The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-02-27
THE DAILY DISPATCH:
;I5nrnaY NonNTNs, iTIirsRUARY n, 1854.
SOCIAL REFORM,

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j. - -. SOCIAL REFORM. i
The woes, grievances and aiiiic anne !. rs,
middle. aged gentlemen are rarely cons'oei
and am less frequently trested' win oci'u
ing respect By The public II an ap 'pesdsS
made to the sympathies ofthe MAJ ar.
& monster wicked Yousc AMkR sllr -. I" mus
$50. . .ro,,serx and wonderful looking coats,
-. .h,,, ~ merriment at the expense OF
. .,ss ala foeies. If the middie-aged VIC
.ao s nnnrsss;on. who publishes his sorrows'
!. !. bachelor, he is denounced as crue',
I, ia arone or II he is the victimof connuo'si
s,;ss and the father of o family, he is admon-
;shed 70 attend to aneglected and lonely wue'
and his nest Of squalling cherubs 10 cheon
anrous. rather than tothe correction oi 'oo'
errors. And now that GEORGE SANDERS -
oon,;,o bark. 6ercer than an angry tiger TO
nm, h;,nse,f at the head of the YOUNG AMER
Ic.s. we expect that all murmurs rom 'hiu-
a1o .,,ea men win be declared high treason,
and punished accordingly, ai31Lstt 5fao2
pnt as middle. aged men have not only So
c;al RIGHTS, but also mild, yet respectable, and
;noffen.iye ideas of enjoyment, we must put
in our plea for them before the decapitated
ADMIRAL "SAsDERs' takes charge OF his
vigorous forces, ID Tasy asa
We submit the opinion, very submissively,
humbly and respectfully, but nevertheless
very decidedly, that in the society of this
thriving and hospitable city, there have
never been sufficient provisions made for the
comfort of middle-aged men. Like most
quiet gentlemen of middle age, we occa-
sionally go to balls and private PARTIES
dance a quadrille or so, and conduct brlef
and rheumatic Irritation with ladies, who were
bellies twentyyears ago-and keep keen eye
to the main chanoe-as far as hot oysters,
chicken salad and ice creams are concerned.
"a Like other middle.ag aged men, the heads OF
families, we find it after the labors of the day
no difficult task to turn Off the gas, and then
turn in at eleven; but the fashion, when we
venture upon little attempt at dissipation,
pronounees us an outside barbarian, genu-
inc Goth, an unqualified yandal, if we enter
the brilliantly lighted house of our friend
and host before eleven o'clock. And If
we arrive before the hour of nine, we
enjoy all the pleasures which that GER
MAN recluse, ZIMMERMAN, asserts are to be
derived from solitude. We fE.d, it is true,
two rooms of capital size, well lighted, but
stripped of all superfuous furniture,-pre-
pared like the deck of man-of-war, for
action" The removal of sitting down fur
niture is of course necessary to make room
for the dancers, as SOFAS rocking chairs and
lounges materially interfere with the compli
Gated mazes of the waltz and polka. If mid
dle-aged men were disposed, regardless o.
the consequences, to dance for several con
secutive hours, the facilities for doing so un
til their knees givew are always good; bu
pater familias, generally prefer sitting down
and looking as complacently as PIcKwIcK a
the activity of others. Besides it would b'
shocking for middle-aged, married men-fa
theirs at that-to I" dance all night with 18th
cirls.''s What would the world say? Henc'
the uiddle-aged man prefers sitting down ant
conversing, rather than incur tedious sup
Elemental CAuDLE entertainment coInmenc
ing at three in the morning only to be termi
mated at sia by the growing of the inferna
Shanghai cock in the back yard.
Placed in this quandary, he looks aroun,
for a sofa and pleasant woman. Sofa Their
il none; but in a remote corner, in the mids
of a collection of the botanical specimens
called avail flowers" he spies vacar
chair. He rushes for this place of refuge
Is run into half dozen times, by differer
polking planets of eccentric orbits, and take
his seat between two ladies of uncertain ag
both of whom have been for some hou1
commenting amiably upon the degenerai
girls of these intensely degenerate days.
He, has scarcely recovered from the efrec
of his flight to the plush bottomed sanctuar,
when his gallantry requires him to abando
H., it to some painting beauty who has just finis]
ed polking and is of course out of breath.
Afterwards, compressed against the wal
amid the crash of the music and the buz of
hundred voices-he standing, the lady sittin,
he attempts little rational conv ersation, an
only one word of every fifty is indistinctl
heard. The pleasures of this sort of cenve
sation, somewhat exhausting the lungs-aft,
half an hour screaming, he feels hoarse. an
slides along the wall, like gigantic liar,
until he reaches a doorway, and forms On
of legion of timid youths and middle age
e fellow-sufferers, and looks dismally at III
dancers untilsupper time. He occasionalE
If he is very good looking fellow, venture
to talk to some young lady during the pause
OF the dance; but her wandering ewes, une,
sy gances and disconnected and occasion
ally incoherent remarks, make it painful
obvious that she does not care great de,
Il foryour wit and your attentions The ladie
OF your own age, it is true, will talk with 70,
but if you know the world you had best co,
~. tent yourself with singing hymns in praise {
their blooming and beautiful daughters, VIII,
alas! are forbidden fruit to that unornamer
tai Parsonage "pater tanil,as'- "a middl
aged married mani X ,2W&T2
zaa Some of our readers may petulantly e,
claim-ssWhat does fb;ae "a; ~. !,