Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1875-10-09
Tea Table Gossip.

are visiting at the corners. and I am
quite alone"
Thank you, that will be very accep-
table. 1 am tired with my afternoon
tramp. 1 made my first call at you,
door, but you were out. Pray where
have you been p ~ ..
Z" To visit Mary Spence, whom I had
not seen since the removal of the fam.
lily, soon after her unhappy connection
with Ned Manly. AS you come to the
village about the time the Spences left
it, you may not recollect the circum-
stances connected with that sad affair.
I have never ceased to correspond with
Mary, and urge her to return to the old
home and true friends who would stand
by her in her humiliation. Her father
death and her own failing health have,
at last, prevailed, and she, with her
mother, are again at the dear old home,
and now all my spare hours are Mary's,
till she regains cheerfulness and social
consideration, or finds rest in the
grave"
Why, Mrs. May! ! am surprised,
You do not mean to say that you will
overlook Mary Spence's lapse from vir-
tue, and use your influence to reinstate
her in society? Hers was q pitiful
case, I know. But think Of our young
daughters; We cannot permit them to
associate with such. To remove the
ban from the sinner would be to toler-
ate the SIM
But, Mrs. Bland, what of Ned
Manly? Is it consistent, is it womanly
or christian-like to cast stones at poor,
penitent Mary and smile on her betrayer;
to exclude her from the social circle and
admit him? Ned is welcome, even
an honored guest, in the homes from
which you would exclude Mary, and if
he does not repeat his treatment of poor
Mary, will soon lead to the altar one of
her most intimate friends in the old
time. 1t is all wrong, Mrs. Bland,
woman's trusting, self-sacriicing love
is the theme of poets, scholars and di-
vines, but when her betrayed affections
recoil upon wrecked hopes, who of them
oil extends O plying, helpful hand to
save her from utter ruin. No, Mrs.
Bland, I have no welcome for Ned
Manly. He cannot have my daughters
for partners at balls or elsewhere. But
in the blameless conversation Of his
heart broken victim are to be womanly
lessons of christian endurance, and the
practice of christian charity which be-
lieves, when it says, {" sin no more" in
the possible reclamation of the sinner,
whatever be the offense. But here are
Mrs. Merriam and Major Frank to help
out our discussion"
"Come in friends, your plates are
waiting. No matter if you are just
from the table, Major, cup of good
japanese is always in order; besides,
we were discussing social question,
inyoiviag christian morals, as against
barbarous usages and phsrasaic assump-
tions of uprightness. You know. pre-
sumo, that Mrs. Spence and Mary have
returned to the old home to live or die
among their old friends. Poor Mary,
I fear, will never recover her health.
Mrs. Bland and I we're just discussing
her social nature among u.s."
eyes, Major, / am much mistaken, il
with all your radicalism in social mat
ters, you would be willing. that your
daughter should associate with fallen
woman, however penitent.
Pardon me, Mrs. Bland, 1 have an
eye to consistency as we'll as justice and
expediency, in my social relations. You
would not associate with Mary Spence,
though her life, with that single mis-
step, has been above reproach. Yet at
the ball last week, you danced with and
made yourself agreeable to her betrayer,
who has never. 10 my knowledge, ex-
pressed regret for bis shameless treat
ment OF as pure and lovely child-for
she was only child in arsand knowl-
edge of the world-as ever danced
around Roseville Maypole. You even
introduced your daughter to him with
marked cordiality. Now I like to see
my daughter humanely courteous to the
frailest Of her sex, and certainly would
object to her being on anything like q
cordial footing with licentious men,. In
my view of the matter, Mrs. Bland,
the woman who discards the erring of
her own sex and associates on equal
terms with dissolute men, in so doing
offers q premium to masculine licen-
tiousness, and makes her own virtue
and the virtue of her innocent daugh-
ter target for the arts of the be-
trayer.
!" Mrs. Merriam, you are mother of
both sons and daughters; let us have
your opinion in this matter"
81 am glad to hear thee speak as
thee does, Harry Frank. I see many
humane reasons why women, and men,
too. should take thy view Of their social
obligations to offenders against personal
purity. Mere superficial considerations
might suffice to exclude the erring of
either EEK from social recognition. But
christian obligation challenges the JUS
tice OF q. course that denies the hope of
reinstatement by repentance. Exclu-
sion from the humane sympathy of the
virtuous, promises neither abatement or
cure Of the evil under consideration. /