Woman in All Ages and Nations

INTRODUCTION.

THE History of Woman is one of the most interesting subjects that can engage thought or pen; and a more fascinating theme, both to writer and reader, we feel assured, cannot be found in the whole range of the visible universe. No intellectual employment is more delightful, than the study of human nature; and, in the female sex, we find humanity in its fairest and more exquisite developments.

This is not the mere expression of an author's gallantry to the fair sex. Women are as conscious of the superior beauty, elegance, and delicacy of their sex, as men cản be; though they may not give this consciousness the same expression. In statuary and in painting, women as naturally prefer feminine beauty, as do men; though it may be that this preference is not accompanied with precisely the same emotions. So is it in poetry, and in romantic fiction; the heroine retains her place of honor, whether the poet or novelist be male or female.

The history of woman is, of necessity, a history of the whole human race. It is broader and deeper than any ordinary history can be. The history of man is one of war, legislation, science, philosophy, and the arts.

That

of woman relates to education, love, marriage, social relations, fashions and amusements matters which, though they may seem less imposing, are really of no less importance, for these are the forming principles of human character, and in these are the hidden springs of human action. From the cradle to the grave, the influence of woman governs and controls us. We owe our tastes, inclinations, and peculiarities of temperament, in a great measure, to her influence, even before our eyes have opened to the light; in infancy, she nurtures our bodies and forms our

minds; she is the magnet which attracts us in our after years; and by these varied influences and attractions, woman governs the world.

The choice of a proper plan for a work so vast in its range, and so comprehensive in its character, was a matter of careful deliberation. In giving accounts of the manners, habits, customs, and conditions of women, it was necessary to search into the obscurest depths of past history, to range over the four quarters of the globe, to view the sex in savage and civilized nations, and under the influences of every system of religion, and every form of government.

The plan we have adopted, is that of comparing and contrasting women in various ages, and in different nations, in regard to particular qualities or circumstances. By this means we have sought to avoid the tedium of a continuous history, and to group our facts into a series of delightful pictures, which, owe they ever so little to the art with which they are presented, yet cannot fail to please by vivid colors and striking contrasts.

This work, as may be seen, has thus become one of many facts and few speculations. We have been engaged in the charming employment of culling from every field, the flowers of history and of travel, and of combining them in a series of bouquets for our readers; of which, all that will be ours, the style and manner, will be the order in which they are arranged, and the string that ties them together. Or we may compare them, perhaps, to a collection of jewelled ornaments, where nature furnishes the brilliant gems of every hue, which the lapidary and jeweller polish and set to the best advantage; and should even the arrangement prove uncouth, or the setting untasteful, the consolation still is that the flowers are sweet and beautiful, and the gems of the purest water.

The poet, or the novelist, takes a single female for his heroine, and lavishes on her all his talents-we, with a wider scope, have taken for our subject the whole sex: not that with the monopolizing poet, we could wish that all the women of the world

"Had but one mouth,

That we might kiss them all, from North to South;"

but because such a view of the loveliest portion of human nature seems to us desirable, on many accounts, at the present stage of human progress.

The careful reader of this history will not fail to perceive that woman has had much to do with the condition of every stage of human society-her position being either a cause, a result, or an indication; for one of these is often mistaken for the other. Thus no nation ever advanced to a high, refined, and liberal civilization, unless the influence of woman was very powerful; and wherever woman is treated as a slave, or her influence is separated from that of man, the state of society is either fixed or retrogressive.

Thus, in the Hebrew nation, with whose history we are so well acquainted, women held an important social position, and even took the lead at times in politics, up to the time when the nation attained its highest splendors, under Solomon. This rich and magnificent king introduced into his country the customs of surrounding nations. Instead of one, or a reasonable number of wives, he procured for himself several hundreds; a seraglio, of one thousand women in all, culled from the beauties of all south-western Asia, and a part of Africa. It may be easily surmised, that in such a "family circle" no virtuous female influence could be exercised. His whole harem-equal to a considerable village-must have been one scene of intrigue and deception: and there was no possibility, with all this regiment of female slaves-for, however queenly and magnificent, they were nothing more-that Solomon could ⚫ have had one single wife-the companion, friend, and counsellor, that a wife should be.

The habits of a monarch become the fashion of his subjects. All followed as nearly as they were able, the style of Solomon. Every rich Hebrew set up his harem, in the oriental style, and the energy and power of the nation was lost for ever.

It may be asked whether this treatment of the female sex, was a cause, or an effect of national deterioration? They acted reciprocally on each other; as some liquors make a man thirsty, and his thirst makes him continue to drink.

On the other hand, the Goths, who trampled down Rome, and established the present power, energy, and civilization of Europe and America, especially as displayed in the Anglo-Saxon race, held woman in the highest respect. In Germany, long before Christianity was heard of, woman was supreme in man's affections. She was his cherished friend, his adviser, his controlling influence. Chivalry, which had never sprung up in the voluptuous South, flourished and bloomed in the savage North; and the races that first gave to woman her proper position, are those which are destined to govern the world.

Thus we come at first-to what we shall arrive as our conclusion-we begin as we shall end, with the great fact, that "it is not good for man to be alone." The two sexes are absolutely required, in their proper relative positions, for the perfection of human character and action. Without this, there can be no proper civilization and no true social happiness.

Viewed in this light, our subject becomes one of high interest. The philosopher, the reformer, the legislator must consider it. Women, out of regard to their sex, and to the humanity to which they belong, must ponder it deeply. Men, as they regard the highest interests of the race, must not only consider it well, but study it with an eye to such reforms as may be needed, to give to woman that position in society which will be of the greatest advantage to the world.

It is not without a sufficient motive that the importance of such a work is thus spoken of at its commencement. There are grave reasons why its solemn character should be considered at the outset, as well as its exciting interest and powerful fascination. From the very nature of the subject, we shall be forced into the consideration of the most curious and extraordinary details, in the manners and customs of ancient and modern nations, some of which are connected with moral questions of the gravest character. Presented as isolated facts, aside from the general purpose of a great historical work, many of these details might seem objectionable to the fastidious, but when the great aim and noble tendency of such a work is considered when such facts are held up in the calm light of

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Woman in All Ages and Nations: A Complete and Authentic History of the ...