races. But tho entrnnco into this bond br ings tho contract ing parties so much more closely together than any other human connection, that it follows that they ought to affol'clpr irnetry Benevolenceto 0 110 anothe r, and sook each other' s wolf.ire before all other s ; reser vat ion being 7 �98 LEC'l'0 RE IV . 99 DUTIES 01<' wo:UEN - made of tho rights of those to whom they already owe debts not annullable by tho now contract . Most properly and wisely then, a second promise,-to « honour and cherish " each other, in sickness and health, poverty and riches, is, almost universally, added to the original simple vow of Fidelity . The obligation is acknowledged and r einforced by the vow; but it arises independently from tho nature of the r elationship. A third vow of the wife is aclc1edby tho ]~nglish Church, and by many other Churches-namely, tho Vow of Oonjuga.l Obeclience . Of this I sha.Uspeak in its tu rn . All the world acknowledges tho sanclity 0£ the first 0£ those vows, emphatically in the case of tho wife . The offence 0£ Adultery, which is the infraction of the vow if no lono·or judiciaJly punished in Europe as it , o l . once was, is yet commonly visited by the pcna tics o£ social ostracism . Long may this so continue! 1'iany of you will think mo har sh for saying it; but it i~ my deliberate opinion that when a womau l1as committed the enormous doub le crime , por:;onal . and social, of . l t ·no· the law of chastity, and domg her husband noa1 0 · hl ·onoof brcakino · her marnago oa the mor t.a1 w1 t> t> l i,l . . .·o·h that tho society which s 10 ias 1t 1s fit au d n ° t . l . 0£ th is we close its doors to 101. ld outrage d sho u · 1 11 ·ay more hereafter . s ia s . t tho pleasanter subject of the Duty Passmg now_ o .. l •a·.,,,11riniaryBenevolenceto . t give specia ,••~ L' of W 1ves o . •"a) we meet of com·sc the their bu sbancls (and vice vei10, ' . t · to seek first the :Nior al Good of the · · ble obI10 ·a 10n · 11 mva,r1a "' vv ·vcs cannot be genera y ob·ect of our Bonovolcncc. l . f h .. J d ·th nco·lcctino· the religious 1ntorcsts o t cu O charo-e wi o t. • I hnsb:.ncls,as they under stand them . ~n ~ Iic con iary, fear, they often worry them about bchevmg wb_at they consider necessary to salvation, in an tmreaso1~ing w_ay which prevents tho ughtful husban ds fr~1n sook~ug _,v~th their pious wives that refresh ment of sp1ntua_l hfo which they would find were not all t hose dogmas 1u t~o way. Bnt the higher 1noralgood of tho husband occup10s most wives comparatively little ; and often a man "·ho starts with a great many lofty and disinterested aspirations, clotorio1·ates year by year in a deplorable manner under the influence of a sufficiently well-meaning and personally conscientious wife . If you ask, how can this be? tho answer is, that the wife's affection, being of a poor an d short- sighted ki uc1, sbo constantly urges ]1or husband to thin k of himself and his own interests , rather tha n of the persons and objects for "·]Jieh lie was ready to ~acrificehimself. « Do not go on that charitable errand to-day, you have caugh t a cold. It will answer as ,vell to-morrow." "Do not i1wite that dull old friend ." "Do not join that tiresome co1nmitteo." «J>l'aytake a. long holiday." "By all means buy yourself a new hu'.1t~r." "Do r efrain from con fessing your unorthodox opnnons." 'rhi s kind of thing , chopped every day like the lump of sugar into tho breakfast cup of toa, in tho end produces a, real constitutional chano·o i·u the , · l . ' o mans mmt . IIc bcgms to think himself, first, somewhat of 7 * �100 LECTURE IV . a hero when he o·oes . · t such sweet couns"l . a d .,, . aga1ns th Q · " ,- n then a fool· ind . . en• a . u1,xote-and . , ._ ,." curious iec1procity is also establisbecl · The 11t1sb au d cannot do less than. return the. wife's kindn ess b Y b egging . . 7tel ' not _to distress _and tire herself by performing any duty which costs a httle self-sacr ifice ; and she again returns the complim_ent ancl so on, ancl so on, till they nurse each other into complete selfishness . I ::im sure that many 0£ my aud ience must have seen this exemplified. B ut if, on the othe r hand, the wife ·from the first che r ishes eve ry spark of generous feeling or noble ancl disinterested amb ition in her husb and, and ho, in l1is turn, encourages her in every womanly charity ancl good deed, how they will act and re -act on each other month after month and year after year ; each growing nobler, and loving more nobly,ancl being more worthy to be loved, till their sacred and blessed union brings them togethe1· to the very gates of heaven ! That is what marriage ought to be; what it is to a few choice and most happy couples; and what it might be to a.11 . I shou ld like to have said much on the many ways in which, I think , oulightoncd moral ideas might help wives to make thei r husbands more Jiappy, but I ca.n detain you only to name one 0£ them. 'I'act is an exceli.oni;thing, a precious gift to cult ivate where it _ca_u bo nsed with perfect openness and honesty . . ]3,~t it is one oi tho worst consequences of the subJect1on ~f women, that , in. thousands of cases'. th is tact is . d . to the Art of :M:anag1Ug -a-Ilusbancl. d O-YC!Ope lll DUTrnS OP wo:u~;K( . 10] ~(anronvrcs, crafty wa,ys, wily little concealments, insidious flatteries aud coa.xings with au object ; these arc the .miserable and c1isgracc£u1 means by which many a, well-meaning ,vifc ancl mother is driven to carry out the most innocent plans , tl1c most useful projects £or the family welfare and her chi ldr en ' s education . Do not fall into them , my friends ! Do not, whatever be the clifficnltics 0£ your position, descend to such arts . You may think you make you l' husband happy by "managing" him so clcYcrly for his good; bnt you may dcpcllcl on it, tho ugh his thick masculine brain docs not detect :;.\lond,1y ':; little rus e nor '.l'ucsday's small circ umvention, yet that he bas ::i constant ::l,Jlduneasy sense tha,t he is not treated open ly :inclin an above-board fashion, ancl that yon arc « too deep" for him. I-Io at once mistrusts, fears anrl c1cspi _scs _such a wife. 'l'hc whole sincerity of the 111an1cdlife is spoiled ; aucl in short, whatever numbe r of tricks you 1~,i_'. score, you actually lose the gameIf you could win it a hunch-eeltimes over, it would not be. WOl'th into .,., clomcs t·1c ·,r . .dcoTadiuo· o o ,·ourself J ~' rs . Machia,vcl!t for the purpose ! But now opens upon ns the vc1·y cru,i;of onr sub. cct -tho . Jb l . third vow which a wife ina1· .~cs wh en man ·1cd tic rites of the Church of Eno-1- cl y t i , 01 . o a.n or those of m.ost o tc1 lll! chcs-t hc promise to Ob 0£ ey. course a reason must be fo. h . demanding such a vow th . . . l t coming for ' onglt wo n1ay pl'ivrLtely �102 LEC1'URE IV . suspect tha~ all such reasons dicl not precede, but follow, the simple fact ; ancl that wheresoever la loi d-i, plus f01·t prevails , wives arc con1pelleclto obey; a11d th~ ~ow only add~ a mental £otter to the already exist.lug natural chain, and registers a fait accompli. Some people tell us that it is incumbent on a womau to take and keep this vow, because she is exhorted by St. Paul to "o bey her husband in tho Lord." I cannot fairly argue this point, being too far outside the pale of orthodoxy to consider a moral problem to be solvable by a text . But I would remind those who quote this passage in one Epistle of the groat Apostle , to remember that they arc bound to attach the same authority to a parallel passage in another Epistle, wherein tho same Apostle commands Slaves to obey their Masters ; ancl actually sends back to his chain a runaway who in our day wonld have boon helped to freedom by every true Christian man or woman in America. Tho whole tone of early Christian teaching, jndecd, was one of entire submission to tho "po,v ers that be," even when they were represented by such insane despots as 'l'ibcrius, ?aligu~a and Nero . In our clay, men habitually set aside this Apostolic teaching, so far as it concerns :Masters and Slaves, Despots and their Subjects, as adapted _only to a past epoch . I a1n at a loss to s_oc by wl~atright, having done so, they can claim tor it ~uthonty when it happens to refer to llnsbancls and "l'f1v~s. . Next to cutting tho knot by Authority, I behove DUTIES OF WOMEN . 103 tho advocates o£ Obedience rest their argun1ont otn ' a· . they think almost amoun Expecliency- an expo 1ency t· f . l t ·ouod by tbo prac ice o in<>to a Necessity, auc sane 1 be ~ "How can two walk together except th ey ages. · f 11 b t "How agreed? " was a pertinent question o . o c ; u . can two walk together 1inless one of thern, have it entirely his own way? " is tho query put to us by these persons now. They have become so accnsto~od to tho notion of one ruling and tho other obeying, that auy other kind of anangoment seems to them fraught with peril of dontcstic anarchy . niy dear Friends ! ,Vill you please to toll mo did you over hear of any sort of despotism, groat or small, spiritual c;• temporal, public or private, which was not justified by those who exercised it on these same grounds of its expediency, its convenience, its necessity fol' tl:e benefit and safety of tho governed ? De-es not the Clrnrch of Rome exert its tremendous sway over the intellects and consciences of men, in tho honest persuasion of its hicrarchs that it is good for these sheep to be entirely guidecl by their shepherds? Ras not every empire in history boon founded on the presumption that 0110 supremo and irresponsible Ruler or Autocrnt could govern a nation n1uch bettor than a, nation could govoru itself? Nay, has it not been ~howork ot: ages, not yet accomplished, to make maukmd understand that all the bouofits and conveniences of ~ paternal Government arc too dearly bought by keopmg tho nations in perpetual childhood? �104 LECl'URE IV. IIow is a. Church t o go on wit · hout a supreme Head to deterunne doctrines? .How is a St"te t •·h · ' •• o go on wit out a despotic ruler at the helm? How is a Household to go on ,·vithout an Autocrat to settle all questions by his simple volition? 1.'hcse questions are all very 1nuch on a par . Nay, it ought surely to be much easier for a little household, united by the tenderest ti es, to « get along" peacefully, har1uoniously and prosperously as a miniature Republic, tha.n for Churches to flourish on Congregational pri nciples, or States to rise to glory and prosperity, like that of our blessed England-on the basis of some 111 illions of independent wills. Again ; afte r Authority, and after Expediency and Necessity , Obedience is vindicated by some persons on quite anothe r g round, not its utility to the family generally , or to the State, but its comJ'ortto the obeying party ; the relief it offers to her conscience ; the short cut it affords for getting rid 0£ her " responsibilities." Now I fear I roust have a dreadfully hardened conscience, for it Las never once occurred to me in life that my responsibi lities were th ings which, (if I could only induce somebody to marry me,) might thus be slipped off and laid aside like old shoes. TVhatresponsib ilities , I ask, arc they wl1ichI could get rid of, if I were not a, wretched "failure," and bad a husband to Jove honour and obey? For example-If I saw a ' .d' '' Don't child drowning in a pond, and my husban d sa1 pick it out of the water on any account ; " shonkl I DU'l'I1>S OP WO)fEN . ·------- 105 ---~ -- --~ 'bTt, " by sivcetly taking my o·et rid of my ,. respons1 J L J . "J . • . you o . sayino· use as spouse's arm and walkmg away, ' o> h 1 ' f think right, dear John " ? Of cour~c, ~y t c av.o:Cl p l (, 1·£ John had thrown the child into· the E ngan.1, . h" I . lf and I stood by aiding and abet ting llll '. h imse ' . d . manta l should be bold scot free, as acting un c1 . authority . but I scarcely fancy that my conscience would be 'altogether relieved of the sense of "R espon sibility." Or again, a much commoner case. I have a,n old Aunt, we will suppose, a very tir esome person, (as elderly Aunts I find, a,las ! arc generally considc1·e d to be ;) but she was infinitely good to me when l was a child, ilncl I owe he1· a debt ] of g ratitud e which I can never repay. Now she is old and deaf ancl stupid , and bores my husband to extinction, and he forbids me to invite her to our house, or give her the l itt le cheer and comfort which her · lonely old age can receive . Shall I get ricl of my "responsibility" toward ::.poor old Aunt Dorothy by writing her a little note ancl t elling her, "I am sorry to observe that my husband wishe s me to drop you, and of course it is my dnty to obey"? Herc again (a.ncl in short, in every imaginab le case of a crime to be avoided 01· a duty to be pcrlormcd), I find there is 110 getting rid of tha,t nfan of th e Sea on my shoulde1·s, ,1 i½., Responsibility . i\fy husband or father cannot take it off for me, e,eu if "·c both desire it. .A.nd why? For this reason, iny friends! Because Goo has laid it on me' when He macJc me a,-, · 1F, ree < ,l .na t 1011a �106 - -- 107 LEC'l'URE lV . Agent, not a Dog, or an Idiot ! No vow I c - t k at an lt au ~ e . y a ar can mako it thereafter Rio•ht fo. t d W· . a r me o 0 1011g,or liVrong to do what is Rio·ht r['1. • b . . . a • . ue1e may e sm in 11u1,kingthe vow- I believe there Id b . . . woo eQm mak ing any vow which should make it more diOicult for me thenceforward always to do rio•ht . b t £ o , u no orm of oath can bind mo not to do it, any more than He rod's rash vow ought to have bound him to cut off tho Baptist's head . . Let us theu clear this matter away. Responsibilities, in the sense of moral answorability, cannot be shifted from one to anoth01· on any plea of Obedience aftei· tho human being has reached the ago of £nil moral accountableness . Yon will boar in mind this latter definition . In tho case of filial obedience, the young girl must justly defer to tho moral ji~dgment of her parents (rather than to their a1ntho1·ity,) in all save the most obvious matters 0£ right and wrong . I suppose even tho g reatest stickler £or parental authority would admit that; if a parent bade a child to steal, he ought not to obey . liVhat, then , aro tho responsibilities which uun be deposited in a husband's or parent 's hands? They can only bo those which concern matters not 1noral; matters concerning the pecuniary or other interests of tho family. On a great many of such points the husband will usually be wisest, and may most properly bo treated as ]\,fr. ]\,fillsuggests, as the Senior, or Acting Partner in tho Firm . And if things go wrong, bad invest- DUTIES OP wo~rnN . d so ou, ancl the wife finds n it ments be chosen, an ·d that all tho .L•e. ark afterwa1 s, d any comfort to rem . M . S ·th and that she ha . ·t ·t ·ested with r. f n:n ' h • spo-nsibii y 1 ·t b all means let er 1 . h Y ' 1 Od l1e1· hands o entirely was t · t Probab Y, ·th . ch conso1a 10 11 · soothe herself w1 su l siblo woman, she however if she bo an able anc sen. .·b·1·ty ,, of ' . tho respons1 i t will have p~·o:crrcd, to inc~r~ot to invest in Egyptian strongly adns1ng }Ii_.Smit bonds or Peruvian mines. / . I st ·n more will it; be impossible for any mot ie1 , i . should think, to relinquish any cont r·ol she may . J. , possess over her ch1.1cu·en s nu1••unro and. . education . ,, by way of relieving herself of "Respons1b1lity . lt would be little consolation when Charley has broken his neck, and Edith is in her coffin, that she had. l_eft with their father the whole" Responsibility." of taking Charley out riding on a vicious hnnto1·, and bringing Edith to visit a family in scarlatina. I cannot pursue these arguments in defence of' the principle of Conjugal Obedience . 'ro mo that principle seems irreconcilcablo with tho £nnc1amoutal basis of morality (namely, the full and independent moral responsibility of every adult; human being) ; and (I may add) antagonistic no less to tho very nature of that Lovo and Affection which it is so foolishly snpposcd to guarantee . Love naturally reverses the iclea of obedience, and causes the struo·o·lo between Ob any two people who truly love each other to be not ·who shall com,rnc11nd, but, who shall yi eltl. There is in ( < �108 LEC1'0l?E IV . tho world no harder dt1ty than t our heart's best f .· J I ' o oppose tho will of l lCUC1. WOllld o·o £' th mind you of b . t> ur er, and rea eaut1ful and wise cou l t Of 0 ,vhich so111ehow h · Pe haucer, . as . been repeated almost verbal! b Spensei (Sponsor of th F, • . Q . Y Y p . . l , o aV1y . ueen; not h11nof First nncip es!), a couplet I advise vou all t . memory :J ' o com1mt to " , v11en mastery cometh, theu s1YcctLove anou Flappcth his nimble win.,.s ·ind soou a," .ay 1s . 11 ~ < own." It is au insult, a wrong, a deadly wound to Love for _one of tho lovers to turn round on tho other an~ claim, not the sweet right to sei·ve, but tho bitter rio·ht to comiuand and control. Practica.Ily, we know,t>in happy marriages this claim rarely crops to the surface; bnt the mere fact that it is sous-entenclti iu any discussion seems to me to take tho bloom off conjuga l love . Nor are the act ual consequences of this docti-iue anything short of disastrous . c see one class of wives, of noble, free natures, fretted and galled all their lives by tho fetters which some mean-souled man causes to clank whenever he is in an ill-temper . On the other side , we see another sot of women who become perfec tly passive and silly and " sweetly depend ent; " and at sixty, when their husbands die, t h ey are no better able to manage thoir own affairs than they were at six , IJut beti ·ay by their childishness that the whole moral work of life Jrns been stopped ,v DU'l'JES OF wo~m1-. " . l l·c a century . :My fat her (who hi gh ly for them 101 1a J. ' • , t d f 'fely obedience) nsecl, n eve1tho lcss , o approve O Wl • ·a h ·cmin de cl him o-]1 ht such w1clow s, and sat t cy i 1ano ,. l · h · t tl of clocks with the weight s take n off, ,-vu c in s an y set off bur.z, bur.z, buzz, till they ran down ! . Arc the hii:,blmcls any tho bette r or the h app ier for this monstrous ide a, that they have a ri g h t to the ir wives Obedience? Cert ainly not . It cannot and docs not fail to encourag e th eir ,,,orst fault s of selfishness aucl despotism, ancl to insp ire th em with contemptuous ideas of tho very woman whom it ough t to bo the j oy ancl elevation of th eir souls to h onour . \ Vhcn a 1nan docs really honour liis wife, we sec h ow bea utiful and happy is thci1· married life; but l1e docs it in shec 1· despite of their legal relation, and a ,cr y har d achi eve ment it must be to honour a p er son who is actua lly bot1nd body ancl soul, for life, to obey your orde rs ; and whoso Ycry childr en arc not hers bu t youl's, to tear from her arms if you think fit ! How many of tho awful crimes pcrpc trat ocl claily in E ugl ancl by bruta l ht1sbanc1 s against their wive s wonld neve r have been committe d hacl not the ruffians b een taught by Jaw and cust om to reg ard th eir wives as th eir obedient scrvants, - thoit· prop crt y,-we cannot comp u te . b ut I am convinced that such ou trag es ou women-, su:h wi fetorture ni~cl wife-murclcr, will never cease till tho whole notion of wifely subjection be radic ally cha nged. . I J' ca.nnot pursue th ese <aro·ument s l .CSp e Ct JUO · • b obec tcnce further; but will simply rehe ar se th e con~ �110 ]] ] DU'l'IES Ol!' wo:\(J;N . clusions 1natter . which we SCCIU to h c"Ve <• reac heel on the Adult human beings, whether 1uen or wo•~cu . lB ..., > owe , pecic~ enevolencc,-that is, S1Jecial Sen;ice,-to those person~ _towbmn they arc bouucl either by tics o£Birth, of •Grat1Ludc, or of Contract '['hose o,,. · b so . ' • · • 1J.,1 vices may 9 O I fa1 before all oth ers that, whtlo those pcrso11Sneec1 thom, thoy are bound to pay thom before scokino· to benefit a~y _other human beings . .A.s a parf o£ suc_h s~rv1co it is their duty to yield pleaf'autly and easily 1u all tho sma,ll affairs and habits of lifo; to be perfectly unselfish, affectionate ancl considerate; and never to thwart or oppose the .other uuncccssai·ily. They arc a.lso bound to listen to the counsels and wishes of father or 1nothor, husband or wife, not only with courtesy and patience, but with au honest wish to a.grcc with them, and meet them if it be possible. Beyond this, no adult hnmau being ought to go in tho direction of Obedienc e. '.l'o c1o so would be, not Service, but Slave1·y,or the immoral Obedience of the Jesuit to his Superior; a ilfoi·c~lSnicicle, not to be justified on any plea, whether of authority or precedent , or expediency, or comfort . If 1.1:arriagcnecessari ly involvec1any such Obedience and abnegation of moral responsibility, then I should hold that it was not lawful for any woman to marry ; just as I think it is not lawful for any m~n to b~come a Jesuit a.nd take h is vow of Obedience. Bur, of cou1·se, this is tho very u1atter of our present contention . It is . tho least necessary, that the :M:arria~e oath,not in b . 'procal Promi se o£ F1del1ty, and which ouo·ht to c a l cc1 • ·h kl . . "cal P1·om1·sc of Special Bcncvolcncc,-s ou a rec1pro , , . t· . "dee"to it a vow that one of tho par ,cs have sup01ac1 .L ' , . l ' is to be thenceforth, not only devoted to the ot ier s iuelfa1·e, but obellicnt to his will . . . . But if :Morall!'rccdom be, as I have tried to show , so sacred and solemn a charge that we must never lay it aside even for the clo~cst and tonclcrcst human tic~, how great is the obligation which lies on u~ _to use 1t aright! How monstrous woulc1be tl~o pos1t10n of any woman who should clai.mher cxcmpt1on from filial or conjugal obccliencc on lhc strength of her moral responsibilities-and then should exhibit in her selfish, idle, useless, or worldly life, an utter igno?·a.nco or disregard of all wliich tl1oscawful respon sib ilities to God im,olvc ! No, my friends! Better a thousand times remain the most servi lely obedient of wives in perpetual childhood and dependence, than claim your rank as Human Beings, }.Loral Free Agents ; and then show yonrsclvcs no better than 1nonkcys ancl parrots, 01· wilful, self-indulgent children ! You 1uust awa,kc, if you mean to be the pioneers of a nobler career for your sex, to the charge which lies on yon not to nsc your liberty for a cloak fol' licence . 'I'hcrc arc women who ca.ll themselves "emancipated ,, now, who at'cleading lives, if not absolutely vicious , yet loos~, unseemly, ti-cspassing always on tho borders of vice ; women who treat lightly , anc1as if of small �1]2 ------ I LlW'l'URE IV . accou nt , the heinous an d abom ina ble sins ofu l l t· 1 c las 1ty . and adultery . F'or Gocl's sake my yo•ino- f .- l ' ' <:> ll e U( S b cwa,1'0 of such women ! Shu n them and repndiat; thc~1 as represcntn.t ions of any cmanc ipn.tion which you clcs1rc to share . ,, rhcthcr in the highest ranks , amon<> the " fast " lad ies of fashion , with theit' iucleeorousand undignifi ed habits, (smoking with the men of their society a,t n ight in smok ing -rooms, a,ncl so on) ; or, iu the middle class, the Bohem i.anism which, to young girl. students, seems so enchanting after the p loclclingways of ho mc ,-in both, th is psenclo -emancipntion is equally to be condemned and denounced as having absolutely nothi11g in common with the iuovcment for the true pro g rei-s of women . Beside the duties ar1smg from the great formal Contr act of l\Ia rria gc , the re arc undoubt edly others arising ft-0111the informal and tacit contract of Ji'riend shiJJ- In the older Greek Church and among the Bedouin s there a,re regu larly appointed rites to solemnize the rnutnal adopt ion of l?riends. Such cerci nonics, however, are by no means ind ispensable to o·ive sacredness to the bond of every true and noble :fi,iend.ship of the closer sort ; or to elevate its offices £ fidelity and. mutual serv ice to the rank of moral o · ob ligat ions . I shall return to this subJcct a J'Ltl i e fnr thcr on . 113 DU'J'I};$ OF WOM]~N. . of 1V Duties ' omen as Jl!li'stressesof Jiouseltolcls. . arisino · from. . Bloocl0 .A..fter treating of Du tics ' . . df. the Contract of 1Iarnagc n,ncl Relat1on~l11p,an 10111 t t . at of the Duties which Frienclslnp we come o ic, ,. ·O 1 nc11 whe;•1 we are i\11 s-r1rn s sJ-:s of Jio u:;1 ,,concern n,S ' \ , · . cl to bco·in no JIOLDS' an "' ' I must say at once tl,zt I have . sympathy a,t all with those ladies wh_o arc sec:o~ _g to promote co-operative housekeeping, _l n other "o1,~s ~o abolish the institution of tho Engli sh Hom_c. lh01_c may be indeed, specially g ifted women , artists , musi cians, literary women, whom I could imagine findrng it an intcl'ruption to their pursuits to take charge of a house. But, strange to say, tho11gh I have hac1.a pl'ctty large acquaintance with many of the most eminent of snch women, I have almost invariably found thcn1 particularly proud of their housekeeping, and clever at the performance of all househo ld duties , not excepting the ordering of "judiciou s " dinners . X ot to make personal remark s on living friends , I will remind you that tho greatest woman-mathemat ician of any age , Mnry Somerville, was renowned fot' her good house keeping ; ancl, I can adcl fro1u my own knowledge, was an excellent judg e of a well dressed dejeun er and of choice olcl sherry; ,vhile Madame de Stael , driven by Napoleon from her home, wcut ab out Europe, as it was said, " Preceded by her reputat ion, and followed by her cook ! " . R~Lhc1 · I suspect, it is llOt higher genius , but feebl e iuab1hty to cope with the prob lems of dome st ic govern - £ �114 l LECTURE IV . ment, ,vhich genera lly inspir es the women who . I 1.a·icato thon·. ht. tle household thrones. Some w1s1 t o al) sympatl1y may be given to then1, but I shoull b l I .c e excecc 1ng y sorr y to sec many women catchino·up th cry. and following their leadino· to tho disma1°1 · ,1, eo < C~isJ1'C!1L chis fYlnent 0£ the hon10,- tho practica,1homelessnessof Am~ri can boa,rding houses or Continenta.l pensions . I thinl~ for a woman to fail to make and keep a happy homo, 1s to be a «failure" in a truer sense than to have failed to c::itch a husband . Assur edly tho Englishwoman's Home is tbe English,voma,n's IGngdom, and those homes, with all their faults and shortcomings, tu·o tho glory of our country; b etter glories, I think , than i{ we could transport the Louvre and St . J\i[ark's, or St . Peter's itself across the Chann el. Out of tho Eng lish homo bas sprung much of tha,t wl1i.chis most oxccllont in the national charact er ; and with the ::ibolition of it would follow, I cannot doubt, a dissipation of childhood, and 11, loosening of family tics, whereof tho evil consequences would be measureless. Let mo entreat you theu, whilo doing all yon can to amend the ma.nyand serious defects wlrich cling around our homo system, to lift no hand to break it down. olfako yoi;r homos better and happi er anc1 freer t han they are, but do not e:en speak of tho alternat ive of forsaking them and turnmg ours el vcs into Bccloweons of tho lodging house. 11'or Engli shmen, such a change would be very injurious; for women, it would bo simply disastrous. .'rhe making of a tn, e :Homo is really our pccnhar and 115 DUTIES OF WOMEN • . •·o·ht which no man can take from inalienablerigb.t ; a 11 0 , a Homo than a drone f, . a Man can no more ma1~o us, o1 • h' He can build a castle or a palace , can l)lake a 1ve. c1 . J • I b ho wise as Rolomon an nc L as but poor creat m e • e . ' •t • t a Homo No mascu11110 Crcesus,he cannot turn i 1n o • . . •· l do that It is a woman, and only a woman ' roor...a . can · ·· . erself if f,ho likes, anc1 w1thout a woman a11 by h . any man to help her, who can turn a Ho~so into a Home. vVoo to tho wretched man who d1sput:s bor monopoly, t~nd thinks, because ho can arrang~ a ?lu~, ho can make a Homo ! Nemesis overtakes him 1n lns olcl bachelorhood, when a home becomes tho supreme ideal of his desires; and we sec him-him who scorned the home-making of a Lcicly,-obliged to put up with tho oppression of his cook, or tho cruelty of his nurse! Bt1t it is our privilege, our faculty, to turn any four walls, nay even a tent uncler which we take shelter as we wander about the plains of the East, into a Home, i£ we so please it. Aud shall we relinqui sh tho use of this blessed faculty, auc1be content henceforth, like 1neremen, to be only quartered hero or there , not to be at homo anywhere? Why even tho little beavers, left in a drawing-room, set about making a dam,-a beaver's Home, out of tho coal-scuttle and tho rug and tho fire-irons! Shades of our grandmothers keep us fro1u such degeneracy. But not to pursue this spectre, let us take our stand p1 ·0 wris et focis, aud see what Duties belong to us in 8* �116 LEC'l'URE IV. right of our Rome -R ule . (\~ e, women, are the tr~ Horne Riilers , Parne ll and Co. arc impostors .) In the first place, if Homo be our kingdom, it inust be our joy and privilege to convert t.hat cloma, ·u . , as qu10kly and as perfectly as we may, into a little Province of the Kingdom of God : for r emember what I have said all along; that we may look on all our duties iu this cheering and boa,utiful light-first to set up God's kingdom in our own hearts, making them pure and true and loving; and then to make our homes little provinces of the same kingdom; and lastly to try to extend that kiugdon1 throug h the world; the empire of Justice, Truth , and Love . Wo arc entirely responsible for our own souls ; and very greatly responsib le £or those of all the chvellers in our homes; and, in a lcsse1· way, we arc answerable for each widening circle beyond us . IIow shall we set about making our Hoines provinces of the Divine l( iugdom ? 1st . Nobody must be 1norally tho worse for living nnde1· our roof, if \YO can possibly help it. It is the 1ninirniim, of ou1· duties to make sure that temptations to misconduct or intempe rance arc not left in any one's way; or bad feelings suffered to grow up ; or habits of moroseness or domineering formed ; or quarrels kept hot, as if they were toasts before tho kitchen fire . A.s much as possible, on the contrary, everybody must be helped to be botter,-uot made better by .A.ct of the Dl'aw ing Room, l'Omcmber, that is irnpossiblc ,-but ltelpecl to be better . '!'he way DUT!F.S OF \VO)IEN . 117 ' . e1·•boi- vorv much to scold, . I ppreheno is n " J h to do th 1s, a ' . . to church whet er ·t r insist on people go1ng or exho1 , 0 d. F .... ,Jv Pra.yors (excellent ·t ot orl'0a ino · a.,_.iJ • ' they like i o1· n ' . -~ b ' but rather to spread though that practice :a ,y ::roosphero of frank con throu<Yhthe house sue an ' cl o and kindliness with servants, and of love _an jJ. ence ,. t b J feehn o·s trust with children and relations, as t1la a .o . l temptat10n, and doings will really 1iavc no p a00 ' 110 ancl if they intrude, will soon clio out. . One such point out of many I may here cite as specially concerning us women . Is it not absurd for a lady who spends hundreds of pounds and thousaucl:sof hours on hol' toilet, and takes evident pleasure in attracting admiration in fashionable ra.iment not always perfectly doceut- ·to turn anc1lectu re poor l\Iary Ann, her ho usemaid, on sobriety in attire , and set forth to her the peril and folly of flowers in her bonnet? '£ho mistress who dresses modestly and sensib ly, may reasonably hope in time that her servants ,vill dress modestly and sens ibly likewise ; but certainly they will not do so while she oxliibits to the ir foolish young eyes tho example of extravagance ancl folly. 2nc1. Next to tho Virlne of those who live in our homes, their Il.appiness shonkl occnpy us . In the first place, no creatu re nnclor our roof should ever be miser a,blc, if we can pr0\7 Cnt it . In h ow rnany otherwise happy homes is there not one such 111ise rable being? Sometimes it is tl_10sufferer's own fault: their 1uincls arc warpocl and dcspan·Inl, and om· utmo~t efforts pcrhap can only c.a �118 119 LECTURE IV. cheer them a litt le. But much oft..-. . th . f d . vlleI ere lS t b oun in a large household some , o e fallen, throug-h no faul• i·nto th po_or crbeat ure whohas ~ ", e m1sota lo ·r th e family butt; the obiect of ·n- t , 'J pos1ion of . t J i na tu ect and unfeelin Jes s and rude speeches . the last , g an l ' per son to be !riven "' a y p easnre, . . and the first person to b o made to suffer ny pnvat10n or ill-temper . Sometimes i·t 1.s a poor a ooverness or tutor; sometimes an old t ,1 • aun or poor i e at1on ; now and then, but rarely in these days, astu id servant _; most often of all, a child, who is perhap~a step-child , or nophe w, · or niece · of tho mistress of the house, . someway, , d or. alas. ! her . own child. , only deformed 1n or oficient in n1tollect. 'l'hen tho hapless frio· htened 0 creature, afr~id of punishment, looks with furtive glances a_t the frowning faces about it, tr ies to escape by some little transparent cleceptiou, and only incurs the heavier penalty of falsehood ancl tho name of a liar; and so tho evil goes on growing day by day. It is astonishing and horrible to witness how the deep-seated frightful human passion, which I have elsewhere na med I:leter<Y_Pathy ,develops itself in such circumstances · - the sight 0£ suffering and down-trodden misery exciting , not pity, but the reverse; a sort of cruel aversim~ in the by standers , till tho whole household sometimes joins in hating the pooi· helpless and isolated victim. My friends, if you ever sec anything approaching to th is in your homes, fol' God's sake set your faces like n. flint against it ! If you dislike ancl mistrust the poor victim yourself~ as you probab ly wil1 clo at nrst, never DU'l'IF,$ OF WON J.;N. . ·t tho first thino · to be done . d I Tal·e my word f 01 l J 0 ~lll . 17" 'o-~OD1of Goel is to do Ju Sl 'IC}J to all,- to 1n tl1e .D-Ulo r even loath . . that no creature, however moan, o secme . t' If vou are some should be treated with inJUS ice. J •, as I' am supposing, mistress of tho house, stop th~s . . h ' ·h h l . and if --.-ouhave been 1n persecution with a 1g anc , J . • • h , m o in it if it be yoiir chshko w h1ch you any way to b , , see thus reflected in the faces of your doponda,nts, repent your great fault, and ma.kc amends to your victim. If you arc not mistress, only a guest perhaps , or a humble friend, even then you can and ought to do much ; you can look grave and pained whenever tho butt is laughed at and jeered ; ancl you can deliberately fix your eyes on him, or her, with sympathy , and treat hi.mv;1ith respect . Evon these little tokens of condemnation of what is going on will have (you may be sure), a startling effect on those whose custom it has become to treat the poor soul with contempt ; and they will probably be angry with you for exhibiting them. :Youwill never have borne resentment for a better cause l Nor is it only human beings who are thus n1adc too often household Yicti1ns. You must all know houses whore some unlucky animal-a cat or cloo·-bco·innino· 0 0 o by being tho object of somebody's senseless antipathy , becomes the general sm~ff're -doitleiw of masters and servants. Tho dog or cat (especially if it happens to be chcnshoc1 b! the human victim) , is spoken to so roughly, driven out of every room , and , pe1·ha,ps �120 LECl'UllE IV . puni shed for all sorts of offc . nces it has nnttcd that th • never cou1• , e annual assumes a downcast su k. aspect wb · h · • < , ca Ill" ' ic in evitably produces £.1 h "' l t cs aucl fresh ie /ro?-'athy. You attempt, perhaps, to give it a little pa of sympathy, ancl the poor frio·htened be t at . . "' as snaps , you , expecting a blow . or runs off to 1 · 1 d . ' llC C UU Cl' a so £a . Tuiistre sses of homes ! don't. let the. b l IC Ca ( Oil' or a cat, or a clonkcy, or tiny othe r creat ure, in ~;. about your home s, wh ich shr inks· wl1eu a, . man or "'?m an app r oaches it ! And here I may add, that w_1t~ out th us spec ia.lly victin1i:r.iug the animals through di sli ke, a household frequent ly iuake s the life of some poor brute one long martyrdom th rough neglect. The re spons ibili ty for this neglect lies primarily with the lllistress of the house . She must not only direct he1• servants , but see that her di?-ectionsbe carried outJ in the way of affordin g water , and foocl, and needful exercise . A pretty "1Gn gc1om of Heaven" some hoL1ses would be if the poor brutes could speak; houses possibly with prayers going on t wice a day, and grace said carefully before long luxurious meals,-- and all the time the chil dren 's bircls ancl rabbits left untended in foul cages without fresh food ; mice th rown out of the traps on the fire ; aged or cliseasec1 cats, or superfluous puppi es g iven to boys to destroy in any way their cruel inven tion may suggest ; fowls £or tho consumption of the house carelessly and barbarously killed; and, worst of all, tho poor house -clog, perhaps some loving-hearted lit tle Skye , or noble old mastiff or retriever, con- 121 · w 1u·ch . £or life to the pena 1ties . we should . dcmncd .t f lefaotors : chained th · l · too sc,Tcrefor tho wors o ma Ill ' h 11 the Ion o· br i o-bt su1u1nor up by the neck thro~g a . ~ . ,: ater -trou<>·h days under a burmng- sun , wit~ 1ts . e" unfilled for days, or through tho winter's fro~t in so1:1v • w1 -.·til cold 'and 1n a.o ·on1es dn-rk sunless corner, £roe11rng e . £·0 1· wan t of st l,·aw- or tho chance of of ·rbe11ma,t1sm wa1·miuo · itself at a fire, or by a run in the snow . And 0 all' this as a reward £or t ho poor br ·utes' · ficlcYi ty I. vVhcn this kincl of thing goes on for a certain time, of course tho doo· becomes horribly c1iscascc1 . llis longing to bound ove; the frosh g rass-expressed so a.ffoctingly by his leaps and bonncls when ,vo approach bis miserable duugcon, - is not merely a longing for bi s uatural pleasure, but for that which is ind ispensable to bis health, namely exorcise, and tho power to cat grass ; a.ncl, if refused, ho very soon falls into disease : his beautiful coat becornes mangy and red; ho is irriktblc, ancl becomes revolting to everybody , and the nurse C!·ies to · the children , who wore hi s only friends ancl visitors, "Don ' t go nea r that clog '" 1 say it deliberately, the 1uistress of a h ouse in whose yard a dog is thus kept like a fo,·r;at-ouly ,vorse treated than any murd erer is treated in I ta.ly-i s guilty 0£ a vei·y grecit sin; and till she has ta.k en ca,re that Lho dog has his daily exercise and w11tor, a,nd that the cat ancl the fowls and every ot her sent ient crea,tu r e under her roof is well ancl kindly trea ,tecl, she ma,y as "ell, Corshame's sake, give up thinking she is ful - �] 22 123 LECTURE IV . DUTIES OF \VOJIIEN. fillin?" ~er duties by reading prayers and sub ,.b. to m1ss1ons. sen mg I assl.lllle tha t the master of the house whe tl . ·11 , re iere lS one, w1 ' as usual, look after the stable d t Wh th · epar meut er~ er~ is no master, or he does not interfere. t he mistress is _surelyresponsible for humane treatmeu; of the horses, lf she keep any Furthe r I th·1 1 1d · · , n,ove ry a y is bound to insist that any horse which draws her shall be free from the misery of a beariiio-·e· Drm . She ought not to allow her vanity n-ud ambition to be fashionable, to induce her to connive at her coachman's laziness and c1·uclty . vVhen the l\fist rcss of a house has done all she can to p1·event the su'{/01·ing, mental or physical, of any creature, human or infra-human, under her roof, there remains still a delightful £old for her ability in actually gvving pleasure . We all know that life is made up chiefly of little pleasures and little pains; and how many of the former arc in the power of tho mistress of a house to provide, it is almost impossible to calculate. But lot any clever woman simply take it to heart to make everybody about her as luippy as she can, and tho result I believe will always be wonderful. Let her see that so far as possible, they have the rooms they like best, the little articles of furniture an<l ornament they prefe1·. Let her order 1neals with a careful forethought for their tastes, and for tho 11ecessitiesof their health; seeing that every one has what ho desires, and making him feel, however humble in positioJJ, • been remembored . Let her not that his tastes have . t the position of tho . such atteJJtion o disdam to pay '-' ·1 dwellino--rooms as d fas of tho iam1y o d chairs an ~o '.. . a be comfortably place ' that every in(hv1dual m y t been left out in tho and feel that he or she has no_ let her try, not so .A.nd after all these ca1es, . cola · did and ,-csthct1cally much to make ho1· rooms sp1en ' . d . ]- them thorouo·bly habitable an admirable, as to ma....o o them . comfortable £or those who arc to occupy th t ·' . comfort ia. th 01, than her .own ros e ict reo·ardino-then· . 0 0 ' brig · ht an d clean ' ' swec. o-ra1·ca1 , o t .fi t ·on. .A.di·awino·-room, :,ith flowers in summer, or with driecl rose leaves 111 winter . with tables at which the inmates may occupy themselves, and easy chairs wherever they a1·ewanted; and plenty of soft light, and warmth, or else of coolness adapted to the weather-this sort of room belongs more properly to a woman who seeks to make her house a province of the IGngdon1 of Hecwen, than one which might be exhibited at South Kensington as havino to the Kingdom of Qiwen,Anne! o· belono-ed o 'rhen for the moral atmosphere of tho l1ousc, which depends so immensely on the tone of tho mistress ; I will venture to make one recommendation. Let it bo as gay as ever she can make it . Thero arc numbers of excellent women-the salt of tho earth-who seem absolutely oppressed with their consciences, as if they wero congested livers. 'l'hcy arc in a constant state of anxiety ancl care; and, perhaps with tho addition of feeble health, :!inclit difficult to get through thei r ~ �124 ] 25 LEC1'URE IV. duties c:xcept iu a, c ·t . 1 er a1n ach1·ymose and d l f: ·l . a,s uon . Houses whe1·e these . o orous women re1 0-n seem l a ways under a cloud w·th . . "' , i ra11 1 rmpendin conceive that o·ood a d 1. g. N J. ow I o , u even no·h animal . ·t among the most blessed f "" . , spins , are to h o possessrous,-a ctual wiuo-s car us up over the 1 t "" . c us Y or muctdy roads of life . and I thmk that to keep up the spirits o£ a h , hold , i,; not only indefinite ly to add to ·t h , _ouseb t 1 i s appiness u a so to make all duties comparatively lio-ht ancl easy . Thus, however nat urally depressed a ~ - t · m1.1vb I tl · 1 h 1s ress • J e, un.;: s e ono·ht to st ruo·o-le to b 1 f l d "" "'"" e c 1eer u , an to tak_e pains never to quench tho blessed spirits her olnldl'en or guests . All of us who live louo1n gr eat cities get into ft sort of subdued-chee1-fulnes: tone . . vVe are neither very sad nor very glad ; we neither cry, nor ever enjoy tliat delicions experience of helpless langhtcr , tho Joib rire which is the j oy of youth . I wish we could be more r eally light of l1cart. ?f A few worJs must suffice upon the vexed question of Servants . I do not represent to myself a household as a Despotism, so much as a Community, wherein some persons (the servants ) have cont1·acted, on ce1·taiu te rms, to perfor m a certain class of services for tho heads of the house, the il' children and g uest;:. 'rhc mistress (it is part of the contract) is authol'izecl to give direction s at all moment s how Lhosc services arc DUTIES OF WOMEN . cl she is also author i~ed (it is to be performe~ ; au h f it·ther directions respecting . t "' t VO sue l i' unclerstood ) 0 "" b't . f the sorvants•, the ir hours 1or tile dress and ha i s o t ' ey sha.11adroit into the the persons n ' coming homo, appea r necessary £or the order &c as may , z• t . s IiOuse · ' ., But with these cw ec ion. aud safeguard of the house. . . Into . l . . . ciuthonl:y are exhausted . I thmk hcl' c aims to . . . t of any leisul' e t une her servants the emplo3-men h may she as no h a,' e, and their pr ivate affairs genera lly, .111t J t all . . • · t f thci1 · contract to l'UCio a ' .' rio-ht, 1n vn· ue o ' .. I cannot but think that the recognition of this lino of demarcation, tho formal r elinquishment of tho patriarclial relation (which can only now be really maintained in excoptioM1l cases), and the carefu l obsel'vanco of the contract , wonld be the safest, as it is the tl'uest, basis £or our £utul'C relationship with our servants. vVhen this basis is fairly laid, I think servants can be bette r brought to respect tbcil' side of tho contract ; to do ns j ust and ho11est service for honest wages ; and, motaphorica]ly and litcl'ally, to "sweep under the mats ." '1:hcro remains, outside of their actual service, or of any assnmpt ion of a11thority on our side, nn actually limitless field for tho exercise of our natural influence as thei r immediate superiors and friencls. a:a Ono word iu concluding these remarks on ·vvoman's duties as a Ifoms Frciu. If we cannot perfo rm these well, if we arc not orderly enough, clear- headed enough , �126 LECTURE IV . po·wo~~fulenough in short, to fulfil thi . . ~ functaon of our sex well d tl s unmemol' 1al au 1orouo·hl ·t · what foolish of us to pre ss to b llo Y, l is some. 0 a owed to shar · th •, o g roat Ho11sokcopiug of ·tho State . M e tn and honoured friend 'l'hood , p ·k . y beloved . . ' o1e a1 er, aro-ucd r., h adm1ss1onof woiuen to tho full rio·hts of hio1t e 0 shal'e iu o· . ci iiens p and . oove1nmont, on tho exp1·oss "'rounds that " women keep h b dl o ,ew a ouse so a y or with such wastefulness s Chancellors of the Exchequer keel) tho St t . wo 1 . £ a e , and man y g~mus or organization applied to the affail's of the nation would be oxti-emoly cc . 1 b fl . 1 onom1ca and enc c1a . But if wo cannot keep our houses, and manage our servants, this arg ument, I am afraid, will be ~m:.ned the othet· way, a.nd we shall be told that not hav1~g used our one talent, it is quite out of question t_o g1ve_us ten; having shown ourselves incapable iu httle tluugs, nobody in their senses will tt-ust us with great ones. ·t LEC TUREV. Duties of' Wo-nwnas JJ1embe1·s of Soci·ety. IN the Second Lect1u·eof this Course I spoke of tho PIYl ·sonal Ditties of,~, omen. In tho Third LocL~ro_wo discussed their Social Dillies generally, bcgi.nmng with their Dntics as 1Vlo 1nbors of Families, 1Iothcrs , Dauo·htcrs, Sisters, &c. In tho Fourth Lcc~ure I spoke of the Dntics of vVi,cs and r.Iist'.osscs.or llousoholds. Vvc now come to tbc cons1dorat1on of tho Dnties 0£ a Woman as a ][ember of Society ; rosoeving for our last Lecture her Duties as a Citizen of tho State and :M:cmbel'of the Human Race . In this Lecture I beg you to take note that I shall use tho word " Society" in its narrower conventional sense, implying tho association of equals for purposes of pleasure, mutual hospitality, visits, ente rtainm ents , and so forth . 'rhe larger sense of the word "Society," as applied to all lu1man intercourse, is not hero intended. If tho Home be, as it is often well called, " ·vvoman's Kingdom," every drawing -room is woman's throne room. Modern civilized society all proceeds on the � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Everyday Literature: An An(ti)thology of Women's Writing Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Amy Lueck and Fall 2020 ENGL168PW/WGST167 students Subject The topic of the resource Women's literary history and culture Description An account of the resource Digital copies of some of the women's writing held in SCU's Archives and Special Collections Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available SCU Archives and Special Collections Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Summer Shetenhelm Type The nature or genre of the resource Collection Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource SCU Archives and Special Collections Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Excerpt from 'The duties of women: A course of lectures' Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Cobbe, Frances Power, 1822-1904. Subject The topic of the resource Women -- Social and moral questions. Description An account of the resource Excerpt from 'The duties of women: A course of lectures' printed by Wililams and Norgate in 1881. This excerpt includes Lecture VI Duties of Contract--Wives--Friends. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Williams and Norgate Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1881 Type The nature or genre of the resource text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 30 pages Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CobbeDutiesExcerpts.pdf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived HQ1221 .C65 1881 Language A language of the resource English Relation A related resource Santa Clara University, Archives & Special Collections