Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-04-27
WOman's Help.


1t furnishes large part of the inspiration
under which men act This begins in the
influence of the mother over the children.
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
coming kingdom. II was their mother Sa-
lone. Many Hannah has consecrated her
Samuel to be a prophet. In host of in
stances in the families of farmers and me-
chanics, that one or more sons have received
a college education has been due to the ma
ternal sagacity and opportunity 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 school, at
tended the exhibitions, wrote letters of
stimulus, encouragement and pride to those
at college, and often spoke the deciding
word as to the life-calling, having herself
been first inspired from above. 1t will be
remembered by those who have read the ad-
mirable memoir of DR.. 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. Many young man has owed to
this source both his strong desire for an ed
ucation and his means of obtaining it. A
sisters spoken words, suggestive letters, and
open course have started him on his career.
And what can be said in too high praise
of the inspiring influence of noble wife
All, words fail to depict her grand ideals of
character and actions, her lessons of cour-
age and fortitude in times of distress, her
refining influence on language and manners,
her faith in her husbands possibilities, her
methods of ooncealing 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 dictator
tally, uttered. / we'll remember hearing one
jocosely say of her, that if she should die,
he would put upon her tombstone these words
of Paul Mary, who bestowed much labor
on u.s." Congregations seldom understand
how much of the value of pastor is due to
his wife, not in the form of her church ac-
tivities, or family labors, so much as in her
perpetual inspirations, which operate on
character, suggest thought and study, and
direct action.
Woman has an intuition of the goodness
of man or of a cause, which is often ac-
curate, and is always an incentive to effort.
She has also romantic devotion in her ma
ture which makes her worshiper, an en-
thusiast, and, if need be, martyr. There
are no more self-sacrifcing patriots than
women, no more earnest partisans, no more
thorough devotees. How warmly they en-
tered into the late civil war, on both sides
What power they have always been in the
Christian church, by reason of their magma
ton, their faith, their enthusiasm, their for
titude, and their affection
That pastor is weak indeed, and sorely to
be pitied, who has no circle of admiring and
sympathizing ladies, who are neither weak
minded nor sycophantic, but who appreciate
Christian character, intellectual ability,
right ideas, and faithful labor, and are not
ashamed to show it. Their coarse-minded,
money-getting, or pleasure-seeking, husbands
are often too busy to think, feel, and act, in
this direction, and the atmosphere of CO.
operation and encouragement about the pas
tor is left to be created by ladies of intelli-
gence and piety. Blessed is the man and
the cause which they champion
And have not the churches of all denom-
nations learned within the last ten years to
value highly the organized cooperation of
women? What-a testimony is borne in this
respect by the large and fruitful Woman's
Board OF Missions, in each branch Of the
church; fruitful in self-denying labors, at
home and abroad, as well as in contributions
of money What new vigor also they have
infused into the temperance cause, basing
their efforts on distinctively Christian prin-
ciples and methods The single example
of one woman, Mrs. President Hayes, quietly
but effectually given, has been worth more
to that cause than any other single instru-
mentality; and as drinking is social habit,
and woman controls the social realm, the
triumph of the cause will nearly be assured
when ladies are sufficiently enlisted in its
behalf. Whatever, therefore, may be un-
derrated or neglected in connection with any
good object, let it not be woman's help.