New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-08-02
4 MOTHER-NLAW.

woman died the other day, whose story,
40 it seems to us, might serve as text for
one of our Saturday sermons; these gossippy,
social sermons being intended to deal, not
with the mighty doctrines of the law, such as
are enunciated in the sanctuary between
the solemn chants and pealing organ, but
with every day matters JoDes's habits at the
club OF shop. or Mrs. Joness manners
and customs in kitchen or parlor, and
the chivalry, justice, and truth, which
come or do not come into such matters.
This woman lived an altogether common
place life, just as nine-tenths of us do; made
no noise in the world, came into it unnotced,
and went out of it unapplauded. Nine-tenths
of us--nO, all of us-think that will not be
said of us when we are gone. We may know
that we have had neither wit nsr grace nor
beauty but some gentle soul will be grieved
at our departing. There will be a vacant
space in the household which will, we think,
never be filled. IL we had nothing else to
give, we have given love, heaped up and over
flowing and that always shall have its reward.
Always2 Let Us see.
The woman who lay dead in her coffin last
week was as homely there as she had been in
life. A stout middle-aeed person, with thin
gray hair, knotted in wisp behind, and
pair of iron-bound spectacles over her anxious,
sad eyes. Even as a young woman she bad
been but one of the ordinary crowd of bright,
fresh-colored girls, who sink their own indi-
viduality and whatever little special talent
they have in the service of husband and chill
dren, and after few years are ordinary
still, the fresh color and brightness all
gone. The little talent which this young
girl had was keen love of music and sweet
voice, for which her only use was to put her
babes to sleep. But through all of her daily
drudgery, in kitchen and dairy, this love of
music seemed to her a something. which, if
she had time to study and understand, it
might raise her to higher levels. Even as it
was, thoughts and emotions in life took hold
of her through it, which did not belong to
kitchen and dairy. She had glimpses of " sweet
fields beyond the swelling food" which no
sermon ever gave her.
She was hard working wife and mother.
her husband small practitioner in a country
town. By the time her children were grown
her hands were hard aud bOny, her eyesight
was nearly gone, her health broken; whatever
strength or power God had given her she had
spent lavishly IN few years Tor them. The
husband died, and at the same time came an
increase of income enough to make the family
easy and even affluent Both son and daughter
were married. Now, surely, came her holiday,
when she could sit down little while to feel
the rest and sunshine before going hence,
when those for whom she was worn out
would have chance to nurse the tired
body and cheer the long anxious soul. How
was it7 Her daughter, of whom the fond,
silly woman had made an idol, was good,
pious woman, and not an ungrateful. child
But she had other charms; her husband
begrudged every moment or loving look she
bestowed to the woman who had given her
life, and, to say the least, had, unpaid, given
her for lifetime the service of m hireling
He forgot this debt. He had the common
slang about mothers-in-law at his tongues
end; she was weight, an incubus. he
swore. With the sons wife it was worse !;
women have but little patience with