 The Offering 's contents were by turns serious and farcical . In a letter in the first issue , " A Letter about Old Maids " , the author suggested that " sisters , spinsters , lay @-@ nuns , & c " were an essential component of God 's " wise design " . Later issues – particularly in the wake of labor unrest in the factories – included an article about the value of organizing and an essay about suicide among the Lowell girls . 
