From the PREFATORY NOTE:

"The first essay in this volume, "Ought Women to learn the Alphabet?" appeared originally in the "Atlantic Monthly" of February, 1859, and has since been reprinted in various forms, bearing its share, I trust, in the great development of more liberal views in respect to the training and duties of women which has made itself manifest within forty years.

There was, for instance, a report that it was the perusal of this essay which led the late Miss Sophia Smith to the founding of the women's college bearing her name at Northampton, Massachusetts.

The remaining papers in the volume formed originally a part of a book entitled "Common Sense About Women" which was made up largely of papers from the "Woman's Journal." This book was first published in 1881 and was reprinted in somewhat abridged form some years later in London (Sonnenschein). It must have attained a considerable circulation there, as the fourth (stereotyped) edition appeared in 1897. From this London reprint a German translation was made by Fr?ulein Eugenie Jacobi, under the title "Die Frauenfrage und der gesunde Menschenverstand" (Schupp: Neuwied and Leipzig, 1895)."

áááááááááá --T.W.H. -CAMBRIDGE, MASS.

CONTENTS:

I. OUGHT WOMEN TO LEARN THE ALPHABET?

II. PHYSIOLOGY

Too Much Natural History

Darwin, Huxley, and Buckle

The Spirit of Small Tyranny

The Noble Sex

The Truth about our Grandmothers

The Physique of American Women

The Limitations of Sex

III. TEMPERAMENT

The Invisible Lady

Sacred Obscurity

Virtues in Common

Individual Differences

Angelic Superiority

Vicarious Honors

The Gospel of Humiliation

Celery and Cherubs

The Need of Cavalry

The Reason Firm, the Temperate Will

Allures to Brighter Worlds, and leads the Way

IV. THE HOME

Wanted--Homes

The Origin of Civilization

The Low-Water Mark

Obey

Woman in the Chrysalis

Two and Two

A Model Household

A Safeguard for the Family

Women as Economists

Greater Includes Less

A Copartnership

One Responsible Head

Asking for Money

Womanhood and Motherhood

A German Point of View

Childless Women

The Prevention of Cruelty to Mothers

V. SOCIETY

Foam and Current

In Society

The Battle of the Cards

Some Working Women

The Empire of Manners

Girlsterousness

Are Women Natural Aristocrats?

Mrs. Blank's Daughters

The European Plan

Featherses

VI. STUDY AND WORK

Experiments

Intellectual Cinderellas

Cupid and Psychology

Self-Supporting Wives

Thorough

Literary Aspirants

The Career of Letters

Talking and Taking

How to Speak in Public

VII. PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNMENT

We the People

The Use of the Declaration of Independence

Some Old-Fashioned Principles

Founded on a Rock

The Good of the Governed

Ruling at Second Hand

VIII. SUFFRAGE

Drawing the Line

For Self-Protection

Womanly Statesmanship

Too Much Prediction

First-Class Carriages

Education via Suffrage

Follow Your Leaders

How to Make Women Understand Politics

Inferior to Men, and near to Angels

IX. OBJECTIONS TO SUFFRAGE

The Facts of Sex

How will it Result?

I have all the Rights I want

Sense Enough to Vote

An Infelicitous Epithet

The Rob Roy Theory

The Votes of Non Combatants

Mmanners repeal Laws

Dangerous Voters

How Women will Legislate

Individuals vs. Classes

Defeats before Victories