Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-02-10
eTe srushers and ssarriageabIc
E1aughters.,,


Uuder this somewhat suggestive captain we
find disqualification in the Vicksburg Wing,
purpogting 10 come from a gentleman, DESTROYS
Of Hnaifring somebody's daughter" contain
ing good desl of sense which applies to 9TH
or lpnalifies besides Vicksburg. As it touches
upon matters which have occupied some con-
siderable attention of late, and refers to
growing evil ia this country, we have thought
It worth while to give our readers the benefit
Of few paragraphs from it which they can
make the most of, or not, just as they please.
The vein of satire which runs through it is
well deserved in many quarters throughout
the South:
Our hero describes himself as passably
good looking, neither drinks whisky, ehews
tobacco, nor smokes cigars; and has credit in
lis bank book sufficient, with economy, 70 pay
the board and dry goods bill for at least one
in advance" This is the saving of seven
years labor, Just half the time the good Pa
triarch labored for tho wiyes-the writer
wants but one He also has a clerkship worth
$500 per annum, and is twenty eight years
old and. as the Tennessee horse Jockey SAYS,
where labor is respectable, and where the in,
dusirious man aud busy housewife, and not
the idler and pink saucer Miss, are the gems
tleman and lady, with such capital and fu-
ture prospects, the most timid votary of Iiy-
men would have nothing to fear in kneelipg
before the altar and plightIng VOWS with the
one beloved; but here, where the pusical
huinming Of the spinning wheel is an obsolete
idea, and the dusty brOgans and rough hand
of toll are pushed aside by patent leather and
kid gloves, and pomatun, and the "balm of a
thousand flowers preferred as hair and skin
preservatives to the sweat of the brow that
earns the bread, man who, with such means
and prospects, would commit matrimony
would be esteemed, by those who have ''seen
the elephant" as either fool or a madman;
for it would take the half of bis bank capital
to pay house rent for year, and the balance
to hire servants to do what the bride would
most cheerfally do if it WAS only respectable;
but the doing of which would lose her caste,
and ladies of ''ton" would not visit her-and
that would be awful, you know!
Our Vicksburg writer thus continues: The
only remedy is reform in public ard social
life. OF course such q revolution-for res
form in this particular would be revolution
lis not expected to take place for the special
favor Of the writer. If he stood alone he
would be content to suffer in silence. But the
fact is, he knows g score or more Of young
men situated just as he is and all wish TO get
married-every mothers son of them, and he
has taken pains to count, and there are more
than twenty mothers OF his acquaintance who
have manageable daughters, and if he can
judge from the pleased look of each when
there are pair of patent feathers under the
t.yal II L. h.,
bread with most of them,) be would say that
a load of care would be off the hearts of each
if they could see their daughters we'll settled
10 life. lie knows the young ladies all desire
to marry, for a great many have been asked,
and all said "yes." How delightful it would
be if these twenty couples more could just
wake up in the morning and find the social
circle SO reformed that they could all get mar
ried without the least fear of starvation or
the sheriff. And this reform must be had, or
some of the interesting manageable girls of
the writer's acquaintance must live to be old
maids, certain. The reform is easily effected.
Let these mothers take the lead, backed, as
they will be by their beautiful daughters, en-
couraged by the prospect of a husband, and
all sustained by score of brave young men,
under the lead of the writer, who would
run idle, fashionable Z. F.'s and hoops, and
twelve width skirts, wine glasses, decanters,
etc., cut Of society, and establish fashionable
society of our own, in which the wife who
would do the most work and keep her house
in the best order, at the least expense, will be
the leader Of the ''ton," instead of giving as
at present, the leadership to her who can spend
TIE most money, buy the most jewelry and
fine clothes, do the least for her family, or
race, and, by her example, vitiate the taste of
the young and ruin the ambitious poor.
Brsvol And let all the people, including
"mothers with marriageabe daughters" the
daughters themselves and their papas, say
amenl Let the reform be commenced at once.
The best interests of society demand it.