The Osceola times., 1881-10-15
Women at Fifty.
The Spectator.

Inc spectatr
1t is absolutely untrue that under
tolerably fair conditions a woman Is
III we NAV repeat that crude phrase
played out" when she has seen forty
five. II all goes we'll, and even not very
i'll, woman more frequently than not
takes new departure at about fifty. 1t
is preposterous TO assume that a woman
Of mature age is likely TO be behind her
growing daughters and growing sons, in
effectiveness of intellect, and in aptitude
for subjects" new or old, in general
brightness and susceptibility. In what
might be called quality" in the French
sense of the word, she is, upon the sup
positions that we have Just made, 80
much the superior being, that il the
daughters, and the Sons. too, do not feel
II must, indeed, be granted as prelimi-
band and the wife. and that the yonng
people are good in harness, and above
all. in themselves; but, with these inclu-
sions, little more is needed. And the
battle is TO be won along the whole line.
A gray hair is a gray hair, q crow's-foot
crow's-foot-and these rarely come
70 the young; but certainly" as Lord
Bacon SAYS, at is no marvel though per.
sons in years seem many times more
amiab!e, pulchrorum antumnus pulcher;
for no youth can be comely but by par
don, and considering the youth rs 10
make up the comeliness." 1t is the mis-
take of giddy adolescence, or sand-blind
conceit to supp ose that woman Of fifty
cannot bo exquisitely beautiful, cannot
command man throughout the whole
range of his nature; cannot take up the
gladness of life, and beautifully radiate
it again, for him and for others. In all
this, we are, Of course, leaving out, with
cad heart, the miserable life Of the
very poor. But even with the poor the
general rule holds; and among them,
some OF the pleasantest, brightest, hand.
soonest women are women Of advanced
maturity, but released from the pressure
of the cares and tolls which young chill
dren bring. Such women NAV even
be observed to take fresh start in
mental growth; they read more, and,
mixing more with men, pick up general
knowledge, and become more agreeable
companions than ever These remarks
become more strikingly true as We car
ry our ewes upward in the scale OF
money aud culture. Rshel, who was al
ways i'll, wrote at fifty years Of age, that
she felt in most particulars Just as she
did at fourteen or fifteen that she had,
on the whole, the same opinions and
inclinations as at thirty, only that the
back ground of her life was richer with
garnered experience and we'll connected
/ thought She laid stress upon the con-
uectedness, meaning, no doubt that she
could take birds eye views better than
in early life; and she adds, that at her
ripe age joyful yearning or tendency
to look forward had sprung up in her,
which was kind Of echo Of the feeling
Of early yosth.
OF course, every woman is not Rahel
but it certainly was no fault Of hers to
expect too much Of the young; why, she
asks should they believe the oldP "Wrin-
kles are no testimony" No; but one
may add that they can believe for the
works sake" and in spite OF prejudice OF
earnestness, apprehcnd a little of what
| Rahel meant, and what is exemplifed in
the lives and letters of numbers OF wo-
men o. ripe age. Not to quote other
ladies Of great ability and culture, take
very ignorant old country dame, VIM
Godwin's mother She puts "succages
for sausages, and had on the whole, a
hide bound sort OF Intellect but what
wise, hearty, lively. penetrating letters
she writes The cold Goodwin, himself
forty five, says at her death that he felt
as If he had now no one to counsel him
and take care of him. But to go to q
type common enough, something be-
tween Dame Burden and Rahel, take the
mother of Frederick, in Mr.. Coventry
Pstmore's Faithful for Ever" you may
meot her any day in ordinary society.
Nothing can be more beautifully wise
than her letters; and though it is true
that a poet writes the fictitious things
things for her, yet the poet has some
thing Of Richardson's truthfulness. Such
a lady had no need to ask for liberation
from clever young people.