Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-07-21
The Home Circle
Thoughts from the Editorial Pen
The Woman of Wonderful Content

horse, in a low, old-fashioned phae-
ton. On her lap slept baby and
beside her a child of three clucked
to the old nag and slapped him with
the end of the lines. 1t was one
of those balmy, sunlit days so COM
mon to this season in the Rogue
River Valley. The snow-capped sum-
NIT of Ashland Butte on the left,
and of Mclaughlin on the right, glis-
tened in the distance, and between
them stretched away toward the hor-
izon that matchless panorama OF
rural grandeur, with its shadows and
lights of green and gold and brown,
with its hundreds of modern bunga-
lows nesting in the edge of the or
chards, with its ripening grain bend
ing low under its weight of maturing
wealth, with it's grain hay in the
shock, and alfalfa drying in the light,
and the methodical, plodding yeo-
manry toiling in the fields (of whom,
however, the picture shows too few,
all combining in perspective to form
the most gorgeous picture that God
has given to man.to view.
She was not hurrying, this Woman
of Wonderful Content; she was leis-
urely jogging along, for she knew
ha oil % ha 60 in
which to accomplish her life's pur-
pose, which was that of serenely do
ing the good that came her way each
day to do. She simply logged along
brooding over her sleeping infant,
smiling at the little one beside her
and flecking the flies from the back
of her horse, fitting her head back
the better to hear what the birds
were saying to each other, and nod
ding friendly greeting to the people
she passed on the way.
And as the writer flew by, in a
speeding automobile, through cloud
of dust, he recognized the Woman of
Wonderful Content as the splendidly
serene and bright spirit with whom
he had come in contact a few days
before. He knew she had rough
hands, for she did her share in the
! labors of the ranch, but likewise her
mind was regaled with rich jewels
diamonds that scintillated flashes OF
wit and rubies that reflected the
warmth of sympathy solidly and beau
tifully held within a golden band of
philosophy, and one of her great
philosophic treasures was content
ment.
And so the writer saw and recog-
nized the Woman of Wonderful Con-
tent as she logged along in her sim
.plicity and sweetness, and unfashion.
ableness, and knew that she was an
important part of the panorama that
dazzled the eye with beauty beyond
description. For moment we for
got that we were chewing the dirt o.
a public highway touching only the
high places, and being generally ant
ruthlessly shaken and discomfortet
and thought alone of the woman an(
her philosophical content.
! 1t was not that shiftless, don't care
sort common with street corner loaf
ers, nor that bred and born in tn,
, heterodoXy that the world owes sub
sistence to those inhabitant upon i
/ and a willingness to drift along life'
current and gather crumbs from th
feet of those whom fortune in
happy fit had thrust up through th
crust of society to a condition o
plenty, nor from those who through
endless toll and saving had strug
gled from penury to affluence, but
, rather, steadfast confidence in tn
eternal fitness of things-not sell
centered and selfish-she simply di
{ the daily good that came her way t.
3 do, not expecting fate. to come t
r her in big guise, and knocking he
{ down say; Here l am, grasp m
S now, for l return no more"
And the, writer strained his eye
t backward over the dusty road, tC
4 ward the fast vanishing phaeton G
the little Woman of Wonderful Cor
I tent, who was still peacefully joggin
: along, not envious of those VIII
g whizzed past her, unconscious of an
r social inferiority, happy in her lif'
! her home, her husband, her children
o her environment, her opportunity.
And then the writer settled bac
: and bounced on the cushions an
e chewed some more dust, and hit som
more high places, and reflected thf
y it is fine to be rich-rich as tn
O Woman of Wonderful Content ws
5. rich.
o But here, again, was the hour
d our discomfort. A loud report an
the tire was busted; and while "
stewed and sweat there overlook l
the Woman of Wonderful Conten
She smiled, drew rein and asked
/ there was anything that she couI
- ,o1,, NJ