The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-03-01
ooNosRn,Mo OLD MAIDS.


Wondsrful Changes wrought Within the
Past Finy Years.
The old maid has become an honor
able Institution. Not that celibacy Is
particularly honorable, for the day
will never come when that will rank
above marriage, above the family OF
husband and wife and son aud daugh-
ter The time was when an old maid
was blightcd being. There was then
but slight disproportion between the
sexes in number. and the population
being sparse. every unmarried woman
was conspicuous among 30 few peo-
pie, and especially among 30 few OF
her kind. She then had no excuse for
her state Of singlcness. or. at least,
none that tho public recognized.
There was man to every woman,
and II she did not marry the infer
ence was drawn that no man would
'have'' her. The opinion Of the day
was that a woman was in haste to
marry and not at all particular about
the man sho accepted, so that the nc
ceptance was regarded as virtually by
the man instead of BY the woman.
Hence the old maid was reproached
with being unattraciive, with havinga
sour temper with being SO repulsive
that no maa would live with her.
But old maidhood is not now. prima
facie. reproach. In the E ast, there
arc not enough men to go round-they
have gone to subdue the West, to
search for filthy lucre, OF to chase the
bubble. reputation, IN n new country.
The average age at which marriage
takes place is becoming later in life.
and the size of the average family Is
falling away, SO that it now ha, two
members less than 1t did fifty years
ago. Women were entirely dependent
then. but now they have 'become the
pcssessors of probably fifth to a
third of the wealth Of the community
in which they live, SO that such Of
them as are unmarried now have
among them smaller proportion Of
dependents than ever before.
Then again women know more than
they used to, along with the rest of the
race; they have finer and more cul-
tivated feelings, they are more dis
eliminating. and have more of a choice
about home and the man that shall
dwell in it. They appreciate higher
state Of happiness than their great
grandmothers did, and marriage must
offer higher state of qualification
than it once did, before they will en-
brace it.
The old maid now has no excuse for
her existence and is quite commonly
lovable person and an intelligent
one. Who has not often seen hand
some old maidp To be sure, she may
have had the wrinkles which some
persons can not appreciate as an ele.
ment of beauty, but she may never
theless be beautiful. The beauty Of
the mind is the sublimest of all human
beauty, and an old maid who has
lived a life of goodness. of self sacri.
flee, of charitable disposition toward
others and of intellectual cultivation,
will have a countenance and intona.
ton of voice and manner that will
bear tho imprint of that life.
The day has gone by when an old
maid is to be spoken of disrespectfully
or slightingly, or when she is to be
looked upon as one disappointed in
life. and a misan.hrope. Old maids
are more likely of the salt of the earth,
endeared to many friends, happy ir
helping others and radiating upor
those around them cheerful genial
ity.--Good HouseEeeDia0.