Year: 1872

in this life that if we want to preserve
our reputation for sagacity it is advisable
never to predict an event until it has hap
pened. There is one prophecy, however,
in which man can indulge with the sat
isfaction of discovering that his predic-
tion is very likely to be fulfilled. A close
observer can almost invariably hit upon
the old maid of the family. He can rec
ognize her as quickly amongst the rest of
her sisters as if she alone did not bear
the mark, Going to be married She may
not be matter Of fact; ON the contrary,
she may be far more idealistic in her tenn
permanent than the rest of her family.
She may not be bad, or quick-tempered;
for her character may be very sweet, full
of the unobtrusive beauties of virtue that
make up the perfect womanhood. She
need not fulfill any one of the conditions
which form the conventional theory of
the old maid; and yet traits there are in
her character which proclaim her. She
stands contest" to use an expression of
the old poets, by the determinable eccen-
tricities with which she variegates the
routine of her life. Eccentricities they
must be, for they find no assimilation
with the characteristics of other girls of
her own age Even when she pursues
the path chalked out by the social prac-
tices of her own sex, her imitation has
an air different from that suggested by
that of the others. She is coquettish
with an effort, though her coquetry may
want no piquarcy from beauty. With
he, filtration is love; and her love has an
earnestness that repels by unexpected fer
vor. Indeed, earnestness is her great
foible; it is the sign that betrays her fu-
ture. She has no Observation-Disclosures the
graceful capacity oflighting on flower after
flower, imparting zest to the pursuit of the
lover, who is as child in the chase.
Here is an undue tensity of faith, fixity
of idea. She resembles some star which
all other stars pass and repass forever
beaming forth unbroken light from the
high altitude of her own belief. She
seems to have no mission but that of lone
illness yet her loneliness is not of her
seeking. She is born with stationary
beauty; but her earnestness repels for
there can be no allurement where there
seems so much eargerness to allure.


She may be young girl, and still you
can foreshadow her future by the subdued
air of her present life. Her earnestness
has taught her an odd experience, and
later dealings shall embitter the knowl-
edge. The secret of her celibacy lies in
the intense refinement of the chastity of
her thought and the purity of her char
acter. Both these virtues are too often
sickled DER with simple sort of senti-
mentalism. Her impressionability works
her matrimonial ruin. She mistakes the
shadow of love for itself; and hugs for
long while, incapable of being convinced
of her error, the phantom of her heart,
like the woman in the story who was dis
covered fondiing the smooth bones of the
skeleton the sight of which had driven
her mad. There is an infinity to be ex-
tracted from the life of the old maid of
the family. The rude, undiscerning eye
may see in her conduct and character
only a woman's heart at variance with
one of the most natuaA conditions of life.
But deeper gaze can penetrate the
underlying secret, and mourn over
the young earnestness sanctifying itself
by Its patience, but consuming itself
with vain and idealistic longings
She always loves when young, and
loves with singular purity
and has proclaimed to herself his royal
ty. But her powers of demonstration are
not rendered with the faculty of tact. She
sees her lover in the light of her own
love; never once dreaming that she has
| inspired him with no other emotion than
| larger self-conceit. Her conduct to-
wards him is animated with the enthusi-
asm of alteration. The curse of earnest
ness is on her. There is no effort to WOO
in her love; for the love having been in
spired the period of courtship with her
| has passed; there is no other desire now
than to mingle soul and soul. Rarely it
happens that such love meets with the
sign and the response for which it longs
You can seldom liken two human souls
to silver rod, that vibrates with respon-
sive echo at enc end to the touch at the
| other.


1t is such fruitless love that first devel-
opes the character of the old maid. 1t is
easy to grow cynical over such abortive
sentiment and deride it's unworldly views
But out of so trifling tragedy as this
| for the Staying of love makes tragical the
life of the heart in which love lies dead
comes the influence that is to bias the
whole future of the mourner. There is
| generally an instinct amongst families as
to whom the old maid shall be. They
| look upon her as a fat Gcc0npk. There is
a kind of comical pity. The girl seems to


guess at her fate, and accepts it smiling


ly. She is not piqued she has tasted the


bitterness of love; and should ever Fate


profter her again the cup, she knows how


much OF the memory of that bitterness


would mingle itself with the sweets


London Leader.


OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. CREsswEII, has


issued the following, "Owing to the


rapid increase in the mails, and the estab.
lishment of many new Post-offices