ves sedulously to keeping house, because they were
women, and 'woman's noblest station is retreat'?

"The world has always shown a fair average of good sense in this
matter, from the days of the fair Hypatia in Alexandria, who, we are
told, gave lectures on philosophy behind a curtain, lest her charms
should distract the attention of too impressible young men, down to
those of Anna Dickinson. Mankind are not, after all, quite fools, and
seem in these cases to have a reasonable idea that exceptional talents
have exceptional laws, and make their own code of proprieties.

"Now there is no doubt that Miss Dickinson, though as relating to her
femininity she is quite as pretty and modest a young woman as any to
be found in the most sheltered circle, has yet a most exceptional
talent for public speaking, which draws crowds to hear her, and makes
lecturing for her a lucrative profession, as well as a means of
advocating just and generous sentiments, and of stimulating her own
sex to nobler purposes; and the same law which relates to Siddons and
Kemble and Ristori relates also to her.

"The doctrine of _vocations_ is a good one and a safe one. If a woman
mistakes her vocation, so much the worse for her; the world does not
suffer, but she does, and the suffering speedily puts her where she
belongs. There is not near so much danger from attempts to imitate
Anna Dickinson as there is from the more common feminine attempts to
rival the _demi-monde_ of Paris in fantastic extravagance and luxury.

"As to how a woman may determine whether she has any such vocation,
there is a story quite in point. A good Methodist elder was listening
to an ardent young mechanic who thought he had a call to throw up his
shop and go to preaching.

"'I feel,' said the young ardent, 'that I have a call to preach.'

"'Hast thou noticed whether people seem to have a call to hear thee?'
said the shrewd old man. 'I have always noticed that a true call of
the Lord may be known by this, that people have a _call_ to hear.'"

"Well," said Bob, "the most interesting question still remains: What
are to be the employments of woman? What ways are there for her to use
her talents, to earn her livelihood and support those who are dear to
her, when Providence throws that necessity upon her? This is becoming
more than ever one of the pressing questions of our age. The war has
deprived so many thousands of women of their natural protectors, that
everything must be t