The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1888-10-12

Spenres tragedies ana all VICTOR HuEOt
tragedies and all Alexander Smiths trag
edies, but never read tragedy more
thrilling than that case, and similar casei
by the hundreds and thousands in all ouI
large cities-young women without
money and without home and without
work in these great maelstroms of metro
politan life. When such a case comes
under your observation, how do you treat
it9 Get out Of my way; we have nc
room in our establishment for any more
hands. don't believe in women, any
way; they are lazy, idle, worthless set.
John, please show this person out of the
door," Or do you compliment her per-
sonal appearance and say things to hel
which II any man said to your sister OF
daughter you would kill him on the spot
That is one way, and it is tried every day
in these large cities, and many Of those
who advertise for female hands in fac
tories and for governesses in families
have proved themselves unfit to be in
any place outside of hell.
But there is another way, and saw 1t
the other day in the Methodist Book Con-
Germ in New York, where a young woman
applied for work and the gentleman in
tone and manner said in substance: "My
daughter, we employ women here, but
do not know of any vacant place in our
department. You had better inquire at
such and such place, and hope you
will be successful in getting something to
do" The embarrassed and Inundated
woman seemed to give way to Christian
confidence. She started out with.a hope
full look that think must have won for
her place in which to earn her
bread. I rather think that consider
ate and Christian gentleman saved a
woman. New York and Brooklyn
ground up last year about thirty thou
sand young women, and would like to
grind up about as many this year. Out
of all that long procession Of women who
march Oh with no hope for this world or
the next, battered and bruised and
scoffed at and flung off the preci-
pice, not one but might have been
saved for home and God and heaven.
But good men and good women are not
in that kind Of business. Alas, for that
poor thing! nothing but the thread of
that sewing girls needle held her, and
the thread broke. have heard men
tell in public discourse what man is,
but what is woman9 Until some one
shall give better definition I will tell
you what woman is. Direct from God,
a sacred and delicate gift, with affections
SO great that no measuring line short of
that of the infinite God can tell their
bound. Fashioned to refine and soothe
and lift and irradiate home and society
and the world. OF such value that no
one can appreciate it, unless his mother
lived long enough to let him understand
it, or who in some great crisis of life, when
all else failed him, had wife to REINFORCE
him with faith in God that nothing
could disturb. Speak out, ye cradles,
and tell of the feet that rocked you and
the anxious faces that lowered over you!
Speak out, ye nurseries Of all Christen-
dom, and We homes, whether desolate or
still in full bloom with the faces of wife,
mother and daughter, and help me to
define what woman is. If man during
all his life accomplish nothing else ex-
cept to win the love and confidence and
help and companionship of good wo-
man, he is garlanded victor and ought
to have the hands of all people between
here and the grave stretched out rb~1sim
in congratulation.
But as geographers tell us that the
depths of the sea correspond with the
heights of the mountains, have to tell
you that good womanhood is not higher
up than bad womanhood is deep down.
The grander the palace, the more awful
the confagration that destroys it. The
grander the steamer Oregon, the more
terrible her going down just off the coast.
Now should not wonder if you trembled
a little with a sense of responsibility
when I say that there is hardly person
in this house but may have an opportu-
nifty to save woman. It may in your
case be done by good advice, or by
financial help, or by trying to bring to
bear some one of thousand Christian
influences. You would not have to 60
far. If, for instance, you know among
your acquaintance young woman who
is apt to appear on the streets about the
hour when gentlemen return from bust
ness and you find her responding to the
smile of entire strangers, hogs that lift
their hat, go 20 her and plainly tell her
that nearly all the destroyed woman
hood of the world began the downward
path with that very kind Of behavior.
Or if, for instance, you find woman
in financial distress and breaking down
in health and spirits trying to support
her children, now that her husband is
dead or an invalid, doing that very i'm
portant and honorable work but which
is little appreciated, keeping boarding
house, where all the guests, according
as they pay small beard, or propose,
without paying any board at all, to de-
camp, are critical of everything and
hard to please, busy yourselves in trying
to get her more patrons and tell her
Of divine sympathy. Yea, if you see
a woman favored of fortune and with all
kindly surroundings finding in the hol-
low batteries of the world her chief re-
galement, living for herself and for time
as If there were no eternity, strive to
bring her into the kingdom of God, as
did the other day Sabbath school
teacher who was the means Of the con-
version of the daughter of q man Of Inn
mense wealth, and the daughter resolved
to join the church, and she went home
and said: Father, am going to join