Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-03-12
RIPE MIDDLE AGE.
The Liberal Spirit of the Present Age
and One of It's Results.

The Liberal Spirit of the Present Age
and One of It's Results.
quarter of century ago married
woman of thirty was extinguished under
cap and remanded to the regions of
duIlness. Her growing daughters mo-
nopolized he thought and time. They
were first in every thing-their wishes.
tastes and inclinations were all in ALL
AT forty she had quite done with the
active interests of life. All that re-
manned to her was the supervision of
the domestic economy, the missionary
society, and the endless making of
patchwork. Her time was not some-
thing to be economical, too valuable to
De Wantonly wasted. 1t involved no
choice of duties, no substitution
OF the more important for those
less pressing, for she had none beyond
those which were classified under the
head OF natural responsibilities. The
existence of unmarried women was even
more circumscribed, for they had not
even natural responsibilities-hom
husband and children with which to oc-
cupy themselves 1t was this disregard
OF the experience and wisdom which
ought to come with years we'll lived that
won for US the plying contempt of Eu-
ropeans. The American spoiled child
was justly looked upon with horror as
dominating society and arrogating to it
self the place and distinction which in
Europe were reserved for it's elders.
we have learned at least one whole
some lesson from our neighbors on the
other side of the Atlantic, and the wom-
an OF maturer years-married or UNI
married-is slowly claiming and taking
her rightful place. 1t is astonishing
what things are being done by grand.
mothers-women past fifty, who have
raised their children and have them
settled in homes of their own" Once
they would have droned in the chimney
corner over their knitting or the patch
work above mentioned. Now they have
been inspired by the universal spirit of
enlightenment and must do their part in
the work of the world outside of home.
Nearly all the philanthropic work of
the present has been originated and
is controlled by mothers of grown
children, or by unmarried women
past forty. They constitute the
larger part of the membership of
art and literary clubs. of the societies
connected with the churches. They
hold conventions. influence legislation,
and keep sharp eye on those in au-
therity who need watching.
The writer visited friend several
years ago and saw upon her walls sew
eral studies in oil. remarkable for their
strength and originality. When the
hostess was questioned she said: ssThey
are my mothers work. She never knew
that she had any talent and meyer took
q lesson in drawing until she was past
fifty. Now she paints necessarily, and
it is a constant pleasure to her and to us
all" China painting has been taken up
las in life by women who served an ap-
premiership, not in the line OF art, but
in cooking, sewing and housekeeping.
In Western city the organist in one
IF the large churches is a gray-haired
woman between fifty and sixty. She is
an enthusiastic musician. and conld not
read q note until she was fifty years old.
Helen Hunt Jackson was forty pears