American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1846-10-19

WHceII dnu rest the remainder oil her ne, Sll
would reply, mo, no-you must not ask mi
TO do that. Since was little child, have
for six days in the week, been constantly EN-
P!oyed in doing something for myself or 9th
efs, and now, idleness would kill me. ] love t.
work, and the low buzzng Of my little whee
seems Just to suit the pleasant thoughts that fiji
my mind about the scenes Of the past, and that
happy world TO which am Fastening" There
was nothing more TO be said on the subject, so
"dcar Granny" continued the employment she
loved so we'll, until the last week Of her long
and useful life. Her spinning wheel is treasur-
ed as a sacred relic by her descendants, who
value it only as memeute of one SO beloved
but as a silent teacher of so important and Of
ten neglected truths. Lessons Of practical wis
dom are associated with it, to which we would
fam give voice, that they might reach the car
OF every youthful female in the land.
Our venerable grandmother loved to talk OF
the good old times, and it was to us never
failing source Of enjoyment to sit at her feet,
and listen to stories of the past, which, though
otlen repeated, were never wearsome. "When
| was young" she used to say, "girls were not
brought up to be good for nothing in the wide
world, as too many are nowadays. No mat
ter whether they were rich or poor, all were
taught TO work, and to feel that home was the
place where they must find their happiness,
whether as maids, wives, or mothers. AS soon
as we were tall enough to reach the large
wheel, we learned To spin wool, and never
dreamed OF any amusement for ourselves, till
our daily task was completed. We assisted too,
IN household matters, knew how to make but
ter and chez Sc, and should have scorned the
idea OF getting married until we had pillow
case full OF stockings Of our own knitting and
press filled with linen spun and woven by our
own hands"
"Dear Granny-what spiritless mopes you
must have been, and how little pleasure you
must have had! Only think of having to work
all the time, without any recreation"
Poor child !" was tho reply, ''you know
nothing at all about it. We were busy as bees,
but then we were bhhe as lark, and as mer-
Fy as a cricket all the day long. We never
even heard Of the Thousand ailments common
now among young folks, and as to recreation,
we had more heart gaiey and frolic at n quilt
ing bee, sieigh.ride, or a pairing match, than
one OF your fashionable bells enjoy in whole
year. But, dear Children" she would add,
while her placid features assumed an unWonted
seriousness, 1--WE were taught in those days,
that we must not live only or mainly t. enjoy
ourselves; that our first earthly duties were to
make ourselves useful in onr fathers family,
and to prepare to manage properly one OF our
own. We did not think or talk more about
mari age than You do now, but we talked about
it very differently. We knew it was contract
for better or for worse, to last through life, and
that It was serious matter. We thought less
Of a splendid wedding and fine furniture, and
more of the substantial comforts OF a family,
than young people seem to now. This little
bnnl OF h., c.,
riage day, and priced it more, and trust have
made better use of Ii in my long life, than il
it had been the most splendid piano that ever
graced fashionable parlor. Not that have
any objection to music love it, for all nature
is full Of it, not always written, to be sure, but
it is all the sweeter for that to my old ears
But life is something else besides holiday, and
fine clothes and fine music, though very well
in their proper pace, will not always make a
husband happy, nor home comfortable Let
the foundation he well laid, by knowledge OF
everything u woman ought TO know as the mis-
tress Of a family, ard then no matter how full
Of ornament the superstructnre may be. BIT
it is the misery Of society, that snowy oGjice
is so often bnilt on sand and rubbish, and then
! when the cold wind of adversely blows aud the
storms of life beat upon it-when strength and
shelter ale most needed, then the gild ID but
hollow structure falls TO the ground, and world.
ly credit, hope and happiness are buried be-
meath its ruins !"
Frequently, in passing through the world
are we reminded Of this apt comparison, and a.
we mark the shoals and quicksands on which
SO many bright hopes and brilliant prospect IRE
wrecked, we thank God for the early lessons o
industry, and relative duty, imbibed at the side
of the SPINNING WHEEL.