Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-12-24
Minister'S Wives.

Some young "clericus," having writ
ten to Prof Gouge, asking chow to Sc
ect young lady to fill the responsible
position of minister's wife, he replies
thus in the Albany Ereni1ag Journal.
In ninety-nine and three-quarter
cases out of hundred asking about
what your wife will be is as futile as
studying an almanac to find out where
lightning will strike in Montgomery
County next August, or what kind of
| weather you will have the first week in
September. 1t is judicious and wise to
select the right kind of lady for
wife, and it would also be pleasant to
pick out the spot where we would have
wart if we had to have one; but alas,
the closest scrutiny and most mature
| Judgment will fail to locate the wart,
and in too many cases will fail to secure
| the woman. You say nothing about
love. You have made the mistake that
the settler in Nebraska makes when he
locates his buildings without consider
ing the cyclone. The cyclone revises
the first edition of the settlers plans,
and the second edition SO completely
covers the ground that the authors
cursory remarks are forgotten. You
speak Of selecting q wife as You wonld
select furniture. This would be judi
cious if it would work. But if love gets
a grip on you, your present cool .judg-
ment would boil coffee in three minutes,
and you would think red-headed girl
in blue sun-bonnet would ornament
village church more than new steeple
and n set of LIGHTNING rods.
You ought to have wife considera-
bly, older than yourself, say ten years
or so. A Roman nose would give her a
commanding appearance. Ii she had
curls-good, big, hard curls, that look
like two-inch augers with the points
broken off-they would keep the rabble
from being too free with her. She
should be accomplished. She should
be able to work thirty different kinds
Of tides. What is home without tidy !?
She should bring to the happy home
some of her art works. Any accom-
plished young woman has some paint
| ings, One neighbor had up in Wash
ington County had his parlor full of his
wife's paintings. Take one of those
landscapes and when string fetched
loose and the picture turned around
the lake would be sky and the birds
would be the ships, and the sky would
be the real estate, and the clouds would
answer for cattle feeding on the green
sward. Hang that creation of art in any
shape and it would still be Ineligible
and thing of beauty. Hang it up corner
wise and it would be plaque repre-
senting thunder storm in the Rocky
Mountains. He had portraits his wife
had painted. The hair and eyes and
mouth were all one color. The sooth-
ing effect Of those art works was very
apparent when he moved his old sick
mother into the best room to die She
was startled when she awoke. but after
looking at those pictures for day or
two change was apparent. She told
her son she was not only willing to die
she was eager. Thus did art triumph
over nature.
Such wife as am describing would
help you in your work. Sewing cir
cles, mite societies, and missionary
meetings would be conducted in such a
manner as to dispel all levity and in
Bpire respect. Such help would tighten
your labors, for one pastoral call with
her would last long time. Your car
pets and furniture would not be worn
out by visitors. Sunday school would
be as sacred and solemn as new GEM
etery with white picket fence around