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Leader (1850-1860), 19th April 1851, Edition Town of 1, Page 372, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      SKETCHES FROM LIFE : By Harriet Maktineatj . X . THE DESPISED WOMAN-. Mrs . Hepburn made a mistake early in life , —as most ' people do in one way or another . Her mistake was a very serious one ; but she has endured the consequences more bravely and patiently than most of us endure the results of our own errors . She was very religious ; and she loved a man who was not religious at all ; and very far from moral . The best thing he ever did was loving her ; and the Wisest thing he ever did was-marrying her . She saw , in the midst of her love forhim , that he was selfish , fond of his own indulgence , and of a sturdy temper . But he had some knowledge , and she had nearly none . She respected his knowledge too much , and was too humble about her own ignorance . She held fast to her religion ; and she loved it so dearly that she could not but believe that he would love it too , when it was brought into his daily life at home . She knew that his brother George was not a good man ; and that George ' s wife had a Very bad temper ; but she thought she could bear with this for her husband ' s sake ; . and in this she was not mistaken . One unfavourable circumstance was

      that her husband was very little at home ; only one day in the week . He was a boatman on a canal in Lancashire , and five-sixths of his time were spent on board the boat , with only too much opportunity , and too many temptations from companions , to drink and play cards , and be dirty in body and mind . They began life prosperously , as to money . Her husband set her up in a grocery shop , in a bystreet of a town , in the midst of good custom ; and she took pains to learn to manage the business well . The house to which the shop belonged was

      uj large , that it was necessary to let the upper rooms . Mrs . Hepburn thought herself fortunate in obtaining unexceptionable lodgers , as she told her husband with a thankful joy . Two pious ladies engaged the rooms ; and she served them devotedly , and thanked them incessantly for the opportunity of attending the prayer-meetings which they held almost every evening , with their minister and liis friends . These ladies did not attend at all to household business . They left it to Her to provide their dinners , and the hot suppers which they usually had after their prayer-nu'etings . They

      did not even seem to remember their bills ; and when she was short of cash , and ventured to lay the butcher ' s or baker ' s bills on their table while they were out , the bits of paper silently disappeared , and were not afterwards spoken of . Once or twice , when she was bard pressed , and when she asked when she might look for a settlement , she was put oil' with gentle promises , and benevolent exhortations to patience . Her faith in them was so strong , and she had so great a dread of

      losing her religious privileges by exciting her husband against the , ladies , that she culpably concealed their fault , and went on raining money by selling her stock , and getting in more on the strength of her lodgers' promises , till , at the end of two years , she found all her means exhausted , and discovered that the ladies bad never had any means at all When they found ahe could no longer put dinners and hot « uppers on the table for them , they « rew haughty and insolent , and went off in a hull " , — leaving her almost broken-hearted .

      Happily , her religion was a Milueient stay . She Haw that thy sins of false professors affected only the profession , and not the religion itself . Her ideas of religion were changed , but her faith was not overthrown . But for this , she must have died ; for she bad no other resource . She wit in a bare and desolate house , expecting to be turned out into the street with her child , and dreading her huHbarid ' n return , because it wan her fault that be was ruined . There-was something odd and terrible about Urn child , too . She was not like other

      children in her looks and ways : and in fact , tho In tie creature w iih an idiot ; probably in couHequence . of the mother ' s anxiety of mind before its birth . Dreadful above everything was the hunband ' n return . Tho scolding at finst was quite «» awful an she had expected : but there vva « yet something worse . lie vowed lie would never speak to her again . No one interceded with him for her . His vicious brother npurned and insulted her ; and the brother ' n wife took away her character in all

      directions ? No eye ' looked kindly on > her : no . voieei spoke a- word . of comforti She was wholly driven imupon herself , . to see what she had best- do . It was soon clear to her , in- the light of her religion , what she had . best do . She had already told her hu&bandithat she-took- the whole blame on herself ; that through-- ignorance she had done- things so wrong , that she was bound > to work ; and < devoteheri selfrall her- life long to repair- the mischief . He ; made no answer ; gave no sign ^ but a sneer , that ) he heard what she said . So she now resolved to- say no more , except by actions ^ She would

      submit , and toil , and . endure ; and nobody should ever , with God ' s hel p < have cause to complain of her again . But how could she be sure , —ignorant as ^ she was , —that through , ignorance she should not again fall into some fatal error ? i For five years herhusband never once spoke to her . He came home ; once a < week , as before h and made'himselF" comfortable ^ - —taking no more notice , of her than ) if she had ; been a . chair ; Before the end'of that time , the children were old enough to notice this , and : to be injured by the sight of the contempt with which their mother was treated .

      She says now that it was a bitter timejr- ^ -bittcr beyond expression ; but she knew herself to be sowrong-that she was-determined to bear it .. She toiled and saved ,, till she got together money to . buy a few groceries ; , and ; by degrees , she became able to turn hep lower room into 1 a little shop , —where she is still selling , groceries , while doing : more in other ways than almost any other woman . One hard conflict of mind was about what to do with the younger children . Hourly conscious as she was , of the evil of her own ignorance , she desired , above every thing , to send the little ones to school ;

      but she fancied herself bound to sacrifice every thing to the eldest , whose idiocy she believed to be her own fault ; and she kept the rest at home to make the days amusing and pleasant , as she hoped , to the poor sufferer . She regrets this now as an error ; but some good advice and help came to her before the precious years were wholly lost ; and her children can now read- to her when she wants information about their education , or any thing else ; and her own poor way of reading is also

      improved by them . 13 y some such means she became aware of the importance of her children ' s health ; and as soon as she conceived the idea , she set her earnest mind to work upon it . 5 She besought her husband to have them . all vaccinated : but she got nothing , in answer to her prayers , but contemptuous and angr y looks . It was a serious thing to do on her own responsibility , possessed aa her mind bad been with the old notion that to

      vaccinate a child was to interfere with Providence . She struggled into a purpose sit last , and had the thing done . One of the children had smallpox , some years afterwards , but so very mildly that the mother was completely satisfied that she had not been wrong . She learned that fresh country air and thorough washing were good for children ; and she so contrived as that all her children should wash from head to foot in cold water daily , and with as much decency as if they were in a gentleman ' s house . She made a yet more striking effort . Her only boy was extremely delicate in his infancy . She thought lies ought to have good country air ,

      whereus they lived in a narrow street , far away from f » r ; iH . s and trees ; and she could not put him out to board , nor could she have trusted him to any care less tender than her own . Month after month she rose at four in the morning , or earlier when the sun was up , and carried the child into tin ; country , miles and miles beyond the smoke , returning in time to get the other children up . and the bouse ; made' neat , hcloie opening shop . It appeared , indeed , as if patience were instead of sleep to her , and her virtuous purpose as life itself . She has never sunk . She looks ten years older than she is from bcinjj ho worn ; but the serene fact ; and cheerful voice show that the mind is in full strength .

      Aa occasion arose , nhc found she could undertake a little more , and again a little more . A young widow whom nbe knew died , leaving one little olnld . There wiih a small matter of properly left , — not enough to pay for placing the child out under proper care ; but , perluips , just enough for bare clothing and food . Mi'H . Hepburn took home the infant , carried it on her arm ; ih « lie went about her busincHH , nursed it , chciiKhed it , and now regarded it , ( juiuv an one of her own . All thin while , the brother Cieorge bad gono on tempting her husband into vice ; and his wile had continued lo rail over her tf laHK of gin and in her many idle hours- at the patient toiling woman , wIxoho early credulity and

      imprudence were never / t&ueiforgotteft ;¦ and Mrs . Hepburn , knowing how their tongues were eraployed , had- never any other answer than the first : '' Well ,, in my ignorance V did so many wrong things * that I mustr bear whatever happens . " At l&stiihe railings sister-in-law dropped down helpless in palsy . She could not ' movea limfcr ; What Mrs . Hepburn then said was , "I am her sister , you see ,

      after all ; , andVho else should , take care of her ? * So > she looked , out . the pleasanteeti . corner of her house , and established' tbe ^ palfeied' woman there , and waited cm' her night and day , cheerfully and amiably , —apparently without either finding , the nursing any burden , or ever remembering to apply to herself a certain text about heaping ; coals of fire on the head ; In her arms the vixen died , and from her house she was ~ solemnly buried .

      For many years she must have had a strongsense of power within herself ; and , owing to her husband ? s almost constant absence , her authority is all in all at home . Yet she is the same humble woman that she was in the days of her deepest humiliation . " Ann * " said the Sunday school teacher lately to the beautiful little daughter of twelve years old , "I am sorry to see your shoulder growing out so sadly . " " Yes , ma ' am , " said Ann ; " mother knows about it , and she is going to get me some straps . " The lady explained why straps

      would do mischief instead of good , and instituted a set of exercises , and other treatment , under which the shoulder came right in a very short time . The teacher told Mis . Hepburn in a few weeks that she thought there need ^ be no more anxiety about the shoulder ; when the mother replied , " You see ma ' am , what a thing it is not to know ! I wish to do the best I can for my children ; , and here , in my ignorance , I was-going to do the very worst thing I could have done , if somebody had not observed it . " She will never grow conceited or authoritative now . As her children ' have grown up , she has had one great comfort . She can now attend chapel , and hear services which agree with her improved view of religion . She hears what sets her forward safely and soundly in her weekly dut ) r ; and dearly she loves to go . Her husband , had an illness , —a painful rheumatic illness , — through which , of course , she nursed him as well as she nurses all the sick who come under her hand . She had been with him all one Sunday . In the evening he was so

      far comfortable that she thought she might go to chapel . " Are you going out ? " he asked , as she took down her cloak . " Yes , I am going to chapel , " she replied ' . "Odear ! " sighed he , " 1 am sorry you are going out . " What words were these from him ! She hung tip her cloak , took up one of the children's books , and offered to read to him . She read a little story , as well as she could ; and then they fell into talk ; and they had " such a happy evening ! " Since that , some watchful neighbours have quietly observed that the husband has been seen at chapel more than once . Such is their story , so far ? Who shall say how it may end ?

      Untitled Article

      T HE O N K G R E Y IIA I It . The wisest of the wise Listen to pretty lies , And loVe to hear ' ern told . Doubt not that Solomon listened to many a one-Some iu his youth , and more when lie grew old . I never Hat among 'I he choir of Wisdom ' ** song , . But pretty Hch loved 1 Ah much as any king , When youth wan on the wiii £ , And ( muHt it . then be told ?) when youth had quite {^ one by . AIuh ! and I have not The pleanant hour forgot , When one pert lady mud : — . " () Ijundui '! I am quite Bewildered with affright : I hco (« it quiet now !) a white hair on your head . " Another , more benign , Drew out that hair of mine , And m her own dmk hair Pretended nlie ] Uid found That one , find twirl'd it round Fair uh kIio wua , who never wiih so fair . Waltku Savauii Landom .

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      Vyes-. ould r ) o our utmost to encourage the Beautiful , or tke Useful encourages itself . — Goktuk .

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  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), April 19, 1851, page 372, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1879/page/18/