civilized man, but man had not honoured and exalted her. The ages of darkness and strife had not yet passed away. As the light of science and literature began to dawn, the rights and character of woman were mixed up with the scholastic follies of the day; and it became a vexed question among the grave doctors of divinity, whether she indeed possessed a ra. tional soul, and was an accountable agent. Thus the ignorance of woman became a moral system, and the ignorance of the multitude a system of policy. Both originated in the mistaken notion that ignorance and innocence are correlative terms;-that the power of the ruled is incompatible with knowledge among the people; and that the authority of the husband, is endangered by instruction on the part of the wife. Accordingly, females were very unceremoniously deprived of souls; subjected to low and degrading habits and pursuits; treated as menials, and robbed of their just rights. It was not indeed, until the reign of Louis the Fourteenth in France, and about the same time in England, that juster views began to prevail on this subject. At that period, the Abbe de Fleury declared, that girls ought to be taught something besides their catechism, sewing, singing, dancing, how to dress, to speak civilly, and to make a good courtesy; in short, that they should also know how to read, write, and cypher, when to ask advice in matters of business, and enough of medicine to take care of the sick. The good Fenelon went still further, and maintained that they should read ancient and modern history, should understand Latin, and peruse works of eloquence, literature and poetry; and the Archbishop justified himself, for advancing such heterodox opinions on

theological principles and by adding certain restrictions, "For" said he, "women are half of the human race, redeemed by the blood of Christ, and like us destined to eternal life."

Since that period, woman has gradually risen in the scale of humanity, till she now occupies a position loftier than which her proudest ambition need scarcely aspire, a position, if not equal to what false flatterers may claim to be her due, yet one, if she but im. prove the opportunities placed within her reach, equal to the moral regeneration of the world. We yield to

none in our high estimation of the dignity and mission of woman,-none are more desirous that she should have just conceptions of her own importance, and wield a controlling influence over human hearts and human destiny ;-and while we do this, we believe those to be her greatest enemies, who would persuade her to exchange this influence for power, or that our social and political institutions place her in a false position. What do they offer in exchange for introduc ing to our homes, and within the quiet bosom of the domestic circle, the violent dissensions, and rancorous feelings of political strife? Is it not enough that man should be at variance with man, neighbour with neighbour, brother with brother? Must man and wife, brother and sister, father and daughter, mother and son, enter also the lists, and fight over again the battles of whig and tory, and discuss the merits of opposing candidates? Nay, rather let her shed her gentle, but irresistible influence over the circle of her affections, the family of her love;-let her refine, purify, exalt, ennoble, and mould the hearts and minds of all within her reach; in short, let her act as the

restorer of God's image in the human soul, and then will she accomplish her lofty mission, and fill the sphere which God and Nature appointed for her.

It is remarked by Aime Martin, that "whatever may be the customs and laws of a country, women always give the tone to morals. Whether slaves or free, they reign, because their empire is that of the affections. This influence, however, is more or less salutary, according to the degree of esteem in which they are held;-they make men what they are. It seems as though nature had made man's intellect de. pend upon their dignity, as she has made his happiness depend upon their virtue. This, then, is the law of eternal justice,―man cannot degrade woman without himself falling into degradation; he cannot elevate her, without at the same time elevating himself. Let us cast our eyes over the globe. Let us observe those two great divisions of the human race, the East and the West. Half the old world remains in a state of inanity, under the oppression of a rude civilization; the women there are slaves; the other advancing in equalization and intelligence; the women there are free and honoured. If we wish, then, to know the political and moral condition of a state, we must ask what rank women hold in it. Their influence embraces the whole of life. A wife,—a mother,—two magical words, comprising the sweetest sources of man's felicity. Theirs is the reign of beauty, of love, of reason. Always a reign! A man takes counsel with his wife; he obeys his mother; he obeys her long after she has ceased to live, and the ideas which he has received from her become principles stronger even than his passions. "The reality of the power is

not disputed; but it may be objected that it is confined in its operation to the family circle; as if the aggregate of families did not constitute the nation! The man carries with him to the forum the notions which the woman has discussed with him by the domestic hearth. His strength there realizes what her gentle insinuations inspired. It is sometimes urged as matter of complaint, that the business of women is confined to the domestic arrangements of the household; and it is not recollected that from the household of every citizen issue forth the errors and prejudices which govern the world."

The following work of Mr. Walker forms, as it were, a continuation of the Treatise by the same author on Intermarriage, which has met with the most flattering reception from the American public; and like that work, it will be found to contain many novel and original ideas, on a variety of moral and physiological subjects. The views of Mr. Walker are bold and striking; he says what he thinks without circumlocution or apology, even when he must be conscious that he is opposing settled modes of belief, if not orthodox systems of faith and practice. We honour him for this frankness and candor, even in cases where we cannot subscribe to the truth of his doctrines. We have taken the liberty of noting, in the Appendix, some points on which we differ with him in opinion, believing that fair discussion will tend to elicit the truth and overthrow error. It should be recollected that the work was written for a different state of society, and for those who live under a system of laws, somewhat less favourable to the rights of woman than our own. The subjects which we have thought pro

per to treat of, in order to adapt the work to American readers, are chiefly the following, viz: Materialism; Size of the Male and Female Brain; Physiological Peculiarities of the Sexes; Instinct; Religion of Females; Insanity of Women; Matrimony and Celibacy; Old Maids; Matrimonial Infidelity; Laws of the different States in relation to Divorce; Milton's arguments on Divorce; Education of American Females;

New-York, Nov. 11th, 1839.