Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1859-02-02
SPIRIT OF TIE AeI1---Devo ted to Temperance. Titsraf7re -

S Mere with the assistance of Mr.. HarpalI and
= halraVagance she has become stau faita
- slie fashionable branches, but particularly
.soIane IN regard to al domestic duties
1seulafly those of the culinary department.
I'll pelng requested by her mother to deiiy.
- . message to the cook, she slowly descends
sne STAIRS, but oh, horrorl listen to that
enriek! Behold the pallid browi What
can nave happened? Simply this, on enter
- the kitchen she beheld some RoloSna
sausages lying on the table, and ignorant Of
sleni only as far as the palate is concerned.
iasihed them to be serpents of nondescript
n a'u' mus an ignorance of such things
p'1oes Us IN an unpleasant position.
Dus aooFeali, piety is the crowning jewel in
noalah scharacter. Letherseek th~atgemwhose
lustIe can never be dimmed; Iether pluck the
IVY io"ret OF humility to deck her brow, and
piuch Tue bright roses of living faith to min
s,e III Inc chaplet of pure piety, and let her
10Y the injunction Of ST. Paul, who says
",iose aaornlng, let it not be that of out
Mafo adofnlng, of p~laiting the hair and wear
ny % solu, or OF putting on apparel, but let
! oe Tue ildden man Of the heart, even the
ot.a,neht OF a meek and quiet spirit, which
Is IN the sight OF God of great price" Another
u the inspired writers. whose writings is
fepiete with so much piety, adds !" Favor
IS deceltful, and beauty is vain, but a woman
that ieareth the Lord shall be praised" So
wen adapted are the HOLY virtues of christian
piety to woman's tender nature, that she
ought SO to live that her life may be an ex-
emphneatIon Of thes kces. Let Patience.
nope Love, Charity and Faith be the gems
Win which she wreaths her brow. richer
llan the gold of Ophir, the pearls Of Col
c,opda, or the diamonds of Peru. But if on
tle contrary, woman seeks~not to gain that
priceless gem, true religion, we nav ask in
the language of poetry,
y what IS woman, what her smiles,
FER lips of love, her eyes of light.
nhat is she. if her lips reyile
IAe lowly Jesus? Love may write
liz name upon her marble brow.
And finger in her curls of let.
asiisnt spring flowers may scarcely bow
beIeath her step-and yet. and vet
nlthout that meekest grace she'll be
A lighter thing than vanity"
But le5Woman SO endeayor to perform the
duties Of her sphere, that the BRIGHTEST
eulogy which can be pronounced unon her i
she mas done what she could and NAV her
name be counted among those of Hannah
Deoorah, Abigail, Ruth and Esther. who have
answered Solomon's description of a v~irtrons
woman. And yet there is another class IT
females OF whom | ought to speak. thew be-.
lng a class Of persons who are denoninatad
Old Maids. Some persons have liohtlv rn.
marked that they were only fit to fiji m the
ehlnks and gaps in society. Now, thinE
really this is base contumelv. There is No cal
culatlng the amount of good this class Of ner.
sons have performed, and though # was dom
silently, yet like the Arethusa of Class;c
fable which flows through a subterranoan
passage for awhile, then appears, TINS # is
with the influence exerted bv this nersecntod
class The influence is felt gently. and then
seems to gradually die away, but soon annoare
again with redoubled exertion. and man
very many homely lessons of useful pietv baye,
oeen taughtb by many an old maiden amt who
mas been asslgneda place in the domestic circle
nave often wondered to myself how many al
those who make it a practice to deride Ink
class OF people, how MANY had ever taken
the trouble to observe that Sir Walter Scott
VINO IS decidedly the best portrayer Of f.
male character that has ever written has
MADE three OF his most distinguished hero
lnes. namely, Laasa McIyer. Rehecca tha
JeWess, and Mis1.e Troll, live and die n the
9~ntramelled condition of single blessedness.
Several of the heather goddess, is said to live
as the old English term expresses it, the life
OF a splnster; and should we unroIl the annals
OF history we would find MANY who ware
designated old maids who have excelled IN
many virtues. In conclusion, I only re-echc
the words of a German poet as nv senti.
ment, who says boldly
i" am a lover of all womankind.
and maldens old are not old mails IN mo
ihougn beauty flies, there still remains the mind.
Ana mind is surely better company,
what tho the harp be new and trimmed With oo,s
Does sWeeter music tremble in its tone. o'
IMAM when gaudy polish has grown old.
and naught is left but sweet accord alonA2
Or1s the gem held in less high esteem,
Because the casketis defaced by time2
a "oman,s mind, a priceless gem, I deem
aer heart a harp that music yields sublime.
90 wonder not that years hide not from me.
The jewels glow, the karp's sweet melody
LEoLINE, OF PETERSBURG,