Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
The verse is a husband's praise of his wife, declaring that while many daughters have acted virtuously, she surpasses them all. Her surpassing worth is shown in her wisdom and the kindness of her speech, in her faithful care for her household, and in the blessing and trust she brings to her family.
To excel in this sense is to be thoroughly trained in household duties and domestic labor. That excelling does not come from painting, fancy work, music, advanced school learning, or discussion of woman's elevated sphere and rights. It comes from knowing how to cut, make, and mend clothing, to prepare food in a wholesome and palatable manner, to wash, sweep, and dust, and to work in kitchen and garden. Girls should begin to take a regular and responsible share in this work by nine or ten years old.
Such a woman presides as a queen in her own domain, fully competent to guide and instruct her children, to direct servants, and to minister with her own hands to the needs of her household. She also understands how the human body works and the principles of hygiene, of diet and dress, of labor and recreation, and the best methods of treating disease. Thus she can care for her own children in sickness rather than leaving them to strangers. On this efficiency depend the happiness and proper regulation of the family.
The verse is a husband's praise of his wife, declaring that while many daughters have acted virtuously, she surpasses them all. Her surpassing worth is shown in her wisdom and the kindness of her speech, in her faithful care for her household, and in the blessing and trust she brings to her family.
To excel in this sense is to be thoroughly trained in household duties and domestic labor. That excelling does not come from painting, fancy work, music, advanced school learning, or discussion of woman's elevated sphere and rights. It comes from knowing how to cut, make, and mend clothing, to prepare food in a wholesome and palatable manner, to wash, sweep, and dust, and to work in kitchen and garden. Girls should begin to take a regular and responsible share in this work by nine or ten years old.
Such a woman presides as a queen in her own domain, fully competent to guide and instruct her children, to direct servants, and to minister with her own hands to the needs of her household. She also understands how the human body works and the principles of hygiene, of diet and dress, of labor and recreation, and the best methods of treating disease. Thus she can care for her own children in sickness rather than leaving them to strangers. On this efficiency depend the happiness and proper regulation of the family.