Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1858-10-13

rlage, in any case, is preference, guided by
Judgment, even if the sacrifice Of ''love's
yonng dream" be the cutting off of the
right hand" or the pIucking out of the
right eve"
In the sermon on the Mount, | find
rule with regard to marriage take hu-
man beings love, his life, his magnificent
domestic possibilities, to be bis pearls, i'll
any thing can be thus designated. Wei
are told Lot to cast these pearls before
swine. If !, therefore, an earnest man, in
politics. religion or social regeneration, he
stow soul, thus devoted, upon woman
whose beauty or accomplishments have fas-
Ecinated me, but who is thoroughly indiffer-
ent to my relations to duty, have sub
sfantial guarantee Of Wretched life. Do
not misunderstood me. A man does not
want a wife who can grasp and execute like
himself But ne does want one who can
appreciate and svmpathise. A Whitfield
does not want wife who can rouse to &c
stacy Spitalield weavers and Cornish mi
ners. But he does want wife who loves
MethodiSm, rather than Presbyterianism
| or UnitarianiSm, or who is interested in
souls, rather than in literature or fashion.
In minor matters, like habits, tastes and
manners, of course judgement must be used:
but have sufficiently designated its form
of action. | must here, however, put in a
caycat against refining too far, in this ac-
ton OF the judgement Perfect unison can
be lopked for nowhere
/ If what have said already be true, it is
evident that marriage should never take
place till the parties have learned what life
really IS and their views Of dlty have be-
come well defined The man or the wo-
man who nlarres another who is not yet
in earnest about anything, runs great
risk. In the years to come there may be
All eternal divergence Another inevitable
corolIary is that marriage should never fol-
low short or superficial acquaintance
"Marry in haste to repent at leisure" re it
the writ of what one it will, is undoubtedly
the dearly bought wisdom of many.
In conversation with Boswell, | believe,
his sonn,l- Drained old friend secuted the
idea that some particular woman was in
spensable to the happiness of some one
particular man, and added that there were
fifty women, probably, whom any man
! knew who would make him as happy as
any other could.
Marriage has shown in this country, ot
/ late Years, most wretchcd phases. Crowd,
of instances like those of -- and
> the New York Hotel, have been noised
? over the world. Crowds of instances that
are known only in limited circles, Qccul
/ daily. The spread of the free love doc.
trnc, shows deep seated disease that de
: mands so radical a remedy. In Europe
. where marriages Of convenience are very
common, this demand might naturally have
been looked for, if the usually received love
y theory were correct. But in this land
where a competence is attainable BY every
i one, and mesalIiance is al impossibility
our people have married in accordance
with the teachings of Felicia Hemans anc
Letitia Landen. And the result, | think
has shown that suggestions Of the use o
the Judgment III forming union were no
I needless, And let me not be accused of
! cold, stu bid idea ofdealiugwith what shoul,
% be alone dictate of the heart. / said
III @preferehce guided by Judgment" And
believe that the man who can say to wo
~ ~ man, a not only prefer you from feeling
~ ~ but my Judgment approves what my affeC
III tions sud dgested," pays her higher an
T. more dc icate compliment than the on
! who says 81 will love in defiance of ever
9 dictate of prudence, and every considers
a. tion of duty"