Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-08-13

school scholars, told US that the strange OLE
man had always expressed a desire to liv,
to see them all buried. The stone which
covers them is hidden by wooden platform
and over that carpet but on the wal
above is plain tablet, on which are inscrib
ed the eight names-father, mother, sisters
and brother Here Charlotte Bronte wa,
mai ed | wonder that she could have
Dor. to kneel during the ceremony above
her dead sisters. The old pew used by the
family has been remoyed-why, don't know
The church also has been somewhat altered
since MIR. Bronte death, the organ-loft has
been changed, the tower heightened, and a
clock added, though the old sun-dial is still
on the south side. In the vestry, where we
wrote our names, and could find no record
of other American pilgrims in the visitors
book, the sections wife showed US the regis
ter of the marriage of Arthur Bell Nichols
ard Charlotte BrOnte-her name written in
a rather trembling hand.
Good Word for Maiden Ladies.
The following article from the Liverpool
(Eng.) Mercury contains so much solid.
practical sense that we transfer it to our
]
] ladies but that they are the salt of the earth,
! is as true rog a. when some sensible fellow
/ first made the discovery scores of years ago:
Aweary OF hashiug and rehashing the
I dull commonplaces which nowadays pass
/ by the name of politics, a not at all unna-
turally lively metropolitan contemporary
! has opened It's columns 10 the discussion of
/ the characteristics, grievances, pleasurable
/ cODpensatiOns, social relati rs, and status
/ generally Of that oitentimes ill-used and fire.
/ qlently misunderstood section of the com
I munity. which l. known by the generic
term-by NJ means gallantly conceived
OF "oli maids " We, too, ia view of the
opprobrous use made OF the unlucky phrase
by those misogynIsis of both sexes who 50
ardently strive to prevent women from OBJ
taining further social and political rights.
think il not inady l>able, since the ball has
once been set rolling, To say few words Ot
our own on the subject. 1t cannot have
escaped remark that to many minds in
many cases it l. considered sufficient to con-
demn case to say that It l. promoted by
"a lot OF old maids - Sometimes they
are strong minded females" at others,
"blues ;" bat if you want to cover them
with ineradcable rldlcule dub them "a bevy
Of old maids. or throw in the male friends
who assist them ln the promotion OF their
pnilauthropic or charitable objects. and
iaceti0usiy term the whole "a parcel of old
woman Of both sexes. and your end j. al
once accomplished. Why this should be 50,
We were never ub.e to understand. Age l.
surely es honorable in = woman a. in 4 man.
Ce.ibacy can be NJ more worthy OF censure 10
the one sex than In the other |. 1t be, It.
deed the men are in the worse predicameut;
for II 20 happens that in Great Britain there
are hali-mlhOn more women than mer.
50 that the ladies could not all get married
if they would Nor are the prJiessed MS
OgynI-ts a, all cJn>i-tant IN the beStOwal
OF their ridiculc. Let a per-eyering band OF
spinsters strive 70 break down the wall OF
prejudice which bars their entrance to the
suitable and honorable profession OF medi-
cine. tor the purpose oI alleyiating the all
mentS OF their own sex. aud no terms OF
obloquy ara thought too di>cJurteous to ap-
ply to them Let Mss Nightingale 20 Out
70 Scutarl to bind up the wounds, and at
tend 10 the sick wants OF the soldiers,
brought fresh from the ha.tlc field. and Size
Is a heroine. The woman nurse may
be deiied, a. physician she cannot be
tolerated. Let woman strive 10 enter our
universities, the s3-called nurseries OF bellies
lettres and the arts. and they "uns.x
themselves, yet who thinks of 'old maids.
a. they read the novel, Of Miss Austin or
admire the picture, OF Rosa BJnheur? Let
them seek to obtain the night to vote, for
widows and spinstcrs who have the same
Qualification and fulfill the same state du
ties as men. and politicians are aghast
Yet Mss Harriet Mertineau's Political
Economy ha, been il is time textbook,
and Mis- Bur1eit C0ntts was made peer
l.-- rs.r fsr lfr f - gI
iorate the condition OF the poorer classes of
the community.
Consistent or inconsistent, however, a
NAV be- the conduct Of those who are -
ready to use the term odd maids, there
can be no t0uht that the term itself has
come to be understood as CARRYING with II
some kind of rcproach. And here again
We are at loss to make ont why. "Old
maids are - crusty. says one. Well, sup
pose You admit, for the sake Of argument.
that some % them are. has nobJdy ever
heard OF a scoiding wife or tried to imagine
the proportion OF husbands who could con-
scicn,iou>ly claim the Dunmow fitch?
What was Lord Braxtead's answer u his
butler who gave him notice to leave because
OF her leidysAips temper say
@haur We arc, man, an thank the Lord
we're no married to her. All women. like
al. men, have their troubles and crosses and
worries and we have Yet 10 learn that Il l.
the sole privilege OF the married to be gilt
cd with those qualities which cause the
mind % rise superior 10 the everyday cares OF
lite. One thing, however. appears very
clear upon the surface of it, and that is that
there J. far les danger OF causing dl>plea>ure
when there Is only one To please than when
there are two. ln saying this We have no
desire 70 in any way dI>parage the married
state We are only putting IN plea Tor
those women who Tor various reasons re-
main unmarried Domesicity has i pleas
ure and A charm OF It's own. Ihs chasten
ing iutl FENCES that are engenderCd IN the
rearing of Young family, ii used Alright,
are int stimablc. At the same time, women
who marry like men who marry, give host
ages to fortune, and. 50 far forth. are not
50 free as their unmarried slSierh0Od 10 de-
vote themselves to the alienation Ol that
mass of otherwise uncaret-fur misery and
sickness and poverty and ignorance which,
even in the best ordered communities, a.
the world at preseu, stands, must surround
them on every side Let u grudge no hon
or to the married women-the mothers Of
the rising generation OF our countrymen.
But al the same time let Us not forget, lar
less treat with contumely, the silent. pa
tient. and npretendIng-thOugh none the
less valuable and approximations IN their
own field of usefulness of the woman who
remain unmarried. We are not speaking
OF the class TO which that one belonged of
whom it could only be said on her tomb /
stone that she lived genteelly on small !
income though even she might claim the |
negative merit of not beng Il burden to |
any body. Nor of that other one OF whom
1t was said
She was bland, passionate, and deeply religious;
And she painted n water coors,
And sent several pictures to the exhibition.
She was first cous n 10 Lady Jones,
And OF such is the kingdom Of Heaven.
Nor do we confne ourselves to that happily !
numerous class of maiden ladies who, 50 ef |
ficiently and uncomplainingly, fill up the /
frequent gaps caused in the family circle I
by the vIsitations of sickness and OF death 4
though these perform services OF untold /
value, in the little comaiOnwealthsi in which /
their lot l. cast
We prefer rather to recognlz, the clai ms
to our gratitude of that far larger class who
have taken up and extended the work which
was laid down when the fashion ceased for
women of all classes aud all ages to re-
nounce marriage and the world together,
and, taking up their abode in religious
houses. devote the remainder OF their lives
to works of pieiy and charity. The SISTER
of Mercy and the SISTER Of Charity" a.
recognized institutions. have disappeared
from our midst; but their. work is carried
on far more universally and Tar more eff
ciently than it ever was, and that chiefly by
the agency of maiden ladies-the g old
maids" of our misogynists As know ledge
advances, they advance With it No sooner
l. it found that ignorance Is one OF the Iuost
productive sources of crime, than they are
found grubbing away industrIously at the
roots of that fallen tree of inlquity. No
sooner is it discovered that IEsantary
arrangements are the prime cause of disease
and death, than the limewash and the
scrubbing brush are brought into instant
requisition These, with many other kind
red ones, are the reasons Why they are
found busily engaged at school boards and
at meetings of the Social Science Associs
ton. This is why, when they possess the
requisite qualification. they want to vote
for members of Parliament. In making
their appearance in public, from time TO
time, they are no more actua;ed IN the vain
desire to render themselves conspicuous
I L