The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1860-02-01
SelrtteO Calr.
NO ANGEL.

N NGELS are very nice things to
osC-S talk, tl,eorlze and poetic about =
but, IN connection with the plain matter
of-fact affairs of every day life, we don't
think much of them-we don't: nor do
we believe there is man living who
would prefer an angel-that is, n thor
ough out and out, etherialized, spiritual
lied angel, TO a wholesome, whoIe-souled
sensible, bona fide woman, such as the
heroine Of the following sketch is desert
bed as having been
Margaret Brown was not IN angel =
but she was better-we mean fer the sit
uation she was destined to Gil. She ney-
er imagined herself to be an angel-per-
haps because she had nobody to tell her
50. In fact, woman never thinks her
self an angel Of her own accord; it is the
folly of the male sex that puts such ride,
ulous notions into the heads Of the other
sex. Margaret Brown was not handsome
therefore nobody thought of calling her
an angel. She had no charms Of person
to rely upon; and it was perhaps fortu-
nate that she had not-fer this made her
tho more assiduous to cultivate her mind.
The incense Of flattery never ossailed her,
and she was in no danger Of becoming
gid1y and silly by the power of adula-
ton.
Beauty is not to be dcspisod or under
valued. 1t is one ofthe faireat gifts Of ia
ture, anl one to which no man is or can
be inscns:ble. Its 4 draft on the adni-
ration Of mankind, which is sure TO be
honorcd at sight. The qualities Of the
mind-good sense, virtue, kindness of
heart-may be considered as title deeds
to an estate, whose ecnuinencss is likely
to be doubted until after an examination
into the records. Or, to change the met
aphor, beauty is Ike a corps Of calvary,
which rusLcs swiftly to the battle, and
does sudden execution; whilst tue quail
ties Of the mind, like body Of infantry,
are only marching TO tie engagement
But, IS the cavalry cannot maintain its
advantages, without the ai9 Of the infan-
try, SO neither can beauty keep lasting
hold upon the heart, unless it be reinfor
cod by the stronger qualities Of the mind.
1t is not the fault Of nature that she fire.
Gucnt'y bcstows a fair outside; but il is
the fault of those on whom it is bestowed
that they rarely think ofanything boyon!
The surface.
As Margaret Brown had no beauty to
boast, so she had none of what may he
called mere accomplishments. She had
no skill in dancing; she understood noi-
ther cotilion, waltz, or gallopade. In
deed, she never went to dancing school
n, had any ambition to learn the art Of
hop, skip and wlirl; she had no voice
for singing and no knowledge of music;
she neither thumped upon the piano, or
strumned on the guitar. She had no
skill in drawing; she painted neither bird,
insect, or fower-siIa did not even paint
her face. Of embroidery shc knew moth
ing; and never wrought either house,
cat or dog, with her needle. Of novels,
she had never read more than the Vicar
Of Wakefield, and counterfeit heroincs
had no share in her sympathy or ccmmis-
Grafton.
But if she took no steps in dancing,
she took many one in the cause of viz
tue and charity. If she hal no voice for
music, her tones were slvery sweet in the
ears of the affl ctcd and distressed; and
ifshe had no music in her fingers, she
had emusic in her SOUL" for all the quail
ties of her mind were attuned to harmo-
ny. If she could not paint bird, tree or
fower-if she could not make house cat
or dog, by embroidery, she was well YER
ssd in all useful needle work. If she did
not weep over novel, she had ever a
ready tear for the miseries Of every day
life.
1t is plain, then, that Margaret Brown
had nothing to boast of on the score of
fashionable accomplishments. And, per-
haps some pretty reader of ours may toss
her head disdainfully, and ask
"What in the name Of all that's worth
! living for, had she to boast?"
We answer that she did not boast at
all, she was ever humble, meek and mod
est.
We have already intimated that she
possessed the qualities of an excellent
heart. She had also an abundance of
good common sense and useful informa-
ton. She could read better than any