The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-01-21
IN WOMAN'S BEHALF.
THE TRUTH IN GRAMMAR JANE

THE TRUTH IN "HANNAH JANE"
Women Who Forget Accomplishments and
Grow Old Early.
That painful poem, "Hannah jane
10 full of disagreeable truth, but it is
truth, and that is the saddest part of it,
says writer in the Chicago Inter
Ocean. There are thousands Of Just
such faded, detected women who have
been left behind in the race, and are no
longer mated to the husband, who was
not the superior at the outset. The at
fractions of youth are transitory, and
there must be some compensation in
added character and experience, for the
faded bloom, the wrinkles and the loss
Of grace.
A woman's life is comparatively cir
cumscribed. The wife and mother must
spend much of her time at home. She
misses that refreshing contact with the
world, the exhilaration and stimulus
which are derived from the interchange
of opinions and ideas. Instead of re-
plenishing from these sources, she is
constantly giving out to the children
who appeal to her upon every occasion,
and who draw upon all her resources,
mentally, spiritually and physically.
Regard for the bodily well-being Of a
family-the clothing, the preparation
of three meals day for three hundred
and sixty-five days in the year, the nurs-
ing in sickness and the regard for
health-all these, faithfully attended
to, leave, apparently, little time for
reading or the cultivation of what used
to be called accomplishments. There
is little time for reading books or even
newspapers; there is no time to prac-
tice, excepting up the music that was
once cultivated as a promising talent
Cleverness with the pencil, faculty for
languages, or talent for writing, all
are sacrificed to the urgent demands Of
the growing family, and the sacrifice,
for it is sacrifice, is not always made
cheerfully. The woman who aspired to
be something on her own account is
haunted by regrets Of unused ability
and undeveloped powers, and this with
no differentiation of the sacredness of
the duty Of wife and mother, and in the
full knowledge that these duties were
voluntarily assumed.
In nine cases out of ten, however, the
married woman who becomes too much
absorbed in domesti, matters does so
unconsciously. She let's the sewing en-
croach upon the reading, and the sweep
ing and busting and setting in order
swallow up the hour that could be
daily spared for writing and practicing,
and no one is any the better for it. A
little palmer food, fewer and palmer
garments, will leave the household in
no way defrauded of its rightful dues,
and IL will be the gamer in other ways.
The mother who is we'll read, who can
direct the reading Of her family, who
has not forgotten her music or drawing
Is much more than the mere provider
for bodily needs. She is an intelligent,
helpful, interesting friend, of whom
her husband and her children never
tire. Women are beginning to discover
this for themselves, as the thousands of
clubs throughout the country, the ma
jority Of whose members are married,
give sufficient evidence.
1t is not easy to keep up, but it can
be done. There are hundreds Of wom-
en- who support their families with pen
and brush. and never appear hurried or
harrassed, and their housekeeping does
not suffer because Of their professional
work. A woman died recently in a
Western city who belonged to one of
the Oldest and most distinguished fam
lilies of Philadelphia. AS bride she
emigrated with her husband to what
was then a wilderness. She reared a
large family, sewed, cooked, did the
hard work of the farm with her own
hands, but she never deteriorated. Her
children were credit to her, and she
instructed them herself in music, in
French, and history and mathematics.
In the latter part of her life she was
permitted to return to the city-not heI
native city-but the one where she
found the opportunities which she had
sacrificed, and for which she had never
ceased to long. 1t was beautiful
sight to see her sitting at the piano
stately, silver haired and gracious
playing with all the enthusiasm of g
modern lover of Chopin or Beethoven
She was a person Of strong will, ant
had not relinquished single custom Oh
accomplishment, although for years
she lived with no society but that o.
her husband and her little children
She had retained all her refinement O.
manner and dress that characterize thu
gentlewomen wherever she may live
and what she did is possible for othe'
women. In this age, with books to b
had for the asking, with the opportun
tiles for travel, and study. it is to b.
hoped that poor Hannah Jane is an ex
tinct type.
Mr.. BLANKS WIFE.