Litchfield enquirer., 1878-08-22

scame from her feelin. so badly over what seemed to be her violation of principle in our fair.
 She came back with her eyes as bright as could be, and the two little red spots in her cheeks, and the curious set look about her mouth she always has when she is going to do something that is hard to do, and going to do it well. She looked just exactly as she did that night, so many years ago, when we girls gave the First Regiment of Blanktown Volun- teers, who left for the war, silk flag, and she made the presentation speech. She was Mary Noble then, and, although we younger girls didn't know it, was engaged to Col Lesley
 Mrs. Gray pretended that she disliked the publicity of this formal presentation. 1 over heard her telling her of most intimate friend that it tried her beyond description to have her dear sister so willing to make an address before promiscuous audience. She did not consider it quite womanly."
 But for the life of me 1 could not see that it was any more public to make speech than to nlarCi around our largest hall, dressed in old style, before our almost whole town, as we did as the centennial party, and Mrs. Gray, who was President of the Ladies' Centennial Committee. led that herself, dressed magnif- gently as Martha Washington. Mrs. Lesley would not take part in that at all.-She said it was putting our personal charms on exhibition before all sorts of people, and she was doubt ful Of its propriety. 1, you See am not so par ticular as either of them. I am always glad and proud to have Mrs. Lesley make speech, and l enjoyed the centennial tea party to the last degree. 1 went as Priscilla, and John said 1 looked the sweetest of any woman there, if wasn't so flashing and elegant as Mrs. Gray But l shall never get this story told
 We had sold off nearly everything at nine n'nlOpE a ma an with ha 1aau ings and they got my John, who is just as witty as he can be, to sell and he made a world of fun.
 At 9:30 Mir. Lesley, who is President of the mems society of which ours is auxilliry, led his wife up to her seat on the stage. Of course we had made the platform lovely with flower ing plants and boquets. Then we had some long, tiresome fpeeches from the men, full of compliments on our energy and management. l was sick of it before they stopped. For, if 1 am not very wise, know when anybody praises me just for the sake of what they are going to get
 We'll, finally Mrs. Lesley's turn came.-She stepped forward gracefully, and stood at the front of the platform-she must have looked like a pink between those high green leaf plants. She is not handsome like her sister, in-law, but she has the sweetest expression.
 would give anything to be able to report her speech word for word But, dear me! might just as we'll undertake to paint sunset! can only give you an idea of it:
 She began: ''Mr. President pit was her husband you know-''it now becomes my du- ty to render an account of the efforts of the Ladies' Auxiliary in behalf of our common and well-behaved cause, and to deliver into your hands the substantial results of those la lors. hoped to do this with pride and joy. But, although the peeuniary gain of this fair is unprecedented in our town, and the sum of money I am commissioned to present you is larger than I had even dreamed it could be, discharge this crowning obligation of my off, cial position with shame and dstress?"
 could hardly believe my ears! I glanced over to Mrs. Gray, and I never saw such look of astonishment as there was in her face.
 Mrs. Lesley went on, her voice getting full of tears, though her eyes were as dry and bright as diamonds. She said,-n substance, you know, as the reporters say-that the cause of. her shame and distress was her conviction that our fair had been positive injury to the morals f~oHr town. She said it had trained young, modest girls in bold importantly of men whom they had never met before; it had cultivated in young men that love of games of chance which was filling our gambling saloons with the very flower of youth. She said, too, that she was convinced that she and her CO., laborers had been treating the regular trades people unfairly. She had overheard one night a conversation between two young men, who had started in the fancy goods business with in the last five years. They had spoken to- gether of the terribly hard times which had threatened them with ruin all the past months, and of how much they had depended on the holiday trade to keep their heads above water this winter. And now, they said, these wo- men, who live in elegant leisure-Q q whispered to John, 'That don't apply to the treasurer of the society, goodness knows !' )-these wo- men, who don't know the value of money any more than children had gotten up this grand fair. They had, the young men said, begged quantities of goods outright of all the dealers, and had got quantities more at wholesale price, and then sold their splended and varied assort- ment below what any retail dealer in town could afford. ''Of course," these young mer- chants said bitterly, i've cannot compete with fascinating, brilliant women and bewitching young ladies, who give their services and sell lower than we can import. The consequence of this fair is that the holiday trade we count ed on for food and clothing for our families and for business security is gone out of sight,"
 My friends" said Mrs. Lesley, ''as Presi- dent of the association, and hence responsible, beg your pardon for the injustice we have shown you. It was thoughtlessness; but am humiliated that women of maturer years should be forced to plead child's excuse"
 Then she went on to say that although it would seem at first sight that no such objec- tion could be raised against the sale of articles made by the ladies themselves, there was one similar, and nearly as strong. She said she knew two or three women whose livelihood was gained by the manufacture and sale of fancy trifes. ''If," she went on, i've sold goods for prices they could make fair preft on, we should have right to compete with them. But we beg the materials from our hus- bands, give our own work, and then undersell every enc in the trade who does not have our immense advantages to start with''
 Then she spoke of the tune and strength we women had put into this fair how some of us had injured our health, and seriously defraud- ed our homes of what was due from wives and mothers. My conscience smote me at that. for couldn't help thinking how I hadn't read aloud to John for three months, and had pushed Johnnie one side till he was getting to be real troublesome, and to talk just like my girl. 1 sat there with every bone aching and every nerve trembling with weariness. and knew that had almost, if not quite, unftted myself for my winters work for my dear ones by my labor for this fair.
 well, can't tell you all she said but nev CT heard such an eloquent speech, one 80 sim pie and sad, and truthful. Her husband never took his eyes from her face. He could see her profile from where he sat.
 Before she closed she said that all this oyer- work on the part of us women: all this unfair competition with the regular trade; all this gambling all this unwomanly boldness of ap- peal :; all these questionable ways of getting money from people who would never contri bute to our cause of their own free will-all were justified and even praised on the ground of our object being good one. It was tlat sephistry which had beguiled us.
 ''But she said''-I remember the very words she closed with 'I acknowledge with shame unspeakable, the utter folly of such iustifica- tion. Can we do clean work with unclean hands2 Can we benefit virtue by the same pro cess which tears it down? Can we get a grand result from despicable ways and means? oh, my sister women. who are so ready to spend and be spent for each others good, let us leave to men the maxims of worldly wise policy and selfish composing of goods! We who have had motherhood to teach us that the little duties and content ooir;t aro If mora ;p,