Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-11-26
ME-
Misfellaaeous.
THE MAIDEN AUNT.

1t is mercifully ordered in the great
scheme of existence that nearly every
person should have an aunt who is will
ing to grow into an old maid, and to sac
riilce her life to the good of others-those
others being generally her nephews and
nleces Aunts are the fairy good god
mothers OF society, the supplementary
mothers who are often more kind and in
dulgent to the children than their par
ents are. There is not q single person
anywhere who is not familiar with this
idea OF good aunt. We sometimes hear
OF children who never knew father Or
mother; but where is the child who never
knew an aunt? When the father and
mother disappear and leave the poor in
fant to the mercy of the world, who is it
that takes the little waif in, and feeds and
clothes it, and sends it to school Who
The aunt. The good, kind, tender-heart-
ed soul, who, perhaps, has been passed
over in life, who has toiled hard, who has
suffered much. who, at any rate, has ney-
er tasted the joys OF maternity who has
| certainly never incurred its vexations.
1t is really wonderful, under such cir
cumstances, that these wemen should re-
tain so much humanity that the fire of
love should not be quenched in their lone
ly hearts; that the milk of human kind
ness should not have dried up in their
breasts long ago. We should be thankful
to heaven for these maiden aunts of ours
they are legion of angels upon earth.
forever lowering about us, to pity and to
succor. Ifthe natural history of aunts
were faithfully and accurately followed
out, am inclined to think that the aunt-
oil whom speak would be found to be Il
distinct species OF the genus.
There are points of resemblance in all
aunts of this class, which are not to be OBJ
served in persons who stand to society in
other relations. There are many varieties
OF mothers; some good, some bad, some
indifferent; there are also many varieties
OF fathers, brothers, sisters, and uncles.
There is kind and indulgent father; but
quite rs often there is the harsh and tyrar-
meal father. There is the atfectonate
brother and the jealous brother; the low
ing sister and the spiteful sister Then,
rs to the uncle (who should be counter
part of the aunt in everything, being the
masculine of the species). is it not pro-
verbal that while some OF them poke their
nephews in the ribs, call them sly dogs
and give them no end of bank-notes be.
cause they wouldn't sell their uncle's pic
/ luit> tlclt ulc cruel, DiOOt-tulTSIN
-rapacious uncles, who take their neph-
ews into dark woods and leave them to
die Of hunger. But our aunts Our auntS
are always good Who ever heard of :,
wicked aunt? BE it understood, however,
that do not reckon among my bright par
ticular aunts the sister of your father or
mother, who marries and has children OF
her our own; nor the lady whom your
uncle may take to himself with the same
commonplace result We don't think of
her, be She the one or the other, in the
true aunt sense.
Do you call her ''aunty,' and 90 and sit
in her lap, aud put your arms around her
neck Answer me that. No, no. She is
aunt-mark how cold the word is without
the endearing diminutive. Aunt Charles
or OF Aunt James with lots of little buckets
Of her own dipping into the well of her
affections; and she has not drop for you.
Dare TO sit in her lap, and she will push
you rudely and coldly away. Venture to
put your arm round her neck, and she will
probably stand upon her propriety. The
person whom you call ''aunty DEAR is
quite another order OF being. She is your
fathers sister or your mothers sister-oc-
casonally the wife of your nncle but in
this last case, she is only "aunty dear"
when she has no children of her own
As to her natural disposition; she is born
to love and to be loved-born to deny her
self, to suffer patiently. TO toll and spin,
not for herself, but for others-born, above
all, to rear the weakly sheep, and TO res
cue the black ones who Igo astray ILL
The lcar R0HHd.