Christian Nation Vol. 18 1893 - Rparchives.org

Feb. 8,1893.A FAMILY PAPER.THE IDEAL WOMAII.Miss Cassie Spittal.The world has run wild after ideals. Wefiod in every paper, every magazine, descrip­They all admit they like a woman to be womanly,they admire " Her rapid insight andfine aptitude; particular worth, and generaltions of the ideals in art, in music, in 1 iterature, missionariness. As long as she keeps quieteven in religion, and the last Union Signal by the fire, they love ' her angelic reach of naturewhen chiefly need to sit and darn, andholds up before us the ideal nurse. We haveeven heard of an ideal state of society, where fatten household sinners." Miss Willard says,"The ideal woman is one who strives to makeall the men shall be brave, aud all the womentLe whole world homelike." J. E. Lowell says:beautiful, where there will be no poverty, noBhe doeth little kindnesses,suffering, no hard work, no crime. Where allWhieh most leave undone or despise.the comforts and luxuries of life cau be enjoyedwhile sitting in your own parlor, and And giveth happiuess or peace.And nought that sets your heart at ease.touching electric buttons.Is low esteemed in her eyes.Whittier says:But idealism is not altogether a modernJFlowers springs to blossoms where she walksfad, for, from the creation of the world, to the The careful ways of duty.present time, every nation and evary generationhas had its ideal woman. Endowed by Are flowery curves of beauty.Our hard,stifif lines of life, with herher Creator with such a variety of talents as Her prt'seuce lends its warmth and healthmakes it possible for hev to supply every demandthat may be made upon her, she varies,To all who come before it.If woman lost us Eden, suchin different climates and ages of the world,As she aloue restores it.from a beast of burden to a useless and expensiveluxury. But whether she is the slave ofGail Hamilton says: " A man's ideal is notwounded when a woman fails in worldly wisdom;but if iu grace, in sentimeni, in delicacy,man, his equal and companion, or his wilfuland imperious mistress, she never loses herin kindness she should be found wanting, hemoral accountability. Sages tell us a " nationreceives an inward hurt."can never riso above the condition of its women,"and the phrase, "A woman at the bot­John Euskin s i\ s: "A woman, a princess,a washerwoman. Yes, a washerwoman, to seetom of it," has grown into a proverb. And intowhatever ridiculous or pitiable plights, intothat all was fair and clean, to wash with water,lo cleanse and purify wherever she went; to setwhatever depths of sin or shame she may fall,disordered things in oiderly array, this is woman'smission:the world says, as it has ever said sinee Adamintroduced tne custom of accusing "this woman,"" She has only herself to blame.'Owen Meredith says:The mission of womau on earth! to give birthMuch time and talent have been wasted tryingto decide just where a woman belongs, inTo the mercy of heaven descending on earth.The mission of womaa! permitted to bruisetrying to determine the exact location of theThe head of the sei-pent, and sweetly infuseline that should be drawn, when the commandThrough the serrow and sin of earth's registeredis given, " Thus far shalt thou go and no farther;"but it was left for an ingenious poet ofcurseThe blessing that mitigates all. Born to nurseour own day to settle that question. He sings:To soothe aud to solace, to help snd to heal"You talk about a woman's sphere,The sick world that leans on her.As if it had a limit;Miss Winchester says: " The truest wonien IThere's not a place in earth or heaven.never knew had two things so blended thatThere's not a task to mankind given,one never knew whioh to be surest of, theirThere's not a blessing or a woe.sincerity or their kindness. They had a geniusThere's not a whispered yes or no,for loving. It was born in them, and. grewThere's not a life, or death, or birth,That has a feather's weight of worth,Without a woman in it."In the sunny south we read of perfectbeauty of face ancl form, of fascinating manners,and indiscribable charms. In the frozennorth, the ideal woman is very, very fat, fleshbeing considered the highest type of beautyand strength. The men buy their wives, thefattest girls bring the highest price. The Americanideal of today, what is it? A man in NewYork once said, (he is dead since, peace to hisashes!) in speaking of his neighbor's wife, "Sheis the right kind of a woman. She is the smartestwoman I ever knew, she never goes out ofthehouse!" Now it is not often we meet a manhonest enough to admit that such is his ideal;but whatever he admires in his neighbors, heis a little uneasy unless there is, in his ownhousehold, a woman "chained to the oar;" sothere is no danger, no delay about the dinner,so his buttons will always be fastened firm andstrong, so she can keep the fires and feed thechickens, and be there when he comes, to waiton him, and find things for him. A poor oldwoman, mourning the death of her husband,said, " I do so miss having John yell at me.Every week, for forty years, when the ironingwas done, I put his shirts in the lower drawerof the bureau, and every Sunday for fortyyears, when he was getting ready for church,he would open the bedroom door and yell.'Maria, where on earth did you put my cleanshirt?'"with them, the kindness that makes one risefor other's happiness."An anonymous writer says: " She is notrue woman for whom every man may not fiadit m his heart to have a certain holy and honorableand gracious lovo. She certainly is notrue woman who returns no love, and asks noprotection."Bishop Vincent says: " And we think it thebest definition of ali, ^A true womau is stroug,and pure, and patient.' "The best thing Shakespeare has given is hisideal woman, his perfect wives, his matchlessdaughters and sisters:A perfect woman, nobly plannedTo warn, to comfort, and command ;And still not " too bright nor goodFor human nature's daily food.''We would'naturally think some model wouldbe given us in the Bible, and who so likely tobe worthy of imitation as the mother of ourLord, but our knowledge of her is coufined tothe fact that she was an usually modest andpious woman. But one inspired man has lefton record his ideal, and perhaps we can do nobetter, even in thia last d' cad) of the nineteenthcentury, than look at a for a minute.Now Solomon was not ouly lhe wisest man,but he had a more extensive acquaintance withwomankind than any man who has ever exisfed.Into his household were gathered one thousandwomen, an appalling fact to a modernman, who is often obliged to own himself completelyrouted by one, ur at most two. And wefind right here that womankind have improvedduring all the years that have slipped awaysince then. Is there a man in America today,think you, who living among one thousandwomen, would dare to say be had counted themone by one, and there was not a single good oneamong them?Solomon seems to have been carrying thisideal m his mind, and searching for ils realiza*tion. He seems to have met wuh bitter disappointments,for when he findsthatthe one thousandthone no better than the nine hundreoand ninety-ninth, he ceases his search, and wehear him ask in a tired, diaheariened way'" Who can find a virtuous woman? ' And thenhe describes the one he was looking for, butcould not find.She must be discreet and amiable and wise, noduty neglected, no work slighted, no opportunitywasted, but honest and faithful and reliable; the heart of her husband doth safelytrust ,in her, and she does bim good and notevil, ail the days of her lile.She is very industrious, not like some of uswho work complainiugly, and just because wemust; but she seeketh work and play andworketh willingly with her hands, and it iswell directed and profitable induetry, and notwasted on rugs and crazy quilts, but she makethfine linen and selleth it, and deliverethgirdles unto the merchants, and then buys theluxuries of other lands, for she bringeth herfood from afar.She is a good housekeeper, her children welltaught and trained inthe right; her servantsare well managed and well paid ; her house isclean and orderly. It is a beautiful, comfortable,restful home. She looketh well to theways of her household ; she riseth while it isyet night, and giveth food to the family, and aportion to the servants. She is appreciated ;for her husband and children praise her, andtell her how much belter she is than any otherwoman in town, and that encourages her tocontinue in well doing. She is a sharp, shrewdbusiness woman, having earned her money.She does not waste it; she is prudent and economical,and does not make foolish bargains ;but she considereth a fieldand buyeth it; withthe fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.And to prove that these traits are not incompatiblewith elegance, we findher very fashionablyand richly dressed. She maketh herselfcoverings of tapestry ; her clothing is silk andpurple.She is benevolent. She stretcheth out herhands to the poor. No sorrow but findssympathy,no need but findsrelief. She is full ofthe true missionary spirit ; and calls for help,either among her own friends or from distantMacedonia, are jjromptly heard and answered.And she is not cranky or fidgety,or vacillatingor unreasonable. A strong, healthy, handsomebody containing a vigorous, weJl-balancedmiiid, and a peaceful soul, make her a comfortand support to all around her, and bring peaceand joy and honor to herself. She girdethher loins with strength, and strengtheneth herarms. Strength and honor are her clothing,and she shall rejoice in days to come. She isprepared for every emergency. She is notafraid of the snow for her household, for theyare all clothed with double garmants. She iskind and polite and agreeable ; she does notstorm and scold, neither does she sulk andpout : if everything does not go to suit hershe can give up her own way, without givingup the ghopt. She does not gossip nor ridiculeher friends. She is free from all petty contemptiblefaults. There is ro fretting or whining,no meddlesome gadding about; no thinkingherself slighted a little, and jealouslyConcluded on page nine.