Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1870-05-25

The world is VIGOROUSLY unjust to its yete-
rams and above all it is unjust TO its ancient
females. Everywhere, and from all time, an
old woman has been used to express the last
stage Of usefulness and exhaustion and while
meeting of bearded dotards goes by the
name Of a council Of sages, and their delibera-
tons respected accordingly, a congregation of
aged matrons is nothing but congregation Of
old women, whose thoughts and opinions on
any subject whatsoever have no more value
than the chattering of so many magpies.
The fact is, the poor old ladies have a hard
time of it and if we look at it in the right
light perhaps nothing proves more thoroughly
the coarse flavor of the worlds esteem respect
ing women than this disdain which they ex-
cite when they are old. And yet what charm
ing old ladies one has known at times, women
quite as charming in their own way as at seven
teen, and all the more so, because they have
given up the attempt to please for the reac-
ton Of praise, and long since have consented
to become physically old, although they never
drited into unpersonableness or neglect.
While retaining the intellectual yiyacity
and active sympathies Of maturity they have
added the softness and mellowness, the tenn
pering got only from experience and adyanc-
ing age they are women who have seen and
known and read great deal, and who have
suffered much but whose sorrows have neither
hardened nor soured them rather have made
them more sympathetic with the sorrows oI
others, and pitiful for all the young. They
have lived through and lived down all their
own trials, and have come out into peace on
the other side; but they remember the trials
Of the fiery passage, and feel for those who
have still to bear the pressure of the pain
| they have overcome These are women not much
met with in society they are Of the kind
who remain at home and let the world come
to them.
They have done with the hurry and glitter
of life, and they no longer care to carry thei
gray hairs abroad they retain their hold oil
the affections of their kind they take an in
terest in the history the science, the prog.
ress of the day, but they rest tranquil anc
content by their own fresides, and they sit t.
receive, but do not go to gather. The fash
ionablo old lady who haunts theaters ant
drawing-rooms, bewigged, befrizzed, painted
ghastly in her vain attempts to appear young
hideous in her frenzied clutch at the pleas
ures melting from her grasp, desperate in he
wild hold upon a life that is passing ava,
from her so rapidly, knows nothing Of tn
quiet dignity and happiness of her ancien
sister who has been wise enough to renounc
before she lost.
La her own house, where gather a smal
knot Of men Of mind and women Of character
where the young bring their perplexitios an'
the mature their deeper thoughts, the dea
old lady of ripper experience and loving sym
pathies and cultivated intellect holds bette
court than is known to any Of these miserabl
old creatures, who prowl about the gay place
of the world, and wrestle with the young 70
their crowns and garIands-those wretche
simulacra of womanhood who will not gro'
and who cannot become wise. She is tn
best kind of old lady extant, answering to tn
matrons of classic times--to the mother q
Israel before whom the tribes paid obedienc
in token Of respect the woman whose boo
Of life has been well studied, closely reaC
and kept clean in all its pages.
She has been no prude, however, and n
mere idealist. She must have been viii,
mother and widow that is, she must hay
known many things of joy and grief, and hav
had the fountains of life unsealed. Howeye
wise and good she nay be, as a spinster sh
: has had only half life and it is the bei
, half that has been denied her. How can sh
tell others, when they come to her in the
troubles, how time and healthy will hay
wrought out delyeranee2 Theoretic con
fort is all very well, but one word of e,
/ perience goes beyond volumes of counsel base
q