Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-03-26
,i
I LITERATURE AND LIFE.
A. j. N.
.s,

mrhe Benefactress" is just such a
wholesome and delightful story as one
would expect from Elizabeth. 1t Is
the story of an English girl VINO m
herits from an uncle, an old Germa n
estate beside the sea.
This girl Anna, full of good impulses
but lacking in Judgment conceiVes
the beautiful dream of making happy
other unfortunate women who like her-
self. have known all the bitterness of
dependence upon relatives. She ad-
yertises for ~ ladies of good breeding
and refinement to share her home ana
happiness. Also advertises for a wom-
an to come as paid housekeeper..
out of the tons of replies sent in.
she finally selects 8 ladies CD to start
with, At the end of days she de-
cides to take no more until she mas
learned to adapt herself to these three
At the end of 8 weeks, completely DIS
cOuraged she wants to throw UP thu
lob of trying to make others happy,
but her pride holds her to 1T, tho she
has resolved not to add to her misery
by increasing her unhappy family.
The only real lady-a princess in
Idisguise-is the woman who, declining
to come as a guest, holds the position
of paid housekeeper, and she becomes
Annals invaluable friend and helper.
The three jealous. spiteful, malicious
women who are living on Anna
bounty, unable to comprehend he noble
philanthropy, proceed to 1mpugn her
character and notices, and soon create
misery for the entire household by
their petty system Of spying, tattling
and backbiting.
Thus the story, rich in humorous
and satirical observations, proceeds
with the ineventful happenings of the
.Kleinwalde' household until the final
chapter which rises into tragedy
Axel neighboring squire, in the
course Of the story, begs Anna for the
love she is wasting on her chosen
ones" but, possibly because he is able
to take care of himself, he is turned
down.
In the closing chapter. he is falsely
accused Of crime, arrested and thrown
into Jail. where, deserted by all his
friends even his lawyer, he waits
hopelessly from day to day for his
release.
Annals dream ends suddenly with
this tragedy which wakes her up to
the stern realities of existence. She
is now keenly alive to all selfishness
stupidity, injustice, suffering and real
ills that make up the pathos and trag
edy of life. She sees her mission in
q new light, hastens to the rescue OF
Axel, and all ends well.
not have intended to moralize, but
incidentally she did a good bit of it,
and good preachment it is too.
In the first place, she shows 1T is
better to labor than to eat the bread
OF dependence. There is more char
acter and happiness to be got out OF
honest labor whether by prince or
peasant than from dependent idleness
with all the worlds wealth at your
command
Second: That no amount of philan-
thropy or good intention or favorable
opportunity and environment can
change the acquired habits of life
time, or effect any radical transform
alton in character and disposition
Happiness lies in the disposition. and
as Anna says, you can't make people
happy who don't want to be happy
Some people are SO constituted, they
would rather be miserable.
Third: You may lay it down as an
absolute rule that people who are will
ing to accept charity without giving
a fair equivalent. are wholly unworthy
of assistance.
Fourth: No woman with a mission
will counsel with her heart where her