Birmingham state herald., 1895-12-22

for some trifie for dear ones, and more than trifie for "her, whose smile makes all the year gladsome Christmas time. There are the perplexed faces of devoted mothers, who. with scanty purses, find 1t difficult task to make each child as happy as their true hearts desire.
 And so the madding crowd passes be- fore you in a ceaseless stream-some hap py. some merry, some worn and weary, but all actuated by the beautiful sentt- ment of this Christmas season.
 
 Amid all this hustle and confusion amid the din and turmoil of crackers, horns, rockets-there still sit upon the bleak street corners the blind, the lame. the halt and beg their aims in pathetic silence. The spirit of this Christmas time will be lost to us if, in the fitness of our own happiness, we forget Gods creat- ures, to whom all days are alike-all dark and murky with poverty's somber clouds.
 Families are gathering together from the many corners of the world; firesides win grow bright with almost unbroken family circles, and the blaze of the Yule log will Illuminate the faces of those who are near and dear to us.
 In the shadows of our rooms in the tender gloaming, there may be lingering the form of some dear one, who, even amid the joys of heaven, longed for a glimpse of those who are bound to them by ties that death cannot sever. Per haps if you put out your hand you may touch them, so close they are in their love and yearning. Amid the joy of this time will come memories that fill our eyes with blindng tears, but this same Christ child, with gentle touch, shall wipe them all away. As deep as the love Mary bears for her divine Son is the love of our Fa- ther, who does not willingly afflict and grieve the children of men. Our family circles are not eternally shattered be- cause some we love keep this Christmas feast beyond the stars. There they await our coming in joy and peace.
 There is a remarkable woman visiting the south just now, Mrs. Ella Knowles Haskell of Montana. There isnothing un- usual implied in her name, there is less in her personality. She is woman per haps a little more than medium height, neither stout nor thin, with an intelli- gent face, fair hair, blue eyes and soft, girlish complexion, though she is prob ably 35 years of age. There is nothing in her appearance to attract a second look at her if you saw her in crowd unless you had heard something of her history. There is certainly nothing to suggest the presence of genius and sue cess, and yet she can lay claim to both, for this thoroughly feminine woman is none other than the assistant attorney-gen- eral of Montana and the wife or the at | torney- general or that state. one IS a | self-made woman in the best interpreta- | tion of the phrase, and the success that | has come to her has been the result of well directed energy and well regulated
 mental effort. She entered college and embraced all the advantages of an ad-
 vanced cirriculum in opposition to her fathers desires, and in consequence was
 forced to earn, during vacations, the amount necessary to defray her col legiate expenses. The opposition of her father was due to his primitive ideas regarding woman's ability and woman's opportunities. After graduating she went west>to live-she is a native of New England-and began the practice of law She steadily advanced and was soon of fered, greatly to her surprise, the posi- ton of attorney-general on one of the political tickets. After deliberation she decided to accept the nomination and made a vigorous campaign, her opponent being the same Mr. Haskell, whom she subsequently, married. The political race was an exciting one, and so close was it that many days were necessary to de- eide the election. After the count it was discovered that MT. Haskell had won by a few votes. When he entered upon his official duties he offered Miss Knowles the position of assistant, which she ac- cepted Not long afterwards he offered