The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-06-18

been steadily increasing iGr the past lNVl-
~ yeaSS, and this increase, l funk am
| safe in saying. has been II fixed ratio to
! our progress as i peo?.e IN cultivation aud
refinement. ] vSu.Ir8 - account tins IN
| unfortunate stat OF Things, since a!ddN
Is Il wo:d which the Language cannu. lose
without sore mpoveIi>fmeGt :EI one lor
which the vocabulary q cveE! day mel
| course has no ~Synonyg,>.
LADY," be it observed, is I ate, no. a
| generic word, necessarily co"r:InS al the
| members OF one sex; amd rs Il TIE 1t be-
longs only to those who nave Il RIGHT TO
claim 1t. Now, wlo aye they VINO, IN
| point OF fact, have = right 10 CAIN It: In
| monarchial couElrleS there Is no dIftlctIty
in finding an answer ~ this question. In
England. for example. the Hera!as Vi
fce, to which such matters are Entrusted.
can and Viii give You i definition IN lack
and white, c.ear-cut lid unmlstakab.e. \
lady" bv kng.Ish Jaw. may be the VIE OF
4 man above the rank OF knight and be ow
| that vi duke. The title also belongs to the
daughters OF noo.emen not be.ow the rank
OF earl and is given by courtesy to the
wives OF knights. -
Let that pass Tor England. but what OF
iadyShip in America, where no such snarp
divisional lines arc drawn by the pencil or
authority? Here, thank God, we have d
much worth!"r definition OF the word and
more satisfactory Interpretation OF the
| thing. Ladvship, under 4 democracy,
means and can mean only one thing,
womanhood at its best. Not all woman
hood IS womanhood at lis best any more
| than all manhood Is ma. God at It's best
| would that it were. And what are the
characteristics OF w~omaGhood at its best!
What are the tokens by which 1t IS al
thenticated? We canno greatly diner IN
opinion upon this point. Surely or these
characteristics dignity Is one. Sentieness Is
another, fortItude Is A third and sym
| pathy completes the Cluster. Il were UNI
reasonable, OF course, 10 expect the iu,l-
ness OF each one OF these tour traits IN
any single personality, no matter how rich
~ endowed by inheritance or carefully
matured by training. And yet 1t Is beyond
question that some tincture OF each one
must be found present in a woman before,
under democratic conditions, her claim to
ladyship can be accounted valid.
Dignity-there are a thousand imlta-
tions of it, counterfeits beyond number,
but how wholly admirable is the genuine
article. what AN excellent thing in wom-
an" Not by aping dignity do we become
dignifed. Aioofness is not dignity, hau-
teur is not dignity, stiffness is not dignity.
a pompous manner and a brocaded sty.e
of speech-these are not dignity. True dig
nltl Is not OI ICE, IL ls OI ildInt. y Sciidiu
delicate and fiery nimbus which circles the
sanctuary of personality to safeguard it
from intrusion and encroachment. Their
dignity" exclaims an old Hebrew pro-
phet, giving us the whole thing in a nut
shell, their dignity shall proceed of them
selves" Dignity is reconcilab!e with all
forms OF occupation. even the most men
tai. 1t coHsorts 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 so slSnliylng, and
as the phi!osophic empero: remarks in his
meditations. There is a proper dignity
and proportion to be observed in the per-
Torrance of every act OF life Hence to
do anything out OF measure and in excess
Is undignified.
Then as to gentieEess. our second attri.
butte OF womanhood at its best. what shall
w say or gent.enesS? Can we say any.
thing better or truer than that 1t Is the
child. the direct offspring OF dignity. The
truly dignified can scarcely be thought OF
a. the ungentie. for here again tina: ques-
ton of proportion comes in, and rough
ways and boisterous talk stand se.f-con-
| demned. Few things indeed can we so i'll
| afford to spare out Of the daily intercourse
OF life as woman's g%entlencss. And this is
only the more true the noisier the world
becomes. With life punctuated for us by
the Shrieks OF steam whistles. the rattle
OF the chariots OF iron and the strokes o.
all manner OF gongs, how ~restful. how
beautiful, how reinvigorating are the &c
cents of gentleness! All, my dear young
friends. whatever else you forget to be,
remember to be gentle. An anxious fear
fear which personally | do not share. but
of which il is just as well to take note. Is
that out OF all this contemporary struggle
of woman for 4 complete independence.
this duplication on her part OF as much OF
mans work az is imitab.e, there may come
eventually an impairment OF the worlds
total stock of gentleresS. Let us be misers
here. The tide of this sweet grace is never
! q. the food. There is no peril OF any over
flow. We need to treasure every drop
there Is.
As to fortitude. ] chose the word with
care. wishing to mark Of from courage IN
general that special fern OF this virtue
which has found freGuc"! I'D splendid IL
lustraticn in the annals OF w~5n:nAo01.
| Courage OF the sort which qualities one Ito
drink delight OF battle to head storming
parties and To volunteer on for.orn hopes
is not expected OF women, and. for that
matter. is not so common among mel as
| men would like TO have it thought. hut OF
that other and more praiseworthy fearless
ness. which. without the eYcitcmeat OF con-
tlict. Is able patiently 10 safte:. persistent.
~ to endure. in this Christlike virtue, it is
~poSSlbie-it has ten thousand times been
shown to be possible that women should
excel. With the aroma Of this virtue
wholly absent 40 woman character even
so much as ~approXimatcs perfection.
Tut it is not enough to be able uncom-
p.ainingiy to sufTer-have we learned to
suffer with! That is wha, sympathy means
suffering with'-remember that sympa-
thy won the last Of the four blossoms we
SCI OFT to Irvine into our wreath. 1t does
not matter how we'll bred a woman may
be in other respects. it 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. if this be wholly absent,
it Is Idle to talk about Charm it simply
is not there. 1t is this insiStcmce upon
sympathy, as a necessary ingredient OF
true womanhood that renders the Chris.
tian type so infinitely superior TO the old
classic type whether or maid or matron.
That a woman can look on composedly at
Il bell fight Is the opproorium ri Spanish
civilization, but there was 4 time when
not in one corner o. the Mediterranean
exclusively. but al over the l.rt!n world