Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1872-02-20
The Oid .Uaid,

Let US take a girl who has arrived at
tho mature age of - without having had
single eligible offer Of marriage. BY
eligible, we do not mean to imply that our
only consideration is money-.bu just the
contrary. We wish to have it understood
that nobody whose character promised
some fair amount OF happiness ever ask
ed our young lady in marriage. And ~
she is Il sensible woman. ~ho has had
good education, and whom IN excellent
mother early taught the blessedness Of
work and usefulness, she has refused to
marry only Tor the sake OF avoiding the
misfortune OF becoming an Old maid.
Under the eye OF that excellent mother
she first learned 10 make herself useful
to her Younger brothers and sisters Qor
we will suppose the family To he 4 large
one) and when they grew up she looked
about for some other occupation, or let
us rather say work-for, though some
young ladies are always occupied, they
never work. A she has taught nearly
all the younger family, she has, OF course,
gained some practice in the art Of teach
Ing and so she tries TO find a situation.
"Oh, what n miserable lot - we hear
some OF eur lady readers eXclaim. Grant.
ell, for those who follow this calling with
unwilling heart and mind; but we began
by saying that our young lady had fitted
herself particularly for that vocation,
and that she did her work with a will
The consequence is that she soon gains
the love OF her pupils. Thus some years
pass, and she is thirty now but "Shc is
quite young STILL" her friends, male and
female. aver. Ii she goes into society,
there is always Il vacant seat left Tor her,
and there are none more more eager to
welcome her entrance than the young
girls OF her acquaintance. Tor she is al
ways full OF good humor-ready 10 listen
to their stories, to their troubles, be they
small OF greaL-always ready with ad.
vice or help. Without their knowing it,
there is, moreover, an under current III
all her talk, consisting in the desire TO
make them all sensible women-women
who love 10 work; women who take IN
interest in the wel.Oeing of their fellow
creatures, whether rich or poor; wo.
men who can stand alone, ii there i3 no
loving arm to lean upon, and who yet
lovingly, gratefully, accept and return
each kindness shown TO them. We
have seen some fair specimens OF such
women, and we think their number i
daily increasing. They. 20 upon their
way without making much ado they en-
JOY the good things of this world rs
heartily as any bachelor; and they are
for the most part, much happier than any
of our bachelor friends, for they have
the great gilt-which the lords OF crea-
ton generally sadly want.-of making n
pleasant home to themselves out of scan.
ty means, wherever they happen to
build their nest. And so our old maid,
whom we set up as an exafpple. has, al
so, contrived by the age of 40 10 build
nest for herself-for all her family is
scattered; her parents have died; some
of her brothers and sisters have married,
some have gone away there she sits
contentedly, but mostly not alone;
friends are dropping in, inviting her and
coaxing her to come with them. Some.
times she accepts, more often she re
fuses. knowing full we'll the truth OF the
proverb; "lf you wish to get always a