of the land; the mistress was clothed in rich apparel; in a word, everything was in such good order that there was nothing which one could envy in another house. In the midst of these riches, what did the mistress do in the house? Did she occupy herself, as she might have done, in going to parties, walking, gambling, and visiting? Hear the words of the Holy Ghost: “She hath sought wool and flax, and hath wrought by the counsel of her hands;” mark this, Christian women and maidens! “She is like the merchant’s ship, she bringeth her bread from afar.” So diligent was she in her housework that she even interrupted her night’s rest: “She hath risen in the night, and given a prey to her household, and victuals to her maidens. She hath put out her hand to strong things, and her fingers have taken hold of the spindle.” In a word: “She…hath not eaten her bread idle.” Was that amount of labor necessary for such a woman? By no means, but she occupied herself thus in order to please God. Therefore she merited the name of a God-fearing woman: “The woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.”[1] Those holy hermits of olden times who lived on herbs and roots, and wove baskets the whole day, did not do so for the sake of earning their living or making money, for when a basket was finished they would unweave it and commence it again; their only object was to avoid idleness and always to have something to do, some work in hand. A few years ago I saw in a princely court the princess with countesses and other noble ladies continually at work, even while taking their tea; some were sewing, others embroidering, and others making lace. To my great amazement I read lately of Charlemagne, the great Christian emperor, that he had his sons taught different trades and professions, while his daughters had to spin and were not allowed to wear any linen or lace but what they had made themselves. What do yon think of this? These people belonged to a princely, an imperial family; and they worked, not for their daily bread, but for the sake of their souls, and of Christian modesty and humility.
- ↑ Quæsivit lanam et linum, et operata est consilia manuum suarum. Facta est quasi navis institoris, de longe portans panem suum. De nocte surrexit, deditque prædam domesticis suis, et cibaria ancillis suis. Manum suam misit ad fortia, et digiti ejus apprehenderunt fusum. Panem otiosa non comedit. Mulier timens Dominum, ipsa laudabitur. Date ei de fructu manuum suarum, et laudent eam in portis opera ejus.—Prov. xxxi. 13–15, 19, 27, 30, 31.
