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New Zealand Mail, Issue 879, 4 January 1889, Page 2

An article in Macmillan’s Magazine, entitled “The Glorified Spinster,” marks distinctly the difference between this lady and “ The Old Maid.” “ The Glorified Spinster ” is tolerably contented with her lot, and ever thankful to escape the trials of married life. She is not liable to envy, hatred, or malice.” She is open to advanced ideas, and eager to reform. Let her once become convinced that a course is wrong, she would have it set right without delay. She enters a crusade against all wrong and oppression to her sex, has wide sympathies, the power of selfsacrifice, a cool judgment, and wellbalanced mind.' The old maid proper, on the contrary, iB a woman who feels herself fitted for the cares and joys of matrimony, and who believes herself to be cruelly wronged by being debarred from her proper sphere, and, thus brooding upon her wrong, she is quite unfit to make a satisfactory position for herself. “The Glorified Spinster ” is generally the daughter of a clergyman or professional man; Rhe is widely read and highly cultured, but poor, and yet spurning anything like dependence or subjection. It is to be hoped that some worthy outlet may be found for the overflowing zeal in the cause of oppressed womankind possessed by the Glorified Spinsters, Surely, after Michael Davitt's recent letter in The Times, the Separatist party will no longer insist on contradicting every statement as to the real motives of the Parnellite party. The general effect of the letter is briefly summarised by the St. James’ Gazette. This Js the effect of what be (Mr Davitt) says:—“We don’t care about Home Rule ; we don’t care about Mr Parnell and Mr Gladstone, we are not groaning under Saxon tyranny, What we want is to turn oat the landlords and settle the compensation ourselves. If the Irish Parliament is not going to have the power of dealing with the Irish land, then we don’t want to. It is all flummery and nonsense, this talk about governing Ireland according to Irish ideas. No Government will suit us that will not, or cannot, wipe out rent—past, present and future. Any settlement of the land question in which English politicians had a hand would be generous to the landlords, or (what is nearly as bad) it would be just. That does not suit the views of the people of Ireland.” This is a straightforward statement of the sins of the Par qeliites, only Mr Davitt has snoken in a little more plain manner than the rest of tbg consider prudent. The German papers are really growing tod patriotic. They actually consider that for a foreign lady to dislike Germauy is good ground for her divorce ! The North German Gazette, followed by many others, supports King Milan’s demand for a divorce, avowedly because Queen Natalie showed herself, in many imprudent ways, hostile to Germany and Austria. It seems to be admitted that the Queen placed herself at the bead of a Russian party in Servia, opposed her husband’s pro-Austrian policy to the utmost, and even laboured for his deposition ; but that conduct, however blamable, is a reason for an impeachment. or for banishment by a special law, not for claiming a divorce. Treason is, of course, treason ; and if trea-on is alleged. Queen Natalie is only a subject ; but diflerence of opinion on politics, however radical, doeß not amount even to the technical “ incompatibility,” for which the Servian law grants divorce. King Milan’s foreign policy is probablj' the best one for hia people, and certainly the wise one for himself j but that is no reason why a grave injustice done in furtherance of it should be approved by foreigners.