Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-10-24

Their with charcoal or with chalk we will
not say, in the world, affrms of matrimony
that,
The greatest trouble is, as fol,ers,-
Have to pay the preacher twenty dollars
In this rapturous flight Of song, the bard
was much nearer the truth than he suppos-
ed. for the statisticians, with figures that
never lie. have proved that marriages increase
I'm direct ratio with the cheapness OF living,
or. what is much the same thing. the ease OF
obtaining the great desideratum Of the 10,
man plebeians, paaem Ct crcehseS, bread
and beans. A short crop in England or ON
the Continent, cuts down the list OF wedd-
ings as surely at it elevates the price OF the
wheaton or barley loaf. while an extraordlns-
~ WELD in the cereals, sets the church bells
ringing as though half the population had
been sci zed with an amatory frenzy. But,
in the latter case. the frequency OF the JOY
GUS peals from kirk or cathedral tower. Is at.
tributable less to an unwonted warmth OF
feeling among the young people shan to the
fact that the inevitable twenty dollars
are found in numerous pockets which gen
orally droop in vacant ignorance Of sue"
burthen.
But be the parsons charge great or small
a half dozen of eggs, as not unirelueh'iy
happens in the country. or couple OF pos!
are stamps as once i'll London, be tins as II
may, we are prepared to affirm that the
greatest trouble is" not 'as tolers' III the
rhymer's lines, but quite the contrary, that
the fee Of initiation is the very least OF the ve5
atoms attending the life OF double blessed
ness. TO draw an illustration from the
homely sphere of the domestic annals, 1t
enough to state, what no one will dispute,
that it is not the original price OF the beast but
the cost of keeping it, that brings the trouble
and puts endurance to the proof. Disslmllar
tastes, natures uncongenial bad health, low
spirits, sick children, poor or meddiesome
relations, scandalmongers. debt and mlstor-
tune of every sort-all these have to be en-
countered long after the preachers account IL
satisfactorily audited.
The daily papers TEEN with proof OF tins.
Indeed, if we may trust to the types, we are
forced to believe that untrOubled marriages
are the exception to the rule, even IN tins
highly favored land of cheap bread and dear
labor. The statisticians, in proving that
marriages multiply in proportion to the ease
of living. have not touched the obstinate
problem of the average happiness OF marr!-
ages of all sorts, nor the dependence ot wedd-
cd bliss on the abundance ofpork and pota-
toes. beef and corn bread. 1t were we'll II
some Of our countrymen who delight in
figures would address themselves to TINS
weighty question. al we know at present
is, that Milton's fine apostrophe to married
life, seems, at this day and time, to be pain
fully ma,apropos anywhere outside OF Para
disc. America and Europe alike bear wit
ness 10 the rapid increase OF matrimonial
troubles, inasmuch, that, with the rise ana
orop,ess of the execrable idea of free love.
Legitimate result, it is to be feared, OF that
absolute license OF opinion which follows the
spread of modern democratic theorleS-the
c,njugal tie has lost its sacred character, and
become of even less value than civil con
tract, entered into or forfeited at pleasure, as
mere expediency suggests question pure
ly Of temporary personal comfort or aggrand-
izement.
The London Times, in proof Of the passion
of the lower and middle classes of the Eng
lish people for titles, narrates the history OF
a middle aged, well-to-do, respectable widow,
who had eepoused miserable detormed
wretch simply because he represented him
aslf "a the sor, of an Earl. What made the
case still worse, was the fact that the oon-
temptibls little rascal had already married
two other women ON the strength OF the same
story.
IF titles win the love Of the fair of Great
Britain. our own countrywomen exhibit
a weakness for more substantial honors.-
Wealth is the omnipotent attraction here
Quite recentiya half-witted youth, mailing
from New York, managed to secure the hand
of Philadelphia dsmsel by representing
himself as the heir of rich merchant, nor
was the strongest testimony to the contrary
sufficient 90 open the eyes Of the deluded
victim aud her avaricious family. But the
most ridiculous case We have seen OF late
occurred not more than two weeks ago. IN
New Orleans, where an unfortunate French
man, after four years of connubial happiness,
discovers that he has married the wrong
woman, and is forced to the discovery, by
the distressing circumstance of being COM
PEELED to appear before Police Court to COM
plain that his wife, for year past, has been
untrue to him. Events Of this sort happen
day by day in every section OF the Union,
but especially in those quarters where the
baneful doctrine of spiritual affinity" OBJ
tains.
1t will be seen that the greater part OF
matrimonial troubles grow out Of marrying
from improper n.o..ves. The penalty OF
rashness, imprudcuce, avarice. and every
sordid incentive to marriage must be paid
As general thing, the unhappy couple
start wrong and, in SO doing, sin against
right and knowledge. 1t is not for the want
of good advice that the first Or the subsequent
fatal mis-steps are taken. The wise coun-
sells given young married folks in books, pam
phlets and magazines, ifprinted continuous
ly, would make u newspaper column as long
as the Atlantic cable and very nearly as USE
less. Everything that can be said on this
subject has been condensed in the old adage
that "a good daughter makes q good wife, and
q good son good husband" 1t will be con-
tended that many good woman lacks sense.
The pea, we think is under the other thimble.
Women really stupid are 50 rare that he who
refuses to love good woman on the plea Of
her lacking sense, will. in nine hundred and
ninety-nins cases out Of thousand, be found
a bad man. On the other hand, stupid and
brutal men are by no means uncommon
How is it that we 80 seldom hear Of wives
numbering their husbands?
With more truth and more force it may
be urged that it is hard to find who is the
good daughter and the good son. The testi-
mony of parents, especially of mothers, 'rela-