The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-02-07
ESTABLISHED 1850.

ding and doing for succession of in
fants in the family cradle, and leav-
ing the mother freer for social and
connubial duties. And whatever she
did she did uncommonly we'll, with a
thoroughness that could only come of
genuine love for the task.
There will probably never be in the
world again such beautifully execu-
ted sewing lavished on homely gar
ments as the old maid bestowed on
the plain little everyday articles worn
by her charges. Such print-like
stitches, such even-to-a thread seam
ing. Let more enterprising people
design and make the new raiment and
appurtenance for the family hers the
selfelected task of keeping the partly
worn article in repair. Making whole
the torn, but soft, comfortable things
such a boon to children. The old
maid could mend tablee4oth sasiil1,atiuu
you couldn't tell where the pies
put in. She could rub up a m :
plaster to perfection in the gu =
possible time. And bind up a hurt
finger and heal any irritation to the
feelings in a way that was an art.
Besides, she had a genius for keeping
track of the things i'll household apt
to go astray. The masters papers,
the children's toys, premium receipts,
etc.
In many regards, however, she was
--~a0~.-aa go k1-~---a1-a-eAe la, ca1f -a
liant sister of today. Very timid
about travelling alone. Apt to get all
over in shivers at the sight of a mouse
or bat. And as for outside affairs
She never would have dreamed of in
dorsing check, or of going to a
bank, or having any money transac-
tions whatever without masculine as
sistance. In fact, she looked upon
checks and all business papers with
awe as entirely out of her world. 1t
is doubtful if in her whole life she
ever bought railway ticket or any
other ticket for herself, or made even
the smallest purchase without con-
sulting somebody.
In her clinging dependence the old
maid was tame sort of creature COM
pared to her bachelor sister. A char
acter something akin to Thackeray's
Amelia, with the heart quality for a
dominating characteristic. Formed
on neutral, almost negative, lines,
with unobtrusiveness and unsel6sh-
ness so welded in together that it
took familiar acquaintance to appre-
ciate her real worth. The old maid
living under the protection of a male
relative would have scorned to ask or
receive pay for her services as ardently
as the bachelor woman nowadays
would scorn the giving of her work
for nothing. '"The laborer is worthy
of his hire" is the bachelors belief,
and the difference between her creed
and the old maids is in the nature of
the compensation. The old maid
took out her pay in love-1ove that
she lavished without thought 81 re-
turn. And the value of her minis
trations, even if summed up entire,
could certainly never have been paid
for in any coin ever devised"
The old maid believed in man as a
natural authority and ruler much
more firmly than the bachelor maid
believes in him today. Probably be-
cause the clear everyday light in
which the latter meets her co-worker
tends to divest him of exhalted at
tributes. There was always some
mystery about the old maids single
ness. Some sense of suppressed ro-
nance or half-strangled attachment
In the undercurrent of her life. Her
lover died, or else never knew she
loved him, or was truant. A more
worldly nature would have known
how to rectify matters and have rear
ed new shrine at which to worship.
Not so the old maid. Once attached,
always attached. 1t might have been
that there was not enough of earthly !,
alloy about her to attract man fancy.
But, be that as it may, what was the
individual loss in this instance was
the universal gain. 1t would have
been woful indeed to have lost in
marriage that ideal of single blessed
ness as it developed while ION the
Shelf" occupied quietly in the all un-
noted routine of commonplace duty.