The mountain Democrat., 1865-03-18
A PICTURE.

Gentle Bessie, have you seen her.
Little Bees, the poor name child,
Drifting down, where fall the shadows
Deepest on life's ocean wild,
Bending low her slender form,
Like lily to the storm.
You may know her by the sadness
Looking out upon her face;
By the naWeless lines and meanings
Only poverty can trace,
When he clasps the child Of want
In his fingers pale and gaunt.
She is fair: upon her forehead
Lies the wilderness of the snow,
And her voice SO sweet reminds you
OF q streamlet in its flow.
But 1t trembles with the SORROW
OF to-day and of Tomorrow.
IN her eyes we see the sunlight
OF the sprinStime of the soul,
And the tears that Oft bedim them,
Her full heart may not control,
When she wonders why so poor
Bessie begs from dooT to door.
She win tell you, II you listen,
That the cupboard home 10 bare,
And in touching tones imploring
or your plenty some to spare,
To keep back the wearing pain
OF the hunger paug again.
Eadye With the costly rAiment,
Ladye with the jeweled hand,
Listen to your heart repeating
on the Masters sweet command:
He who helps by deed and word
Lendeth to the mighty Lord
-- -
WEARS A WIFE?-" A wife, says Mr..
Lofty, in answer to the above question,
ais . woman that belongs to man. She's
q pretty little creature, made to tickle his
fancy, his vanity. and his self-lovc; to
laugh, sing ambulance through her other,
wise dull habi;ation. But upon her dance,
mind you, she must sec that the house is
kept in order; that the buttons and hose
are all right, and that nothing in the
whole household economy ever interfcred
with his comfort. In short, wife is O
pleasant sort Of universal servant to the
husbands pleasure-a most agreeable
provision made by the Creator for man 5
good. She is q compound Of flowers, mu.
sic and domestic anImal-very useful and
very ornamental-al the more desirable
for her lack of mental powers; because,
were she not in this respect so much in.
ferior to her decreed lord and master, she
might become so presumptuous as to
think that a shoe which fits one foot
ought to fit the other; that good rules
work both ways; and that just so much
comfort as she gives she has right to
demand in return; that just so much hon
or and respect as she pays she should re
ceive; in short, that she is in number and
importance of rights and privileges the
peer of her husband" Thus saith Mr..
Lofty-and now hear the response of Mr..
Common Sense: Nay, but wife is Civ.
en- neither for toy nor q servant. but for
q steadfast friend. She is, indeed,a ioun,
Of joy and pleasure, such as, to q true
heart, there is not elsewhere on earth
she is, indeed, the brightener Of his house
and the wise and careful manager of hel
iamily-of HER family-for what is his is
hers; and between welded hearts Ill,
words mine and thine are impotence anC
absurdity. But she is more than this
she is his contidant, his ever sympathi
sing Fiend-his able and most tender
consider, his strength even when his
courage DROPS; she is the voice of Gods
love and comfort to him as he tolls and
struggles through this weary world
This is what a wife is, if she answers he,
Makers ideal but she is seldom found
alas; because man is so unworthy"