The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1857-08-08
Married and Single.

Has uOnc anything towards raising the Slngl
women of our country to the comparatvrl
honorable level they occupy in England
anything to drive away the smile already fad
ing from the lips of all but the vulgar at tn
! name of old maid. '"-Ertroct from the pre-
, ./occ Of Mss .Scdywick's ncm Look.
We blame no woman for making the bcs
of her condition, in quiet and unobtrusiv
way, but when we find cclibacy defended a
an insttuton.thc wrath of married man ant
the son of a married man who had long lin,
of married ancestors. as he firmly believes
running back in an unbrokcn line to the pri
nal pair. rises within us. We believe tha
men and women were made to marry-tha
true human development and true happines,
cannot be III any measure, or in thcirpossiblt
measure, achieved in this world outside of tho
married companionship of the sexes and the
rearing of Il family of children We rcgart
1t as a serious misfortune to lead ncccssaril,
a single life; to lead such life from choice
based ostensibly upon Il candid view of tn,
two positions. argues, with us. an unhealthy
organization, or a judgment sadly warpct
from healthy bias.
TO decide against marriage is first to tram
pie upon nature and philosophy. Natural af
finities and sympathies must be ignored Miss
Scdgwick's experience with girls must have
taught her that a hat-band is charged with
hcart-quickening suggestions, that bass voice
is wonderful music, and that the vision of i
pair Of spurs is more charming than al the
landscapes in LcnoN, to a company of misses
anywhere from thirteen to cightccnvcars old.
AS for boys. we know all about them. We
recognized an unacc0untablc charm III a waist
at the premature age of eight, the waist be-
inc five wears old, or thcrcahouts." and was
Killed at thirty PAGES by the graceful swing
of skirt just as we stepped into the golden
scptcnniad of the teens. Our Youngest. q
daughter who is said to rcscmhc-wcll. no
matter whom-is already talking about q
husband and she has not seen her fifth winter
Where she got the idea is more than W,
can tell, but her doll is u boy, las true as VOL,
live" Falstatf was acoward upon instinct :
perhaps children are matrimonial in the same
way. What we mean to say is this: tha,
boys and girls recognize. among the carlicS,
facts, that their natural destiny is with on,
another; and the brightest dreams of youth
the ambitions. the struggles. the rewards tc
which youth looks forwartl-arc all associat
cd with love and loves possessions.
We have said, too, that to decide against
Marriage is to tramplc upon philosophy. =
man and woman are the true unit. The half
pair-of-shcars theory is correct. StrengthanC
scntlencss, rugged forms and graceful. any,
larity and softncss, positivcncsS and pcrsua
sion-in other words, manhood and woman
hood-arc compliments of each other. The,
area Kind of positive and negative elcctrici
ty which can never be easy until resolved b,
Il kiss of the heavenly fire.
Married life has its trials and its sorrows
Tempers may prove Incompatible, and cal
for forhcarancc. Fortune may be chary of
its favorS, and enforce great sclf-denial. Chill
drcn may be unSrateful, and sting the poo
heart that has pillowcd them. Sickness ma,
come, and haunt the household for years
But ask the poor man, struggling along will
his debts, and the weary woman toiling carl,
| and late, accomplishing the ruin Of all he
beauty and buoyancy, if they would be plac
cd apart could competence be given them
and all their trials be brought to al end. Th'
answer would be: there is something sweet
cr in this companionship of suffering THAI
ANYTHING the world can offer from its store
house of Joys outside of it, and somcthin:
which would make even scvcrcr trials THAI
ours only iron bands to draw us more tirml,
together" We have no ridiculc for any VIII,
through misfortune or disappointment art
forced into, or conclude upon, an unwcddc,
, life but toward q man who can marry ant
will not-or woman who can bring herself
to look with contempt at the offer of an hon
est hand and heart, we shall maintain a righ
| to exercise the gift of ridiculc whenever thu
occasion E,vors and the weather allows it.
We are death on all Shakcrism and its kind
rcd sins and follics. We believe in matrimo
, ny as an institution, and we believe in it as ;
| policy. We have known first and last, five
hundred bachelors who were waiting for com
petcnce before marriage. ltncvcr came, ane
| they and their Swccthcarts grew old waiting
for It, when, if they had married, and gon'
unitcdlv at the work of life with their hearts
hands and heads together, they would have
been worth something like $4,000 apiece OF
t an average this blessed day. We can't tram
pie on the best part of nature and MAKE
money by it. Not by no means. '-Spring
.feld Ef,nb1iron.
=
WHE'S DE WAY TO CANAAN - Mrs
v Stoves book. Drcd,' teaches many a lessor
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