The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1888-02-16

realm as that. IIark to the rustic Of her
robes, See the blaze of her jewels. And
yet, my friends. it is not necessary TO
have palace and regal robe in order to be
quecnly. When / see woman with
stout faith in God, putting her foot upon
ali meanness, and seifshness aud goddess
display, going right forward to serve
Christ and the race by grand and
glorious service, | say: THAT wo-
man is q queen" and the ranks OF
heaven look over the battlements upon
the coronation; and whether she come up
from the shanty on the commons or the
mansion of the fashionable square, l
greet her with the shout "All hail!
Queen Nashti." What glory was there
on the brow of Mary of Scotland. or
Elizabeth of England, or Margaret of
France. or Catherine of Russia, compared
with the worth of some Of our Christian
mothers. many of them gone into glory?
or OF that woman mentioned in the
Scriptures, who put her all into the I-ord's s
treasury?-or of Jephthah's daughter,
who made a demonstration of unsclEsh
patriotisn:-Or Of Abigail, who rescued
the herds and focks of her lusband2-or
of Ruth, who toilel under 4 tropical sun
for poor, old, helpless Naomi?-cr of
Mrs. Adomrain Judson, who kindled the
lights of salvation amid the darkness of
of Burmah?-or of Mrs. Hema1ls,
who poured out her holy soul in
words which will for ever be
associated with hunters horn, and cap
tive's chain, and bridal hour, and lute's
throb. and curfew's knell at the dying
.,I t,,,, l1 .f
women, unknown on earth. who have
given water to the thirsty, and bread to
the hungry, and medicine to the sick,
and smiles to the discouraged-thei
footsteps heard along dark lane, and in
government hospital. and in almshouse
corridor, and by prison gate? There
may be no royal rObc-there may be no
palatial surroundings. She does not
need them; for all charitable mon viii
unite with the cracking lips of fever
struck hospital and plague blotched laz-
arctic in greeting her as she passes:
''IIail! hail. Queen Vashti.'
Among the queens whom I honor ere
the female day school teachers of this
land. | Put upon their brow the coronet.
They are the sisters and the daughters of
our towns and cities. selected out OF -
vast number of applicants. because Of
their especial intellectual and moral en-
dowmcnts. There are in Ecne of your
homes women more worthy. These per
sons, some of them, come out from affiu-
ent homes, choosing teaching as Il useful
profession; others. finding that father is
older than he used to be. and that his
cyesight and strength are not as good as
once, go TO teaching to tighten his lead.
But tell YOU the history of the majority
of the female teachers III the pubic
schools when | say: '.Fathcr is dead.
After the estate was settled the family,
that were comfortable before, arc thrown
on their own rcsr urccs.
1t is hard for men TO earn a living i'll
this day, Int it is harder for women
their health not so rugged, their arms
not SO strong, their opportunities fewer.
These persons, after trembingly going
through the ordeal OF an examination as
to their qualifications to teach, half he
wildcred step over the sill of the pubic
school to do two things-in5trllct the
young and earn their own bread. Her
work is wearing to the last degree. The
management of forty or fifty iidgety and
intractablc children, the suppression of
their vices and the development of their
! cxcellcncics, the management of
/ rewards and punislnnents, the send
! ing of so many bars Of soap and fine
| tooth combs on benignant ministry, the
breaking Of so many wild colts for the
harness of life. sends her home at night
weak, ncuralgic. uns:trung; so that Of all
! the weary people i'll your cities for i've
, nights of the week there are none more
weary than the public school teachers.
, Now, for Gods sake, give them a fair
chance. Throw 10 obstacles i'll the way.
If they come out ahead i'll the race.
cheer them. If you want 10 smite any,
smite the male teachers: they can take
up the Cltlgels for themselves. But keep
YOUR hands off of defcnselcss women.
Father may be dead. but there are
enough brothers left to demand and see
that they get justice.
Within a stones throw Of this building
there died years ago one of the principals
OF our public schools. She had been
twenty-five Years at that post. She had
left the touch of refinement on a multi
slender purse, given literally thousands
under her observation as q school teacher
\ deceased sister children were thrown
upon her hands, and she took caro- OF
them. She was kind mother to them.
while she mothcred a whole school.
Worn out with nursing in the sick and
dying room of one of the household. she
herself came TO die. She closed the
school book and at the same time tlIt
volume of her Christian fidelity; ant
when she went through the gates they
CrIc;!: These are they who came cut o
great trihu!ation. and had their robes
washed and made white in the blood o.
the lamb
Queens are all such, and whether The
world acknowledges them or not, heaveI
acknowledges them. When Scarron
tie wit and ccClesiastic, as poor as Il,
was brilliant. was about TO marry Nine
de Maintenon. he was asked by the notar,
what he proposed 10 settle upon MAIDEN
oiselle. The reply was: Immortality
The names Of the wives of kings iii,
with them: the name of the wife of Scar
ron will live always" In 4 higher ant
better sense. upon all women who IL
their duty, God Will settle Immortality
Not the Immortality Of earthly fame
which IS mortal, but the immor
tality celestial. And they shall reigl
forever and ever. Oh, the cpportu
nifty which every woman has of bein: