Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-06-08
WOman's Help.

1t furnishes largepsrt of the inspiration
under which men act. This begins ia the
..;;gaueusr of .t}c 1issaer over theschildren1
She is ambitious for them, usually more so
than is the father, and the ambition may be
misdirected. 1t was not Zebedee who
brought John and James to Jesus, desiring
for them the two places of honor in the
coming kingdom. 1t was their mother, Sa-
lone. Many Hannah has consecrated her
Samuel to be a prophet. In a host Of in
stances in the families of farmers and me-
chanics that one or more sons have received
college education has been due to the ma
ternal sagacity and importantly. And all
through the course of study, the boys have
been steadily inspired to do their best by
the same influence. The mother aided the
younger ones in learning the lessons, heard
them recite at home visited the schoo ools, at
tended the exhibitions, wrote letters of stim-
ulus, encouragement and pride to those at
college, and often spoke the deciding words
as to the life-calling, having herself been
first inspired from above. 1t will be remem-
bered by those who have read the admirable
memoir of DIR. Horace Bushnell, that it was
his mother who, at the critical moment,
turned him from law to theology. Kindred
to this is often sisters love and ambition.
both his strong desire for an education and
his means of obtaining it. A sisters spoken
words, suggestive letters, and open purse,
have started him on his career.
And what can be said in too high praise
of the inspiring influence of a noble wife
All, words fail to depict her grand ideals of
character and action, her lessons of courage
and fortitude in times of Distress her refn-
ing influence on language and manners, her
faith in her husbands possibilities, her
methods of concealing or supplementing his
weakness Reference has been made to
DR.. Bushnell's mother, but he often con.
fessed what his intimate friends knew TO be
true, that in both intellectual and spiritual
respects he was immensely indebted to his
companion in life, at whose feet, so to speak,
many others have sat- receiving lessons for
mind and heart, suggestively, not dictatori-
ally, uttered | well remember hearing one
| loosely say of her, that if she should die
he would put upon her tombstone these
words of Paul: "Mary, who bestoweth
much labor on u.s." Congregations seldom
understand how much of the value of a
pastor is due to his wife, not in the form Of
her church activities, or family labors, &C
much as in her perpetual inspirations, whict
operate on character or suggest thought and
study, and direct action.
Woman has an intuition of the goodnes.
of man or of cause, which is often &C
curate, and is always an incentive to effort
She has also a romantic devotion in her ma
ture which makes her worshiper, an en-
thusisst. and, if need be, a martyr. There
are no more self-saorifcing patriots thar
women, no more earnest partisans, no more
thorough devotees. How warmly they en-
l I'D La -. Il
What a power they have always been in the
Christian church, by reason of their imagina
ton, their faith, their enthusiasm, their for
titude, and their affection
That pastor is weak indeed, and sorely t.
be pitied, who has no circle OF admiring anc
sympathizing ladies, who are neither weak
minded nor sycophantic, but who appreciat,
Christian character, intellectual ability, right
ideas, and faithful labor, and are not asham
ed to show it. Their coarser-minded, money
getting, or place-seeking husbands are otter
too busy to think, feel, and act in this direc
ton, and the atmosphere of cooperation anG
encouragement about the pastor is left to bt
created by ladies of intelligence and piety
Blessed is the man and the cause which they
champion
And have not the churches of all demon
nations learned within the last ten years t.
value highly the organized cooperation o.
women What testimony is borne in thi'
respect by the large and fruitful Woman,
Board of Missions, in each branch of the
church; fruitful in self-denying labors, a
home and abroad, as well as in contributions
of money What new vigor also they hav'
infused into the temperance cause, basinl
their efforts on distinctively Christian prin
ciples and methods 2 The single exampl,
of one woman, Mrs. President Hayes, quietl,
but effectually given, has been worth mor'
to that cause than any other single instru
mentality and as drinking is social habit
and woman controls the social realm, tn,
triumph of the cause will nearly be assured
when ladies are sufficiently enlisted in it:
behalf. Whatever, therefore, may be un
derrated or neglected in connection with
any good object, let it not be woman's help
-Sunddy-School Times.