Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1868-09-05
Matronly Beauty.

Without doubt, it is a time of trial
to all women, more or less plinful nc
cording to individual disposition, when
they first begin TO grow old and lose
their good looks. Youth ant beauty
make up so much OF their personal value,
SO much of their natural rdjs0 detre,
that when these are goue, many feel as
if their whole career was at an end, and
as if nothing was left to them row that
they are no longer young enough to
be loved as girls are loved, o. pretty
enough to be admired rs once thy were
admired. For women of Il certain posi-
tion have so little wholesome occupation,
and so little ambition for anything save
indeed that miserable thing called 'get-
ting on in society,"" that they cannot
change their way of lite with advancing
years; they do not attempt to find III
| tereSt i'll things outside OF themselves
and independent of the mere PERSONAL
attractiveness which i'll youth custitu-
ted their whole pleasure of existence.
This is essentially the case with fshion-
able women, who have staked their all
on appearance, and to whom good looks
are of, more account than noble deeds !;
and accordingly the struggle to remain
you is Il frantic one with them, and as
degrading as it. is frantic. With the
ideal woman of middle age--that pleas
ant woman, with her happy face and
softened manner, who unites the chlrms
Of both epochs, retaining the ready re-
sponsiveuess of youth wlnle adding the
wider symptoms of experience, with her
there has never been any such struggle
to make herself an anchronism. COnse-
quently she remains beautiful TO the
last, far more beautiful than all the
pastes and washes in Madame Racheps
shop could make her. Sometimes, If
rarely, IN these latter days, we meet her
i'll. society, where she carries with her
an atmosphere Of her own-an atmos-
phere OF honest, wholesome truth and
love, which makes every one who enters
it better and purer for the time. All
children and young folks love her, be-
cause she understands and loves them.
For she is essentially 4 mother-that is,
woman who can forget herself, who
can give without asking to receive, and
who, without loosing any of the indl-
vidualisn which belongs to selt-respect,
can yet live for and i'll the lives Of others
and find her best JOY in the well beng
OF those about her. There is no servil-
ity, no exaggerated sacrifice in this; it
is simply the fulfillment OF, woman's
highest duty-the expression of that
grand maternal instinct which need not
necessarily include the fact of personal
maternity, but which must find utter
aRce Ill some line of unseltish action
with all women worthy of the name.
The ideal woman of middle age under
stands the young because she has lives
with them. If mother, she has per-
formed her maternal duties with cheer
tulness and love- There has been no
giving up her nursery to the care of a
hired servant, who is expected to do
for twenty pounds year what the
tremendous instinct of a mothers love
could not find strength to do. When
she had children, she attended to them
in great part herself, and learnt all
about their tempers, their maladles, and
the best methods of management; as
they grew. up, she was still the best
friend they had, the Providence OF then