Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-03-28

Hester Stuart in Springfield Republican
| The "old rnaid,r as she has appeared
| on comic valentines, or furnished a sub
| lee. for the exercise of much thin wit,
| has commonly been assigned 20 tie one
Of two classes. III to the sentimental,
shs vas usually depicted With one or two
limp curls at either aide Of a s,mpeyinQ
face. q breasE-pin made from the hair OF
| the departed lover. and with general
Alteration Of gisifshness In her dress
and manner. She vas excessively tim1d
| IN the matter of mics and dark halls,
and looked upon any and every nan
with awe and admiration. seeing Ia each
one q possible and probable lover. II
she was assigned 70 the strong-minded
class, Il ore the term IN its popular Sc
eeptance), she was tall and angular;
wore her hair twisted hercely in little
knot, sc0rned useless adornrnenfs OF her
person, and divided her time between
driving children and animals from her
premises and sl8ndering her neigbbors
her hand against every man and every
mans hand against her. Now, either
the pictures were at fault or the types
have passed away, for the old maid Of
today Is quite another person. In the
first place, she u not sentimental. In
deed, 1 do not know bat she leans in the
opposite direction, being rather cool and
practical. However that may be, nei-
ther is she q man-haser. For, having
ceased to regard men in the light of
lovers, she has discovered that they make
very good friends, and It is quite likely
that among her acQU sintances there are
number whom she regards with q
clear sighted, slightly judicial. but gem
uine friendship. And with the friend
ship has grown upa certain pity or SYM
patty; for, going ont into the world
herself she has gained some idea of
the burdens men carry, and the odds
against which they fight. And on this
footing she meets her brother man Ill
society or business with frank friend
Illness which il very comfortable for
both sides. Secondly, shs does not
SANDER her neighDors. she has other
things to enpFoss her time and thoughts,
for she Is busy woman. II fortune
has been kind to her she keeps up some
old house in oId-fashi0ned state; she is
prominent in church affairs; hsr name
appears among the officers of employ
ment societies and orphans' homes.
Her scrutiny Of Ceases" Is rigorous, but
onca satisfied. she gives with discreet
IiberaIity. Her advice is solicited and
respected. She Is a recognized power In
tbs community. II fortune has been
less generous, and she depends on her
head or hands for support, what work
she does is done faithfully; for, being
relieved Of the necessity Of keeping one
eye ON tho door for the coming man, she
il able to devote all her energies to the
business in hand, and it Is an established
fact that rome of the clearest heads,
quickest wits, and most facile figures
are found among these same old maids.
After her day of useful work she
goes home to her coy room (plainly or
Elegantly furnished, II is quite sure to
be coy and homelike), anu sits down
by the fire with her magazine or new
book, with none to modest or make her
afraid. No visions of kneeless little
trousers or t0eless stockings Hit be-
tween her and the pages; she has no
guilty half consciousness OF pile of
unn,ade shirts, whose neck-bands will
invariably be a sixteenth of an inch too
long or too short; tut she rocks and
reads, and lays mp much mental food.
She goes into society (being socially
inclined), whore she sometimes opens
her mouth with wisdom and talks on
subjects outside the range of the short
comings of servants, the last bit of
scandal, or tho cost Of provisions. /
once heard il said by veiy intelligent
woman (herself married), that she did
not enjoy the society of married wo-
men because they we're always talking
about the price of things. Now, this
seems rather harsh criticism on those
wives ana mothers whose minds and
hearts are necessarily racked by the
question of prices, and who speak out
of the abundance Of their anxieties;
bat the fact remains that as stables of
conversation they are not pleasant or
profitable, and Ii sometimes happens
that a husband will turn from consid-
Grafton Of these topics TO converse with
some woman who has time and space
to think of other things-which. con-
sidering the fact that this mental linn
itation in his wife has been caused by
marrying hun. always looks unbecom-
ing in him. The old maid of today,
besides being q worker and r6s1er, is q
traveller. She takes little trips in the
summer, with other congenial spinsters,
to tho mountains or seashore. She
A0ukCo AAOtI 3kdkuC W SdAtiOIutn-SiIt
even goes abroad, governed only in her
poregrinations by circumstances Of the
length OF her purse--which purse, be it
long or short, is hers. Her days are
days OF pleasantness, and her nights are
nights OF peace. She goes to bed when
abe pleases, aud does not leave ono ear
uncovered TO listen for the uncertain
steps and wavorinR night key Of q late
coming husband. Neither does she
turn restlessly on her pillow beside n
sober. snoring spouse and wonder, won
der, whore the chiidren's school books
or the family hannels are TO como from;
but she drops into q quiet, peaceful
slumher to dream Of her old love. and
wakes TO wonder whether married life
with him could ever have become the
sordid. meager AFFAIR which Il is TO 30
many husbands and wives. So You say:
"A selfish life, lived only for her own
ease and comfort y ! do not believe
the charge OF selfishness can be proved
against the sisterhood; for they who
read history. or keep their eyes open,
cannot fail to see that a large share of
the hard and disagreeable work OF the
world has been and is being done by
Mngle women. In hospitals. in refor-
suosufy utstltuttOuSy IN the families OF
relatives, they spend and are spent,
physically, mentally and financially for
the good Of Others Aleneiy life Yes,
sometimes; bus lonliness is not the
worst evil IN life; IL Is bliss compared
TO uncongenial. half hearted compan-
ionshfp, and a silence broken only by
the creak of ones rocker IL melody be-
side fanlt-fincine and pickering. She
herself IL sometimes invited to change
her condition, for the masculine mind
tof certain order) reasons with great
perspicucity that q woman who can
take care Of herself might, with a little
extra exertion, take care Of two. So he
comes and asks her 10 exchange the
pan, fsrulc or yard-stick for the broom
and frying-pan Does she, in accor-
dance with the popular idea, say an
eager yes before the question IL fairly
on his lips Not at all. She looks al
him with a calmly reflective eye, and in
nine cases out OF ton says. mo. thank
700, and In the tenth CASE sometimes
wishes aftervasd that she had.