Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1884-11-07

WOMAN'S POWER.

From his cradle to his grave, man re-
lies, for his happiness upon the love of
woman, says Southern writer. His
light, his joy, his life, depends blind
ly and trustingly upon the dear mother
love that nurses his infant years, tends
his childhood, trains his youth, and re-
jolces in his manhood. Infinitely holy,
utterly self-sacrifcing, pure, noble, beau
tiful is the ''matenal instinct and
knowing the heights of it, proving its
strength, seeing its abnegation of self
men call il divinc-and to realize the
love of God unto all humanity Yet
even from this fount of exquisite tender
nes6 they turn their steps to love more
alluring, more enhancing, more absorb
ing; they leave all and cling to their
wives, possessing in them everything.
Wonderful and peculiar is the great
mingling of human hearts, of organisms
irresistibly attracted, of souls that feel
with and for each other, of two brains
forming one mind, of two lives and loves
from which spring other lives and yet
another love parental affection.
This is true marriage, and in this
state woman is most lovely. Standing
on an equality with her husband, she is
adviser and nssistant-the sharer of his
happiness and his troubles, his hcpmate,
his comfort, his joy.
That there are marriages far different
from this is true, most unhappily but
even here woman shows her power-for
evil II she chooses to curse, or groan, if
she desires to bless and ennoble the life
thus brought beneath her personal in
fuence. A great poet says that
AS the husband is the wife Is thou art
mated with a clown,
And the grossness Of his nature will have
weight to drag thee down
This is entirely fallacious. IL will al
ways be the strongest that leads, whether
their strength be of an intellectual or
moral force and woman of mind, of re-
fnement, of honorable nature, of ideality
could not fail to modify and correct the
materiallty that may exist in her hus-
bands thoughts, feelings or action, us
his very coarseness would serve to lessen
his power. A wifo need not sink to the
level of the clown" to whom she is
mated" She can raise him, perhaps
slowly, but still surely to her own
standard. Let her first touch his heart 49,
through pity, through shame, Or even
through his mere passions, but once
possess power over that and it will not
be difficult to influence the brain. II
the soil can be made to respond to beau.
tiful and refining agencies, the battle is
won. 1t may take n lifetime, but II
woman can afford TO spend even life
time in such ennobling endeavors.
A man finds his warmcst, his most
tender, his most unsclfsh friend in
woman Possessing no interests that
clash with his, she believes in him
thoroughly aud hopefully, and her great
faith in his powers encourages him TO be
up to her standard Of belief She makes
him feel that she truly likes him. Her
affection is frank and free, and he ap.
preciates her sympathetic interest, her
cheerful looks, her many little womanly
ways that makes all her surroundings in
harmony with herself II weary, her
sensible, quiet talk rests him il dis
couraged, she finds thousand ways TO
cheer him; if too clate, her sound, com
mon sense gives him the needed balance.
The lamp Of friendship burns clear and
bright between man and woman-lit by
an emotion springing from the bes. i'm
pulses Of human nature.