The Daughters of England

Sarah Ellis - 1842

This extract is taken from the book The Daughters of England, of 1842 and written by Sarah Stickney Ellis, a Quaker who wrote many guides about womens role in Victorian Society, which took place from 1837 to 1901, and their moral education. The text is a portrait of what a woman has to be and is opposed to what a man must be. The text states that a woman is inferior to a man and that the aim of a woman is to have good taste, to be delicate and loving to her family. We will study how this text is one aspect of womens condition during the Victorian Era. First we will focus on Ellis point of view over education of women, the necessary qualities of a woman and their sense of poetry and good taste and the love they give to their family. Secondly, we will study Womens conditions under the Victorian Society, on the plan of education and emancipation and then on the plan of work.

This text is an extract from The Daughters of England, an education guide written by Sarah Stickney Ellis published in 1842. In this extract, the author presents the qualities a woman must possess to be an educated woman. Since the first line, we understand that in Sarah Ellis point of view, an educated woman will not be a woman taking part in politics or giving her opinion, but a companion for a man, as we can read on l.1-3 the first thing of importance is to be content is to be inferior to men - inferior in mental power, in the same proportions that you are inferior in bodily strength. The author presents this inferiority of a quality of importance which she justifies by l.3-4 You are not alone; you are one of a family - of a social circle - of a community - of a nation. Indeed, women are a community which work is to be part of a whole, the social circle of women, but they are in no way a community which can make things change. In effect, Sarah Ellis resumes the rights and duties of a woman to the ones of a mother and a wife, but in none case of a woman, l.4-7 You are a being whose will never terminate, who must live forever, and whose happiness and misery through that endless future which lies before you will be influenced by the choice you are now in the act of making. In this quotation, Ellis clearly says that it will not be the emotions and the feelings of a woman which will influence her life, but the choices she makes, in this case, to be a good woman, not to live the life she may have wanted. The author tries to make the reader think that she is in favour of womens opinion when she writes that women must take an interest in some subjects which are discussed by as well, on l.11-12 the extinction of slavery, the abolition of war in general, cruelty to animals, the punishment of death, temperance, and many more. In this quote, Sarah Ellis tries to show that women must have an interest in important subjects, but the fact that she uses the words the abolition of war in general shows perfectly that a woman must take an interest on these subjects but not from too near. She must leave the discussion of these to men and must not interfere with their opinions, as we can read on l.16-17 whose whole life from the cradle to the grave is one of feeling rather than of action. The role of a woman under

the Victorian Society is to be devoted to their husband and their children, as we can read on l.17- whose highest duty is so often tot suffer and be still; [] who has nothing and is nothing to herself; [] can live only in the existence of another.. This quote gives a portrait of what a perfect wife should be; nothing to herself, but she must live for someone else, his husband and children. But to Sarah Stickney Ellis, a womans most important quality is poetry. Indeed, men must forget theirs to help their relatives, women must keep a strong relation with poetry. Indeed, the author writes on l.19-20 yet whose world is as wide as the realm of humanity, boundless as the ocean of life, and enduring as eternity. Is that to say that a woman is allowed to feel things and have a few opinions, but that must keep it for herself to preserve the poetry of women. In effect, this poetry is part of the good taste and the delicacy that every woman must possess. Delicacy is in a way, a branch of good taste; that poetry that women must respect, but which must be used only sometimes and less than good taste, as we can read on l.34-36 delicacy which is perpetually in quest of something to be ashamed of, which makes a merit of a blush, and simpers at the false construction its own ingenuity has put upon an innocent remark. In effect, good taste in one of the most important aspects of woman comportment in society, l.25-27 It is that habitual tendency of feeling or tone or mind which I have called taste, that decides their choices; and it is thus that our moral worth or dignity depends upon the exercise of good taste. Indeed, a woman must respect a set of values not to put shame on her husband in public, as we can read on l.29-33 good taste as being of extreme importance to women, because it serves her purpose in all those little variations of human life, which are too sudden In their occurrence, and too minute in themselves, for the operation of judgment; but which at the same time constitutes so large a sum of womens experience. Good taste defines the way women must react to what happens in her life and how to deal with unexpected situations without revealing their feelings or opinions. Sarah Stickney Ellis writes that these situations constitute womens experience, but the use of good taste seems to format these experiences and the reactions of women as well. Love is another side of womens being and they must use it according to good taste. In effect, she must still hide her feelings to respect poetry, as we can read on l.44 Love is womens all - her wealth, her power, her very being. Women must enclose in their love, the protection of children, l.47-48 In womans love is mingled the trusting dependence of a child, for she ever looks up to a man as her protector, and her guide. But a woman must possess many other qualities as well, as we can read on l.49-51 the frankness, the social feeling and the tenderness of a sister [] the solicitude, the anxiety, the careful watching of the mother. The author defends the expression of love of men as being different, l.44-46 Man, let him love as he may, has ever an existence, distinct from that of his affections. He has his worldly interests, his public character, his ambition, his competition with other men. Is that to say, that a woman must give a man the expression of her love when he asks for it or in private only. Religion stays one of the womens most important aspect, they must teach religion to their children and respect the values of Christianity and must respect the recommendations made by the church or the Bible to lead their choices, as we can read on l.29 It is strictly in subservience to religion that I would speak of good taste. More than giving pieces of advice to women, this book formats them to be a good wife and have a strong sense of self-sacrifice, it does not value them and does not give them the keys to become independent or even think by themselves and have an opinion.

Under Victorias reign, women were allowed to go to school and study but it still was a privilege of upper classes. Reforms were created to help children to go to school, but the parents were usually in need of money and that children were to be fed, dressed and hosted. But some women coming from upper class families had the opportunity and were allowed to study at school Women were provided with the opportunity to study refined subjects such as history, geography and general literature which would provide them with interesting but noncontroversial topics for discussion. (Quotation from Wikipedia) A few women were allowed to study at University even though their opinion was still considered as less important than a mans. These women were part of the first women in Great Britain, allowed to study at University and pioneered the path for the much improved gender equality in modern education (Quotation from Wikipedia) Women from middle and upper class were allowed to have a certain culture, alongside skills necessary to be a good wife, because and educated and good woman was easier to marry. Women were allowed to have activities alongside of their role of wife and mother. They could practice the reading of books, even though they probably were not allowed to read political essays or philosophy. Women were allowed to practise embroidery and could learn music. They were allowed to form groups were they discussed and had activities with other women. Those social groups were allowed to perform sports which were adapted to them. With the 1832 Reform Act in Britain, women were officially prohibited from voting. Before the Act they were not prohibited, but they usually did not vote or were forbidden to do so by their husband of family. This event was a trigger for some women, usually for upper class, to begin to form groups of discussion over political subjects. Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom was a national movement which was officially created in 1872 and was one of the first feminism movements of Great Britain. But these activities and studies were reserved to women from middle and upper class, as lower class women worked since their youngest age and were not accepted in social entertainment. Under the Victorian Society, the lower class people had almost no access to education. Indeed, these people were very poor and could not send their children to school as they had to feed them, give them furniture for school and host them. Moreover, during that the children were at school, they did not bring money to their parents who had even more problems to take care of their children. At the beginning of the 19th century, with the Industrial Revolution, manufactures were a new way to earn money for lower class people. Indeed, for the poor people who had no lands to cultivate, it was a new work for which they did not need to possess lands. Moreover, in manufactures, children were able to begin to work since a very early age, as we can read in the text by Robert Southey, Letters from England, which was published in 1807, on l.2-6 In most parts of England, children are a burden to their parents and to the parish; here the parish which would else have to support them, is rid of all expense; they get their bread as soon as they can run about, and, by the time they are seven or eight years old bring in money. In effect, the work of children is a way to relieve their parents from their cost, they first earn their food and then they even bring money. This is why there was no time for those lower class children to go to school. Even though manufactures had put a plan to help working children to have education, it was not enough, as we can read on l.18-22 Girls are employed here from the age you see them till they marry, and then they know nothing about domestic work, not even how to mend a stocking or boil a potato. But we are remedying this now, and send the children to school for an hour after they have done work. Of course, these children did not learn anything during this hour, they were far

too exhausted by their hard work for a so young age. This is why women of the lower class were not educated. They worked their whole life in manufactures and did not need to have a culture or opinions. The government began to protect women and children in 1842 with the Mines Act which banned women from working in coal and iron mines as well as boys under a certain age. Victorian Society was a divided society and the social level played a strong role in womens living conditions.

As a conclusion, we may say that this extract from The Daughters of England by Sarah Stickney Ellis which was published in 1842, was a guide to help upper class women to become good spouses and to teach them good taste, poetry and the qualities a woman had to possess to be a good wife. But this aspect of Victorian Society was only a part of the society and did not concern lower and middle class people. For lower class people, the Victorian Society was before everything the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and their lives were summarized in working in the manufactures with almost no access to education. To conclude, we could say that Victorian Society was a duality and was divided between a strong upper class and a very poor lower class.

References used: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_the_Victorian_era http://www.slideshare.net/sstuckey/victorian-era-social-structure