The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-06-17


u man above the rank OF knight and below
that OF duke The title also belongs to the
daughters OF nob,cmen not below the rank
OF earl and is given by courtesy to the
wives OF knights.
Let that pass for -ngland but what o.
!adyshp IN America, where no such sharp
divisional lines ars drawn by the pencil oi
authority? Here, thank God, we have .
much worthier dcilnltion OF the word ana
more satisfactory Interpretation OF tho
thing. Ladyshp, under Il democracy
means and can mean only one thing,
womanhood at its best. No. all woman.
hood IS womanhood at its best any moro
than all manhood Is ma. ood at its best
goud that it were. And what are the
characteristics of WomauhOod at it, besty
What are the TOKENS by which it i au.
thenticated? We cannot greatly differ IN
opinion upon this point Surely OF these
characteristics dignity is one, gent,eness is
another, tortitude is a third and sym.
pathy completes the cluster. 1t were un.
reasonable, OF course, to expect the full.
ness OF cach one OF these four traits in
any single personality, 10 matter how rich
ly endowed by inheritance or carefully
matured by training. And yet II IS beyond
question that some tincturc OF each ono
must be found present III n woman before,
under democratic conditions her claim to
ladyshp can be accounted valid.
Dignity-there are 4 thousand imita
llNNH NI IT, tDulltIAtll5 LEN Onl hummer,
but how wholly admirable is the genuine
article, what AN excellent thing in WON.
an Not by aping dignity do we become
dignihed. Aootness is not dignity, hau.
teur Is not dignity, stiffness is not dignity.
a pompous manner and a hrocaded style
OF speech-thesc are not dignity. True dig.
nifty is not OF ice, it is OF flame. A certain
delicate and fiery nimbus which circles the
sanctuary OF personality to safeguard it
from Intrusion and encroachmcnt. Their
dignity, eXclalms an Old Hebrew pro.
phct, giving us the whole thing in a nu.
shell, their dignity shall proceed of them.
selves" Dignity is reconclablc with az
forms OF occupation. even the most lncn.
tai 1t consorts with many qualities. al
though with vanity 1t is reluctant to walk,
and with immodesty it will have nothing
to do. lmmodesty is the sin against pro
portion, ITS very name 50 siguifying, and
rs the philosophic emperor remarks in his
meditations, There is a proper dignity
and proportion to be observed in the per.
iormance OF every act of life Hence to
DO anything out OF measure and in excess
is undignihed.
Then as 70 gentleness our second attri.
butte OF womanhood ut its best. what shall
we say of gentlencssy Can We say any.
thing better or truer than that it is the
child, the direct offspring OF dignity. The
truly dlgnliied can scarcely be thought OF
as the .ungentie, for here again tina. ques
ton or proportion comes in, and rough
ways and bolsterous talk stand self-con.
demned. Few things indeed can we so i'll
afford to spare out of the daily intercourse
OF life as woman's gentlcncss. And this is
on.Y the more true the noi,er the world
becomes. With life punctuateG for us by
the shrleks OF steam whistles, the rattle
OF the charlots OF iron and the strokes OF
al manner OF gongs, how restful, how
heaithul, how reinvigorating are the nc
cents OF gentleness! All. my dear young
trends, whatever else you forget to be
remember to be gentle. An anxious feai
IN the hearts of many thoughtful people, q
fear which personally ] do not share, but
OF which 1t is just as well to take note, IL
that out OF all this contemporary struggle
OF woman for a complete independence.
this duplication OH her part of as much OF
mans work as is imitab.e, there may come
eventually an impairment of the world's
total stock OF gentleness. Let us be misers
here. The tide of this sweet grace is never
at the food. There is no peril of any over
flow. We need to treasure every drop
there is.
As to fortitudc, I chose the word with
care, wishing to mark off from courage in
general that special form of thi, virtue
which has found frequent and splendid il.
lustration in the annals of womanhood
Courage Of the sort which qualities one ito
drink delight of battle" to head stormine
parties and to volunteer on for,orn hopes
Is not expected of women, and for that
matter, is not so common among men as
men would like to have it thought but of
that other and more praseworthy fearless.
ness, which, without the excitement of con.
tlict, Is able patiently to suffer, persistent.
!y to endure, in this Christlike virtue, it il
posslble-it has ten thousand times been
shown to be possible that women shorld
excel. With the aroma of this virtue
wholly absent no woman's character even
so much as approNlmates perfection.
But 1t Is not enough to be able uncom
palnlng.y to suffer-have we learned 10
suffer with? That is what sympathy means
suffering with remember that sympa
thy won the last OF the four blossoms We
set out to twine into our wreath. 1t does
not matter how well bred a woman may
be IN other respects, 1t does not matter
how varied her accomplishments. intellect.
ual or artistic, if tender heartedness, the
power to enter quickly and deeply into the
feeling OF others, II this be wholly absent,
It is Idle to talk about Charm" it simply
Is not there. 1t is this insistence upon
sympathy, as a necessary ingredient OF
true womanhood that renders the Chris.
tan type so infinitely superior to the old
classic type whether or maid or matron.
That woman can look on composedly at
a bull fight is the opprobrium of Spanish
civilization, but there was n time when
not in one corner OF the Mediterranean
exclusively, hut all over the Latin world
women called ladies could both tolerate
and even fercely delight in the shedding
OF innocent blood.
What has changed all this? Only one
answer to that question IS possible Jesus
Christ has changed all this. To Him we
owe 1t that to-day not only dignity and
fortitude (stoic virtues as well MS Chris.
tlan) not only dignity and fortitude, but
also gentieness and sympathy are recog.
nized as necessary features OF all true
ladyship.
But who is sufficient for these things?
With the standard set so high, the tests
made so severe, who shall passg
All, my young friends, how glad I am
that this is Whtsunday, the feast day of
the Holy Ghost, for Whitsunday points us
to the secret OF power, and hands over to
rs the talisman of success. 1t is by the
strength OF God that womanhood struggles
upward to its perfection. The ages of
chivalry gave to the Virgin Mary the title
OF our lady" Judged by some standards
OF ladyship nothing could seem more in
appropriate, but judged by the true stand
ard nothing could be more lust.
And Mary said Behold the handmade
OF the Lord be it unto me according TO
Thy word Catch that spirit, and it shall
be granted unto each one of you, young
women. to become "a lady forever" yes,
forever and ever.
PIGS MADE TO WORK.