210 



iVEU ENGLAND FARMER 



JAN. S, 184^ i 



tion of tlic President or acting President, counter- 

 signed by tlie Secretary and Treasurer. 



v3r<. 20. Tliia Conrtlitutionsliill lit- amended only 

 l)y a vote of two thirds nf all rlie mombers present 

 At an. annual meeting of the Society — but the Board 

 •of Control may, by the aid of the President, estab- 

 LJish any noedful by-laws for the better order of the 

 Society, not iiieoiiiputiblo with this Constitution — 

 wliich by-laws may at any time be amended by a 

 niiajority of the Society pre?cnt. 



Jlrt. 21. Elections for all officers of the Society 

 shall be held by ballot at every general meeting 

 thereof — but until an election at the general meet- 

 ing in May next, the following persons shall be a 

 coiimiitleo to appoint the officers herein before 

 mentioned, and to make publication of the same in 

 'ten days from this time. 



On motion, J> 9. Skinner, Kst]., Hon. D. H. Lew- 

 is, and lion. ILIj. Ellsworth were appointed a com- 

 mittee to wai; -upon the chairman and solicit a copy 

 ■of his address for publication. 



On motion of Mr Tnrry, of Mass., it was 

 Resolved, That the Board of Control of the Soci- 

 «ty be instructed to present a petition to the pre- 

 .«cnt. Congress of the Dnited States to set apart the 

 Smitlisonian bequest for the purpose of carrying 

 ■out'tli^.o'bjcctsof the Society. 



The Mon. Lefi Woodbury, of New Ilampshirci 

 Jlon. Lewis F. Linn, of iMissouri, Hon. Wm. C- 

 Rives, of Virginia, H<.n. VVm. C.Johnson, of Mary- 

 land, Hon. D. H. I.ewis, of .Mabania, Hon. John 

 Hastings, of Ohio, Hon. H. L. Ellswortli, of the 

 District of Columbia, John S. Skinner, Esq., of the 

 District of Columbia, and J. F. Callan, of the Dis- 

 trict of Columbia, were appointed a committee to 

 jtelect the officers of the Society provided fur in the 

 ■Constitution, to serve until the regular eleotion in 

 May next. 



On motion, it was 



Ordered, That subscription papers be left with 

 the Secretary of the Senate, the Clerk of the House 

 -of Representatives, the Librarian of Congress, and 

 "with the Secretaries of this meeting, where per- 

 sons desirous of becoming members may enrol their 

 jiames. 



Ordered, 'V.iat. the proceedings of this meeting 



"be published 'n niltlie newspapers of the District. 



And the *.' invention adjourned. 



J. F. Callan, > „ . . 

 T, ri u / Aecretants. 



R. E. HORNF.R, ) 



The Committee, appointed by the Agricultural 

 Society of the United Slates to select the Officers 

 of the Society to serve until the first general meet- 

 ing and exhibition on tho 4tli day of Alay next, 

 have met, and do hereby reconmienil and report the 

 following gentlemen to fill tho offices annexed to 

 their respective names. The Recording Secretary 

 is requested to publish the list, iind give special in- 

 formation to each individual of his selection. 

 Levi VVoouburv, 

 Chairmun, fur the Committee. 



President — Jamks M. Gar.nf.tt. 



Corresponding Secretary — John S. Skinner. 



Recording Secretary— }i-:\\n V. Callan. 



Treasurer — Edward Dyer. 



Hoard of Control — Levi Woodbury, Elisha Whit- 

 tlesey, Alexander Hunter, John ,\. Smith, W. J. 

 Stone. 



J'ice Presidents — Maine, George Evans ; New 

 Hampshire, Isaac Hill ; Massachusetts, R. V. 



French; Connecticut, Eli Ives; R. Island, Gov. 

 Fenner; Vermont, VVm. Jarvis ; New York, C. N. 

 Bement; New Jersey. C. S. Green; Pennsylvania, 

 Geo. E. Keiin ; Delaware, J. W. Thompson ; Mary- [ 

 land, Thos. Emory; Virginia, Edmund Ruffin; N. ; 

 Carolina, Edmund Deberry ; S: Carolina, Wade 

 Hampton; Georgia, W. Lumpkin ; Alabama, Dix- 

 on H.Lewis; Louisianr, Alex.Mouton; Arkansas, 

 Archibald Yell ; Tennessee, F. H. Gordon ; Mis- 

 sissippi, M. W. Phillips ; Kentucky, Chilton Allen ; 

 Missouri, Lewis F. Linn; Illinois, A. W. Snyder; 

 Indiana, Solon llobinson ; Michigan, Isaac E. Ca- 

 ry ; Ohio, John Hastings ; District of Columbia, 

 H. L. Ellsworth ; Florida, R. W. Williams; Iowa, 

 Timothy Davis ; Wisconsin, Henry Dodge. 



The Vice Presidents of Virginia, Maryland, Dis- 

 trict of Columbia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, are 

 ex-officio members of the Board of Control. 



PHYSICAL DEBILITY OF AMERICAN WO- 

 MEN. 

 Extracts from Miss lieecher's IVeatist on Domestic 

 Economy. 



But the second, and still greater difficulty, pecu- 

 liar to American women is, a delicacy of constitu- 

 tion, which renders them early victims to disease 

 and decay. 



The fact that the women of this coirntry are 

 unusually subject to disease, and that their beauty 

 and youthful nciis is of shorter continuance than 

 that of the women of other nations, is one which 

 always attracts the attention of foreigners, while 

 medical men and philanthropists are constantly 

 giving fearful monitions as to the extent and alarm- 

 ing increase of this evil. Investigations make it 

 evident that a large proportion of young ladies 

 from the wealthier classes have the incipient stages 

 of curvature of tlic spine, one of the most sure and 

 fruitful causes of future disease and decay. The 

 writer has heard medical men, who have made ex- 

 tensive inquiries, say, that probably one in every 

 six of the young women at boarding schools, are 

 affected in this way, while many other indications 

 of disease and debility exist, in cases where this 

 particular evil cannot be detected. 



In consequence of this enfeebled state of their 

 constitutions, induced by a neglect of their physi- 

 cal education, as soon as they are called to the re- 

 sponsibilities and trials of domestic life, their con- 

 stitution fails, and their whole life is rendered a 

 burden. For no person can enjoy existence, when 

 disease throws a dark cloud over the mind, and inca- 

 pacitates her for the proper discharge of every duty 



It would seem as if tho primeval curse, that has 

 written the doom of pain and sorrow on one period 

 of a young mother's life, in this country lind been 

 extended over all ; so that the hour neverarriv.es 

 when "she forgettelh her sorrow for joy that a man 

 is born into the world." Many a mother will testi- 

 fy, with shuddering, that the most exquisite suffer- 

 ings she ever endured, were not those appointed 

 by Nature, but those which, for week after week, 

 have worn down health and spirits, when nourish- 

 ing her child. And medical men teach us that 

 tlii."), in most cases, results I'rom a debility of coii- 

 atitulion consequent on the mismanagement of ear- 

 ly life. .And so frequent and so mournful arc these 

 and the other distresses that result from the failure 

 of the female constitution, that tlie writer has re- 

 pealcdiy heard mothers say, that they had wept 

 tears of bitterness over their infant daughters, at 

 the thought of the sufferings which they were dcs- 



lllir 



tined to undergo ; while they cherished the 

 ded wisli that these daughters should never r 

 At the same time, many a reflecting young w 

 is looking to her future prospects with very i 

 ent feelings and hopes from those which 1 

 dence designed. 



American women are exposed to a far gi 

 amount of intellectual and moral excitement 

 those of any other land. Of course, in or 

 escape the danger resulting from this, a g 

 amount of exercise in the fresh air, and all 

 methods which strengthen the constitution, ar 

 periously required. 



But instead of this, it will be found that, i 

 to the climate and customs of this nation, 

 are no women who securp so little of this boa' 

 and protecting regimen. Walking, and r: 

 and gardening, in the open air, arc practic 

 the women of other lands, to a far greater e; 

 than by American females. Most English w> 

 in the wealthier classes, are able to walk si: 

 eight miles on a stretch, without oppressive fat 

 and when they visit this country, always e» 

 their surprise at the inactive habits of Ame 

 ladies. In England, the regular daily exerci 

 the open air is very con)iiionly required b' 

 mother, as a part of daily duty, and is soug 

 young women as tin enjoyment. I-n conseqn L 

 of a different physical training, English womo f^ 

 those circles that enjoy competency, preset lit 

 appearance which always strikes American gMji 

 men as a contrast to what they see at borne. L 

 English mother, at thirty or thirtyfive, is in thi C, 

 bloom of perfected womanhood ; as fr&sii and he 

 fill as her daughters. But wliere are the Ai 

 can mothers who can reach this period unl 

 and unworn? In America, young ladies 1; 

 wealthier classes, are sent to scliool from 

 childhood ; and neither parents nor teachers i 

 it a definito object to secure a proper ainou 

 fresh air and exercise, to counterbalance this i 

 Icctual taxation. As soon as they pass their 8< 

 days, dressing, visiting, evening parties, and st 

 lating amusements, take the phice of study, i 

 the most unliealthful modes of dress add to 

 physical exposures. To make -irrning call 

 do a little shopping, is all that can be called 

 exercise in the fresh air; and this, compare 

 what is needed, is absolutely nothing, and on ( 

 accounts is worse than nothing. In ronsequi 

 of these, and other evils, that will be pointed 

 more at large in the following pages, the yc 

 women of America grow up with such a delii 

 of constitution, that probably eight out of ten 

 come subjects of disease cither before or as t 

 as they are called to tho responsibilities of dot 

 tic life. 



Want of Employment and Cart, a cause of Dtbi' 

 "Inactivity of intellect and of feeling (says 

 Combe,) is a very frequent predisposing caus« 

 every form of nervous disease. For demonstrat 

 evidence of this position, we have only to look 

 the numerous victims to be found among pert 

 who have no call to exeition in gaining the me 

 of subsistence, and no objects of interest on wh 

 to exercise their mental faculties, and who con 

 quently sink into a state nf mental sloth and n 

 vous weakness. If we look abroad upon socil 

 wo shall find innumerable examples of mental i 

 nervous debility from this cause. When a pc 

 of some mental capacity is confined for a long! 

 to an unvarying round of employment, which 



