The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-05-07
WON AN.
"The Strange Spirit of Jcal-
<1nSy.,s Etc.

Ousy,' Etc.
EAunt Patsy in the N. Y. LEDGER
There are many women in the world
who love their children devotedly, who
would make any sacrifice for, them, who
would die rather than that t.-y> should
suffer greatly There are wives whose
love is SO pure and beautiful that ele an
wels must love to look upon it. In her
relations to man and to her babies, Eve
shames Adam; but never yet knew a
woman who was earnestly, honestly, con-
stantly, and entirely the friend of anoth-
er woman, Yzo was not bound by the
closest Of iKtred to her.
Heaven Knows why it is SO perhaps.
But scarcely believe that Heaven in
tended it to be SO. 1t is not of divine
origin, this strange spirit of treachery
and deceit, of jealousy and meanness,
that begins in boarding school days and
and does not end even in any "Old La
dies Home," where the you'd. est inmate
ia aged sixty-fve.
I.once believed that women were true
to each other. But | was very young
then, and had never had "crony." I
have had one or two since; but, to-day,
I would sooner think of confding my
joys a8d sorrows to an amiable rattle
snake %han to any woNan not of my
kindred. And even that does not give
me any feeling of security, since, having
no real knowledge of ones thoughts or
actions, a woman can easily write out a
programme Of her own to suit your case,
and declare that you have acted it
through, without giving you chance to
contradict her
If you believe that your dear friends
are all above suspicion, watch the devo-
ted confdant Of others. Begin with
| Celestine an Evelina in the first sum-
mer Of their lwomanhood. How they
kiss and emb1+ee, and eat ices, and walk,
and go to matines together and secretly
stab one another at every opportunity!
| And Mrs. Muggins. If you have any
honesty in your soul, You wonder she
can be SO Intimate with any one she
hates as she does Mrs. Trotters, whom
she suspects of awful things quite name
less in polite society, and who is $50 ri
diculous, my dear"
You kpow that, if she did suspect
her, she would never touch kid gloves
with her, and tell her she had not seen
her for an age. You know that, if she
was ridiculous, she would not so delight
in driving out with her. You know that
envy o6Mrs. T.'s splendid income is at
the bottom of Mrs. Ms spite. So you
don't mark Mrs. T.'s name from your
visiting list because of all this talk and
all these lies, but, ten to one, you repeat
few of the latter, and in circle where
she is greeted with smiles and hand
shaking the calumnies which might
cause duels or lawsuits are in circulation
in regard to Mrs. Trotters..
K In old times, when our great great
grandmothers got hold Of d piece Of scan
dal, they accommodated the scandali-
zed from their tea parties.
We don't do it now. You hear from
Mrs. B that Mrs. G. has broken very
| important commandment which it has
not yet become fashionable to break, and
meet Mrs. G next day at Mrs, BIS morn
| ing concert, and hear Mrs. B say to Mrs,
C. "What dear you were to come =
/ wish, for the sake Of my sex, that
| all social intercourse between women
might be suspended, or that decent and
respectful speech of each other could be
! enforced, at least Of companions and as.
sociates and reputed friends.
To-day, women who associate with
/ each other, eat at each others tables,
and ride in each others carriages will
| accuse each other Of every crime il the
calendar save the murder of an adult
| persons; and will utter these accusations
without for one moment believing one
] word Of them. And you think, and ]
think, that we are spared--not if there
be motive for our tradueing. "a wo
/ mans association Of any kind is always
a teeming hotbed Of treachery, scandal
insolence, petty despotisrn, and mean
ness; and the higher in the scale of so
1.ciety the members stand the worsei it is
And SO the consequence is. that, Whilf
/ the ladies in respectable society are spot
LESS, there are few Of whom some fam
slander is not VI Rhispered. "
We ought to be ashamed Of this state
Eof things, and / am. We ought to love
each other, we women, for we only car
understand what women have to suffer
| We should never utter d word agains
another woman until it is a truth fol
which we car, ,vouch, and even then ths
mantle Of our charity should be wild,
enough to vail all but positive crime.