The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-11-13
The Brave Ones in Middle Life.

Although we had no footmen and no
carriages in our parish lin the London
suburbs1, yet my congregation contained
as many well-educated, intelligent, and
pleasant ladies and gentlemen as any
congregation in England men and
women fully capable of holding their
own i'm any position of life; men and
women to whom the practical working
of life bad impaired greater keenness
of mind than easier circumstances would
have done. Thackeray speaks well in
one of his works of the little-f&ith which
dare not marry till it can drive to church
with pair of horses; and the public press
has spoken abundantly of late of what
is supposed to be absolutely necessary
before a couple can or ought to marry
bat no one knows better than q suburban
clergyman how bravely the battle of life
is being fought out by educated men and
women who dared to join themselves
Gin holy matrimony," though conscious
they may have to live for years in n
six-roomed house in a quiet street and
TO work hard to keep that house and the
couple ofsingle maids that wait on them.
Life insurance is the main stay of their
provision for the future, and self-denial
for each other aud the children's sake is
the rule of their existence, and many
aud many q bright, happy home do
know of, under such circumstances.
Yet how hard many of these men work!
From half-past seven to nine in the
morning they are streaming of to their
places of business and from half-past
six till nine at night they are returning
home.
Sunday is their one rest dag, the one
day on which they repose and dine at
home; for on all on other days they
snatch a hasty dinner at the various
taverns and eating-houses in town,
merely taking breakfast and supper un-
der their own roofs. Sunday also is
often the only day, while the little ones
are young, on which they see much of
their children. Through the winter" "
said one good fellow to me, az kiss my
children before they are out of bed i'm the
morning, and after they are in bed at
night ; but from Monday morning TO
Saturday night 1 never once see them
dressed. But on Sunday 20 to church
in the morning; and then how enjoy
that afternoon stroll with the little ones,
/ if the day is fine, or that chat around the
| fire if the day is cold or stormy IL pays
me for working all the week to keeI
them" OF course do not mean to say
that such men are free from anxiety as
/ to the fate of these little ones, shoulC
anything happen to them yet do say
/ that their conduct is nobility itself to tn,
/ life of those fashionable, well-dresseC
gentlemen who pervade town-life-mel
whose SfnlBluDl boRltIn was expressed t,
me by one of themselves, devout scOr
uer of matrimony, to be "a few hun
dreds year, good club, a comfortabl
lodging, and latch-key." OF all classe
in our modern society, this class is tn,
most unwholesome in its own mora
being, and most dangerous to the com
monwealth.
"Why do you work so hard, my dea
fellow ?'' said to a friend; "yOu ar
OVERRIDING it; look at Smith, he takes j
more easily" "Ah, but he has back
bone of two or three thousand i'm a mar
riage settlement, and l have not, so
must pull on"
'Tf, however, these noble men worl
hard, their good ladies are not n whi
/ behind. "Mamma" is the mainsprins
of this establishment; house keeper
! store-keeper, head-nurse in sickness
! governess and lady of the house; thG
calls upon her are multifarious, and she
has little time for gossip or for visits.
you dine with her, you may be sure she
has no need to ask what the dishes are
/ if you sleep at her house, you may SCI
/ in a moment that the linen would moi
| have been so clean, or the room so wei
arranged, had it been superintended only
/ by a hOusemaid. Her children &C
naturally to her for help in all predica.
ments and her husband, after he has
placed the housekeeping money in hel
/ hand, never asks how it has been spent
/ but quietly takes all he receives and al
he sees for granted. Yet how perfectly
/ the lady she is at the head of her tablet
how beautifully she often touches the
/ piano how well she talks as if sh.
/ had nothing else to do but practice mu.
sic and to read the current literature o.
| the day.
There is a marvellous top current o.
Ostentatious show, of euvious vieinc
with each other, of restless, discontenteC
eXtravagance, in our society at the pres
ent day but, thank God, there is a no
BILE under-current of self-denial, of uuiet
management, of bold graphing with the
duties of life, which even among oul
upper ten thousand, and our next hun.
dred of thousands, keeps the stream y
society from utter corruption, and salt:
it with an honest and invigOratinl
power; and no one sees more of thi,
deep, quiet and refreshing stream than
1 the clergyman of suburban parish. II
does ones heart good to bear witness tt
! this truth f; it warns ones heart to think
of many of these noble men and noble
women who are thus living, and whom
one knows and values.