The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1873-06-19
FAST OLD WOMEN.

There is sisterhood of women, some
thing past the meridian of their days,
who, the labors of life being done, sud
denly emerge from the obscurity like flies
from the chrysalid who, having been
confined by unacceptable duty for thirty
years, more or less, gladly show how
irksome the duty was by the bouyancy with
which they accept their freedom, and of
whom no other description tells better
than that contained in the above term
fast old women.
They are not literally old, perhaps,
but they certainly are not young; their
hair would be very gray, save in rare in
stances, if they knew nothing of the deli
cate dyes; their skins would be creased
and corded if they knew nothing of the
French enamels their mouths would be
dark and dreary caves, marked like the
cave of Pagan with old bones, if they
knew nothing of the dentists; and their
forms would be shapeless if they knew
nothing of the dress-makers. Yet it is
not of any such knwledge that we COM
plain, since, believing it to be the duty
of all to make themselves as comedy as
may be, we must accord them the privi-
lege of choosing for themselves the ideal
of comeliness to which they would APP
proach it is the ill purpose to which
such knowledge is applied that we dep
recate, in that after the effect of a false
youth is gained, it uses that effect for
evil results.
A little observation of this sort of wo-
men teaches US that they were married
early, and that they had so little girlhood
that they have been like unbroached
bottles of champagne lying on their sides
and waiting, with all their froth and
bubble in them, for the moment of es-
cape. They have borne children, but
seldom borne with them much have
reared them usually after that way which
the proverb recognizes in saying selfish
mother makes a generous child They have
been active and capable housekeepers,
using their superfuous energies upon do
mestic affairs, till now, when they can
delegate the duties to elder children or
others; or having disposed of the chill
dren-the daughters to marriage, the
sons to elubs-they can reduce the
menahge to suite at q hotel, as they
have already reduced the husband to an
animated ledger and breathing bank &C
count
They are very seldom widows for the
widow requires more circumspection in
her daily walk than they are won't to ex-
ercise-they who are fortified by the ex-
istence of husbands, and husbands wto
do not complain and so long as the hus-
band is not seen to adjust his spectacles,
the world discreetly looks the other way.
They are quite as seldom absolutely
vicious, for, being past the heyday of the
blood, emotions rather than passions are
in play with them. They are sentiment
tai and romantic, sometimes melancholy,
sometimes gay, and always vain, always
6ctitiously living over the youth they
never had. They smile, and forget that
where once the dimples nestled now only
two wrinkles are furrowed; they flourish
their funettes coquettishly, displaying the
fact that the lenses are convex, and all
the poudre de riz in the werld cannot
hide the fact that the bloom has long
been brushed from the bosom barred SO
bravelv to the blast In the background
there is alwys mystery persecution, sor-
roW-they compliment each other on
the marks Of suffering which give pathos
to their absent-minded expression; but
in the foreground there is always a man
"a man who has no business there
now it is the youth they failed to marry,
now the ideal they never came across,