The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1912-06-12
AiSympathetic and HUI
man Pen Picture.
AOBLESI IYPB of FEMINIaHY
WhdseIIwpFth aidIAfhieve.
thentS m Behalf Human
.5.a ity Are Notable. i,.-%
sHE.rsi 6SE OF GoD's BEST OWN

inst the Ordinary Woman. 1t is
true that she never manned a life
boat in a stormy sea or plunged into
a river to save a drowning person.
II is true that she never stopped a
runaway horse, or dashed into a
burning building, or gave any other
spectacular exhibition of courage.
She has only stood at her post
thirty, or forty, or fifty years, fight
ing sickness and poverty and lone
illness and disappointment so quiet
~, with such Spartan fortitude,
that the world has never even no.
ticed her achievements; and yet, in
the presence of the Ordinary Wo-
man. the battle-scarred veteran,
with medals signifying valor, may
well stand uncovered, for one bra
Yer than he is passing by.
There is nothing high and heroic
in her appearance. She is just
commonplace woman. plainly dress
ed, with a tired face and work-Worn
hands-the kind Of woman that you
meet a hundred times a day upon
the street without ever giving her
a second glance, still less salutng
her as a heroine. Nevertheless, as
much as the bravest soldier, she is
entitled to the cross of the Legion
of Honor for distinguished gallant
ry on the Battlefield of Life.
Women know the worst of power
ty. Ii is the wife, who has the
spending of the insufficient family
income, who learns all the bitter
w2vs of scrimping and sparing and
saving The husband must present
a decent appearance. for policy's
sake, when he goes to business; GER
tain things are necessities for the
children; and so the heaviest of all
the dep ivations fall upon the wo-
man who makes one dollar do the
work of five.
This is the way of the Ordina- |
ry Woman; and what sacrifices she
makes, what tastes she crucifies, |
what longings for pretty things and |
dainty things she smothers, not ev-
en- her own family guess. They !
think 1t is an eccentricity that |
makes her choose the neck of the
chicken and the hard end of the
loaf and to stay at home from any
little outing. All, if they only
knew!
For each of her children she trod
the Gethsemane of woman. only to
go through that slavery of mother
hood which the woman endures
who is too poor to hire competent
nurses. For years she never knew
what it was to have a single nights
unbroken sleep. The small hours
of the morning found her walking
the collie, or nursing the Group, or
covering restless little sleepers or
putting water to thirsty lips.
There was no rest for her day or
might. There was always a child
in her arms or clinging to her
skirts. Oftener than not she was
sick and nerve-worn and weary al
most to death, but she never failed
10 rally to the call of "Mother!" as
d good soldier always rallies to his
battle-cry.
Nobody called her brave, and yet
when ,one of the children came
down with malignant diphtheria,
she braved death a hundred times,
in bending over the little sufferer,
without one thought of danger And
when the little one was laid away
under the sod, she who had loved
most was the first to gather herself
together and take up the burden of
life for the others.
The supreme moment Of the Or
binary Woman's life, however, came
when she educated her children {
above herself and lifted them out
of her sphere. She did this with
deliberation. She knew that in
sending her bright boy and talented
girl off to college, she was opening
up to them paths in which she
could not follow; she knew that the
time would come when they would
look upon her with plying toler-
ance of her!--be ashamed of her.
But she did not falter in her self
sacrifice. She worked a little har-
Ter, she denied herself a little more,
% give them the advantages that
she never had. In this she was on
y like millions of other Ordinary
Women who are toiling over cook
ng-stoves, shaving at sewing-ma-.
hines, pinching and economizing
o educate and cultivate their child
with their own hands