The ladies' garland. [volume], March 08, 1828, Image 1

About The ladies' garland. [volume] (Harpers-Ferry, Va. [W. Va.]) 1824-1828

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Stye WLa^im* @rarl«in).
VOL. 4. HASPZKS^BHRY, VIRGINIA, MARCH 8, IS28. NO. 39.
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY KVEM5G,
BY JOHN S. GALLAIIER.
TERMS-—One dollar and fifty cents per annum, i
payable at the expiration of the first quarter, or I
one dollar and twenty-fire cents, to be paid at the j
time of subscribing. Payment in advance,- fr6m
distant Subscribers who are not known to the pub- I
Usher, wilt invariably be expcfteu. Should pay- j
ment be deferred to the end of the year, $2 will ;
be required.
*,* Postage on all letters MUST be paid.
THE REPOSITORY.
THE HISTORY OF
.Miss Sally St. John and her little finger.
In one of the frontier towns of Massachusetts,
there lived, a few years since, a young woman
by the name of Sally St. John. Her parents
both died when she was young, and left her w ith
a meadow, wood-lot, and pasture, worth a thou
sand dollars.
When Sally came to be about eighteen years '
of age, she made up her mind to marry, at the j
same time taking care to manifest the same, by j
declaring on all suitable, and unsuitable occa
sions, that she was resolved to live a single life, j
There are few women who do not, for at least
-ix months in their life time, enjoy the advan
tage of being thought pretty bv some ope T? >!
Sally s case was a hard one. In vain did she ia ,
hour at the toilet, ami in vain did she buy cor
setts, combs, and cosmetics, to develope if pos
sible something in the face or figure, upon which
she might rest some claims to beauty. But it
was a hopeless endeavor; even the creative eye
of self flattery could make nothing else of her
than an awkward, lean, crooked, unlovely
sninsfpr
Miss Sully now arrived at the age of twenty ;
she had tried the strength of personal attrac
tions in vain. Several bachelors and two or
three widowers had hovered about her. hut not
one of them had ventured to alight She con
sidered her case again and again, she put it in
all sorts of lights: at length she came to a con
clusion. “ 1 have been pulling," said she, “ at
the wrong string. I must give up the idea of
carrjing the point by force of personal attrac
tftrr* and place my dependence upon the farm.
» As me world goes, there is more merit in sixteen
acres of meadow, four and twenty acres of
young timber, and thirteen acres of sheep pas
ture, than in all the charms sung by Solomon,”
But years passed, and according to actual cal
culation, Miss St. John had reached the age of
thirty. But human life is not to be measured
by the almanac ; so our heroine passed for two
and twenty. The farm was indeed sold, and
the money nearly expended, but Sally remained
the same. ‘ Times alter,’ saith the proverb,
»'and we change with them;’ but our heroine
withstood proverbs as well as time. She was
still the declared enemy of marriage, but an in
ward seekegaftera husband.
Her designs and wishes con^iued the same,
but her schemes for prosecuting them were
shauged with her change of circumstances.—
The farm was gone, but woman is fertile in in
ventions and skilful in turning trifles to account.
Miss Sally St. John at length discovered that
she was nut destitute of one point of beauty.—
Her little finger was round, tapering, white,
soft, and terminated by rt nail bearing a beau
tiful pink tinge. I do not know how the disco
very came about, hut Sally had learnt that
beautiful fingers were muck esteemed in the
world, and in her sanguine i..i,g!,vaiinn, »l,c did
not uespair of making the charru extend to the
whole person. The little leaven that leavened
the whole lump was a text in point, and Sally,
like many others, did not doubt any thing if i
there was scripture for it. So she bought rings j
for her little finger, washed it with cream of
amber, and waited with longing and languish
ing anxiety, till the nail should grow to that
length which the laws of beauty prescribe.
Gentle reader let not thy lip curl in scorn! It
is a gambling world, and Miss Sally St.John is
not the first individual who has entered into bu
siness with a small capital. We havr seen Mer
chants, Lawyers, and grave Preachers tread the
stage of life, with pretensions based upon no
better grounds than hers; and we have seen
maidens put the best foot first with a presuni
ing confidence, when the said foot was not a
vvl.it better than Sally’s lit tie finger. Look at
home, ye scorners, and see if there is not a
inure ju,t proportion between a fair finger and
a husband, than between your demands and
your deserts.
1 ho campaign new opened, and the eneet ni
the Mfie finger was to he tried, bnt years roll' d
away, and Miss Sally St.John, at the age of for
ty eight, alone and single,confessed herself live
and thirty. Her minister, a preshyterian, spoke
to her of futurity : “ It is,'- said he, “ a world of
sorrow ; riches take to themselves wings and
fly away ; friends fad ; pleasures cease, and our
dearest possessions are withdrawn.” Sally sat
looking at her little finger. It was a little less
plump than formerly, hut it was still a very
handsome linger. The clergyman proceeded ;
‘ What is there,’ said he, ‘that should attach us
to the world ?” Sally replied, •• thiwill do for
those who are bereft of all earthly comfuits,
but,” said she, casting 1 r eyes at her finger, I
see no harm in enjoying those Llcs-ings that
providence has bestowed. ’ “ This is true,” said
the clergyman “ in the abstract; hut the heart
is deceitful, the. blessings of providence are apt
to become idols, and to withdraw the. heait
from its true allegiance It becomes e.s all to
try ourselves and see if there, be any wicked
way in us, and if we discover that the heait is
unduly attached to any earthly treasure, it is
our duty to sacrifice it. The stern rule of
scripture must be applied, “ if thy right hand
offend thee, cut it off!”
During the conversation, Sally's right hand
lay displayed in her lap, with the darling finger
adorned with rings of coral, torquoise, peail,
and precious stones. Whether by accident or
not we cannot say, but as the clergyman made
the last remark his eye descended from the
countenance of his fair auditor and rested upon
her favourite finger. She thought the clergy
man intended to jpake a literal application of
his words to her own right hand. The tears
started to her eyes, but she said nothing. The
inward struggle was deep. The clergyman de
parted and Miss Sally St. John, after dutrieflec
tjon. 4(.flail'd tii .t he was a hard na-trr and
that she could not sec exactly as he uul. !?•
she joined herself to the Episcopalians. " Alas,"
said the clergyman, “ Ephraim o joined to his
idols ; let him alone i"
Thus we have t id our story —whct'ici there
is meaning or moral in it, we cannot tell II
some keen-sighted genius should discover arc
h. o .nfci a tv.-iur t y 1.) ...g it hdoie the
JMI’OKT,t\(T, OK
rSMALS EDUCATION.
In a late number of the American Journal of
Education—a truly valuable periodical which
ought to he read I y every teacher of Youth and
by parents, we find the following forcible argu
ments in behalf of Female Education. The ar
tide Irom which ire ipjote is a review of .Mr.
Burroughs discourse on this subject, delivered
in October, l:s27. The author g.ves a brief
view of the civil and inti llcctual hi.-tnry of wo
man—exhibits a mournful picture of the degra
dation it presents, and then urges the iaipoi
• ante ol giving her a liberal course of instruc
tion. By a liberal course he means that high
system ol instruction, which calls into vigorous
exercise all the (acuities of the soul, strengthens
it by the culture, stores it with knowledge,
plants every virtue in the heart, and exalts the
character by intellectual and moral excellence
Ibis should be the lolty aim of female educa
tion. Its immense importance will be ladi'y
admitted, if wo s.eiv n „ connexion Vuil. jti
sonal and domestic, happiness, the moral condi
tion of the community, and the in,meats Oi
manners aud literature."
An extensive anu liberal system of inslra?
(ton is of vast advantage to a female, ns connect
ed with her personal happiness. If her know!
edge be only superliciaj, from what source i
she to derive her enjoyments or a proper r.c
<piuiatnnce with her great and numerous duties.'
How limited will he her sphere of usefulness,
and hoiv scanty her resources for the employ
incut ol her leisure hours! How will she n
hove home of a wearisome monotony', render
herself interesting to those around her, or pre
vent her mind from prey ing on itself, and he
coining the victim of ennui.-’ What is to keep
her li'urn ihe snares of vice, from a round of un
profitable iisiting, from an incessant desire o*
theatres, bails,and oilier exciting amusements,
from
a youth of folly, an old age of cards',
and from a miserable, reproachful anil unchrn
tiun lite^ Enrich her mind with sound and vat
liable knowledge, inspire her heart will) virtue,
and you will ensure to her the highest ate*
purest satisfaction * 4 * * '
“ Female education is of immense impor
tance, as connected with domestic life. It is at
home, where man generally passes the largest
portion of his time ; vvheye he seeks a refuge
from the vexations and embarrassment of busi
ness, an enchanting repuse from exertion, a re
taxation frpm care by the interchange of affec
tion ; where some uf his finest sympathies,
tastes, arid moral and religious feelings are
| formed and nourished;—where is the treasury
of pure disinterested luve, such as is seldom
found in the busy walks of a selfish and ealcula
! ting world * •* * * * »