THE CLERGYMAN'S WIFE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 10, 11 January 1877, Page 4

THE CLERGYMAN'S WIFE.

- work is unexampled and onequailed, but there are certain "" i^' I '?^ your clergymen's wives ; can do Which oar Sisters cannot. There caja, r! be no doubt;, thlitt on the whole^ we 1 u wives of the clergy are most osefal. They certainly do a great deal of work. jThey teach in the schools i -;/ #_^ n act: ;aa distriot visitors, they superintend female parish work, tbey help to find. situations for the girls in the town or village,and they attend to' -the de-;\eci|jrfeD^bf--t^;ehbreb. JLH.tb.is ihey do grafuhoaaly^ nor do they expect any tbaoks for iv They willingly agree to -;^'i?f^largorVporUoii;or their hosbahds' incomes being devoted to charitable parposes than would the wives.bf most laymen^iaod they are moat. careful in Saving soch remnants from their table „ as can poasibly be spared, ih border to feed the weak and. sickiy around, t^iem . Thf -very, WmaH establishment ot! the t Reotor is sometimes more prodoetiveof *• cromb^ for the pobr than the kitchen 61 s _ neigh -oririg Ci casus. The cjergyB_an*s,w.ifa is ;often useful in another ? way* _>H^wever charitable the -Squire's ~wife may be, ; ' she- is often -away Trom home, and during her absence her servants carry; on, ia the: same manner that she would,; her; ly.ofks of charity. R^ut.- the Rector's wife rarely takes r a J_._l__y» .* n d . therefore, the poor can always fall back on her; and, if need, Ik. she can write to tbe Pqoirels^wife ; when she Js absent, and lay; before ;her i : aoyfdaaealwheire/mooeyi or; that- which : wiil require money, may be necessary. ; Hundreds aad .thousands of kind; acts j itiaye been' performed by our clergymen's I These excellent : woi— en -have | denied; themselves numberless /luxuries j and pleasures, and have, screwed, and | pinched their slender p u rses in order to ■ hel^ their poorer neigb!bora. How many \ v somtgi^r tours and pleasant visits haye I *TO_y%6fr"giveb op to assist come mem-; ber,ofthas, lower middle class whom, it; iS v so diffi O uU to reVcb, and for helping: T whom so little credit is to be obtained, i Somatimes the parson's bride brings a I V-»i§f _o .w/y* and then; a; slice; of; her io-! come is cheerfully, given up to help her; l^sband's; pariah ioners. Onjthe whole,! x-?M& people who are not religions, (in the; - 'ecclesiastical sense of the wofd) v make so m§ny : Sj3lf sacrifices aad; p clergymen's; •wives, v Some of them are,, of course,' 'fiQlffsh and wpVldfyr minded';' "bafr we be-j lieve that these form rare exceptions to t^e geperal rule. Usually all is well,' to long as the wives of oar clergy do; ; - K npi interfere ,;wUh, the cure of, spuls. ; ij&gjiipo women would be so. careful .to X cavoid meddling in matters of religion vjg they/ In other words the clergy-; man's wife must not become the priesxfa&~Saturday Review.