Page:Free Opinions, Freely Expressed on Certain Phases of Modern Social Life and Conduct.djvu/200

already endowed Woman with the contrasting elements of beauty, delicacy, and soft charm, as opposed to man's frequent ugliness and roughness; let Woman herself continue to emphasize the difference by bringing out her original and individual qualities in all she does or attempts to do. Of course for a long time yet, Man will declare "feminine individuality" to be non-existent; but as we know the quality is as plain and patent as "masculine individuality," we have only to insist upon it and assert it, and in due course it will be fully admitted and acknowledged. Meantime, while pressing on towards the desired goal, Woman must learn the chief lesson of successful progress, which is, not to copy Man, but to carefully preserve her beautiful Unlikeness to him in every possible way, so that, while asserting and gaining intellectual equality with him, she shall gradually arrive at such ascendancy as to prove herself ever the finer and the nobler Creature.