and attend to most of her domestic employments, has a frail
constitution that either has been undermined by ill health, or
which easily and frequently yields to fatigue, or exposure, or
excitement.
In the statements that follow, I shall place first those
which are _most reliable_, inasmuch as in each case personal
inquiries were made and the specific ailments were noted, to
show that nothing was stated without full knowledge. As a
matter of delicacy, the _initials_ are changed, so that no
individual can thus be identified.
MOST RELIABLE STATISTICS.
_Milwaukee, Wis._ Mrs. A. frequent sick headaches.
Mrs. B. very feeble. Mrs. S. well, except chills.
Mrs. L. poor health constantly. Mrs. D. subject to
frequent headaches. Mrs. B. very poor health. Mrs. C.
consumption. Mrs. A. pelvic displacements and weakness.
Mrs. H. pelvic disorders and a cough. Mrs. B. always
sick. Do not know one perfectly healthy woman in the
place.
_Essex, Vt._ Mrs. S. very feeble. Mrs. D. slender
and delicate. Mrs. S. feeble. Mrs. S. not well. Mrs.
G. quite feeble. Mrs. C. quite feeble. Mrs. B. quite
feeble. Mrs. S. quite slender. Mrs. B. quite feeble.
Mrs. F. very feeble. Knows but one perfectly healthy
woman in town.
_Peru, N. Y._ Mrs. C. not healthy. Mrs. H. not healthy.
Mrs. E. healthy. Mrs. B. pretty well. Mrs. K. delicate.
Mrs. B. not strong and healthy. Mrs. S. healthy and
vigorous. Mrs. L. pretty well. Mrs. L. pretty well.
_Canton, Penn._ Mrs. R. feeble. Mrs. B. bad headaches.
Mrs. D. bad headaches. Mrs. V. feeble. Mrs. S.
erysipelas. Mrs. K. headaches, but tolerably well. Mrs.
R. miserably sick and nervous. Mrs. G. poor health. Mrs.
L. invalid. Mrs. C. invalid.
_Oberlin, Ohio._ Mrs. A. usually well, but subject
to neuralgia. Mrs. D. poor health. Mrs. K. well, but
subject to nervous headaches. Mrs. M. poor health. Mrs.
C. not in good health. Mrs. P. not in good health. Mrs.
P. delicate. Mrs. F. not in good health. Mrs. F. not in
good health.
_Wilmington, Del._ Mrs. ——, scrofula. Mrs. B. in good
health. Mrs. D. delicate. Mrs. H. delicate. Mrs. S.
healthy. Mrs. P. healthy. Mrs. G. delicate. Mrs. O.
delicate. Mrs. T. very delicate. Mrs. S. headaches.
_New Bedford, Mass._ Mrs. B. pelvic diseases, and every
way out of order. Mrs. J. W. pelvic disorders. Mrs. W.
B. well, except in one respect. Mrs. C. sickly. Mrs. C.
rather delicate. Mrs. P. not healthy. Mrs. C. unwell
at times. Mrs. L. delicate. Mrs. B. subject to spasms.
Mrs. H. very feeble. Can not think of but one perfectly
healthy woman in the place.
_Paxton, Vt._ Mrs. T. diseased in liver and back. Mrs.
H. stomach and back diseased. Mrs. W. sickly. Mrs. S.
very delicate. Mrs. C. sick headaches, sickly. Mrs.
W. bilious complaints. Mrs. T. very delicate. Mrs. T.
liver complaint. Mrs. C. bilious sometimes, well most
of the time. Do not know a perfectly healthy woman
in the place. Many of these are the wives of wealthy
farmers, who _overwork_ when there is no need of it.
_Crown Point, N. Y._ Mrs. H. bronchitis. Mrs. K. very
delicate. Mrs. A. very delicate. Mrs. A. diseased in
back and stomach. Mrs. S. consumption. Mrs. A. dropsy.
Mrs. M. delicate. Mrs. M. G. delicate. Mrs. P. delicate.
Mrs. C. consumption. Do not know one perfectly healthy
woman in the place.
_Batavia, Illinois._ Mrs. H. an invalid. Mrs. G.
scrofula. Mrs. W. liver complaint. Mrs. K. pelvic
disorders. Mrs. S. pelvic diseases. Mrs. B. pelvic
diseases very badly. Mrs. B. not healthy. Mrs. T. very
feeble. Mrs. G. cancer. Mrs. N. liver complaint. Do not
know one healthy woman in the place.
_Oneida, N. Y._ Mrs. C. delicate. Mrs. P. scrofula. Mrs.
S. not well. Mrs. L. very delicate and nervous. Mrs. L.
invalid. Mrs. L. tolerably well. Mrs. A. invalid. Mrs.
W. broken down. Mrs. D. feeble. Mrs. W. pale but pretty
well.
_North Adams, Mass._ Mrs. R. scrofula and liver
complaint. Mrs. R. consumption. Mrs. C. consumption.
Mrs. B. liver complaint. Mrs. B. consumption. Mrs.
B. general debility. Mrs. F. consumption. Mrs. W.
paralytic. Mrs. W. confined always to her bed. Mrs. R.
scrofula.
_Charlotte, Vt._ Mrs. W. spinal complaint. Mrs. D.
spinal complaint. Mrs. N. spinal complaint. Mrs. R.
bilious and paralytic. Mrs. R. pelvic disorders. Mrs.
H. heart disease and dropsy. Mrs. B. dropsical. Mrs.
H. pelvic disease and palsy. Mrs. H. scrofula and
consumption. Mrs. S. quite delicate. Knows but one
perfectly healthy woman in the place.
_Maria, N. Y._ Mrs. H. consumption. Mrs. E. dyspepsia.
Mrs. T. dyspepsia. Mrs. D. consumption. Mrs. P.
dyspepsia. Mrs. R. sickly. Mrs. M. sickly. Mrs. R.
delicate. Mrs. S. sickly. Mrs. R. consumption. Knows not
one perfectly healthy woman in the place.
_Vergennes, Vt._ Mrs. L. delicate. Mrs. H. consumption.
Mrs. H. consumption. Mrs. C. sickly. Mrs. S. liver
complaint. Mrs. S. asthma. Mrs. S. sickly. Mrs. B.
bronchitis. Mrs. S. consumptive. Mrs. B. delicate. Does
not know a perfectly healthy woman in the place.
_Brooklyn, N. Y._ Mrs. B. very delicate. Mrs. G.
scrofulous. Mrs. R. pelvic displacements. Mrs. I.
nervous headaches. Mrs. A. pelvic diseases. Mrs. W.
heart disease. Mrs. S. organic disease. Mrs. B. well but
delicate. Mrs. L. well but delicate. Mrs. C. delicate.
_Berlin, Conn._ Mrs. A. dyspepsia. Mrs. B. quite
delicate. Mrs. C. nervous headaches. Mrs. G. pelvic
disorders. Mrs. M. weak lungs. Mrs. F. not sound. Mrs.
C. delicate. Mrs. N. vigorous and healthy. Mrs. C. well.
Mrs. A. delicate.
_Whitestown, N. Y._ Mrs. A. consumptive. Mrs. P. well
but delicate. Mrs. M. well but delicate. Mrs. S. pelvic
disorders. Mrs. R. dropsy. Mrs. B. pelvic disorders.
Mrs. H. sick headaches. Mrs. K. organic disorder. Mrs.
B. well but delicate. Mrs. T. bronchitis.
_Proctorville, Vt._ Mrs. B. well. Mrs. H. well. Mrs. S.
pelvic and stomach disorders. Mrs. S. not healthy. Mrs.
F. not healthy. Mrs. B. sickly. Mrs. C. not healthy.
Mrs. W. not healthy. Mrs. A. vigorous and usually well.
Knows no other strong and healthy woman.
_Saratoga, N. Y._ Mrs. M. pelvic disorders. Mrs. H.
pelvic disorders. Mrs. A. pelvic disorders. Mrs.
C. well. Mrs. C. neuralgia. Mrs. P. well. Mrs.
T. consumptive. Mrs. J. tolerably well. Mrs. B.
consumptive. Mrs. B. not well. Knows only one more well
one among her acquaintance.
_Saratoga, N. Y._ (by another resident). Mrs. T. pelvic
disorder. Mrs. C. pelvic disease. Mrs. H. not well. Mrs.
S. well and strong. Mrs. B. tolerably well. Mrs. M.
usually well. Mrs. O. headaches. Mrs. H. O. well. Mrs.
S. delicate. Mrs. P. not well.
_Canandaigua, N. Y._ Mrs. A. well. Mrs. B. an invalid.
Mrs. C. delicate. Mrs. H. delicate. Mrs. H. an invalid.
Mrs. J. well. Mrs. P. delicate. Mrs. A. well. Mrs. C. an
invalid. Mrs. W. well.
_Livonia, N. Y._ Mrs. H. rheumatic. Mrs. R. healthy
and vigorous. Mrs. S. well. Mrs. R. good health. Mrs.
P. very poor health. Mrs. B. well. Mrs. G. an invalid.
Mrs. S. delicate. Mrs. T. poor health. Mrs. ——, pelvic
disorders.
_Turkhannock, Penn._ Mrs. P. delicate and sickly. Mrs.
L. delicate and well. Mrs. R. well and vigorous. Mrs.
S. tolerably well. Mrs. C. well. Mrs. S. healthy. Mrs.
T. consumption. Mrs. M. healthy. Mrs. R. well. Mrs. ——,
pelvic disorders.
_Bath, N. Y._ Mrs. H. an invalid. Mrs. H. rheumatic.
Mrs. H. healthy and vigorous. Mrs. S. vigorous. Mrs.
K. delicate. Mrs. K. very healthy. Mrs. W. broken down.
Mrs. W. tolerably well. Mrs. W. an invalid. Mrs. H. poor
health.
_Castleton, N. Y._ Mrs. S. sickly. Mrs. W. healthy. Mrs.
S. very delicate. Mrs. H. delicate. Mrs. H. delicate.
Mrs. B. delicate. Mrs. W. not healthy. Mrs. H. not
healthy. Mrs. D. not healthy.
The following were furnished by ladies who simply arranged
the names of the ten married ladies best known to them in the
place of their residence, in three classes, as marked over the
several columns:
+------------------------+----------+---------+---------+
| |Strong and|Delicate |Habitual |
| Residence. |perfectly | or |Invalids.|
| | Healthy. |Diseased.| |
+------------------------+----------+---------+---------+
|Hudson, Michigan | 2 | 4 | 4 |
|Castleton, Vermont | Not one. | 9 | 1 |
|Bridgeport, Vermont | 4 | 4 | 2 |
|Dorset, Vermont | Not one. | 1 | 9 |
|South Royalston, Mass. | 4 | 2 | 4 |
|Townsend, Vermont | 4 | 3 | 3 |
|Greenbush, New York | 2 | 5 | 3 |
|Southington, Connecticut| 3 | 5 | 2 |
|Newark, New Jersey | 2 | 3 | 5 |
|New York City | 2 | 4 | 4 |
|Oneida, New York | 3 | 2 | 5 |
|Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 1 | 3 | 6 |
|Rochester, New York | 2 | 6 | 2 |
|Plainfield, New Jersey | 2 | 4 | 4 |
|New York City | 3 | 6 | 1 |
|Lennox, Massachusetts | 4 | 3 | 3 |
|Union Vale, New York | 2 | 5 | 3 |
|Albany, New York | 2 | 3 | 5 |
|Hartford, Conn. | 1 | 5 | 4 |
|Cincinnati, Ohio | 1 | 4 | 5 |
|Andover, Mass. | 2 | 5 | 3 |
|Brunswick, Maine | 2 | 5 | 3 |
|Southington, Connecticut| 3 | 5 | 2 |
|Rochester, New York | 2 | 6 | 2 |
|Albany, New York | 2 | 4 | 4 |
|Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 1 | 3 | 6 |
|Plainfield, New Jersey | 2 | 4 | 4 |
|New York City | 3 | 6 | 1 |
|New York City | 2 | 4 | 4 |
|Worcester, Massachusetts| 1 | 6 | 2 |
|Newark, New Jersey | 2 | 3 | 5 |
|Bonhomme, Missouri | 3 | 5 | 2 |
|Painted Post, New York | 1 | 3 | 6 |
|Wilkins, New York | 2 | 3 | 5 |
|Johnsburg, New York | 3 | 6 | 1 |
|Burdett, New York | 4 | 3 | 3 |
|Horse Heads, New York | 3 | 2 | 5 |
|Pompey, New York | 4 | 4 | 2 |
|Tioga, Pennsylvania | 3 | 4 | 3 |
|Lodi, New York | 2 | 5 | 3 |
|Seymour, Connecticut | 3 | 7 | 0 |
|Williamsville, New York | 4 | 2 | 4 |
|Herkimer, New York | 3 | 2 | 5 |
|Hudson, Michigan | 2 | 4 | 4 |
|Kalamazoo, Michigan | 3 | 6 | 1 |
+------------------------+----------+---------+---------+
The following are those not so reliable as the preceding, as
the papers were some of them not clear, and some uncertainty
about others for want of personal inquiry:
_Cattskill, N. Y._ Three vigorous, two well, three
delicate, two sickly.
_Batavia, N. Y._ One vigorous, two well, three delicate,
one sickly.
_Ogden, N. Y._ Three well, five well but delicate, two
sickly.
_Utica, N. Y._ Nine well but not vigorous, one invalid.
_Rhinebeck, N. Y._ One vigorous, six well but not
vigorous, one delicate, one invalid.
_Cooperstown, N. Y._ Two vigorous, five well, two
delicate, two sickly.
_Lima, N. Y._ Five well, three delicate, two sickly.
_Rockaway, N. Y._ Two vigorous, five well, one delicate,
two sickly.
_Brockport, N. Y._ Three vigorous, six well, one
delicate, one sickly.
_Buffalo, N. Y._ Five well, five delicate.
_Potsdam, N. Y._ Eight tolerably well, two sickly.
_Rome, N. Y._ Two well, seven tolerably well, one sickly.
_Rochester, N. Y._ Four well, three delicate, three
sickly.
_Princeton, N. J._ Four well, five well but delicate,
three sickly.
_Muncy, Penn._ Two vigorous, six well but delicate, two
sickly.
The remainder of accounts furnished being less reliable, for
want of opportunities of definite inquiry on my part, and will
therefore be omitted. But they do not essentially differ from
these presented.
I will now add my own personal observation. First, in my
own family connection: I have nine married sisters and
sisters-in-law, all of them either delicate or invalids, except
two. I have fourteen married female cousins, and not one of
them but is either delicate, often ailing, or an invalid. In my
wide circle of friends and acquaintance all over the land out
of my family circle, the same impression is made. In Boston I
can not remember but one married female friend who is perfectly
healthy. In Hartford, Conn., I can think of only one. In New
Haven, but one. In Brooklyn, N. Y., but one. In New York
city, but one. In Cincinnati, but one. In Buffalo, Cleveland,
Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, those whom I have visited are
either delicate or invalids. I am not able to recall, in my
immense circle of friends and acquaintance all over the Union,
so many as _ten_ married ladies born in this century and
country, who are perfectly sound, healthy, and vigorous. Not
that I believe there are not more than this among the friends
with whom I have associated, but among all whom I can bring to
mind of whose health I have any accurate knowledge, I can not
find this number of entirely sound and healthy women.
Another thing has greatly added to the impression of my own
observations, and that is the manner in which my inquiries have
been met. In a majority of cases, when I have asked for the
number of perfectly healthy women in a given place, the first
impulsive answer has been "not one." In other cases, when the
reply has been more favorable, and I have asked for specifics,
the result has always been such as to diminish the number
calculated, rather than to increase it. With a few exceptions
the persons I have asked, who had not directed their thoughts
to the subject, and took a favorable view of it, have expressed
surprise at the painful result obtained in their own immediate
circle.
But the thing which has pained and surprised me the most is
the result of inquiries among the country-towns and industrial
classes in our country. I had supposed that there would be a
great contrast between the statements gained from persons from
such places, and those furnished from the wealthy circles, and
especially from cities. But such has not been the case. It will
be seen that the larger portion of the accounts inserted in the
preceding pages are from country-towns, while a large portion
of the worst accounts were taken from the industrial classes.
As another index of the state of health among the industrial
classes may be mentioned these facts: During the past year I
made my usual inquiry of the wife of a Methodist clergyman, who
resided in a small country-town in New York. Her reply was,
"There are no healthy women where I live, and my husband says
he would travel a great many miles for the pleasure of finding
one."
In another case I conversed with a Baptist clergyman and his
wife, in Ohio, and their united testimony gave this result
in three places where his parishioners were chiefly of the
industrial class. They selected at random ten families best
known in each place:
_Worcester, Ohio._ Women in perfect health, two. In
medium health, one. _Invalids, seven._
_Norwalk, Ohio._ Women perfectly healthy, one, but
doubtfully so. Medium, none. _Invalids, nine._
_Cleveland, Ohio._ Women in perfect health, one. Medium
health, two. _Invalids, seven._
In traveling at the West the past winter, I repeatedly
conversed with drivers and others among the laboring class on
this subject, and always heard such remarks as these: "Well! it
is strange how sickly the women are getting!" "Our women-folks
don't have such health as they used to do!"
One case was very striking. An old lady from New England told
me her mother had twelve children; eleven grew up healthy, and
raised families. Her father's mother had fifteen children, and
raised them all; and all but one, who was drowned, lived to a
good old age. This lady stated that she could not remember that
there was a single "weakly woman" in the town where she lived
when she was young.
This lady had two daughters with her, both either delicate or
diseased, and a sick niece from that same town, once so healthy
when the old lady was young. This niece told me she could not
think of even one really robust, strong, and perfectly healthy
woman in that place! The husband of this old lady told me that
in his youth he also did not know of any sickly women in the
place where he was reared.
A similar account was given me by two ladies, residents of
Goshen, Litchfield Co., Connecticut.
The elder lady gave the following account of her married
acquaintance some forty years ago in that place:
Mrs. L. strong and perfectly healthy. Mrs. A. healthy
and strong as a horse. Mrs. N. perfectly well always.
Mrs. H. strong and well. Mrs. B. strong and generally
healthy, but sometimes ailing a little. Mrs. R. always
well. Mrs. W. strong and well. Mrs. G. strong and
hearty. Mrs. H. strong and healthy. Mrs. L. strong and
healthy.
All the above persons performed their own family work.
The following account was given by the daughter of the lady
mentioned above, and the list is chiefly made up of daughters
of the above healthy women living at this time in the same town:
Mrs. C. constitution broken by pelvic disorders. Mrs.
P. very delicate. Mrs. L. delicate and feeble. Mrs. R.
feeble and nervous. Mrs. S. bad scrofulous humors. Mrs.
D. very feeble, head disordered. Mrs. R. delicate and
sickly. Mrs. G. healthy. Mrs. D. healthy. Mrs. W. well.
These last three were the only healthy married women she knew
in the place.
* * * * *
I have received statements from more than a hundred other
places besides those recorded here. The larger portion of these
were taken by others, or else by myself in such circumstances
that I could not make the inquiries needed to render them
reliable, and some I have lost. The general impression made,
even by these alone, would bring out very nearly the same
result. The proportion of the sick and delicate to those
who were strong and well was, in the majority of cases, a
melancholy story. But among them were a few cases in which a
very favorable statement was verified by close examination.
In several such cases, however, most of the healthy women
proved to be either English, Irish, or Scotch. In one case, a
lady from a country-town, not far from Philadelphia, gave an
account, showing eight out of ten perfectly healthy, and the
other two were not very much out of health. On inquiry, I found
that this was a Quaker settlement, and most of the healthy ones
were Quakers.
In one town of Massachusetts, the lady giving the information
said all the ten she gave were healthy, but two. Her associates
were all women who were in easy circumstances, and did their
own family work. These two places, however, are the _only_
instances I have found, where, on close inquiry, the majority
was on the side of good health.
There is no doubt that there are many places like these two,
of which some resident would report that a majority of their
acquaintance were healthy women; but out of about two hundred
towns and cities, located in most of the Free States, only two
have as yet presented so favorable a case in the line of my
inquiries during the year in which they have been prosecuted.
Let these considerations now be taken into account. The
generation represented in these statistics, by universal
consent, is a feebler one than that which immediately preceded.
Knowing the changes in habits of living, in habits of activity,
and in respect to _pure air_, we properly infer that it must be
so, while universal testimony corroborates the inference.
The present generation of parents, then, have given their
children, so far as the mother has hereditary influence,
feebler constitutions than the former generation received,
so that most of our young girls have started in life with a
more delicate organization than their mothers. Add to this the
sad picture given in a former letter of all the abuses of
health suffered by the young during their early education, and
what are the present prospects of the young women who are now
entering married life?
This view of the case, in connection with some dreadful
developments which will soon be indicated, proved so oppressive
and exciting that it has been too painful and exhausting to
attempt any investigation as to the state of health among young
girls. But every where I go, mothers are constantly saying,
"What shall I do? As soon as my little girl begins school
she has the headache." Or this—"I sent my daughter to such a
boarding-school, but had to take her away on account of her
health."
The public schools of our towns and cities, where the great
mass of the people are to be educated, are the special subject
of remark and complaint in this respect.
Consider also that "man that is born of a woman" depends on her
not only for the constitutional stamina with which he starts
in life, but for all he receives during the developments of
infancy and the training of childhood, and what are we to infer
of the condition and prospects of the other sex now in the
period of education?
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES:
Grammatical errors remain as in the original. Variations in spelling
and hyphenation remain as in the original.
The following typographical errors have been corrected:
Page 3: of civil government on woman.[period missing in
original]
Page 104: The Kindergarten[original has "Kindergarden"], the
primary school
Page 111: excess of marriageable[original has "marriagable"]
women
Page 121: "[quotation mark missing in original]These
resolutions contain sound sense
Page 121: "[quotation mark missing in original]There is no
doubt that the present arrangement of society bears more
hardly upon women than upon men; and all wise efforts to
make them more independent of the mischances of life deserve
encouragement.[quotation mark missing in original]"
Page 155: far better[original has "bettter"] than that obtained
Page 193: mantua-maker[original has "mantau-maker"] are
imperfectly supplied
Page 196: power to give or withhold[original has "withold"]
Page 208: form a changeless[original has "changless"] character
Page 216: Mrs. L. delicate[original has "deliicate"] and well.
Page 218: Horse Heads,[comma missing in original] New York
Page 218: Pompey,[comma missing in original] New York
[173:A] Blessed[original has "Blesssd"] are the peace-makers
[178:A] Note C.[period missing in original]