The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-09-03
ingly behind hand with her tables and

i 3~SS->--S3'
cackles on, as hen over the egg which
she means shall bring forth little,
motherly hen just like herself; she does
not see the bird of paradise that has
Clipped the shell and become the delight
of the world for day. There is nothing
paradisiacal to her in Polly; she is the
plumpest of her girls, not half so steady
or intelligent as Jane, thinks more of
her mutton chops and waffles than any
of the others, and is, unfortunately,
more given to fibbing. Her mother is
delighted, when, from the kitchen door,
she sees lawyer Pratt rein up at the
cow-yard to talk to the girl at her milk
ing; or across the drawing room of the
Newport cottage finds her surrounded
by gray-headed Judges and Congress
men, as well as beardless boys; but she
is amazed. too. What can the giddy
child find to say? She goes nearer, to
listen and help her, that she may not
disgrace herself by too great Stiffness.
Phil and Bob she recognizes as men, and
cedes their place to them when newly
breeched; but Polly is never grown up
to her mother. The mother will shake
her head over Polly's children some
day, and wonder why Providence should
give babies to imbecile young people.
If Polly's mother belong to the hard
working classes, she will quietly submit
to give up all the good cheer and frolic
and ease of life to her girls and their
young men, and turn into harder
work until old age give to her as to the
old mare in the shafts, right to rest
to the end of her days, and to certain
kindly consideration. There is no class
in this country driven to such hard,
persistent, wearing work as the raw
boned, high shouldered, middle aged
women. In the Eastern, Middle. and
Western States, they form an admira-
bic orthodox phalanx, perpetual in
well-doing, of bread-baking, bscon-fry-
ing, and potato-peeling, irreproachable
in virtue, and of an aspect which sets
the teeth on edge to look upon. In the
South since the war, the same class
takes part of the field-work; you shall
see them in their one garment Of home
spun wool, their gray hair knotted i'll
wisp behind, blowing side by
side with the lazy negro, or staring
with him with vacant, lightish eyes
over the fence at the passer by. All
the scrimping and niggardliness Of a
woman life in the middle class in this
country sets mas one may say, between
the ages of 20 and so. The boys are
to be educated, Polly dresses; or per-
haps poor Polly comes back penniless
widow with her children. The mother
stints her own dress first. She goes
about shabby and patched. "Father
and the1boys" are ashamed of it at first,
then they grow use to it, satisfied it
should be so. She thinks they will
think of what she has done, and thank
her for it when she is dead. But love
is a toll which it is safer to take all
along the road.
In higher classes Polly's mother is
apt to resent her neglect by society
She is fond Of telling us it is not so in
Europe; that American society is rem
dered vapid and loud by the domina-
ton of young people, ETC., etc. In the
South she usually has such a success
sion of infantile Pollies coming yearly
on the scene that she has no tine to
plan any course of action. She has no
middle age. To-day she is going to her
cousins on visit with the last baby,
and colored nurse, and bottle of milk,
and tomorrow she is an old woman.
But in the long interregnum Of middle
age in the North, Polly's mother has
too often time to harden and make
durable for life the weaknesses and
whims which were so vague and charm
ing in her rs q long-ago Polly. She
sits in the background at ball or opera,
and decides who's who" with that
sharp, corrosive slang of gentility
which belongs to every would.be exclu-
sive circle, or she runs from friend to
dressmaker chattering the year round
of polonaises and laces, stone
canoes, or she takes some little creed Of
some little church and calls that relig-
ion, and, shutting herself and her fel
low-believers into its iron-barred heav-
en- together, stands at the gate barking
like an amiable Cerberue at all the
world outside. But ignore her as soci-
ETY. may, she Yields steady, hourly
influence to which Polly's charm is as
the aroma of the rose compared to the
necessary daily air. Be it we'll or i'll
done, it is she who makes home for hus-
band and sons; and in the countless
majority of cases her work is good and
durable. We have not in this country
the brilliant French or Italian salon, or
the modelling influence Of English arts.
tocratic drawing rooms, but there is no
purer, stronger social force at work in
the world to-day than thatwhich comes
silently from innumerable American
homes, never to be known by word or
deed to the press or public. where, with
her plain common sense and sweet
Christian temper, works Polly mother.
The Glitch of bacon" which is an
nually given At Dunmow, England, to q
married couple who can swear that
they have had no quarrel for year
and day, was recently awarded to Mr..
and Mrs. Clegg. The lucky individual
is clerk in the Office Of wine COM
pany in London.
The Germania having said that
Emperor William had spoken Of the