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“One must carefully guard, lest those perverse doctrines prevail which wish to make woman rather a rival of man than his coworker; that is, that she be not so much adorned by those virtues with which it befits her to resign peacefully within domestic walls; but given to alien pursuits and striving in a foreign field.”

“One can see, too, that there are many women who, devoting themselves too much to pursuits foreign to their nature, have acquired manners of acting which are utterly masculine; and that these same women, deserting their duties in the home for which they were created, rashly throw themselves into the midst of life’s struggle.”

"The changed conditions of the times have conferred upon woman functions and rights which were not allowed her in former times. But no change in the opinions of men, no novelty of circuмstances and events will ever remove woman, conscious of her mission, from her natural centre, which is the family…Hence it may be justly said that the changed conditions of the times have enlarged the field of woman’s activity. An apostolate of woman in the world has succeeded that more intimate and restricted action which she formerly exercised within the domestic walls; but this apostolate must be carried out in such a manner as to make it evident that woman, both outside and within the home, shall not forget that it is her duty, even to-day, to consecrate her principal cares to the family."

What does the modern woman, the feminist, want? Would she be sufficient for herself, open her own path, and not be dependent on the egoism and domination of men, would she find a field for her own proper activity? Very well, the Church has already done that by encouraging the religious profession and consecration of so many generous lives to works of piety, education, assistance, evangelization, in fact the apostolate of good in every imaginable form.

Behold a true and holy feminism, from the very first beginnings of religious life down to this latest example which we see before us in these last days of Paola Frassinetti, a glorious example, a meritorious feminism indeed.

What are the religious of all times and places, if they are not women who are sufficient of themselves, and willed to labour in those fields which they had willed and chosen? Truly here we see the true emancipation, the elevation, the consecration of woman, and all this the Church has ever venerated, and required to be held in honour by the Christian world.