The Women Of Our Time.

It has been often said , that no man can understand a Avoman perfectly , much less describe her justly ; and then it has been equally contended that Avomeu do not comprehend Avomeu at all , and can pourtray either their faults or their follies even less Avell than man .

What , then , are Ave to do ? Are Ave to treat Avoman generally as a Aveird sphinx , shrouded in the dimness aud haziness of years , an inexplicable mystery , a hopeless riddle 1

Are Ave reduced to this , that Avoman , endoAved Avith all the precious gifts of grace , aud truth , and trust , Avith every SAveet sympathy , and every loving association , is to be still , like the Mau in the Iron Mask , a marvel ancl an enigma to us all 1 Forbid the thought ! It cannot be—it shall not

be ! No ! Though the task be difficult , though the danger be great , though the rashness and audacity of the attempt may seem incredible to many , I yet propose , favente Bro . Kenning , to raise the veil from the shrouded Isis , and to

depict , in successive studies , the genus and the species of those " augel beings " AVIIO shed such brightness on life ' s dusty pathway ; whose silvery voices Ave so often hear , Avhose sunny smiles Ave so often bask in , Avhose high morals Ave all admire , Avhose IOAV dresses Ave all wonder at , and Avhose charm of conversation , whose economy , whose business habits , Avhose home lives

and Avhose retiring dispositions , Ave all , in our respective circles , can so gladly tell ofj and so loudly praise . Now don ' t suppose , kind reader , for one moment , that in anything I am going to say , I presume to depreciate this greatest of institutions , or to " chaff" the arbiters of human destiny . I

approach the subject , on the contrary , with the timidity and hesitation ancl aAve of one fully sensible of the greatness and importance of the Avork he has undertaken . My wish is to shoAv Avomeu as they are , and as , in my humble opinion , they are meant

to be , and thus from my didactic cathedra alike Avith the experience of years and with an intensity of reverence , not to exalt an idol in a false shrine merely to overthrow it , but to present to the notice of my brethren , ancl even the appreciation of "ty fair sisters , the true type and the real character , alike loving and loveable—not merel y of " Avoman , dear woman , " in the

idle accents of Bachanahan praise , but in the reality of actual existence , and in the fidelity of accurate observation . It may seem to some that I hardly take , hoAvever , in these pages , ancl in those that will follow , as ' exalted an idea of Avomanhood as I ought to do . If any one think so , he or she is in grave error .

No one , I make bold to say , has a loftier opinion or more heartfelt respect for the descendants of Eve . He must be a very foolish man , or an " avoAved libertine , " Avho ever speaks slightingly of woman . To her Ave owe all that is graceful ancl all that is tenderall that is real and all that is

sym-, pathetic , all that is trusting and all that is elevating in this petty life of ours , amid its shifting scenes , ancl its often debasing pursuits . The helpmeet for man , she is certainl y his " better half " in the goodness of her

nature , in the unselfishness of her love , in her purer emotions , in her unsAveiving attachment ; in tenderness , Avhich no unkindness can drive away ; in loyalty , Avhich no treachery can destroy . She is emphatically man ' s truest Mend , Avisest guide , safest teacher , and best companion in all the intricate Aviudings and the shifting sands of this great Avilderness , the Avorld .

Wherever Avoman is not on an equality Avith man , Avherever Avoman is dejiressed , degraded , or ignored , there is society in a state of brutality ancl barbarism . Wherever Avoman ' s influence is reallypermitted , and her sacred mission recognisedand her graceand goodnessancl

, , , faith , and fidelity have their proper sway over the feelings ancl minds of men , there Ave see IIOAV civilization is progressing and expanding , and shedding countless blessings around it for man and the Avorld at large .

So I begin my essays Avith this avowal , ancl if Avords may fall from a light pen or random mood , Avhich may cause a smile , or raise a cheerful laugh , remember I Avrite not to depreciate or condemn , but to paint the reality , to assert the truth .

I commend , therefore , these light if truthful essays of mine to all who , like myself , feel some little interest in " The Women of our Time . " ( To be continued . )