*From The Excellent Woman of Proverbs 31 written in 1847 by Anne Pratt (1806-1893)
The whole description, given by the inspired writer, of the employments of the Jewish matron, belongs either to primitive ages, or to those pastoral regions of modern times, in which commerce with other nations has made little progress, and foreign manufactures are almost unknown..... it is the glory of a woman that her own hand has wrought the clothing of her husband, son, or brother, and has decked the walls of their dwellings; and a helpless, useless woman, would be despised by the other females of her tribe.
And this diligent industry, so applicable to the wants of the people, had its praise of God, while the luxurious and delicate habits of the daughters of Zion, in later ages, are marked with his displeasure. It is with stern reprobation that the prophet Isaiah speaks of the rings, and chains, and mufflers, and
fine linen, of the Jewish ladies, whose haughty demeanor called for the solemn threatenings of God; and all whose ornaments were to be forgotten soon, when Zion, the faithless Zion, should be full of mourning and lamentation...
Flax was one of the plants earliest cultivated by mankind in masses. Its bright green stalks withered before the plague of hail, which came upon Egypt, when the flax and barley were smitten; and its bright blue flower seems to have been very abundant....Rahab had laid the stalks of flax on the roof of her house, that the scorching sun and the damp Syrian dews might macerate its fibres, when the spies entreated her compassion, and were hidden by her among the half‐dried plants.
There is a cheerfulness and heartiness in the character which the inspired writer gives of the Jewish woman. She "worketh willingly," or as some translate it, "with the delight of her hands;" and it is this willingness which lends a grace to every household employment, and infuses a spirit of alacrity into the daily duties of life. Cheerful willingness is no small virtue in a woman; for the duties performed with a smiling countenance and a ready hand, are far differently done from those which seem wrung out of necessity, and are accompanied by a mournful voice, and a languid footstep. A willing mind is enjoined, by God's word, on every performance of duty. The employments of daily life, of women especially, need often the remembrance that they are done in the sight of Him, in whose eye the lowliest act is of importance.
The flash of lightning produces a great effect; and the clearer air, and the cloudless sky, show that it has well performed God's mission; yet who would not rather that her light should shine like that of the evening star, whose tranquil rays nightly guide the traveller home, and cheer the mariner on the deep, and smile sweetly on the shepherd who watches by his fold, till they "fade away into the light of heaven."
SHE SEEKETH WOOL AND FLAX,
AND WORKETH WILLINGLY WITH HER HANDS
AND WORKETH WILLINGLY WITH HER HANDS
Proverbs 31:13
The whole description, given by the inspired writer, of the employments of the Jewish matron, belongs either to primitive ages, or to those pastoral regions of modern times, in which commerce with other nations has made little progress, and foreign manufactures are almost unknown..... it is the glory of a woman that her own hand has wrought the clothing of her husband, son, or brother, and has decked the walls of their dwellings; and a helpless, useless woman, would be despised by the other females of her tribe.
And this diligent industry, so applicable to the wants of the people, had its praise of God, while the luxurious and delicate habits of the daughters of Zion, in later ages, are marked with his displeasure. It is with stern reprobation that the prophet Isaiah speaks of the rings, and chains, and mufflers, and
Flax was one of the plants earliest cultivated by mankind in masses. Its bright green stalks withered before the plague of hail, which came upon Egypt, when the flax and barley were smitten; and its bright blue flower seems to have been very abundant....Rahab had laid the stalks of flax on the roof of her house, that the scorching sun and the damp Syrian dews might macerate its fibres, when the spies entreated her compassion, and were hidden by her among the half‐dried plants.
There is a cheerfulness and heartiness in the character which the inspired writer gives of the Jewish woman. She "worketh willingly," or as some translate it, "with the delight of her hands;" and it is this willingness which lends a grace to every household employment, and infuses a spirit of alacrity into the daily duties of life. Cheerful willingness is no small virtue in a woman; for the duties performed with a smiling countenance and a ready hand, are far differently done from those which seem wrung out of necessity, and are accompanied by a mournful voice, and a languid footstep. A willing mind is enjoined, by God's word, on every performance of duty. The employments of daily life, of women especially, need often the remembrance that they are done in the sight of Him, in whose eye the lowliest act is of importance.
The flash of lightning produces a great effect; and the clearer air, and the cloudless sky, show that it has well performed God's mission; yet who would not rather that her light should shine like that of the evening star, whose tranquil rays nightly guide the traveller home, and cheer the mariner on the deep, and smile sweetly on the shepherd who watches by his fold, till they "fade away into the light of heaven."
