The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1880-08-07
A BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE TO WOMAN.


At the Annual Sabbath School Con-
vcntion held in Somerset county, in this
State, the Rev. G.. ID. Buchanan in his
address paid this beautiful compliment
to the worth Of woman:
at is the personal experience Of
every civilized man, who has lived since
the world began, that no influence which
God has ever seen fit to breathe upon
mankind at any stage Of his existence
has been so efficacious in all that tends
to the perfection Of human character as
that Of woman. Truly may it be said:
the hand that rocks the cradle moves
the world To the mother is confided
the training of the child, and the years
Of childhood ar. those IN which charar-
ter is formed. At the mothers knee
the first lessons of life are learned. The
character Of the mother by every rela-
ton she sustains as such, is impaired
and indclibly impressed upon that Of
the child. II has been said by an an
cient and eminent philosopher, that n
child of six years Of age has learned
more than it will ever acquire thereafter
and in most cases this is probably true.
The bulk then Of the acquisition Of those
six years is merely reproduction in the
child of corresponding part of the
character of the mother. Fortunate
then it is for the human race that wo-
man was endowed with those finer tints
of character which has made life beauti-
ful and the mind to eagerly grasp for
culture and refinement the cmbclish-
ments which adorn reason and bcautify
thegrandest achievements of science and
art. The votaricS of science and art too,
receive their inspiration from the finer
mind of woman. I'VE would indeed
have been beast without you, o woman!'
But the mission and influence of the
woman is not ended with the child nor
is il conficd to the mother. The influ-
cnce of woman is seen and felt through
out life. The gcntleness of her nature,
the beauty Of her person, her magnanimi-
ty and her superior moral nature, dazzle
the admiration, command the respect
and engage the affection Of her more
selfish and less wooing companion -man.
The character Of woman is the loftiest
conception we can form OF human
character, when We shall have passed to
the realm Of peace beyond the grave
The influence of woman is SO gentle, so
conciliatory, so opposite TO all that is
harsh and rude in mans nature, yet so
consistent with his ideas of that which
is worthy Of his administration that he
is led willing captive to higher realms
of thought, to broader fields of. useful
ness and higher sphere of happiness
than would otherwise be within the
range of his capabilities. Wherever
you see human suffering, there you will
see the tcar.moistened eye and allevia-
ting hand of woman. Whenever you see
the soul weighed down by vicissitudes,
cares and sorrows Of life, YOU will hear
the sweet consoling and inspiring voice
of woman, and you will see the reilec-
ton of the sunshine which lights up her
face. Wherever you see men cropping
in the blackness OF moral degradation,
there, through the gloom, you will see
the fair form of woman leading the way
'out of darkness into light. Wherever
you see the dcsolation of poverty, there
you will find charity clothed in the ha-
biliments OF woman. Wherever you
hear the groans OF the sick and witness
the gasps Of the dying, mingled there
with will come the holy accent Of wo-
man as she lifts up her voice in their
behalf, to Him who hath power to heal
the sick and raise the dead. Were the
influence Of woman to be withdrawn, all
that is noble in man would soon perish
and his mission in life would be lost in
the terrible wreck that would ensue."