I confess that in the States I have sometimes been driven to think that chivalry has been carried too far—­that there is an attempt to make women think more of the rights of their womanhood than is needful.  There are ladies’ doors at hotels, and ladies’ drawing-rooms, ladies’ sides on the ferry-boats, ladies’ windows at the post-office for the delivery of letters—­which, by-the-by, is an atrocious institution, as anybody may learn who will look at the advertisements called personal in some of the New York papers.  Why should not young ladies have their letters sent to their houses, instead of getting them at a private window?  The post-office clerks can tell stories about those ladies’ windows.  But at every turn it is necessary to make separate provision for ladies.  From all this it comes to pass that the baker’s daughter looks down from a great height on her papa, and by no means thinks her brother good enough for her associate.  Nature, the great restorer, comes in and teaches her to fall in love with the butcher’s son.  Thus the evil is mitigated; but I cannot but wish that the young woman should not see herself denominated a lady so often, and should receive fewer lessons as to the extent of her privileges.  I would save her, if I could, from working at the oven; I would give to her bread and meat earned by her father’s care and her brother’s sweat; but when she has received these good things, I would have her proud of the one and by no means ashamed of the other.

Let women say what they will of their rights, or men who think themselves generous say what they will for them, the question has all been settled both for them and for us men by a higher power.  They are the nursing mothers of mankind, and in that law their fate is written with all its joys and all its privileges.  It is for men to make those joys as lasting and those privileges as perfect as may be.  That women should have their rights no man will deny.  To my thinking, neither increase of work nor increase of political influence are among them.  The best right a woman has is the right to a husband, and that is the right to which I would recommend every young woman here and in the States to turn her best attention.  On the whole, I think that my doctrine will be more acceptable than that of Mrs. Dall or Mr. Wendell Phillips.

CHAPTER XIX.

EDUCATION.

The one matter in which, as far as my judgment goes, the people of the United States have excelled us Englishmen, so as to justify them in taking to themselves praise which we cannot take to ourselves or refuse to them, is the matter of Education.  In saying this, I do not think that I am proclaiming anything disgraceful to England, though I am proclaiming much that is creditable to America.  To the Americans of the States was given the good fortune of beginning at the beginning.  The French at the time of their revolution endeavored