Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-08-24
Great Mems Wives.


which says that eff man would
thrive he must ask his Wife's leave.
The records of history contain num-
berless examples of women who have
done for their husbands what Aaron
and Hur did for Moses: they have
held up their hands and supported
them at the greatest crisis OF Their
lives, and so turned what would have
been a failure into triumph and sue
cess. And they contain examples,
too, of those who have accomplished a
far more difficult task-that of Sus-
tanning and cheering when endeaVOr
and hope were dead. 1t is only neces-
sary to mention the names of Ger
trude Won der Vert and Lady Rachel
Russell in proof Of this. 1t may not
be ulinteresting to give a few in
stances Of women in our own genera
ton who have been to their husbands
helpers and felloW-WOrkerS us well as
sympathizing companions, and who
have thus taken a position which is
unanimously acknowledged to be a
most proud and honorable One-that
Of helpmate to man. Among these
the name that is first thought of, prob
ably because it has so recently been
brought before public notice, is that
Of Lady Augusta Stanley, the wife of
the Dean of Westminster. Herself
the daughter Of peer, and one of the
most intimate of the Queens personal
friends, she possessed a largenesS of
heart and strength of intellect which
won respect and kindly feeling from
all who came in contact with her She
Sympathized most heartily with her
husband both i'll thought and work,
while the poor of Westminster found
in her tenderness and kindness q fire.
quent alienation Of their miseries.
Everyone will remember the testi-
mony OF John Stuart Mill to the orth
Of his wife, which is to be found in
the dedication to her memory printed
at the commencement of one Of his eS-
memory of her who was the inspirer
and, in part, the author of all that is
best III my WritingS-the friend and
wife whose exalted sense of truth and
right was my strongest Indictment, and
whose appreciation was my chief re-
Ward-I dedicate this volume" 1t
is said that such was Mr.. Mill S sorrow
at her death that he continued to re-
side at Avignon, the place where she
was buried, that so he might continue
ally visit her tomb, and he never
ceased to lament her loss.
Thomas Carlyle, one of the greatest
intellectual lights of this century, has
recorded his testimony to the worth of
his wife on her tombstone: "In her
bright existence she had more sOrrOws
than are common, but also a soft ami
ability, a capacity for discernment,
and noble loyalty of heart which are
rare. For forty years she was the true
and loving helpmate of her husband,
and by act and word unWeariedly for
Warded him, us none else could, in all
Of worthy that he did or attempted
The wife Of Sir William Hamilton,
Professor of Logic i'll the University
of Edinburgh, was a true helper to her
husband; indeed, it is more thar prob
able that without her many of his best
works would never have been written.
When he was elected to the professor
ship some of his opponents declared
publicly that he would never be able
to fulfill the duties Of his position, as
he was nothing but a dreamer. He
and his wife heard of this and deter
mined to prove that it was not true
They therefore arranged to work to-
gether Sir William wrote out rough
", each day, the lecture that was to
be given the next morning; and as he
wrote his wife copied it out; and again
and again they sat up writing till far
was struck down with paralysis, the
result Of overwork, Lady Hamilton de-
voted herself entirely to him-WrOte
for him, read for him, and saved him
IN every way.
John FlaNman, the sculptor, had
made considerable progress III his work
when he married Anne Denman, a
nobIe-spirited, intelligent woman, full
OF love for art, and with an intense
admiration for him as an artist. 1t
happened that soon after the event he
met Sir Joshua Reynolds, III whose
opinion no man could hope to become
an artist who did not devote himself
entirely to art, and who had not stud
led patiently and reverently the works
Of the great masters in Italy itself
Well, FlaXman,' said Sir Joshua,
Il hear you are married. You are
ruined for an artist
Flaxman went straight to his wife
cold Tp her