And yet the contrast of all these
fine titles with this being, so humble, soon strikes her. At the
aspect of this frail treasure, opposite feelings agitate her heart;
she seems to recognise in him _a nature superior to her own_, but
subjected to a low condition, and she honors a future greatness in the
object of extreme compassion. Somewhat of that respect and adoration
for a feeble child, of which some fine pictures offer the expression
in the features of the happy Mary, seem reproduced with the young
mother who has given birth to a son.
"Is it a daughter? There is usually a slight degree of regret; so
deeply rooted is the idea of the superiority of Man in happiness and
dignity; and yet, as she looks upon this child, she is more and more
_softened_ towards it. A deep sympathy--a sentiment of identity
with this delicate being--takes possession of her; an extreme pity for
so much weakness, a more pressing need of prayer, stirs her heart.
Whatever sorrows she may have felt, she dreads for her daughter; but
she will guide her to become much wiser, much better than herself. And
then the gayety, the frivolity of the young woman have their turn.
This little creature is a flower to cultivate, a doll to decorate.
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