The Portland daily press., 1864-09-09
MISCELLANY.
Woman's Trials.

Woman's Trials.
In point of real trial, to temper, nerves and
patience, there is no comparison to be made
between woman's duties and a mans. As
sit, i hear the click of a shoemaker's hammer.
From morning till night, it seems never at
rest. The shoemaker leads q laborious life,
but how steadiast and calm. He drives the
peg, and he knows it viii go in. He made SO
many shoes yesterday, he will make so many
to-day. AT just such a time he goes home 10
dinner with just such an amount OF WORK ac-
complished. But his wife, busy in her Kitten
en-, has baby who is governed by no laws,
and upsets all her calculations. Ii he sleeps
through the morning she will spring through
her washing, and ironing, and boiling, and bak-
ing; but IL he awakes, as he probably will, at
the most critical moment, every thing has TO
give way 1t is of no use to plan, for club
by fist knocks down all her arrangements. Her
baby is the most despotic of all tyrants; he has
not the slightest regard for public opinion. II
is OF no manner OF Importance to him whether
the fire goes out, and the roof gets swept or
or not. IL be wishes to be rocked. he mus. be.
regardless Of consequences. Then very likely
there are three or four more little ones who
must be washed and dressed, and fed, besides
having dress and food prepared for them. If
they are all IN the soundest health, they need
constant watchfulness; for children are unlike
pigs. They won't 90 where they belong. They
are constantly making little dives right and
left, and getting into mischief. Pick them out
OF the sugar-firkin, and they tumble straitway
into the molasses jug. If there is a cistern ON
the premises, they will be sure to pitch In
head-first sooner or later; and II there is no
cistern, 1t shall go hard but they will find tub
OF water somewhere big enough to sit down in.
Scissors and kniyes-eyery thing that has an
edge to it, draws them as they were made of
steel. A perverse prompting moves them TO
pound every thing that can be hurt by pound
ing, and scratch. and cut, and tear, according
to the respective sensibilities Of the object. SO
1t goes, even when they are we'll; but when,
besides this, we think OF the great army OF
measles, and scarlet fever, and chicken pox.
and mumps, and collie, and cholera infantum.
and incubation, and teething that lie In wait
for the young immortal and his mother, the
prospect Is appalling; for the brunt of it all
comes on the mother. What is true of the
shoemaker and his wife is true of the black.
smith and his wife, and the tailor and his wife.
| know that there are occupations that are
more complex, and demand the nxercises OF
all the powers. But the merchant and the law
yer, however absorbing and perplexing may be
their avocation, have to do with grown-up peo-
pie. The merchants clerks are often quite as
gentlemanly and well educated as himself.
His brother merchants are acute and selfin-
volved, but reasonable. The lawyers client
may be ignorant and stubborn, but he is an ac-
countable being, and swayed by homely but
powerful logic; but the wife is the mistress OF
servants incredibly "rawn and inexperienced.
even when well disposed and the mother of
terrible infants. Let man try to work with
such tools and such membranes, and see
how he succeeds.
Is trtsa hat =. .Y..
one sense greater. IL he makes a misstep. he
brings down with him partner, clerks, wife
and children, sometimes shaking even church
and society; while the woman may let this.
that and the other duty slip without the sky's
falling. But on The other hand, it is the great
ness OF the matter at stake which supports the
man and the littleness which disheartens the
woman. She has the same round, perpetually
changing, yet perpetually the same-of little
cares and duties, which cannot be dispensed
with, yet which never amount to ANYTHING
1t is all very well TO cajole her with "fashion-
ing the young mind and training the hand
that's to guide the world,n and modelling
the greatness Of the next age,n and all that
sort OF thing, but it is long way to the mex I
age, and when future statesmen comes CRYING
TO his mother with Spalding's Prepared Glue
stuck all over his face and hair and clean
apron, and his fingers bleeding from the cuts
OF the broken bottle, it is difficult to per-
ceive.
Which shall rule mems minds and make them bow.
As to one God. throned amid his peers
Now If capital punishment is ever iusti6.
able, II is when a man comes home from office.
or shop, or field, to his nervous, hurried. apx
ious, care-worn wife, and harshly OF coldly
asks her why diuner is not ready, or what In
the world she lets those children make such
noise Tor. see great deal of advice given
to women about meeting their husbands with
a smile; but what manner of value has a smile
on the lips, II there be not a smile at the heart.
ano what manner of man is he who wants hi,
Vile to crush back all her tears into her OWE
bosom, and put on mask. for him? is mar
rage TO be keeping up Of appearances?
Can love be retained only BY a masoueradep
Is husband something that must be daintiIy
led, and gingerly managed, from whom the
tnorhs must be hidden, and for whom the
roses must blow, and If they won't blow. wan
flowers must be manufactured? Nonsense
At the basis of true marriage is truth. 1t Is
lie, and not dilletanteism that giows on tie
household hearth. Ii man has manhood he
wants his wife as she Is. Her whims. sorrows.
vexatlons and ell. He does not want to be
wheedled by paper machine image gotten
up for the occasion. If things have gone on
smoothly, and she meets him with smile. he
strikes an attitude, and is as the English saw.
Jolly" But II Johnny is croupy, and the
baby is cross, and Bridget has given notice Of
leaving next day, he is not dolt enough to ex-
pect her TO forget all this, or rascal enough to
wish her to gloss 1t over and deceive him by
pretending to be happy when she is moi.
There are many times when it will be better
Tor him and better for her, that he should open
his arms and let her have "a good cryD Their.
and even II he is little sentimental and baby- |
ish,it wont hurt anything permanently. tbs |
will soothe and calm her irritated nerves. ard
they viii talk 1t over, and so love will bridge |
the chasm, and tunnel the mountains, and |
chain the lions,--for the heart that loyeth is |
NOT only willing but able. And the wifely ten :,
aernes VIII be made so strong and grateful. |
mat when the husband comes home next da-
IN his turn, irritated, depressed and savage.
Is only real good" husbands can be, she will
snap her fingers at his moodiness and surli-
ness, and knead him, and mould him, and
make him over so deity. that he wont know
ne has been touched till be finds himself sit
ing clothed and in his right mind.--Gdu
Inn ia L.