The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-05-09

young, rich, gay and free; with the world
on her side, her fortune in her hand, and
the ball at her foot. She is the freest wo-
man alive; freer even than any old maid to
be found. Freedom, indeed. comes to the
Old maid when too late to enjoy it; at least
in certain directions; for while she is young,
she is necessarily in bondage, and when pa
rents and guardians leave her at liberty, the
world and Mrs. Grundy take up the reins,
and hold them pretty tight. But the widow
is as thoroughly emancipated from the con-
ventional bonds which confine the free
action OF maid as she is from those which
fetter the wife; and only she herself knows
what she has lost and gained. She bore her
yoke we'll while it pressed OH her. It CALLED
her, but she did not vince; only when it
was removed did she become fully conscious
how great had been the burden, from her
sense of infinite relief. The world never
knew that she had passed under the harrow
probably it wonders OF her cheerfulness.
with the dear departed scarce two years
dead; and some say how sweetly resigned she
is, and Others how unfeeling. She is neither
She is simply free after having livedin bond
age. and she is glad in consequence But she
is dangerous. In fact, she is the most dan
gerous of all women to mems peace of
mind. She does not want to marry again
does not mean to marry again for many
years to come, If ever; granted; but that
does not say that she is Indifferent to ad-
miratlon or careless Of mems society. And
being without serious intentions herself,
she does not reflect that she may possibly
mislead and deceive others who have no
such cause as she has for bewaring of the
pleasant folly In the exercise Of her pre-
rogative as a free woman, able to cultivate
the dearest friendships with men, and fear
lessly using her power, she entangles many
poor fellows heart which she never wished
to engage moro than platonically, and
crushes hopes which she had not the slight
est intention to raise. Why cannot men be
her friends? she asks, with n pretty, plead
ing look-a tender kind of despair at the
wrong -headedness of the stronger sex.
But, tender as she is, she does not easily
yield even when she loves. The freedom
she has gone through SO much to gain, she
does not rashly throw away; and if ever the
day comes when she gives it up into the
keeping of another-and for all her protesta-
tions it comes sometimes-them man to whom
she succumbs may congratulate himself on
victory more hattering to his vanity, and
more complete in its surrender of advan-
tages, than he could have gained over any
other woman. Belle or heiress, of higher
rank or of greater fame than himself no
unmarried woman could have made such O
sacrifice In her marriage as did this widow
VI He'tnS ana SOou looks, when she laid her
freedom, her Joyous present, and poten-
tlal future, in his hand. He will be lucky
if he manages so we'll that he is never re-
preached for that sacrifce-if his wife
never looks back regretfully to the time
when she was widow, and if there are no
longing gances forward to the possibilities
ahead, mingled with sighs ut the difficulty
of retrncing step when fairly made On
the whole, ii a woman can live without
love- or with nothing stronger than n tender
sentimental friendship, widowhood is the
most blissfnl state she can attain. But if
she is of loving nature, and fond of home,
finding her own happiness in the happiness
of others, and Indifferent to freedom
thinking, indeed, feminine freedom only
another word for desolation-she will be
miserable until she has doubled her expe-
rience, and carried on the old into the new.