u meet is the work of woman. She
has given it life; she has educated it, whether for good or evil,
because God gave her the holiest mission ever laid upon the heart
of a human soul--the mission of the mother.

We are told that home is woman's sphere. So it is, and man's
sphere, too, for I tell you that that is a poor home which has
not in it a man to feel that it is the most sacred place he
knows. If duty requires him to go out into the world and fight
its battles, who blames him, or puts a ban upon him? Men complain
that woman does not love home now; that she is not satisfied with
her mission. I answer that this discontent arises out of the one
fact, that you have attempted to mould seventeen millions of
human souls in one shape, and make them all do one thing. Take
away your restrictions, open all doors, leave women at liberty to
go where they will. The caged bird forgets how to build its nest.
The wing of the eagle is as strong to soar to the sun as that of
her mate, who never says to her, "back, feeble one, to your nest,
and there brood in dull inactivity until I give you permission to
leave!" But when her duties called her there, who ever found her
unfaithful to her trust? The foot of the wild roe is as strong
and swift in the race as that of her antlered companion. She goes
by his side, she feeds in the same pasture, drinks from the same
running brook, but is ever true also to her maternal duties and
cares. If we are a nation of imbeciles, if womanhood is weak, it
is the laws and customs of society which have made us what we
are. If you want health, strength, energy, force, temperance,
purity, honesty, deal justly with the mothers of this country:
then they will give you nobler and stronger men than higgling
politicians, or the grog-shop emissaries that buy up the votes of
your manhood. It has been charged upon woman that she does
nothing well. What have you given us to do well? What freedom
have you given us to act independently and earnestly? When I was
in San Domingo, I found a little colony of American colored
people that went over there in 1825. They retained their American
customs, and especially their little American church, outside of
the Catholic, which overspread the whole country. In an obscure
room in an old ruin they sung th