DOWN THE RIVER. 
BY LUCY L. STOUT. 
The wind blew freshly out of the west,— 
The loving wind of the summer time; 
jt rippled the river’s heaving breast. 
And scattered the mists in the morning's prime. 
The broken wares in the I.one Star’s wake. 
Dimpled and shone with smiles to sever, 
We cared an little our union to break. 
That soft summer day as wo sailed down the river. 
Like flocks of sheep the tittle white towns 
gunned themselves by the forests old ; 
And away, far away, the sunshine bound 
The brows of the hills with crowns of gold. 
With gray-white wings the fiver craft 
Hovered around us like spirits ever; 
you taught, me their names and merrily laughed 
When I called them wrong, as we sailed down the 
river. 
But ah, in the peaceful and smiling day, 
Deep in the heart of its fairest hour, 
Like the worm in the heart of the rose there lay 
The canker that blighted Its brightest dower. 
And I think of It now with a touch of pain, 
That cur idlest words are canceled never. 
And the sun is dimmer and never again 
Will shine as he shone when we sailed down the 
river. 
Alas for the beautiful days of youth, 
When Truth and Honor seem universal! 
When we fancy the play of Life Is a truth, 
And not a weary, dreary rehearsal 1 
Brc the wind had tlown from the west of life. 
That scatters Hope's fairy visions forever, 
O would that some blast had scattered the strife. 
That severed two friends when we sailed down the 
river! 
Northville, April, 1870. 
--444- 
THE WOMAN QUESTION. 
by Mils. J. I.. WAUGIIOI’. 
A New Argument Against Woman Suffrage. 
Though the woman question has come to 
he known as that “ much vexed,” “ wofully 
hackneyed" subject; though J. Stuart 
Mill has spoken loudly for the enfranchise¬ 
ment of woman, and Dr. II. Bushmill has 
lifted up his voice in earnest protestations 
against such a course of tilings, not all has 
keen written that, ought to have been. A 
new, bran new, argument has recently been 
used, with some effect by ft humble sister in 
the modest village of A-, Midi., and it is 
worthy of being presented to the eager pub¬ 
lic. No doubt Dr. Busu null and his host 
of coadjutors and admirers will be much 
chagrined when they learn that this non¬ 
voting person bits discovered another reason 
why women ought, not to he allowed the use 
of the ballot. Mrs. Stanton was coming to 
A-and everybody was talking about 
“ Our Young Girls ” Of course the girls 
themselves were intensely interested. Thus 
it happened, in the modest shop of the still 
modest Miss M., an earnest discussion be¬ 
tween the seamstresses arose as to the policy 
of “freeing” women. If the recital would 
not weary you, nothing should prevent my 
giving in detail this really unique debate. 
Bui I shall only offer the unheard-of-before 
argument which served so effectually to 
close the mouths of all the girls who were 
striving to be strong-minded. 
“ Girls,” said Miss M., “ you know not 
of what you are speaking. We have a hard 
enough time to get along now. By sewing 
early and late, we gain but a scanty living. 
Why, then, do you wish to vote? Women 
have always had to contribute mainly to the 
support of men, and it is my opinion, if they 
are ever enfranchised, they’ll have to work 
still harder, while men will work much less. 
Little do these women, who are rushing 
round the country, receiving one hundred 
dollars for every hour’s talk upon the stage, 
realize what a wrong they are doing us.” 
“ Oh, hut, Miss M.,” ventured one of the 
girls, “ you surely forget, that one thing for 
which Mrs. 8. and Anna D. and Susan A., 
together with all the agitators of this reform 
are endeavoring to gain for us is an increase 
of wages," 
“ I don’t want our wages increased,” re¬ 
torted Miss M., forgetting for a time her 
usually quiet demeanor ; “ I don’t want our 
wages increased,! tell you, for when women 
receive for their work enough money to sup¬ 
port the family, they'll have the family to sup¬ 
port. The men won’t do anything unless 
they are compelled to. You’ll see if tny words 
are not true prophecies.” 
The persistent girl who had undertaken to 
defend the rights could only protest sotto 
voce, “ Well, if I must support a man, I’d 
like as much pay for my daily labor as is 
possible for me to gain by means of the bal¬ 
lot.” 
Perhaps it might be well to add that Miss 
M. is somewhat old-maidish in all her ways, 
being now on the shady side of forty, and 
men appear to her in rather an unhappy 
light. She has every reason to believe them 
naturally idle. Religious by nature, and 
made still more so by practice, Miss M. be¬ 
lieves ever}' human being should yield obe¬ 
dience to the command, “ Six days shaft thou 
labor,” &c.; not “ mayst thou, if such he thy 
! pleasure,” but imperatively, shall Looking, 
v then, at the moral side of this question, she 
v can see nothing but ill likely to result from 
k. its success. For the sake of man alone, 
x whom it will at once make lazy , she votes 
against voting. The logic of her argument 
runs thus: 
Love vvorketh no ill to his neighbor. 
Men are our neighbors. 
Therefore, love will work no ill to men. 
But men will be made idle by women’s 
enfranchisement. 
Idleness is an ill. 
Hence, women’s enfranchisement, worketh 
ill. Therefore^ women’s enfranchisement is 
not, love—ts opposed to love, &c. 
Truly, this is a new light in which to 
view an old subject. Let us not, then, weary 
of the. woman question, hut look further 
into its mysteries and carefully explore its 
depths. That which is hidden shall only be 
revealed to the careful searcher. 
-444- 
VERY FLATTERING TESTIMONY. 
A WRITER in Putnam’s Magazine has been 
bearing very complimentary testimony to 
the superior loveliness of American women. 
He affirms that nature has endowed the 
American lady with a profusion of rich gifts 
far beyond her less favored sisters abroad. 
If really great beauties are comparatively 
rare—and even on this point the diversity of 
taste may lead to a difference of opinion— 
the majority of American women arc more 
than merely fair. They are almost without 
exception delicately made, and in Ibis respect 
very different from the robust type of the 
English girl of the period, with her ruddy 
color, her full form, and her deep, masculine 
voice, and still more different from the heavy, 
angular German girl, who combines so mys¬ 
teriously ait immense amount of sentimen¬ 
tality with an unlimited appetite. The neck 
and Ihc extremities are uniformly so small 
that European establishments have to make 
collars, gloves and shoes for the American 
market, certain sizes of these three articles 
being utterly unsalable in Europe. 
Hence, when the Amcricau girl reaches 
Paris, and lias been for a few weeks in the 
hands of a French artist, she is simply per¬ 
fection. She outshines the Parisian on her 
own privileged ground. Elderly men will 
remember a fair New York beauty, who vis¬ 
ited Paris when the Emperor was still Pres¬ 
ident, and the furore her exquisite toilettes 
created whenever she appeared at I lie opera, 
at the Elysoo, or at, the Bois. Younger men 
need not he reminded of the recent rivalry 
between one of their beautiful countrywomen 
and the brilliant Mkttkrnich, and the des¬ 
perate but futile efforts made by the great 
arbiter of fashion to wrest the crown of vic¬ 
tory from her hands. Combining great nat¬ 
ural advantage, in beauty and grace, with ad¬ 
mirable taste and an almost instinctive per¬ 
ception of the becoming, American women 
abroad very easily outstrip all competitors in 
the art of dressing. 
-44-*- 
LIFE’S MEANING. 
“ We are such poor, little, letter-bound 
creatures,” says Mrs. Whitney, “thinking 
only of sunrise and sunset; not learning, 
even, what our own day is to us, of which 
the earth-movement, the shine and shadow, 
are only the types and the correspondence. 
When we live true diiys—days like God’s— 
making each a stop and an accomplishment, 
and entering into His morning and evening 
joy, then we shall know. We get faint 
glimpses when we have been a little faithful, 
and a great deal helped of Ilim—when there 
comes a purpose with tho freshness, and a 
Certainty of something done with the decline; 
when the outward day has its inward coun¬ 
terpart; when our whole soul has turned 
itself to its sun and strength in the heaven, 
and is on in its orbit over a spiritual space.” 
-- 
GOSSIPY PARAGRAPHS. 
Washerwomen are great travelers. They 
are continually crossing the lines and run¬ 
ning from pole to pole. 
“ Do you think,” asked Mrs. Pepper, “ that 
a little temper is a had thing in a woman ?’’ 
“Certainly not, ma’am,” replied a gallant 
philosopher; “it is a good thing, and she 
ought never to lose it." 
Mrs. Amelia Hobbs has been elected 
Justice of the Peace for Jersey Landing 
township, Illinois, by a majority of twenty- 
six votes. This is the first woman ever 
elected to office in Illinois. 
The precise number of female attendants 
required to do the little “chores” of the 
Empress Eugenie is forty-three. This in¬ 
cludes two mistresses of ceremonies, twelve 
ladies of honor, ami six femmes de chambre. 
Tho Empress Josephine had twenty-three 
female attendants more. 
At a trial in an Alabama town, not long 
since, one of the witnesses, an old lady of 
some eighty years, was closely questioned 
by au opposing counsel relative to the clear¬ 
ness of her eyesight. “ Can you see me ?”’ 
said lie. “Yes,” was answered. “How 
well can yon see me ?” persisted the lawyer. 
“ Well enough," responded the lady, “ to see 
that you’re neither a negro, an Indian nor a 
gent! man.” The answer brought down the 
house anti silenced the counsel. 
(fboirr littscrllung. 
THERE COMES A TIME. 
TTiKRE comes a tiro® when w® grow old, 
Aud like a suiiset down tho sea 
Slope gradual,nnd the night wind cold 
Comes whispering wnl and chillingly; 
And locks are gray 
As winLer’s day. 
And eyes ot saddest blue behold 
The leaves all weary drift, away, 
And Ups of faded coral say, 
“ There comes a time when wo grow old.” 
There comes a time when Joyous hearts 
Which leaped as leaps the laughing main, 
Are dead to all save memory. 
As prisoner in bis dungeon chain; 
And dawn of day 
Hath passed away, 
The moon hath into darkness rolled. 
And by the embers wan and gray 
I hear a voice in whisper *ay, 
“ There oomes » time when we grow old.” 
There comes a time when manhood’s prime 
Is shrouded in the ndst of years; 
And beauty, fading like a dream. 
Hath passed away in silent tears; 
And then how dark! 
Bm 01 the spark 
That kindled youth to hues of gold, 
Still burns with dear and sternly ray: 
And fond ntToctlons, lingering, say. 
“ There comes a time when wcgrow old.” 
There comes a time when laughing spring 
And gulden summer cease to be; 
And wo put on the autumn robe, 
To tread the last declivity; 
But now the slope, 
Willi rosy Hope, 
Beyond tho sunset we behold, - 
Another dawn with futrer light; 
While watchers whisper through the night, 
“ There is a time when wo grow old.” 
■-- 
“BEHOLD THY MOTHER.” 
From an uplifted cross, and with tones 
fraught with agony and love came the words; 
scarce a command j yet wo read, “ And that 
disciple look her to his own home.” Behold 
her, a mother, the helpless witness of the 
unjust crucifixion of a son in whom cen¬ 
ters all her hopes, aud happiness; and com¬ 
fort. her. 
Familiar things are often under-valued. 
The eye accustomed to the light may never 
be uplifted to the source of light from whence 
eoincth every good tiling, rfon, daughter, 
careless ones, behold thy mother. Either the 
world has grown more wicked, or we learn 
more of its wickedness as we live longer in 
it; for words of disrespect to parents, at 
times coupled with curses, oftentimes come 
to our cal’s. We feel that the very air which 
conveys the sound is polluted by it. God 
pity such when at a later day «. di&d, up¬ 
turned face shall speak to the conscience till 
the soul is wrung with anguish and remorse! 
When the blinded eye yearns for light, it. has 
learned too late its worth. 
Perhaps as the father aud mother advance 
In years, childishness comes apace; no reason 
that for contempt, rather for Increased effort 
to promote their ease and happiness. Take 
time to think. “ Behold” them 1 Some of 
you will sec gray hairs, furrowed brows, 
toil-hardened hands, and stooping forms. It 
was not always thus. Perhaps you know 
something of what helped to hasten all this. 
There may be many who think; such 
monsters of sin live only in the writer's im¬ 
agination. I tell you I have seen it, and 
heard it, and have turned away with loath¬ 
ing, as from the presence of defilement too 
great to be endured, not always in the scum 
of society, and not oftenest there. 
O, ye who stand accused! ye are trampling 
upon the purest of all loves save that of 
Jesus, for those He died to save. As lie 
said to them, “ Ye know not what ye do,” 
but stop here. “ Behold thy mother,” thy 
father, and give “ honor to whom honor is 
due.” Mrs. J. D. King. 
--4-4-*- 
THE BEST COMFORTERS. 
Upon this subject the Rev. T. D. Tal- 
mage says; 
Those who have had no decided trouble 
themselves are miserable comforters. A man 
who has always been in the summer of pros¬ 
perity is not fit to talk to a man in the win¬ 
ter of adversity. For this reason, aged peo¬ 
ple are tho best comforters. No hand takes 
pain out of a sore spot like au old hand. 
Men who have had a thousand wounds them¬ 
selves know all about trouble, and how to 
sympathize with it. Although you are forty 
or fifty years of age, if your father or mother 
be living, you go t.o them with your trouble. 
If you have old people in the house, and 
can go to them with your trouble, I con¬ 
gratulate you. Although they may not say 
much, these old people, when they come to 
us in trouble, it is so pleasant to have them. 
Cherish them, if you have them now'. Let 
them lean on your arm. If their hearing is 
a little dull, and they don’t hear you the first 
time, ancl you have to speak the second time, 
don’t say it sharp. You will feel sorry for it 
if you do, when you have taken the last look, 
and when you brush the silver locks back 
from the wrinkled brow, and the undertaker 
screws down the coffin lid over the dear old 
face. God bless the old folks! They may 
not be able to walk much, or talk much, or 
say much, but oh 1 it is a blessing to have 
them around when you are in trouble. 
A LITTLE HELP. 
Hitman arithmetic cannot compute the 
value of a moderate gift bestowed at the 
right moment upon a deserving person. 
It has made many a mechanic, or trades¬ 
man, or farmer a successftil man, and an or¬ 
nament to society, who otherwise would 
have settled down into despair and utter 
thriftlessness. It has saved many a noble 
Intellect for the service of society in the 
circles of professional life or of literature, 
which, without it, would have sunk into 
some obscure cavern of uselessness and 
crime. 
Nor is tho luxury of this enlightened be¬ 
nevolence confined to the rich. You who 
have no money to give, give counsel, sym¬ 
pathy, support. A word filly spoken at the 
right time has often saved a soul from death, 
and covered a multitude of sins. If you 
have but a kind word, an encouraging smile, 
or a friendly pressure of the band, to bestow 
upon any needy, struggling, tempted soul, 
give it freely, and trust gracious Heaven for 
tlie result. “In the morning sow thy seed, 
and in the evening withhold not thy hand; 
for thou knoweaf not whether shall prosper 
either this or that.” 
“ It, la a little thing to apeak a phrase 
Or common edmfnrt, which hy tluily uao 
Hint almost lout, lift aciiBo; yet on the our 
Of Ipm who thought, to die unnoticed, t’will fall 
Like choicest music; till tho nlii/.lnK uyo 
With Kcutle tears ; relax tho knot toil hand 
To know tho bOurl of fellowship Again; 
And shed on tho depart!rut soul n *mn»« 
More precious than the benlson of friends 
About tho honored death-bod of the rich, 
To him who else were lonely—that another 
Of the great fumily is near, and feels.” 
-444- 
AT NIGHT. 
Here is one of Thackeray’s pleasant 
touches;—“It is night now, and hero is 
home. Gathered under the quiet roof, eld¬ 
ers and children lie alike at rest. In tho 
midst of a great peace and calm, the stars 
look out from the heavens. The silence is 
peopled with the past; sorrowful remorses 
for sins and shortcomings, memories of pas¬ 
sionate joys and griefs rise out of their 
graves, both now alike calm and .sad. 
Eyes, ns 1 shut mine, look at me, that have 
longed ceased to shine. Tho town and the 
fair landscape sleep under tho starlight, 
wreathed in the Autumn mists. Twinkling 
among the houses, a light keeps watch, here 
and there, in what may be a sick chamber 
or two. The dock tolls sweetly in the silent 
air. Here is night and rest. An awflil 
sense of thanks makes the heart swell, and 
the head bow, as I pass to my room through 
the sleeping house, and feel as though a 
hushed blessing were upon it.” 
--■» » » - — 
MEMORIES OF THE DEPARTED. 
It is an exquisite and beautiful thing in 
our nature, that, when the heart is touched 
and softened by tranquil happiness or affec¬ 
tionate feeling, the memory of tho dead 
comes over it most powerfully and irresisti¬ 
bly. Tt. would almost seem as if our better 
thoughts and sympathies were charms in 
virtue of which the soul is enabled to hold 
some vague and mysterious intercourse with 
the spirits of those we have dearly loved in 
life. 
- 4 -*-*- 
GENIUS AND LABOR. 
It is no man’s business whether he has 
genius or not; work lie must, whatever he 
is, but quietly and steadily; and the natural 
and unforced results of such work will be 
always the thing that God meant him to do, 
and will be his best. No agonies nor heart- 
Tendings' will enable him to do any better. 
If he be a great man, they will be great 
things; if a small man, small things; but, 
always, i! thus peacefully done, good and 
right; always, if restlessly and ambitiously 
done, false, hollow and despicable. 
■- 44-4 - 
SANDWICHES. 
If the best man’s faults were written on 
his forehead, it would make him pull his hat 
over his eyes. 
He that is naturally revengeful keeps his 
wounds open, which otherwise would close 
of themselves. 
He who does his best, however little, is 
always to be distinguished from him who 
does nothing. 
To mingle the useful with the beautiful, is 
the highest style of art. The one adds grace, 
and the other value. 
Deliberate with caution, but act with 
decision; and yield with graciousness, or 
oppose with firmnesss. 
“ Hard as it is to understand the difficult 
parts of the Bible, it is a great deal harder 
to practice the simple parts.” 
If you would find a great, many faults, be 
on the look out. If you would find them in 
still greater abundance, be on the look in. 
Man often weeps in his sleep. When 
aw axe he scarcely remembers that he has 
shed tears. So regarding life; in the second, 
thou Mill no longer know that thou hast 
wept in the first. 
wbbittb ilfaking. 
AT EVENTIDE. 
Tnon infinitely merciful! 
Thy garment'll horn In prayer wo pull; 
Bringing our harden* on our knees, 
Wo take the hand that, lends release : 
Turn on us on® forgiving look. 
Before this day shall close Its book. 
So yearningly wo seek thy flic® 
When darkness Is our dwelling-place. 
Our foolish hearts, that dully ronin. 
Would nightly rest with Thee ut Home ! 
Re with hs Here, and grant that wo 
Hereafter, Lord, may bo with Theoi 
Father! our Inmost parts lie bar® 
To Thine own purifying air; 
We spread our stains out In Thy sight; 
O, Sun of Pureness, turn thorn whito : 
And make our spirits clear as dew 
For thine own Self to lighten through. 
Send down the Comforter, wo plead, 
For all who are In bitter need ! 
Let homeless Hagars tint], we pray. 
Some well of suc.COr by the way : 
With the Angel of Thy Presence IiIosh 
P oor wanderers In the Wilderness. 
God keep our darlings safe this night, 
Though scattered, on®, all 11, in Thy sight i 
Loud on, by many ways, and past 
All perils, till we Join at Inst: 
With us the broken links! with Thoo 
Tho circle perfect endlessly. 
Now take ns. Father, to Thy breast 
And still all troubled thoughts to rest; 
Thy watch and ward about us keep, 
That tirod souls may smile asleep. 
And, having been In heaven awhile 
May wake to-morrow with Thy smile 
IG'eru/d Mimut'y. 
- 44 - 4 —- 
RELIGIOUS SENTIMENTALITY. 
In the books, the newspapers, the conver¬ 
sations of our daily life, one cannot fail to 
observe the prevalence of religious sentimen¬ 
tality. 1 do not. refer to the holy sentiment, 
that fioM’S from the heart and brain of those 
who through suffering, nr through ardent 
longing and striving have penetrated further 
Within the “holy of holies" than other 
hurried sinful mortals, nor do 1 refer to the 
“new song” that is put in the mouth of 
those who having struggled through tho 
deep waters of unbelief, at length find foot¬ 
ing on the rock, but to the sacrilegious use 
of God’s name, and truths, to bolster up a 
vapid poem, or to coat the pill of a nauseous 
story, or make a Aveak paragraph effective. 
One, through self will, and imprudence, 
suffering the natural penalty of outraged 
physical laws, was laid on a sick bed. Sit¬ 
ting one day in luxurious convalescence she, 
with martyr-like solemnity, remarked that 
she wished to be patient under this stroke of 
Providence! Another lady observed that 
each one must have some cross to hear, and 
her cross is housekeeping. How hard that 
God should give her the cross of a luxurious 
home to take care of I Pity He would not 
remove the cross! 
What more startling words in Scripture 
than these? — “Not every one that says 
‘ Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of 
Heaven, but he that doeth the will of 
qur Father in Heaven.” Then let us 
enter our heart, and see what we there 
shall find. Is there one enemy unfor¬ 
given?—one cruel injustice? Is there one 
whom we have judged and sentenced? 
Are we “ peace-makers ” instead of peace- 
breakers ? 
They tell of standing up for Jesus. It is 
comparatively easy to stand; are our proud 
hearts willing to lie doion for Jesus? —to be 
humiliated? — to suffer for righteousness, 
sake? Are we Christians of sentiment, or 
Christians of practice? in this uge of fine 
speeches, and vain babblings, it is well to 
pause, and consider these sublime words: 
“ Be still, and know that I am God.” 
M. N. 
-444- 
COUNT OVER THE MERCIES. 
Count the mercies which have been 
quietly falling, in your history. Down they 
come, every morning and every evening, as 
angel messengers from the Father of Heaven. 
Have you lived these years, wasting mer¬ 
cies, renewing them every day, and never 
yet realized whence they came? If you 
have, Heaven pity you. You have mur¬ 
mured under afflictions, but who heard you 
rejoice over blessings? Ask the sunbeam, 
the rain drop, the star, or the queen of night. 
What is life but mercy ? What is strength, 
friendship, social life? Had each the power 
of speech, each would say, “lama mercy.” 
Perhaps you have never regarded them as 
such. If not, you have been a poor student 
of nature and revelation. What is the pro¬ 
priety of stopping to play with a thorn bush, 
when you may just as well pluck sweet 
flowers, and eat pleasant fruits? 
- 4-44 - 
Altered. —“I never knew a man,” says 
an old author, “ who could not hear another’s 
misfortunes just like a Christian”—which 
reminds us of the old lady who thought 
every calamity that happened to herself a 
trial, and every one that happened to her 
friend a judgment. 
■- 4-44 - 
Nothing brings such peace to the heart as 
a calm trustfulness in God’s overruling care. 
