Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1844-11-28

propriety OF getting up and gong TO
lend helping hand so long, tia, when,
having decided the question according
10 the principles Of right reason, he
arose and proceeded To the Scene of nc
and only few Of the crowd remained
spectators of the bIackened walls and
glowing embers Gabrie stood d'tiber-
ating whether II was most reasonable
10 90 home at once, or remain where
he was a liitlc while, when, all of IA sud
den, he saw the spectators dart away ~
different directions, aud tumbling oyei
each other in ,heirprecipiate retreat. -
Instead Of following their example, he,
began TO speculate on the probable
cause oflhis movemc nj, being determined
not TO bulge an inch without a good
reason, when all at once the thread ot
his raliocinaiion was abruptly broken by
the falling Of the wall of one orthc burnt
houses, some Of the stray fragments ct
which reached and covered him with
dust aud bruises
Here was reason enough IN all con
SCIENCE To- satisfy even Gabriel, who
crawled away home, where he lay N.
bed several days, cogitating on the re-
speciiye merits of instinct, impulse, and
reason, the las, OF which, as might be
expected, carried the day. In short,
volume might be filled with the va
rious disasters Of our hero, in conse-
auence of his invetcrate propensity to
settle every point according to the IN
:,I l. r ,,,,I,
can not be, however, denied that he
occasionally escaped serious mistakes
aud misior,unes by delaying his deci-
sions, or not making any at all, and
floating quietly on his oars down the
current Of life. These confirmed HIM
only the more strongly in his beset'lng
habit, and he continued to reason more
inveIcrately as he advanced in years.
Being man of competent estate,
staid habits, good morals, and portly
person-exactly such as becomes an
alderman or member of a church yestry
he might have married aud settled
him sell in life to reasonable advantage,
had hc chose Ia do SD. But IN the iirSi
place the question naturally arose,
matter, and settle It according to the
principles of right reason ; IN the Sec
ond place, the question naturally arose,
whether he could liud woman who,
like himself, settled all domestic mat,
ters according TO the principles Of right
reason and thirdly, whether, in the.
great scale of human existence, aud the
Intricate, incxplicablo concentration Of
matters aud things in general, IT best
accorded with the principles of right
rras"A, To marry or lave bachelor.
ilrre was vast field for the eXer-
else Of the reasoning faculty, and Mr..
Fan"ood considered The subject in all
It's bearings, first turning 1t upside
down, and then inside out, and lastly,
hind part before, as carefu! housewives
were wont TO d. with their gowns, be-
fore silks and muslins became SO cheap
that it is considered to test economy TO
have no more than one dress for every
day in the year. We shall proceed to
state, with all possible breyIty, the pro-
cess of MIR Fanwood's rcaSonings on
his subject. The first obstacle was the
rather reasoning woman, for there is n
decided difference, if not absolute con.
trast, between the two. He stumbled
over this at the very threshold, but, be
lng n man who always looked at both
sides of subject, ii occurred 10 him
thu if he could only secure such d trea-
snre bv the exercise Of right reason, il
would ha invaluable. The difficulty,
weighed against the value Of the acqul-
n'ipa, balanced the account, aud Mr.
Faawood remained a. Siata g'sD, Just
whore he WIS beliSe
Ia the second place, he considered
what cdPrlcion> persons women gcuer-
ally were, though, If the truth must be
Ipid he knew this only from hercsay.
They never knew their own minds, new
cr were constant to one thing, and might
he logically defined as indetinable uH-
c,ttlinrics lie recollectcd that the
scriptures speak Of a certain man, but
nn such phrHonCuOn as certain woman
q, therein recorded, which omission he
took IA il strong indication, it not n decI-
slvo proof, thai spch thnG was out OF
we question:. MS ONltCllDn was also
pretty well cOguierbaianccd bY the con-
sllrrslon that n woman oi au uncertain
disposition, ii wrong at one tine, might
he llht at anolher and that she would
assurejly not be certain to he IN a bad
hunnr all the davs of her lie. In fue
any thing was better than an obstinate
mule, who was 50 confident of being al
ways lght, that she insisted on having
her own way or one who, if she once
took a wrong turn, stuck 10 the point like
an old rusty wealhcrCock. Upon the
whole, therefore, this want of stability
was not altogether Objectionable aud
he again returned to the point Of sin'u 9ho.
In the third and last place, reasoned
Mr. Fanwopd, the question that naturally
a,lses j., not so much whether the mar
rr'd or single state is most conducive 10
hl,niurss There Is n much more I'M
ppranf point in the eye Of reason. lfa
bachrlrr becomes discoutented with his
im, al hc has TO do is TO marry but IL
such - misfortune happens TO a married
ru.,, he h,s no te1purce but to hang him
s,lL Tae odds are, therefore, two to
one IL fAvrr If th" bachelor, On the
"hrr hani a'Lh Nr. Fanwood ON the
unrr huud bu' lr could find nothing on
the other houi that, according to the
prnripic> oi u.ht reason, sufficiently
w. sh,I aslin.i lhls formidable consid-
crt.pu \ .r.pdmgly he determined to