The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1874-01-03
WHAT CAN WOMEN DO :?
BY MRS. NJ. A. FREEMAN.

Solomon Brown had five daughters.
The oldest of these was twenty six. the
youngest seventeen. In some of the
heathen countries, it is considered
misfortune when girl is born, Solo
mon Browns nina may have been COL
ored with this heatheuism- though he
owned a pew in the church and con-
tributed conscentiously to its donations
for he shook his head in solemn dis
approval as his family increased, de-
claring that girls were, and had been
since the world began, failure.
Dear little Mrs. Brown emphatically
declared her skepticism as to this broad
assertion, saying, with some spirit,
" that the girls could not be dispensed
with, and as the Gil cat Father ha seen
fit to create them, it, must have been
| with the consciousness that they might
be pronounced good, or course they
were good" She would just ask Mr..
Bro an what there was that might be
said tuuthfully in disparagement of
| their own children?r M. ,IuuuI
" If they were boys, Lucy said
Brown, footing up dry goods bill,
they would be self-supporting. If,
for instance, Matilda had been named
Solomon-and you know that name
has fallen to the eldest in our family
for generations--she or he rather,
might have learned trade, and would
now be able. not only to care for him
self, but to render lie edful assistance
to his family. i am sure never blamed
Betsey Trotwood, though / don't un-
deTstand her, that she couldn't forgive
David for not being a girl, 1 have never
forgiven one of any girls that they dis
appointed me- I,s......tt yf ,fiue
q Dear me, Solomon, am sure the
girls are doing the best they can. Ma
tilda is a very good dressmaker---p a..
4" Bosh - cries Solomon, impatiently,
" the country is oyerrun with dress
makers 10 tell yOn all this feat hers,
fuss and tlummery is running uS--that
is the people. Don't you understand
every additional girl is an additional
burden to some one How mu9h do
you suppose, Lucy, paid out for rib
bons last year? Only one hundred
dollars"
"But, my husband, there were five OF
the girls, you know, not counting my.
self, and thai makes twenty dollars
only, for each. am sure that isn't
eXtravagant at all There's Deacon
SmarL's SaIlie paid that much for one
Roman sash. Our girls are very handy
about turning their things, and fixing
them up rs good as new. There were
| only tw enty-fdur yards in the dears'
dresses this spring that is in the dress
of each-while Mrs, Million used thirty.
five, and / must say that our girls
were much the prettiest.'' 0-I..,.
"And would have been prettier still
if they had been made out OF eight,''
grOwled Solomon, desperately footing
4 up the aecoonts,again. % . .f..il Hi
Figures are obstinate faots.I Solo
mon, In facing the sum total of united
columnsi became an obStinata man.
"Itell, you, Lucy, we can't 60 on
in this way, that's certain. Something
must be dene. Why don't they get
marIied?P .uIIFi.-IH lI % li.W 'N
Butthat was useless question, for
this was New England State, and
there were several thousand more
women than mIn, and as one man wa.
allowed emily one wife, 1t was quite i'm.
possible that all could be provided with
husband. .a 1Tl slsa rAHuul a
"Deal me, Solomon, said the little
wife, smiling huinorousIy, "yOu forget
that this isn't Utah-that there Is acI
tually no one to whom we may seal the
darlings that you, yourself, would
quite disapprove Of their going his,
band hunting" rH ''n ~ Z" 'N,''
| Now, while Solomon h ad been talk,
ing titus compiainingly and cohfden.
tally TO his wife, his i've unappreelated
daughters had been listening from the
next room .riif-ii4. Hiaaltls SJl- AnAEW
/ ''Ths old bear,p" cried Matiida, Che
eldest, underiher breath. ~ i7h NH't'
| ''Poor papa,' ssid Edty, the. yonnkl
est, her NeS eyes ftit 6s tsais 'fN~e