American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1857-08-28
A CHAPTER ON MATRIMSNY,


4 A CHAPTER ON MATRIMSNF.
s A young lady out West, in COM
municatien to the Sandusky Register,
upon ths suhject of matrimony, says:
8 "It is mournful fact that this world
is full of young lhct who want to mar
y ry, but dare not. Deny this, as some
i will, it is nevertheless true, as we can
very easily shoR; In this town; for
Instance, there are some thirty or forty
young men, well-to.do in the way of
business and salaries, and yet refuse to
take the step which they all want to
take, but dare not. Why? TIE large
majority Of them have salaries ranging
from FIVE hundred to setth hundred
dollars year. Now the neat question
to be asked by any sane man, is, can I
properly support wife, if l take one?
Then he counts the cost Of living rs
the woman ofhis preference would wish,
and 10 he finds to his amazemcnt, that
his income is vastly too small to support
even modest modern establishment;
and, somewhat maddened by the reAec-
tion, he plunges into labor and courts
business with an assiduity which takes
away his health eventually, in hopes
of attaining an income that shall ena-
BILE him to marry, and have home of
his own. And this is the secret Of the
hard, unbending toll of the young men
OF to-day, who are fast approaching
thirty years of age--this ID the reason
ofso many disappointed men a.id wait
ing women, deny or hide it as you may.
"But, says some good woman, you
10 us ihjusticej for any woman who
truly loves man will adapt herself to
his circumstances with the greatest
pleasure. But what man of any sensi-
tiveness, or high sense Of honor, would
take woman from easy circumstances,
and pleasant, we'll furnished home,
to adorn his four little rooms, attd to
do his housework, as the first princi-
pies Of economy would demand Of himY
Few will do it; for though; the woman
signifies her willingness to take up with
such experience, we are all such crea-
lures OF circumstances, that there would
be compfaihiti9s ON her part eventually,
and sickness from over-exertion, TN
happiness frSh tttah5 tares-all which
would render marriage anything else
than pleasant. And so the young men
very wisely ,think--preferrins few
years of single lontliness) i'll trdet to
obtain money enough to SUPPORT d tto-
dest house of between twelve and fff:
teen hundred dollars per year Expense,
rather than to plase d moderately edu.
Gated woman into the house of six htn'
dred year, where she MUST do her
own house.work.
Snow, what is the remedyf Plainly
that women must fit themselves to bs
such wives as the young men must have.
Elise the young must fit themselves
to be such husbands as the women want.
and spend the very choieeet years of
their life in the dismal drudgefy of a
ceaseIess toll, breaking down health,
happiness, energy, only to give them.
selves up to marriage when the best of
their manhood is gone. The women
must choose for themselves which it
shall be, for the matter is solely in their
hands. Letmothers say to their daugh-
ters: Put on that calico gown, 20 into
the kitchen and prepare ditnsf; take
charge of this household, and fit your
self to become wife and mother. Let
the young women cheerfully consent
to such service; and instead of lavish.
ing all thought, and time, and money,
upon the adornment of the body; seek
to accustom the hands to proper indus
try, and to school the mind to proper
tastes. Then there will no longer be
complaint that young men can I afford
to marry, and we shall have beautiful,
modest houses all around us, and wo.
men will have loving husbands, and all
life, once more, have something of the
truthfulness and virtue which it had in
the days of our blessed fathers and mo-
theirs, when it was woman's ambition
to become the head of the house, and