The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1884-09-27

Az Every-Uay heroine.
'sAnd so they fell by thousands-thoss
unnamed demigods." exclaimed Kos
suth In one of his impassionate orations
made in this country over thirty years
ago. He was speaking of the unselfish
patriotism of his countrymen as they
aid down their lives in battle. It was
the enthusiastic estimate Of man who
saw the extremity Of devotion In men
Who never had i thought that they
you'd be heralded or even known, but
who. with sublime self-sacrifice, did
their duty only.
There are unnamed heroes every
where. They need not be looked for
on battlefelds; they can easily be found
in obscure places, where few ewes see
or heralding them. More often they
are heroines. gentle women who meet
the battle-shock of life and bear it
bravely and with smiles, 49,
n. In country t'ace; refseyed from the
noise of the city, we have been observ-
ing one of those unnamed heroines.
The old house in which she has her
home has stood for more than eighty
years where it is. Once large family
filled it. 1t was the home of plenty,
and its mistress was a Lady Bountiful,
and its, master one whom. men praised
snd children chung to. But times have
changed and have dispeopled it, and
now many of its rooms are vacant.
Fathers and brothers have gone, the
one to heaven, the others to make
homes elsewhere on earth. Only the
daughter is left with, the widowed
Mother. There Is still the place, not
now prosperous as in the olden time :
it is gone much to decay-to be cared
for: the garden, the Cow, the home;
and some one must give the care.
1t would be easy for this girl. to de-
spend ard ID havs started back from
responsibility and the work; to have
said, 81 cannot do it; it is not a
woman's task" But so she has not
done. She has taken up the burden
and she bears is ehesrily from day
to day; She evidently does not think
It 4 burden: Het face is bright
and / hear her qtiiet singing as she
goes on her way round the house. She
directs everything, provides for every
thing, but with sunshine of good ma
ture. l hear no fretful word when an-
noyances press upon her-and that is
almost every day, I hear no whisper
OF complaint; nor the semblance of an
expression OF WEAKNESS or dissatisfac-
ton. She does not seem to think that
she is doing anything out Of the usual
line 6f things. She Is not old; she Il
young enough to enjoy the pleasant
things of life, and she does enjoy them.
She does not seem to feel cut off by
the multiplicity of her cares from COM
pany or amusements., Somehow she
e6nifiives TO mingle them in with the
foutine of her life, and to get more out
bf them than others without q 1.-THE OF
her occupations.
Now, there Is nothing extraordinars
in all this. There are all over the land
thousands of just such girls. They are
found in every city and hamlet, and
this, girl is id nd way superior to any one
of them. They have widowed mothers
to care for. little brothers and sisters to
look after, scanty income to make up
by skillful contrivances, they have o
hundred worries and heavy responsible.
tiles; but they go singing on their way,
bravely and -sweetly doing all that the
hours are demanding, all that the days
are bringing. No murmur escapes theft
lips and no murmur seems to to be in
their hearts. They are simply true
hearted women.
Yet they are heroines, more of hero
ines, when one comes to measure it all
than if on some battlefield they helped
the wounded, or by some river risked
life to save drowning child. Battle
fields are not found every day nor ever
every year. These great occasion:
come only once in a great while, and
to the most of people never. They car
never display courage or unselfish de
votion If these are the only fields fol
them. But the ordinary days, as they
come and 60, make opportunities fol
almost every one to display these high
qualities. Life is made up of small
moments and small things, but great
qualities can be shown in them. The
steady pressure of care, the everlasting
round of humdrum duties, the small
worries and frets of life, make them
In these few the most of us fail. W.
do not see just where the great oppor
tunities open. We do not see then
great, or our opportunities at all.
But what is more noble than to meet
them courageously and cheerfully, tc
take up their burden with song and {
smilep- The CHEEKY silence or the quie
song of this girl, the patience and thu
steady endeavor, that make up the his
tory Of every day, seem in this ligh
heroic.
Perhaps these lines may fall under
the eye of some one more than hal
weary with the cares that do not cease
to come with every day, with work ant
duty whose tread is perpetual round
till you are tempted to grow sad and tt
feel that life has but small meaning il
it. Do notyield to the thought There
is heroism in your daily bearing ant
doing, there is nobility in your life
when with smiles and ripping song'
you do the work that lies just in from
of you. There are unseen eyes tha
watch, angelic presences that help, anc
more than all-One whose tenderness:
wearies not, and who will by and by
say: "Well done!" 1t was said to ont
who had been faithful in a very lit
tie. "-Rev. VIM. Aikman, d. d., u
Christidn Union.