Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1846-01-14
Bachelors Complaint of Married People.
BY CHARLES LAMB.

self for those superior pleasures which they
tell me have lost Ivy remaining as am.
cannot say that The quarrels of men
and their wives ever m1de any great TN
preston upon me, or had much tendency
to strengthen me in those anti-social reso
unions, which took up long e. on more
substantial considerations. What oE'enest
"ffends me at the houses of marie per
sons where visit, is an error of qni,e
different de>cription-it is that they are
too loving.
Not TOO loving, neither; that does not
explain my meaning. Beside, why should
that offend me? The very act of separa
ting themselves from the rest of the world,
to have the fuller enjoyment of each
others society, implies that they prefer one
another 10 all the world.
But what | complain of is, that they
carry preference so undisguisedly, they
perk it up in the faces OF US single people
so shamelessy, you cannot be in their
company moment without being made
TO feel, by some indirect hint or open avow-
al, that yOu are not the object of this pre-
ference. Now, there are some things
which give no offence while implied or ta-
ken Tor gran'ed; hut expressed there is
much offence in them. If ii man were TO
accost the first homely- featured or PLAIN
dressed young woman of his acquaintance,
and tell her bInntly, that she was not hand
some or rich enough for him, and he could
not marry her, he would deserve to be
kicked for his i'll manners; yet no less is
implied in the fact, that having access and
opportunity Of putting The question to her,
he has never yet though, fit To do it. The
young woman understands this as clearly
as Ii 1t were put into words; but no rea-
sonable young woman would think of ma
king This the ground of a quarrel. Just
as little right have married couple to tell
me by spec hes, and looks that are scarce
less plain than speeches, that am not The
happy mantle lady's choice. 1t is suf-
fcient that | know am not: do not
want this perpetual reminding.
The display of superior knowledge or
riches may be made sufficiently mortify
ing; but these admit of palliative
The knowledge which is brought out TO
insult me, may accidentIy improve me
and in the rich mans houses and pictures.
his parks and gardens, has n temporary
nsufruct at least BIT the display If mar
ried happieesS has none of these pallia-
tlves; II is throughout pure, unrecompen-
lsed, unqualified insult
/ Marriage, by its best title, is a monopo-
lily, and no. of the least invdious sort. Il
is the cunning of most possessors of any
exclusive privilege tc keep their advanta-
ges as much out of sight as possible, thai
their less favored neghbors, seeing litde
OF the benefit, may be the less disposed TO
question the right. But these married
monopolists thrust the most obnoxious part
of their patent into our faces
Nothing is to me more distastefu than
that entire complacency AMI satisfaction
which beam in the countenances of a
+ newly married coupie-i that OF the lady
, particularly; it tells yon that her lot is
disposed of in this world that you can
< have none; nor wi-hes either perhaps
but this rs one of those truths which ongh,
/. as ! said before, to be taken for granted
n not expressed.
i. The excessive airs which those people
i give themselves, founded on the ignorance
J. OF us unmarried people, would be more
J. offensive if they were less irrati nal We
4 will all w them t. understand the myste
!. lies belonging To their own craft better
. tban we who have not hsrd the happines-
p t. be made tree of COMPANY; bn, their n
rogance is not content within these limits
o If a single person presam to off-r his
g opinion III heir presence, III ugh upon tht
most Indifferent subjects, he is immediate
= Iy silenced as an incompetent person. Nay
g young married Of my acquaintance, who
I the best of the ies. was, had not changed
1 her condition above a fortnight before, IN
q question on which had the misfortune Il
: differ from her, respecting the properes
4 mode 10 breed oysters for market, bud tn,
:. assurance toask how such an old bachelo
. as could pretend 10 know any thing ahou
! such matters.
/. But what have spoken of hitherto i
j nothing to the airs these people give them
s selves when they come, as they general.
!. do, to hive chiliren. When conslde
n how liue OF rarity children are-tha
every street. and bind aiey swarms vii
!. them, that tn pparesi people generali
i have the most OF them, that there ar
few marriages that are moi blest with q
least one of these bargains; how otie
ri they turn out i'll, and defeat the fond hope
! of their parents, taking TO vicious course
v which end in poverty, disgrace, the ga
Il lows, &c.-l cannot for my life tell VIII.
N cause for pride there can possibly be
ee having them. II they were young phenll
a es that were born but one IN an age. the
no | p,;,vht no n.otovt Pr ,vhan thoV AZ