Aims and Aids for Girls and Young Women | Page 6

herself unless she
possesses physical as well as mental and moral strength. Girlhood has
both beauty and strength. Why may they not be carried into
womanhood? Shall not the wife and mother retain the beauty and
health of the girl? Shall not the woman retain the physical integrity of
the girl? There is no good reason why she shall not. Health and strength
were made to be life-lasting, or nearly so. So beauty is a rich gift of the
Divine Artist given for life. Why should we dissipate it in an hour? It is
ungrateful, impious to do it. We ought to prize and retain it as a divine
benefaction. God could as well have made Girlhood ugly as beautiful.
His wisdom and love chose to make it a model of grace and elegance.
Has he laid a necessity upon woman's nature that this beauty shall last
but an hour? Far from it. On the other hand, he has made every
provision for its preservation. Why, then, is it not preserved? Simply
because Girlhood is not instructed in the science of health or life. And
this is not so much the fault of young women as it is of parents and
society. We study astronomy in all our schools, but where is a class
instructed in the economy of health? True, some go through a text-book
on physiology, but how meager is the instruction there gleaned relative
to the preservation of health, and how few ever think of putting into
practice what they do get! When physiologists say that pure air, much
exercise, comfortable and airy dress, frequent bathing, sufficient sleep,
a plain, simple diet, and regular habits, with a peaceful and active mind,
are essential to health, how many young women heed the instruction?
Now of what avail will a good character be without health to apply its
forces to the work of life? Of what avail is a good boiler and a high
pressure of steam to the engineer if his engine is all out of order, so that
it has neither strength nor freedom to work? So it is with a good
character in a fragile, broken-down body. If there was any other way to
use the forces of a good character than through the medium of a

physical engine, health would not be a matter of so much importance;
but as there is not, it is clear that for all the active, benevolent, and
useful purposes of this life, health is about as important as character.
Neither is of much utility alone. A boiler pressed full of steam would
be useless without an engine to use and apply its forces, and the engine
would be as useless without the boiler. Why, then, is Girlhood so
prodigal of its health and strength? Why does it imprison itself in close,
hot rooms? Why live on a diet that no brute could bear? Why confine
every limb and muscle of its body? Why engirdle its waist in warmth
and cordage, and expose its feet to every storm and frost, to mud and
snow? It is useless to talk, and preach, and write about the value of a
good character unless we couple it with an equally earnest lesson about
the value of health. It is useless for Girlhood to be anxious about its
moral character unless it is equally anxious about its physical character.
If we have no right to cultivate a bad character, we have no right to
abuse the only means by which a good character can be of use to the
world. If we have no moral right to set a bad example before our
fellow-men, we have no right to weaken and disease a good physical
organization. And it would be difficult to show the reasoning at fault,
should we conclude that we have no more moral right to be sick than
we have to sin. But we hope to say more on this subject before our
work is done.
Still another duty presses upon Girlhood. It relates to a livelihood, to
the practical work of pushing its way through life. Woman must eat,
wear, be sheltered, educated, protected, warmed, and amused, as much
as any other human being. She can not be thus supplied except by
charity or her own labor. It is degrading to accept of all life's necessities
at the hand of charity. No woman possessed of a genuine womanly
character will do it. The character would forbid that she should do it.
She must then be independent, or as much so as any are. She must have
some livelihood. She must not only have a good character and good
health, but an ability to do something for herself and others. Both
character and health would be of little avail if she was