Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1856-04-23
Yumber 3D..
LADIES DEPARTMENT..
Written for the Spirit Of the Age.
To the Social Circle.

The ceremony of an introduction being
over, and having been bowed into your
Circle at the same time with the gentle
Maggie Glenn, | feel that | am welcome,
and therefore throw my hat and overcoat
off sdRS ccrentoRic, and take my seat.
On looking around as / entered, I saw
the f%acetious Matte give Gertrude Perry
n gentle { bunch in the side, accompanied
by a merry twinkle of her bright eyes, and
80 as TO be heard across the fireplace to
where Claude and Frank were sitting,
whisper in her ear, Hes come AL
pheus has come-hush ! he's about to take
his seat-let's observe his 'trepidation'-
'here, if he has mt actually taken that seat
by Minnie oh my how calm and un-
concerned he looks ~ thought to have
seen him faint and more l heard, that
l could not quite understand.
Yes, Girls, / am actually here and |
embrace this, the very earliest opportunity
of rendering you my warmest thanks for
the cordial greeting received at your hands,
especially am | under obligations to YOU
fair Minnie, for your kind considerations
and more especially am i indebted to you,
for the pleasure OF enjoying this cosy little
chair at your side. / must acknowledge
tho that an NJ -isfS~ = Hcu AT Ihy
good fortune, for | assure you when | laid
in IN plea for admission, that / did not
even 50 mnch as dream of finding a Udcdnt
seat in all this part Of the Circle, and much
less did | expect to find the very next'one
to yoNys Rntcnanted.
/ thank you, Matte, for the timely eau
ton given to Minnie not to "hurl her av-
alanches very near upon" me tho under
existing circumstances, / think it was rath-
or an uncalled for warning-but if she
were to bury me under an avalanche q
presume she meant an avalanche of %SnOto,)
| reckon Claude or Frank would be willing
to change seats with me till l could get
hdccd.
By-the-way, l would advise Frank to
keep his eye upon Matte for what she
limited to Claude about I" the full meaning
of the words, Nj d~eYcyapdum" must have
meant something. Perhaps ace too, ere
long, may see some " fun"
Aim high ~ is the imperative %injunc-
ton given us by our helmsman the Good
Spirit and his tuo Associates. / am,
therefore, afraid to say another word in
llt WAY bl NOthNl tOllAEISiJlOu, lCSG l. I'LL
70 come mp to their standard of excellence.
II is true, when j first proposed to enter
your Circle it was with the long cherished
anticipation of having n real old fashioned
social chat with each fair member thereof,
but no sooner had | got something good
las | thought en- the end of my tongue
il was not about the stars nor the : phil
osophy of the Universe'-and was abou,
TO give il utterancc, than, lifting my eve,
meekly TO the head of the table they en-
countcrcd those of the Spirit, accompa
MED by n contraction of his brow, which
said, as plain ~ eyes and contracted broy
could say, 'AM HIGH when bacI
went the words intended to have been spc
ken into my throat nor have | been abb
to coax them to my tengue since. This
fear IN the ease with some others who, lik
myself have entered the ( majesty of you
presence with trepidation,' and who, a
ter being admitted are afraid to open the
mouths lest they receive q rebuke frol
head qI2rters. Now, begging pardon a
round this it appears to me, ought not
be so for if we are not permitted to e.
change senaiment-%O converse with OF
another freely and without reserve or r,
%straint, why style ourselves the Social CT
Gle? DO not misinterpret my meanin!
dear Circle, and Messrs. Editors-I a
not in fayer of indulging in idle, insip:
'twattle'-always about one thing. n
no, though 1 do believe n little small tai
once and awhile actually essential to Il
keeping up Of al interest in our Circle
This, | think, we could have without
any degree compromising our dignity
] mean something similar to the 'Speet
tor Though | acknowledge that l ha
no right-being scarcely yet installed,
say what we ought, or what we ought 4
to do. Pardon what | have said won
not be considered meddlesome.
In conclusion, while we talk about m
tiers and things in general we must 1
forget, let as be thrown where we may,
lift up our voice against the curse of
tempcrance-we must not fl rget that t
areh-fend, this minister plcnipotentit
direct from Pandemonium-from the blu
ing court ofhis Satanic Majesty, still sta
unfcttered abroad in our land-still c
tinucs to pollute our Schools, and
Churches, our Courts of law and our /
islative halls with his poisonous, contami
ting breath. Let our motto be +" d.
with the Liquor Traffic T. That we /
accomplish this object-the overthrow
the Alcoholic dynasty-lct us combine
united efforts to defeat the election Of
rupt men 20 our next Legislature, an
secure the election of good men and tt
We all have more or less influence
Ladies hare FroUt foUt cTcu III pUrr
mattcrs-let them use it-let them b
1t to bear upon this great moral Refo1
ton. The cause of Temperance lk
other causes has. its Gibbs and Aows-it
had it's ebb, and is just now again b.
ming to flow. Note, therefore, is the
TO work. Where is Invinciblc ? tina
does not with his battle-axe again tax
stand at the head of our Macedonian ]
nnxY ALPHEU
Il. r. Springs, April lst.
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