THE WORK AND THE VOTES. 
HE work of our young people speaks for itself in 
this issue. The editor has purposely refrained 
from making any change, except in those rare cases 
where a punctuation mark seemed necessary to give 
the full sense. Yet by no means all the good work 
shows. We have spoken of the fact that there were 
a dozen in Ihe present set of almost equal merit. Hut 
we wish especially to commend the work of 11-year- 
old Emy Laird, of Aiken, S. C. : while comparatively 
not so good as the work of older minds, no other man¬ 
uscript received gave evidence of so much thought and 
painstaking. Emy may well make her mark when 
older, and we know she is the better for the thought 
she has given this topic. Two weeks from the date of 
this issue will be allowed for the receipt of the votes 
of any readers, as to the best essay here given. Hut 
mark these points: 1. No vote will be counted unless 
it plainly states the nation for the decision. 2. Votes 
must be on postal cards, signed with name of voter, 
each reader having one vote, and one only. 
THE ELDEST DAUGHTER. 
No. 1. 
HE eldest daughter, if also the eldest child, serves 
as the first gentle tie to yet more closely con¬ 
nect the lives and interests of the husband and wife. 
As the daintiest, sweetest and loveliest representative 
of humanity, she awakens within the breasts of her 
parents all the best emotions of which each is capable. 
As she advances toward maturity she daily furnishes 
for both father and mother an ideal of perfect woman¬ 
hood, which will tend to make their lives broader and 
purer because of her trustful, innocent ways. 
Characteristics which never fully develop ; and vir¬ 
tues which never fully mature are assigned to this 
child of their love. 
Yet we are glad they have an ideally pure child. 
We are all made better by fine ideals. 
Every blossom of a tree does not become a perfect 
specimen of fruit; if it did the tree would die. 
So every promised virtue does not become a real char¬ 
acteristic, if so, the child would cease to be human 
and become divine. 
Indeed ’tis the “little child” that “shall lead them.” 
When in the first bloom of womanhood she is to her 
younger brothers and sisters either a loving helpful 
fairy, and they know not which most to admire, her 
sweet womanly graces or her wonderful power and 
beauty; or she is a tyrannical and disrespectful despot 
who inspires both fear and awe. Yet whether good 
or bad. her influence is powerful and lasting even until 
death, upon each member of the family. 
She brings into the home a new beauty of decora¬ 
tion, which, if she be pure and true, imparts a sense of 
comfort and refinement ; but. if she be vain, an air of 
mockery and hollowness. 
Her opinions upon all matters of dress, decoration 
and entertainment, and especially, if she has had bet¬ 
ter opportunities for becoming acquainted with such 
questions, should ever be respected. 
Her opinions should also be asked in regard to any 
plans for gardens, dairy or any other arrangement in 
which she may be interested. If parents desire to 
have their children interested in their work or pleas¬ 
ures, they must treat them as partners, neither as ser¬ 
vants nor visitors. 
A failure to properly consult and train children in 
this direction causes them to become either helpless 
babies or defiant rebels. 
The duties of the eldest daughter are many, but we 
will attempt to express them in a few words. 
She should be the chief aid of her mother and the 
solace of her father and also a model for the younger 
children An aid to her mother in that she takes upon 
her shoulders many little cares which are light burdens 
to her; but often grievous to be borne by an over¬ 
worked mother. 
An afternoon or evening, for a housewife, spent as a 
visitor m her own house is a benefit to the oldest 
daughter, who assumes the duties for the time, as well 
as blessing to her mother. 
We believe every truly wise mother will teach her 
daughter to perform every kind of work pertaining to 
good housekeeping, thus saving the poor young wife 
much worry and heartache. 
Suppose the daughter is not now obliged to work it 
is her right that she be taught to become a true home¬ 
maker. It is a mistaken idea of kindness or love to 
allow children to form habits of slothfulness. 
Again, the choice of this pampered daughter may be 
a man not rich in this world’s goods, and endless toil 
and trouble would then be hers, which she need never 
have known had she been capable of “ looking well to 
the ways of her household.” 
She should be a solace to her father in that he re¬ 
alizes that in her he has a true sympathizer and helper. 
t In her h e has ever one who believes in him and helps 
him to be strong for the truth and right. 
She should be a model for the younger ones in that 
she is ever respectful and obedient. 
It should be conceded that she has a right to have 
interests outside the interests of the other members of 
the family, and should be made to feel that whatever 
her thoughts or desires, she can never go beyond a 
parent's love and sympathy while she walks- in the 
path of truth. 
Finally, it is her privilege to go from her father’s 
home and make with the man of her choice and her 
parents’ approval a new home. While it is her duty to 
respect the love her parents bear her, it is her right 
that they strive to make the parting less sad for this 
obedient child. Knowing that the faithful eldest 
daughters will become the most esteemed wives and 
mothers of our land, we will close our article with an 
earnest desire that that faithfulness be made manifest 
in the eldest daughter of every American home. 
No. 2. 
NE morning early in the summer Clara was busy 
with the breakfast dishes when a piercing scream 
came through the open window. 
As she rushes from the room we see she is a tall girl 
of 17. We see her stoop over the little girl of eight, 
who has fallen from the apple tree, as one used to car¬ 
ing for younger brothers and sisters. She carries the 
child to the small white house followed by four little 
children ; where after a little rocking and a story the 
little ones are sent out to play. 
When the morning work was nearly finished, Clara 
left her mother to complete it and went to the potato 
field with some lunch for her father and two older 
brothers. She took with her the flock of little ones to 
pick potato bugs. While the bugs are disappearing 
we will listen to the little ones ; “ Mary don’t you sup¬ 
pose I can have a new dress like Jennie Day’s ? I 
want it ‘ offully ’ ” “O Ruthie ! don’t say ‘offully.’ 
Clara wouldn’t like to hear you and I don’t think papa 
can buy new dresses for us because Clara said to mother 
this morning that we would all have to wear our last 
summer ones because papa must have a new coat next 
winter.’ “ Don’t I feel like saying something bad be¬ 
cause that Perkins boy stole my knife.” “Oh ! Harry, 
don't because it would make Clara and mamma feel 
so bad.” 
The bugs disappeared very fast as they all entered 
into competition as to who should kill the most Clara 
said a little cake for the winner would do the work 
much easier than anything else. 
In the evening after supper was cleared up and 
chores all done, they gathered about the piazza to dis¬ 
cuss the important question should 19-year-old George 
go to the agricultural college for which he was fitted? 
After many pro’s and con’s, Clara said she thought 
George ought to have a chance. She would stay at 
home, but she wanted the boys to have an education 
and the little girls to go to the Normal and fit for 
teachers if they showed the talent for it. It was decided 
that George should go and learn all he could. 
The next evening there was to be a social. Clara 
believed the best escorts were her brothers and after 
a great deal of persuasion, as her brothers were true 
bashful country boys they consented. In after years 
these brothers thanked her for urging them to asso¬ 
ciate with their townsmen. One other thing Clara 
did was to bring the young people to the house by in¬ 
vitations to a Candy pull, Proverb party, Puzzle con¬ 
test, etc. These enlivened the long winter evenings. 
Clara had a talent for drawing which she used by 
drawing advertisements, thus earning enough to en¬ 
tirely clothe little Ruth. She gave up the thought of 
cultivating this talent for the sake of her parents and 
brothers and sisters. 
As the years passed and the children went away from 
the home-roof, it became less and less necessary for 
Clara to remain at home. Finally she went to the 
neighboring city to work in the factory. Her father 
now failing in strength, received Clara’s earnings to 
pay the interest on the mortgage and his life insur¬ 
ance premiums which otherwise could not have been 
paid. 
While in the city Clara boarded with Frank, thus 
evenings she could help care for and love the wee 
ones who were coming to brighten that home. When 
one of those babies went to the home prepared for 
such treasures its mother said: “Aunt Clara loved and 
cared for Willie as much as I did.” 
Clara soon went to Chicago but remained but two 
years. On her return she said: “ I tried to run away 
from trouble but found distance made no difference so 
came back.” 
\\ hen the father had a shock it was the eldest daugh¬ 
ter who was needed at home to brighten and care for 
his last days, and the mother could not leave her old 
home and the old associations when her life partner 
was freed from care and trouble. So Clara was the 
one, in after life, to treasure the largest memory album 
of father’s and mother's sayings. 
At a reunion of these brothers and sisters, when 
Clara advised George about investing some money in 
a certain company, he replied, “Clara we are no longer 
children, we used to look to you for advice then and 
it was always good, but now we are men and must 
use our own judgment.” 
No. 3. 
HE relation of the eldest daughter to the house, 
her position in the family in relation to the other 
members of the household, is a delicate, a responsible 
one. Of all the children her position is the most try¬ 
ing. The relation peculiarly her own, is that of peace¬ 
maker. If the children quarrel, if the father is hard 
and unjust with the boys, if the parents cannot agree 
and there are domestic feuds, the eldest daughter is 
the one to restore peace. She it is who interposes 
between two disputants as the equal friend of both, 
her love for each not allowing her to be partial. She 
is the example her brother should take with him when 
he chooses a wife. She is regarded as a pattern for 
the younger sisters, who adopt alike her virtues and 
her faults ; she is often their tutor without intent, and 
must keep this always in view. Her influence depends 
very much on her character. If she has the power of 
inclining or controlling the minds of others, that qual¬ 
ity so essential to a successful teacher, and has the 
ability to effect, unobserved, a change for the better, 
to lead on and direct by a gradual and easy process, 
and does so in a quiet, unassuming manner, her influ¬ 
ence can be very great, even greater than that of the 
mother. It is often so in her relation to her younger 
sisters. She is more in their company, understands 
better their mental surroundings and temptations, 
they being perhaps similar to what her own have 
been, and, having this clue to their character, she is 
more in sympathy with the best methods to be pursued 
in order to attain a desired end. 
Authority is the power derived from esteem of 
mental or moral superiority. In order that the eldest 
daughter can have authority over the younger members 
of the family, she must first have the consent of the 
parents It should be distinctly understood by the 
children that her opinion is to be respected. She 
must have dignity, firmness, a great love of truth and 
should adopt this maxim : \ 
Bequest when ?on can. 
Command when you must. 
It is her duty to make home such a delightful place 
that father and brothers will not care to spend most 
of their evenings elsewhere. She accomplishes this 
with music, games and reading aloud. Although they 
are not all excellent readers or musicians, they will all 
do their part when their turn comes, to please her and 
win her esteem. She helps to entertain all the guests. 
Her mother ought to be able to confide in her ; she 
should, as the oldest and most observing, see that the 
mother does not overtax her strength, and be her sup¬ 
port in every way. She should take notice of the 
children’s plans and encourage them ; it breeds con¬ 
fidence, and makes them happy. She repeats to her 
sisters what her mother has told her concerning 
woman’s relation in the great eternal plan—that 
subject whereof Victor Hugo speaks as “ That great 
ignorance, which we call innocence.” She is in a 
measure responsible for their moral training. The 
younger sisters are almost invariably better prepared 
for the struggles of life ; and are better educated than 
the eldest sister was at their age. She should make 
the mother’s declining years as care-free as possible, 
and if the little ones should be left mother-less, 
she must take her place. If there is to be a step¬ 
mother, it is her sacred duty to lead them to love and 
tmst, and not mistreat her. Her privileges, that is, 
her advantages or rights, not enjoyed by the other 
daughters, are few indeed. They are all out of proper 
When Baby was sick, we nave her Castona, 
When she was a Child, she cried for Castorla 
When she became Miss, she clung to Castorla 
When she had Children, she gave them Castorla. 
