The Opelousas courier., 1895-08-03
TrMe WomanhooA.
Graduating Essay Of ST. Lam
dry High Schools First
Girl Graduate.

dew and rain-drops help to swell
the broad expanse of the ocean
and to leave a channel in the soil
the tiny twigs and ferns leave
their epitaph in the coal; the sun
sinks in the west in all his splen-
dor, but leaves behind him light
enough to aid many a weary pill
grim. Thus it is with all noble
women; in their path through life
they leave influences which are
daily, nay hourly, felt, and which
will continue to be felt so long as
their like exists.
A truly %virtuOus woman has a
power in her moral influence
which, when properly developed,
fully equals the imperial sover-
eighty of yore. But she must be
cultivated, for it is to such, prin-
cipally, that is due the sceptle of
authority which she then natu-
rally yields over the opposite and
stronger sex.
In her presence, refinement, in
tellect and moral powers reign
supreme; while vice, cruelty and
low morals flee from her. 1t has
been truly said that grace and the
feelings of reverence and love
which men bear a virtuous and
beautiful woman have been the
origin of paternal love and of all
the other sweet and tender feel
ings of which man is capable.
20 with such Il woman baelxto
the scenes of her girlhood days.
As a sister she has great influence
over her brothers. Some one has
said that a young man in future
society will be what his sisters
and girl friends choose. to make
HIM. Various are the ways by
which they can infuse in him a
high respect for woman res
pect which will make man a wor-
thy companion of woman, and
thus prevent him from mingling
in low society.
Furthermore, her influence is
the security of society. The work
she then accomplishes will last
forever; the impressions which
she makes in her home and among
her associates are as enduring as
adamant.
The vicissitudes of fortune may
drag man down from his point Of
eminence to the abyss of ruin, for
his life hangs on the thread Of
public opinion; but the form of a
true woman reigns supreme in the
hearts Of her associates forever.
Man may make laws and con-
troll congresses and parliaments;
but it has been well said that "the
hand that rocks the cradle rules
the world"
Is it not woman who moulds
the mind in the nursery? Is she
not the author of the grandest
achievements? The grandest ex-
amples of manhood of our coun-
try have had noble, self-sacrificing
mothers who produced and nur-
tured in them their many noble
qualities.
One of the first presidents of
our glorious country has confess
ed that his attainments, and his
position as magistrate of this ma
ton, were due to the influence of
a much honored mother.
"Grandma Garfield" the mo-
Their Of President Garfield, was a
beloved figure in the campaign of
her son; and when he was inau-
gurated, his first act after taking
the oath of office was to turn and
kiss the withered but happy face
of her who had watched over him
in his cradle.
Go back to the last century of
the Roman Republic, read of the
struggles of two noble youths, the
trace back their efforts
and achievements, and you will ,
find that they are due to the in
fiuence of a mother who was con-
sidered the modest Of Roman ma +.
Many, indeed, are the ex-
.mples that could be cited to tell
of the influence of such women. !.
In her home woman is an angel
Of goodness, breathing the sweet
influences of her virtues into the I.
hearts of her loved ones; these in ,
after years have restrained many /,
Q hayward child, and rekindled !,
hope in the hours of depression. {
Her kind words and plea,ling {
entreaties have softened the most j
callous of hearts and snatched \
many from the abyss of destruc-
Every one knows how the
mother of C~oriolanus, the traitor, /
pleaded FOR the safety Of Rome; s
and the answer Of Coriolanus t
Mother, thou hast saved Rome, t
put lost thy son. shows us clear +
what an influence a noble wo- t
nan can exert over the most hard g
sned of men. n
There is one thought that never Y
.ades from ones memory, and +
hat is the thought Of a mother.
Many years may pass, many per-
ond fhsnnc ynnr ~ G.~s- Z