The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-02-29

of instances OF wifely ambition glorious.
triumphant in right directions. All that was
worth admiration in the character of Henry
VI was reflection of the heroic in his wife
Margaret. William, Prince of Orange, was
restored to the right path by the grand
Qualities of his wife Mary. Justinlan. the
Roman EMPEROR, confeSses that his wise laws
were the suggestion of his wife Theoiora.
Andrew Jackson, the warrior and president,
had his mightiest reinforcement in his PLAIN
wife, whose inartistic attire was the amuse-
ment of the elegant circles in which she was
invited. Washington, who broke the chain
that held America in foreign vassalage. wore
for forty years a chain around his own neck.
that chain holding the miniature, likeness OF
her who had been his greatest Inspiration.
whether among the SHOWS at Valley Forge or
amid the honors of the presidential chair.
Plinys pen was driven through all its poetic
and historical dominions by his wife Calp,ur..
mia, who sang his stanzas to the sound OF
flute and sat among audiences enraptured
at her husbands genius, herself the most
enraptured. Pericles said he got all his
eloouence and craftsmanship from his wife
The wife of GrotiuS rescued him from
long Imprisonment at Lovestein by means OF
bookcase that went i'll and OUT carrying
books to and fro. and he was transported. !.
hidden amid the folios: and the women or
besieeed Weinsberg, getting permission from
fine Victorious army to take with them so
much Of their valuables as they could carry.
under cover of the promise shouldered and
took with them as the most important valua-
bles their husbands-both achievements in
a literal way illustrated what thousands OF
times has been done in a fgurative way, that
wifely ambition has been the salvation OF
men.
De Tocuueville whose writings will be po-
tental and quoted while the world lasts.
ascribes his success to his wife, and says: "Of
all the blessings which God has given to me,
the greatest of all in my eyes is to have
lighted on Maria Motley" Martin Luther
says of his wife: would not exchange my
without her." Isabella of Spain, by her SUI
perior faith in Columbus, put into the hand
of Ferdinand, her husband, America. John
Adams, president of the United States. said
of his wife: "She never, by word or look,
me from running all hazards for
the salvation of my country's liberties"
Thomas Carlyle spent the last twenty years
of his life in trying by, his per, to atone
for the fact that during his wifes
life he mover appreciated her infu-
ence on his career and destiny. Alas,
that having taken her from beautiful home
and q brilliant career, he should have buried
her in the home of recluse and scolded her
In such language as only dyspeptlc genlnS
could manage, until one day, while in her In
validsm riding in Hyde Park, her pet dog
got run over, and under the excitement the
ho.
ary giant woke from his conjugal injustice
and wrote the lamentations of CraigenPut-
took and Cheyne Row. The elegant and full
some epitaphs that husbands put upon their
wives tombstones are often an attempt to
make up for lack of appreciative words that
should have been uttered in the ears OF the
living. A whole Greenwood of monumental
inscriptions will not do wife so much good
after She has quit the world. as one plain SEN
tence like that which Tom Hood wrote to his
living wife when he said: II never was any
thing till knew you"
Oh. woman, what is your wifely ambition,
noble or ignoble2 Is it high social position!
That will then probably direct your husband,
and he will climb and scramble and slip and
fall and rise and tumble, and on what level
or in what depth or on what height he will
after while be found cannot even guess.
The contest for social position is the most un-
contest in all the world, because
it is so uncertain about your getting IL, ana
so insecure possession after you have OBJ
tanned it, and so unsatisfactory even II you
keep it, The whisk of lady's fan may blow
it out The growl Of one bear or the below
ing of one bull on Wall street may scatter it.
Is the wife's ambition the political prefer
ment of her husband! Then that will prob
ably direct him. What God forsaken
realm is American politics those best know
who have dabbled in them. After they have
assessed man who is a candidate for office
which he does not get, or assessed him 1or
some office attained, and.he has been whlrled
round and round and round and round among
tho drinking, smoking, swearing crowd who
often get control Of public affairs, all that IS
left OF his self-reSpect or moral stamina
would find plenty of room on a geometrlcal
point, which is said to have neither length,
breadth nor thickness. Many wife has not
been satisfied till her husband went into poll
tics, but would afterward have given all she
possessed to get him out.
knew highly moral man, useful in the
church and possessor Of bright home. he
had useful and prosperous business, but his
wife did not think it genteel enough. There
were odors about the business and sometimes
thew would adhere to his garments when he
at night. She insisted on his do
ing something more elegant, although he was
qualified for no business except that in which
he was engaged. To please her he changed
his business, and in order to get on faster
abandoned church attendance, saying that
after he had made certain number OF hum
dreds of thousands of dollars he would return
to the church and its services. Where is
that family to-dayl Obliterated. Although
in business for which ne was
qualified, he undertook q style Of merchan-
disc for which he had no qualification and
soon went into bankruptcy. His new style
of business put him into evil association. lie
lost his morals as we'll as his money. He
broke up not only his own home, but broke
up another mans home, and from being
kind, pure generous, moral man rs any OF
you who sit here to-day, has become home
less, penniless lbertine. His wife's ambition
for q more genteel business destroyed him
and disgraced her and blighted their only
child.
But suppose now there be in our homes, as
thank God there are in hundreds Of homes
here represented, on the wifely throne Ona
Who saws not only by her words Dut more
by her actions: "My husband, our
iestinies are united; let us see where indus.
;ry, honesty, common sense and faith IN God
will put us. I am with you IN all your en-
,erprises. Icannot be with you III person as
you 60 to your daily business, but Will De
with YOU in my prayers. Let US see what we
,an achieve by having God in our hearts, and
God in our lives, and God in our homes, be
on the side of everything good. Go ahead
and do your best, and though everything
should turn out different from what we
have calculated, you may always count on
two who are going to help you, and GOD IS
one and am the other" That man may have
feeble health, and may meet with many
obstacles and business trials, but he Is
coming gloriously through, for he is re-
enforced, and inspired, and spurred on by, a
woman's voice, as much as was Barak by
Deborah, when Sisera, with 800 iron chariots:
came on to crush him and his army, and