The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1867-11-27
\ MOTHERS GROWING GLORY,

a
The character Of our true Virginia Matron,
presented last week, was so sweet and strong
because it was Christian. Its crown was the
peculiar type Of piety by which the Virginia
matron of the olden time was characterized
1t was piety which must be long and init
mately known, in order to be appreciated
Formed, not in the glare of publicity, nor
amidst the unwholesome intoxieation of mod
ern religious dissipation, but in the calm and
pure retirement of home, 1t was nurtured by
the quiet study of the word of God, by medi-
tation, and by the noiseless performance Of IN
obtrusive duty. 1t was not piety which cul-
tivated an ostentatious and pragmatic hustle,
at the cost of spiritual pride, and ignorance OF
SELF 1t had not expunged from its Bible that
old rule of the Saviour, so obsolete now in the
phariseism of the day. Let not thy left hand
know what thy right hand doeth." Nurtured
by humility, and self-knowledge, and the sin
cere milk Of the word, it was too enlightened
to be blown about with every wind of doctrine;
but it thrust aside the vain religious novelties
of human invention, without moment waver-
ing, and by clear and simple insight, while
many Doctor Of other ATTITUDES, learned with
PHILOSOPHY falsely so-caled," was seduced
and deceived by them. This modest piety was
not noisy in the temple, nor fanatical in re-
penting of other peoples sins, nor boastful of
its own excellence but would you see il in its
strength, you must follow the Christian mother
10 he ka lo1 fko Of kor
little ones, patiently, resolutely, unSeariedly,
tenderly, along the arduous paths of goodness;
or to the cabin where she toiled for the once
pagan Africans, teaching their dark minds the
rudiments of redemption; or to the dying cot
of the poor negro, where she shone with IN
conscious radiance, as an angel ofmercy amidst
the darkness; or, best of all, to her secret
evening prayer. But no; to that sacred spot
in the upper chamber, or it may be, the vacant
corner amidst her household goods, where she
prayed to Him that seeth in secret, we
dared not intrude. She never told us what she
did there, when she withdrew so regularly, at
evening, to that spot the communion was too
sacred and lowly to be paraded before any hui
man eye, even though it were that of her own
child But we had no need to ask; the peace
full halo which her face brought down into the
twilight, from her converse with heaven, the
gentle step, the silent caress with which she
gathered US to her knees, told us her errand,
and assured us that her love had not forgotten
us, while with her God. Thus the religion of
her home was one of simple faith, and of a
sound mind, of love unfeigned, of modest re-
serve, of Astounding good works.
We have now delineated the character be-
fore us in few OF its more obvious traits its
diligence, its courtesy, its culture, its chiyalry
and loftiness, its affections and Its piety.-
Well do we know that your own memories have
outrun at every step, and that we have not at
tanned to the fulness of that picture which you
form for yourselves out of the materials of
YOUR own experience Nor sthere cause to be
sorry that it is so.
Let us now briefly glance at one of the
sources of this character of the Virginia lady.
The prime source of its peculiar excellencies
was the Bible and ats influences. The peculi-
arity of the religion of the generation which
is now passing away, was its scriptural source.
Books were few; and it was rare that any book
was read, which had not come from the hand
of a great master. This ill-starred activity of
the press was then unknown, which has now
flooded the land with a tide of mediocrity and
published stupidity or folly. Nothing less than
national reputation, such as that of New
ton or Bunyan, was then likely to gain place
for a religious book in the library of a cult
waited christian family. There was no Sunday
School Union-a good thing so largely and I'M
happily perverted-to train the infant novel
reader, by its pitiful religious 6ctions. Hence,
the religious ideas and sentiments imbibed,
came chiefly from the Word Of God, and were
of healthy and vigorous type. The absence
of excess, and of unhealthy religious dissipa-
tions, in the home life of the country, the rou-
tine of innocent occupations and ennobing
duties, with the deeply fixed habits of deyo-
ton which prevailed, gave to the christianity
Of that day depth and purity, which, we fear,
is seldom seen now.
Another moulding influence of the character
we have described was home education. We
do not mean by this that there were no schools
other than day schools; or that the literary
culture was inferior to that now enjoyed-
Schools were indeed smaller, and the boarding
school was but another home, not large enough,
nor public enough to have lost its domestic
character That affair, so often the nuisance
of our day-a female college," (by which we
have to guess, the Yankee progressive in
tends, not what he says, viz: a college which
is itself endued with the attribute of sex, but a
college for females, was then happily unknown.
Seminaries for young ladies were what they
ever should be-private schools, where the
girl, removed from her own house, was trained
in letters, manners, and piety by a matron who
was truly another Parent, amidst the privacy
and home influences appropriate to the leyation
and delicacy of the female character. In these
or the private schools at or near their own
homes, our mothers we're carried over less ex-
tent of nominal studies; but they were more
thoroughly grounded in those they undertook.
And if we may estimate the result of education
by that which should be It's true test, the train
ing of the mind and heart for the true appre-
citation and enjoyment Of their proper food,
then they were educated women. Especially
did they possess this invaluable result of men
tai culture, which the more shallow and gilt
tering education of our day fails so often to
confer, taste for good reading. They pre-
tended perhaps, to few accomplishments, but
they were fit associates and equals for noble
and cultivated men, and not unprepared to