Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-05-16
.ABACHELOR'S MUSE.


A. Esti.sss ssws.s. rAss Appssn L.
disrsss " tAs sssAsss - cAassiag Co.
sitis.s-A rev csitisisas - 1sAisA-
srs Ter tAs si.sis lGaa.
However httls may b the Logo dc.
played By thoss who argue against equal
rights, it n certain that there n no lack
Of sentimsntality On thsir dds. In "A
Bachelors Rsverie" the bachelor h
ments the fact that woman's work now
n Whatever shs chooses TO select and
sighs for the old fashioned woman who
had no ambitions. Judging from an
other part Of tho revere tho old time
woman had ambitions, but they were
scrictly Of the domestic order.
Her first ambition was TO b wife.
second mother, third . mother again.
fourth again o mother. hfth once more .
mother, sixth o mother, seventh moth
er, eighth q mother once moro, ninth .
maternal parent. tenth . parent on the
mothers side, eleventh. twelfth and
thirteenth ditto, ditto, ditto. These
numerous but rather monotonous am
bitions were cherished. IL II to Be sup
posed, In memory Of the Emperor Ne
poleon, who once informed Mime. do
Stael that 'the finest woman In the one
who gives the most children to her coun-
try"
This estimate Of women, which may
DO called the Dorking hen estimate, 70
iudicrous because 1t Ii the limitation OF
n limitation. II Il safe to assert that
the emperor's famous saying Is In great.
er favor with bachelors Of dreamy tend
encies than with parents Of practical
minds. The most enthusiastic mother
builds mp her hopes on the quality, not
the number Of her offspring, and the
best mothers train their girls for moth.
erhood no more carefully than they train
their boys for fatherhood.
"Life approaches its sere and barren
stage" continues the dreamer, "when
man Il forced to meet loneliness In the
guise Of competitor" II does seem I'M
fortunate that loveliness should occa-
sionally have to compete, but II her hus-
band does not support her or II she has
no husband she must choose between be-
ing q competitor with man or finan-
cial dependent on him. Sere and bar
rem a. II may 30 for man to meet lowell.
ness In the guise Of a competitor, 1t u
even more sere to be forced to meet the
same loneliness In the guise Of half
dozen ablebodied feminine dependents.
THE young girl" muses. the bachelor.
with mind divided between Office and
love could never be the embalmed es-
sence Of all that Is adorable, the inspi.
ration to all that In worth living for"
That depends entirely on the girl. II V
a foregone conclusion that her iiind will
not be divided very long.
II she decides ON the Office, she may be
come the embalmed essence Of all that
IL clear headed and true hearted, the In
spiration to all high thinking and right
doing. II she prefers the other alterna-
tive, the fact that she once aspired to
Office will broaden her interest In affairs.
rescue her from the narrow mindedness
which IL too often the accompaniment
Of a monotonous domestic routine and
keep her thoughts securely above tatting
and tattle.
We have no grudge against the en-
balmed essence Of all that Is adorable.
Accompanied by q large mental grasp,
an accurate knowledge Of what is being
thought and done by the worlds best
thinkers and workers and livelier In
terest In the universe than In one small
person inside OF II. the embalmed essence
would 10 rather taking. Otherwise 1t
amounts to no more than 81 much blanc
mango.
Just before rousing from his reyerie
the bachelor points out that several wo-
men In the worlds history have endeav.
ured to meddle In Its affairs and always
with deplorable results. It would be
easy to give larger list Of women who
had been political benefactors, but such
an argument Is no more worthy OF con-
sideration than the argument that be-
cause there are hypocrites In the church
therefore the church Is rotten, or that
because there are quacks physicians
should not he trusted, or that because
there Is bad money In circulation one
should empty ones pocketbook into the
fire.
But we are taking the reverie too Be-
riously. Dreams, however fantastic, are
always laughed at when the sleeper
awakes and by no one so heartily as by
thedrealner hiinself.-Wives and Daugh.
trrs.