The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-07-18
An Unfeminine Virtue.

Dear Nellie: And so you think Miss
Russell received too MANY prizes at the
examination, and suspect that her being
Dr.. DuvaPs cousin had something to do
with 1T Well, must say am sorry 70
find you are 40 silly. You have evidently
forgotten that know DR.. Duval quite "a
we'll az vou do. and am therefore able tn
Judge for myself whether or not he would
be guilty. of favoritism. The first year
was at st. Mary's the three most coveted
prizes were awarded to girl who was no
relation of his, whose manners were so re-
pulsive as to prevent her being favorite
with any one, and whose father. an un-
principled sharper. owed DR.. Duval a
much larger sum for his daughters tuition
than there was any likelihood of his ever
being compelled to pay. There were two
Miss Russells in Der class, both of them
good scholars (the Russells are remark
ably intelligent family. but neither of
them stood 80 high as this girl and so she
took the prizes. So much for Dr. Duvals
favoritism. This want of magnanimity
that you have exhibited is very common
fault among girls. Even those who seem
to have good sense in other respects will
show their littleness of mind when there
is any matter of rivalry between their COM
panions and themselves. If YOU have
been striving to cain any of the prizes
borne off by Miss Russell, it is only natu-
raj you should feel disappointed, but do
not let this feeling prevent your giving
credit where credit is due. cit is very
magnanimous in me-" saws Miss Milford,
in one of her village sketches, mot to
hate Mrs. L. for she succeeds 80 much
better than do in making flowers grow"
This virtue of magnanimity is, I fear.
much more common among strong-minded
women than it is with the weaker sioters.
l once found myself at female suffrage
meeting, having gone there out of curios-
ity to see celebrated woman who, from
my earliest recollection has been a target
for newspaper wit. I exrected to see
something in the style of Meg Merriles,
and was little disappointed in the ap.
pearance of the gray-haired lady in black
silk who occupied prominent seat on the
platform. Another of the speakers,
much younger and handsomer woman, had
the floor when I went in, and the first
thing noticed about the shrieking sis.
ter" had gone to see was that, when
this speaker made point, she led the ap.
plause. If there were any rivalry between
them, it was evident that she was not
conscious of it, for the first thing she did
on taking the floor was to remind the
audience that the other speaker was
about to make journalistic venture, and
to beg them to give it their support.
"You all know added she, show unsuc-
cessful I was in this line, but that is no
reason why another should fall
"Ah that is the secret of your popu-
larity among women" thought I. "You
possess the manly virtue of magnanimity,
and they admire you for it,"
This giving credit where credit is due,
and bearing no grudge against our COM
panions for having charms that we lack. or
succeeding where we fail, Is virtue that
comes by nature to the few. aud should
be cultivated by the many. When was
at st. Mary's it was the custom there for
the girls in the first class to read their
compositions aloud in one of the recita-
ton rooms, and have them criticised by
the whole corps of teachers. This was
considered terrible ordeal, though the
writers were let off very easily, and prob
ably the critics who had to listen were the
ones most to be pitied.
Gordon writes " said 1 one day to Emma
Guice. "If could bring in such compo-
sitions as hers, shouldn't mind reading
them in the least
If I had an editor for brother. nv
compositions would be praised, too" re-
turned Emma. "Dora sees her brother
every week of her life, and l am positive
he supplies her with compositions. You
In he al 20 ha NJ
1t so happened that Dora overheard
this, and the next time she met me (Mrs.
Southgate and | were promenading the
piazza), she remarked;
off any one but Emma Guice had told
you that my brother wrote my compost
tions for me l should have contradicted
her then and there; but--you know
Emma, don't you ?"
"Yes,' replied l. al know her so well
that the mere fact of her saying such a
thing convinced me that it wasn't true.n
II WISH" sighed Dora, "that Emma
were the only one who couldn't stand
hearing another girl praised. was prac-
ticing the other day, with the door of the
MUSHROOM partly open, and heard Miss
Templeton remark to Maggie Yates (they
were standing in the halD that | was
Madame's best pupil. Il should think
she ought to be 7 exclaimed Maggie. Il
have heard her say herself that she was
required to practice the scales when she
was 80 little they had to tie her on the
piauo-stool to prevent her falling off. ;
This was the truth; but don't see why
Maggie should have said it 80 Grossly, or
been in such hurry to account for my
playing better than Madame's other pu-
pills"
"Oh Maggie is no worse than Others"
observed Mollie Archer. who had Joined
us while Dora was speaking. "Most of
us think the praise that is given to 9TH
ers is something taken from ourselves. 1
remarked to Kate Drury, Just little
whila aoo that Sna Mans6alS had N ,,aru