The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-02-23
for a good approximat!ng the in

tration OF wifely ambition employed III the |
wrong direction, society and history are full |
of instances of wifely ambition gloriously |
triumphant in right directions. All that was
worth admiration in the character Of Henry
VI. was a 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. Justinian, the
Roman Emperor, confesses that his wise laws
were the suggestion of his wife Theolora.
Andrew jackson the warrior and president.
mad nfs mfghtiest re- enforcement in his plain
wife, whose inartistic attire was the amuse-
ment Of the elegant circles in which she was
invited; Washinston;@ Who who broke the I chain chain
for forty years 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.
Pliny's pen was driven through all its poetic
and historical dom,nions by his wife Calpur
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
eloquence and statesmanship from his wife.
The wife Of Grotiiis rescued him from
long IMPRISONMENT at Lovestein by means of
bookcase that went in and out, carrying
books to and fro, md he was transported,
hidden amid the folios; and the women of
besieged Weinsberg getting permission from
the victorious army to take with them so
much of their valuahles 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
literal way illustrated what thousands of
times has been done In flgurative way, that
wifely ambition has been the salvation Of
men.
De Tocqueville. whose writings will be po-
tential and quoted while the world lasts.
ascribes his success to his wife, and says: "Of
all the blessings which Col 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
poverty with her for all the riches Of Croesus
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,
discouraged me from running all hazards for
the salvation of my countrys liberties"
Thomas Carlyle spent the last twenty years
of his life in trying by his pen to atone
for .he fact that during his wifes
life he never appreciated her infiu-
ence on his career and destiny. Alas,
that having taken her from beautiful home
and brilliant career, he should have buried
her in the home Of a recluse and scolded her
in such language as only a dyspeptic genins
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
coachman found her dead. Then the liter
ary giant woke from his conjugal injustice
and wrote the lamentations of Craigen-Put.
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 sem
tence like that which Tom Hood wrote to his
living wife when he said: ~ never was any
thing till knew YOU
Oh, woman, what is your wifely ambition,
noble or ignoble9 Is it high social position'
That will then probably direct your husband,
and he will climb and scramble and slip and
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-
satisfactory contest in all the world, because
it is so uncertain about your getting it, and
SO insecure possession after you have OBJ
tained it; and 50 unsatisfactory even il you
keep it. The whisk of a ladys 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 wifes ambition the political prefer
ment of hcr husbandl 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 for
some Office attained, and he has been whirled
round and round and round and round among
the drinking, smoking, swearing crowd who
often get control of public affairs all that ID
left OF his self-respect or moral stamina
would find plenty of room on a geometrical
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
they would adhere to his garments when he
returned 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 thai
after he had made certain number OF hun
| dreds of thousands of dollars he would return
to the church and its services. Where il
that family to-day. Obliterated. Although
| succeeding in business for which he wa
qualified, he undertook a style of merchan
disc for which he had no qualification ant
soon went into bankruptcy. His new styl
of business put him into evil association. HI
lost his morals as we'll as his money. h
broke up not only his own home, but brok
up another mans home, and from being
kind, pure. generous, moral man as any o
you who sit here to-day, has become homo
less, penniless libertine. His wife's ambition
for more genteel business destroyed hin
and disgraced her and blighted their only
child.
But suppose now there be in our homes, a
thank God there are in hundreds Of home
here represented. on the wifely throne on
who says not on,y by her words but NOR.
powerfully by her actions: "My husband, oui
destinies are united; let us see where indus
try, honesty, common sense and faith IN Goc
will put us. / am with you in al your en-
terprises. Icannot be with you in person al
YOU 20 to your daily business but l will b.
with you in my prayers. Let us see what w
can achieve by having Col in our hearts, an.
God in our lives, and God in our homes. l.
on the side of everything good. Go ahea;
and do your best. and though everything
should turn out different from what W
have calculated, you may always count o,
two who are going to help you, and God
one and am the other That man may hav
feeble health, and may meet with man,
obstacles and business trials but he
coming gloriously through, for he is re
enforced, and inspired, and spurred on by
womans voice, as much as was Barak b,
Deborah, when Sisera, with 800 iron charots
came on to crush him and his army, an
Deborah shouted in the ear of Barak: "Up
for this is the day in which the Lord hat
delivered Sisera into thine hands And th
enemy fell back, and Sisera's chariot not get
ting along fast enough in the retreat, th
general jumped out and took it afoo5, and ra