PRAYER. It is a communion with God. Oh! brethren, prayer is not an apostrophe to woods and wilds and waters. It is not a moan cast forth into the viewless winds, nor a bootless behest expended on a passing cloud. It is not a plaintive cry directed to an empty echo, that can send back nothing but another cry. Prayer is a living heart that speaks in a living ear, the ear of the living God." JOHN NEWTON once said: "The art of spreading rumors may be compared to the art of pin making. There is usually some truth, which I call the wire; as this passes from hand to hand, one gives it a polish, another a point, others make and put on the head, and at last the pin is completed." ITEMS. these schools is 4,822, and the average attendance is 3,535, or 73 per cent. In Alexandria (city and county) and Fairfax Co., Va., there are twenty-six schools, with thirty five teachers, twenty-nine white and six colored, and 1,756 pupils. The average is 1,204, or sixty-eight per cent. first opened our schools in Alexandria, there was The local superintendent remarks: "When we almost universal opposition and ridicule. Now the people are strongly convinced of their benefits, and, at the late public examination, which was crowded with the white citizens of the place, astonishment and even delight was expressed at the fine appearance of the pupils, and the great progress they had made. The public school board of Washington is now favorable to the education of the colored people, and schools in connection with the board. In June there are taking out vigorous measures to carry on their were thirty-two schools, having an average attendance of over 90 per cent. One school in Georgetown, and the M-street school, reported an average attendance of 100 per cent. This, in respect to attendance, is the best report of the year. Of the 135 teachers in the District, 109 are white and 26 colored. The average whole attendance is over 44 per cent. Of these schools, thirty-eight are primary, twentyeight intermediate, five grammar, and most of the remainder of mixed grades. John E. Turner has taught a class of men, fitting for the Ministry, in a room on Louisiana aveque, furnished him by the bureau. This class has at times been quite large, but the attendance, owing to the necessities of the men, has been quite irregular. One of the wealthy men of New Orleans, the late John McDonough, had engraved upon his tomb a series of maxims, which he says he adopted for the guidance of his life, in 1804, and to which he attributes his success in business. He makes them public for the benefit of all who desire to become rich, and they are worth reproduction here:-" Rules for Guidance of My Life, 1804.-Remember always that labor is one of the conditions of our existence. Time is gold; throw not one minute away, but place each one to account. Do unto all men as you would be done by. Never put off till to-morrow what you can do to-day. Never bid another do what you can do yourself. Never covet what is not your own. Never think any matter so trifling as not to deserve notice. Never give out that which does not first come in. Never spend but to produce. Let the greatest order regulate the transactions of your life. Study in your course of life to do the greatest amount of good. Deprive yourself of nothing necessary to your comfort, but live in an honorable plicity. Labor, then, to the last moment of your existence. Pursue strictly the above rules, and the Divine blessing and riches of every kind will flow upon you to your heart's content; but, first of all, remember that the chief and great duty of your life should be to tend, by all means in your power, to the honor and glory of our Divine Creator. The conclu-four sion to which I have arrived is, that without temperance there is no health; without virtue no order; without religion no happiness; and that the aim of our being is to live wisely, soberly, and righteously. "JOHN MCDONOUGH." A charter has been granted by Congress for the Howard University, which is open to all of both sexes, without distinction of color. This institution bids fair to do great good. Its beautiful site, so opportunely and wisely secured, is an earnest of success. Large and commodious buildings are soon to be erected thereon. The normal and preparatory departments of the University were opened on the 1st of May, under the instruction of Rev. E. F. Williams, an accomplished scholar and a thorough sim-teacher. At the close of the month the school numbered thirty-one scholars; it has now increased to about sixty. Miss Lord, so long a popular teacher of this city, has been appointed assistant. The grade of this school is low for its name, but the students are making good advancement. The earnings of the Atlantic Telegraph Cable, during the past year, are said to have been over a million of dollars. After heavy deduction, resulting from the two accidents to the cable of 1866, there remained to the credit of the revenue account $140, 670, out of which a dividend is declared at the rate of four per cent. free of income tax, upon the first 8 per cent. preferential stock. But for these accidents, and a charge for back interest, the net earnings would have paid 7 per cent. on $12,000,000, leaving $70,000 for a reserved fund. One school-house, large enough to accommodate hundred scholars, has been built by the bureau in Alexandria, Va., and it has assisted in building three houses of the same size in the District of Columbia. Assistance has also been given in building three houses in Maryland. Ten Northern societies are reported as having expended by them being not less than $35,000. The aided the schools in this department, the amount trustees of colored schools for Washington and Georgetown have expended about $10,000. The very small. They insist that their taxes, which are amount raised by colored people by subscription is the same as paid by the white population, shall be used for the support of their schools. schools should get the amount now due, and that In this District, if the trustees of the colore d which will be due the next scholastic year, they would have about $80.900, an amount quite suf FREEDMEN'S SCHOOLS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF WASH-cient, used economically, to free the societies and INGTON. The Superintendent, John Kimball, reports: There are ninety day and night schools in the district, in charge of 142 teachers, of whom 129 are white and 13 colored. The number of pupils in bureau from any further care of schools here. But as the speedy receipt of these funds is a matter of much doubt, there still remains a work for the be nevolent to do."- Washington Chronicle. FRIENDS' INTELLIGENCER. "TAKE FAST HOLD OF INSTRUCTION; LET HER NOT GO; KEEP HER; FOR SHE IS THY LIFE." At Publication Office, No. 144 North Seventh Street, Notes of Foreign Travel, from Private Correspondence. TERMS: PAYABLE IN ADVANCE The Paper is issued every Seventh-day, at Three Dollars per annum. $2.50 for Clubs; or, four copies for $10.. Agents for Clubs will be expected to pay for the entire Club. The Postage on this paper, paid in advance at the office where It is received, in any part of the United States, is 20 cents a year. AGENTS-Joseph S. Cohu, New York. Henry Haydock, Brooklyn, N. Y. William II. Churchman, Indianapolis, Ind. WOMEN AS PHYSICIANS. BY SAMUEL M. JANNEY. Having recently met with the Preamble and Resolution disapproving of women becoming practitioners of medicine," adopted by the Philadelphia County Medical Society, and the Reply of Ann Preston, M. D., they have appeared to me worthy of notice and consideration. It is not my purpose to enter into an elaborate examination of the natural equality of the sexes, as regards their intellectual and moral endowments. It is certain that the position hitherto occupied by women in all countries has generally been unfavorable to the develop ment of the intellect, and has made them more dependent upon men than is required by natural causes. It may be assumed that their physical organization is more delicate than that of men, and that no training of the sinews and muscles would confer on them masculine strength. The natural inference is, that their sphere of duty is not in those departments of labor that require great physical force; they are not adapted to guide the plough, to wield the blacksmith's sledge, to delve in the wine, nor to encounter the toil and peril of the mariner. It is true, that among savages they are the drudges of the tribe, that in some countries of Europe they labor in the fields, and that, during the existence of slavery in our land, they were subjected to severe agricultural toil; but in these EDITORIAL OBITUARY.... Chemistry in Schools..... European Correspondence.. Mental Activity... POETRY...... The Indian Quesion................... Review of the Weather, &c., for Ninth Month.. The Cat Bird...... ITEMS. 497 500 501 503 cases the labor of a woman is considerd less valuable than that of a man, and the effect of such employments always has been to degrade them morally and intellectually, impairing their personal charms, their delicate tastes and their attractive manners. It will probably be admitted by all, that in quickness of perception and delicacy of taste, women are superior to men, and in order that the equality which we claim may be preserved, there must be some countervailing advantages possessed by the sterner sex. These will probably be found, not only in greater physical strength, but in a stronger will, and a nervous system that will longer sustain intense intellectual exertion. It was formerly supposed that women were not able to engage successfully in intellectual pursuits, but modern experience has shown that in many departments of literature and science they can attain to eminence; and when the time shall come that they can enjoy all the advantages of position and education which are enjoyed by men, we may reasonably conclude that their success will be commensurate with their opportunities. The elevation of woman to a dignified position in society is one of the surest evidences of a high civilization, for it shows that the law of love which Christianity teaches has gained the ascendency over the law of violence or brute force which prevail among barbarians. There can be no doubt that an increase in the variety of employments by which women | need be expended. Pausing merely to allude may earn a livelihood would not only conduce to the fact, that in barbarous communities woto their comfort and independence, but to the man is pre-eminently the laborious drudge, intellectual and moral improvement of the and that in civilized society she is the nurse, race; and it is one of the most encouraging keeping her unceasing vigils, not only by the signs of the times that such a change is now cradle of infancy, but by every bed of sicktaking place with a prospect of its further ex- ness and suffering, with a power of sustained tension. One of the most remarkable instances endurance that man does not even claim to of this change in professional business and in possess; that her life is as long, and her power public sentiment, is the admission of women of surmounting its painful vicissitudes not ininto the rank of medical practitioners, and the ferior to his, we come to the open, undeniable establishment of colleges to prepare them for fact that women do practice medicine, that they this highly responsible vocation. are able to bear up under the bodily and mental strain' that this practice imposes, and that natural obstacles' have not obstructed their way. The publication noticed in the opening paragraph of this article shows that there are among the male physicians some who regard this movement with disapprobation, and the Reply of Ann Preston proves that she is fully competent to maintain her ground in the field of argument. The resolution adopted by the Philadelphia County Medical Society is here subjoined: "Resolved, That, in conformity with what they believe to be due to the profession, the community in general and the female portion of it in particular, the members of this Society cannot offer any encouragement to women becoming practitioners of medicine, nor, on these grounds, can they consent to meet in consultation such practitioners." The ground assumed in the Preamble and alluded to in the Resolution are briefly but fairly stated in the "Reply" from which the following passages are selected: "Although shrinking from all controversy, and seeking the quiet path of duty, the time has come when fidelity to a great cause seems to demand that I should speak for myself and for the women with whom I am associated in this movement, and give a reason for the course we are pursuing. The very grave objections to women taking on themselves the heavy duties and responsi❘ bilities of the profession' appear to be based, in the first place, upon the assumption that they do not possess the ability to bear up under the bodily and mental strain to which they would be unceasingly subjected in this new vocation;' in the second, upon the presumed incompatibility of professional practice with the best home influence of the woman and the duties of the mother; in the third place, upon the col lision and practical difficulties that might arise if different members of the same family should employ two physicians-a man and a woman; and lastly, the objections are made upon the ground of the equivocal effect of medical consultations upon the modesty and delicacy of feeling of those who may thus meet; and also upon the fact, that 'in no other country but our own is a body of women authorized to engage in the general practice of medicine.' In regard to the first difficulty, few words There are in this city women who have been engaged in the practice of medicine a dozen years, who to day have more vigor and power of endurance than they possessed in the beginning of their career; and the fact of their delicate organization and predominance of the nervous system,' combined with their trained self command,' is the very reason that, in some cases, their counsel has been preferred to that of the more robust man. The second objection, bearing upon the home influence of woman, has certainly another side. Probably more than half the women of this city and country are under the stern necessity of supporting themselves by their own exertions. Some mothers leave their young chil dren day by day and go out to labor, in order to be able to bring them bread at night; others sew away their strength for the pittance which barely keeps famine from their doors, and exhausted with their labors, they are indeed not 'in a fit frame of mind to interchange endearments with their beloved little ones;' nor can they, even with the price of life itself, surround them with the home influences and comforts needful to their healthful and harmonious de- ́ velopment. If the woman who has studied medicine should be surrounded by a family of young children, we should surely regard it as a misfortune, if the same overpowering necessity should compel her to follow an active practice during the period that these heavy maternal claims were pressing upon her; although even then her duties would be less exhausting, and her time less continuously occupied than are hers who supports her family by sewing or washing. But although the mother may not actively exercise her profession, the knowledge of preventive medicine which she possesses will surely aid her in training her children in accordance with tho e hygienic rules which are now so sadly neglected in families, and will not detract from that pure, sweet, home influence' which is the safeguard of the happiness and integrity of society. We know of quite a number of medical women, who, in consequence of the remunerations of their practice, have been able to make themselves the centers of happy homes, which other wise they could not have done; and some of these, in their thanskivings for the daily interests and enjoyments of their lives, count it among their deepest blessings that they have been enabled to pursue a course which so richly satisfies their womanly sympathies and affections, as well as gives scope to their intellectual cravings and power. and they have appreciated the mental suffering which the dread of medical investigation has caused. Physicians, too,-the father, husband, and brother, have asked our counsel in the cases of those dearest to them; and they have asked it because we are women, and as such, they believed we might elicit the cause of suffering, and apply the means of relief, as they had not been successful in doing. We shall scarcely be charged with presumption in supposing that our instincts may be as pure, our intuitions as clear, our sense of what is right and fitting for ourselves as reliable, ast are those of the men who condemn our course. We are sustained by the approval and sym The third objection, in regard to collisions and heart-burnings,' could scarcely apply to high toned physicians who know what belongs to the proprieties of their position. The dan-pathy of the best men and women,-by the ger would seem to be equally imminent if the medical advisers were both of the same sex, and yet we all know it is quite common in this city for more than one practitioner to attend the different members of the same family-one being preferred for his supposed skill in one class of cases, another for his superior reputation in another class; and we have yet to learn that injurious results follow this proximity of practitioners. The natural tendency would seem to be, to foster care and research; and if mutual observation of the results of treatment should occasionally suggest improved methods to either party, and break up old, sluggish routine, the profession and the community will surely be gainers by this mutual stimulus. The objection upon the ground of the invasion of delicacy in examining questions of disease and treatment is indeed an astonishing one to come from a body of scientific and rightminded physicians. Who are the patients treated by these men? Often women-the sensitive and refined. The whole nature of the malady must be investigated and the means of recovery enforced. If, as frequently happens, to save the shrinking sensitiveness of the young woman, some tender, experienced mother or elder friend informs the physician of the symptoms, and conveys to the patient his conclusions, she, for the time, performs the part of the attending physician in reference to the consulting one; yet who will dare assert that her womanly modesty is compromised, or that 'the delicate reserve with which' a man is accustomed to address woman in the sick-room" is injuriously affected by this necessary and humane intervention? Among the motives which have contributed to the support of this movement, that of shielding the sensibilities of shrinking women has not been the least. Men opposed to the medical education of women have, in some cases, changed their views when the subject has been brought home to their feelings in the person of some beloved member of their own families, moral sentiment of the general community. We feel, and society feels, that we are not usurping the place of men, but taking a position in the broad field of medicine which appropriately belongs to women; and that we shall enlarge the sphere of professional usefulness, and contribute to the knowledge which shall bless the race. The names of those who support our Hospital and College are largely the names of those of whom Philadelphia is justly proud, as representatives of her intelligence, respectability, and moral worth. That we have not had the facilities for acquiring medical information is a charge that, it seems to us, should hardly come from those who have systematically closed hospitals and colleges against our applications for admission, and who have endeavored to prevent the members of their fraternity from assisting us in our struggle for knowledge. That we have stemmed this tide of opposition, and found opportunities for obtaining medical instruction-some in other cities and across the ocean, some by persevering and longcontinued efforts in various ways at home; that we have found noble men in the profession to assist us, and that we have been able to found hospitals and open various channels for practical education, is due to the inherent vitality of our cause, and its strong hold upon the sympathies and convictions of the community. That we have not yet all the facilities for instruction that are needed, we are fully aware. That there are female graduates who are a disgrace to the medical profession,' we also know too well: for the sake of humanity we would that we could truly add, that the graduates who disgrace the profession are found only among women! From the nature of the relation of physicians to society, not more than one man in hundreds follows medicine as a profession, and the proportion of women, under the most favoring circumstances, will probably not be greater; but the systematic training, and the knowledge of physi ological functions and hygienic conditions iuvolved in a thorough medical education for the few, will, we believe, be reflected in many homes, and be one of the means of radically changing that mistaken plan of education, and those destructive social customs and habits, which are now undermining the health, and darkening the lives of so many of the women of this country. If it be true that 'in no other country but our own is a body of women authorized to engage in the general practice of medicine,' the fact is no more an argument against its propriety than is the fact that in no other country are the rights of the people so acknowledged and secured, an argument against the propriety of republican institutions. cated for the medical profession, have avowed any intention to treat male patients in all kinds of disease, and assuredly they would shrink from some of the cases he mentions. If his moral sense is shocked by such medical practice by women as he has imagined, it would seem that he ought to see the propriety of transferring to educated, skilful woman, a part of the practice hitherto performed by men. There are, doubtless, numerous cases of delicate, sensitive women, who have suffered long with painful disease, rather than call in the aid of a physician, because no other practitioners than men were accessible. In such cases fatal delays have occurred that will now be avoided by the professional services of women, skilful in the healing art. For Friends' Intelligencer. Prairie Grove Quarterly Meeting of Friends, held 16th of 9th month at Wapsenonoc, near West Liberty, Iowa. We regard this movement as belonging to the advancing civilization of the age-as the inevitable result of that progressive spirit which is unfolding human capabilities in many directions, and which has perceived that it is the condition of the highest health and happiness for woman, that she, also, should exercise the I have often felt it a privilege to have the oppowers with which she has been endowed in portunity of reading accounts of Friends' meetaccordance with her own convictions and feelings as they are held in course, in the various ings, and in harmony with her nature and organization. That our position is womanly-that this work is established in the fitness of things and in the necessities of society, and that the movement belongs to the 'revolutions which never go backward,' we have no shadow of doubt. For us it is the post of restful duty-the place assigned to us, as we believe, in the order of Providence, and we can do no other than maintain it. But on behalf of a little band of true hearted young women who are just entering the profession, and from whose pathway we fain would see impediments and annoyances removed, we must protest, in the sacred name of our common humanity, against the injustice which places difficulties in our way,-not because we are ignorant, or pretentious, or incompetent, or unmindful of the code of medical or Christian ethics, but because we are women.” This modest, concise and cogent argument Leeds no addition to render it conclusive, and I trust that the enterprising and talented women who have embarked in a movement so important to their sex, and so beneficial to society, will be encouraged to persevere in their laudable efforts. parts of our extended country. Feeling thus, I have been drawn to write briefly of the very interesting mecting which has just been held in this beautiful prairie country. The meeting of Ministers and Elders was held on Seventh-day, the 14th inst., and was a season of favor, the members being united in judgment and travail for the welfare of the church. On First-day morning the attendance was very large, many not being able to obtain seats within the house. In the afternoon a religious meeting was appointed for children and youth by a Friend in the ministry among us, whose interest in the little folks is very great. The precious children preserved excellent order and attention throughout the services of the occasion. In both Monthly Meetings constituting this Quarterly Meeting, First-day schools are sustained. On Second-day the General Quarterly Meeting was held, and was very fully attended. Notwithstanding the presence of several Ministers, we sat in profound silence for nearly an hour, when a brief testimony was borne to the allsufficiency of the inner light, after which vocal thanksgivings were offered to the Author of all our sure mercies. Under an all-pervading and solemnizing sense of Divine Goodness and Love, the shutters were closed, and the meeting proceeded to the transaction of business. The state of Society was entered upon with interest, and several representatives were appointed to attend Baltimore Yearly Meeting. The subject of visiting the scattered flock in this western land was weightily considered, and a committee of Men and Women Friends was appointed to |