re of man and the nature
of woman, out of which have grown innumerable nonsensical doctrines
and notions, and all sorts of namby pamby sentiments, so soon will she
find that, to no greater extent than men are dependent on each other,
are women to foster the idea of their dependence on men. Then, and not
till then, will women learn that, to be useful and happy, and to
accomplish the high purposes of their being, they must, no less
emphatically than men, stand upon their own feet, and work with own
hands, and bear the burdens of life with their own strength, and brave
its storms with their own resoluteness.

The next "Woman's Rights Convention" will, I take it for granted,
differ but little from its predecessors. It will abound in righteous
demands and noble sentiments, but not in the evidence that they who
enunciate these demands and sentiments are prepared to put themselves
in harmony with what they conceive and demand. In a word, for the lack
of such preparation and of the deep earnestness, which alone can
prompt to such preparation, it will be, as has been every other
Woman's Rights Convention, a failure. Could I see it made up of women
whose dress would indicate their translation from cowardice to
courage; from slavery to freedom; from the kingdom of fancy and
fashion and foolery to the kingdom of reason and righteousness, then
would I hope for the elevation of woman, aye, and of man too, as
perhaps I have never yet hoped. What should be the parts and
particulars of such dress, I am incapable of saying. Whilst the
"Bloomer dress" is unspeakably better than the common dress, it
nevertheless affords not half that freedom of the person which woman
is entitled and bound to enjoy. I add, on this point, that however
much the dresses of the sexes should resemble each other, decency and
virtue and other considerations require that they should be obviously
distinguishable from each other.

I am not unaware that such views as I have expressed in this letter
will be regarded as serving to break down the characteristic delicacy
of woman. I frankly admit that I would have it broken down; and that I
would have the artificial and conventional, the nonsensical and
pernicious thing give place to the natural delicacy which would be
common to both sexes. As the delicacy, which is made peculiar to one
of the sexes, is unnatural, and, therefore, false, this, which would
be common to both, would be natural, and, therefore, true. I would