Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1860-08-08
RaNies' department.
Mrs. N. z. M Editress.


pleasure your excellent article in the last No.
ofthe Age, headed EARLY Marriages l agree
with you entirely as 10 the ~'virtue' and pro-
priety of taking a partner for life, as early
after starting out IN its therny way, as pru-
dence mag dictate; but What is "A nice young
man to do, whose thOughtless Papa was
so cruel as to start on a "trip to that "undis-
covered country" without.leaving his hope
full son any of the wherewithal to support a
wife? Now, your hum Die servant is exactly
in that predicament. I would like to get
married, and according to your prerequisites,
am an eligible match. let me enumerate
l am just twenty three; have a good edu-
cation am master Of q trade that ensures
me fifteen dollars a week I do not drink
liquor, (for I am a Son of Temperance, good
and true neither do smoke cigars or chew
tobacco; never swear, am particular in the
selection of my companions, scrupulously
careful to avoid the society Of the vicious
and the acwd, ifIknow then to be such. 1
have a widowed mother and two sweet mai
den sisters, younger than myself, to. whom
I am devoted in love and attentions and |
delight in their society and that of their Wis
itors who frequently come to our happy
home.
Now, this is my picture "a fattering one,
I grant you, but nevertheless a true one,
though drawn by an interested hand. Well,
this individual would like to get married
but the way matches are made now a-days, l
am at a loss to know who of the many fair
ones of my acquaintance would make me
such|a help-meet qor tits only such an one
that | could afford for a wife) as l desire
and secondly, whether any one could by any
manner of means be induced to accept the
offer of a portionless young man, and me-
chanic at that, however exemplary his char
acter may be.
Now, there as FHsNY-she is a CHEEKY lit
Gle creature-allsunshin and ~vivacity, and has
withal a goodlyshare Of good sense; but she
is.not.ft for a Mechanics wifel Her 'little
hands were neyermade" to knead the dough,
ply the broom and grasp the hand Of hard
listed industry. 1t is true her father was a
mechanic brick mason-and a worthy
man at that andher,mother was the daugh-
ter Of the village blacksmith, whose good
dame had taught her to work and to respect
the man.that labered also. But that was a
long time ago. WclIFanny's father was in.
dustrious and her mother was frugal. His
stock in bricks and mortar proved a good
investment, yielding a large dividend, and
the 'old woman" proved a good banker with
whom it was safe to make all his deposites.
Well, time rolled on, and by the time Fan.
ny reached the second or third year in her
teens, her father lived in a big house, was
squire'ofth village, and the mouth-piece Of his
party in politics and the 'told wonan'
thought he fought to go to the Legislator
any how" Well he did go and made a first
rate member. OF course the daughter of th
Hon. Mr.. squareangle must be sent off t
be educated a Ia mode Well, she did 60
and when she was sweet plump ~ssFenteer
she returned home finished and "a Frencl
fled that she had changed that good old Sax
OF name Fanny, into that of the recherche !
belle, FANNIE. None of this in derision-fo
Fannie is a dear sweet creature-but as
natural, inevitable consequence.
But Fannie is not fit to make me a wife. Sh
has not the money in prospectu or posse
sion, to enable me to lire with5nt work or
support her in extravagant notions for ii
mortar and the trowei were laid aside b
the old man as soon as he had enough to liz
upon, and there are a halfdozea others to d
vide the twenty thousand between. Shehi
never been taught TO work, she does n
know how, and has not the strength, if 81
had the knowledge and inclination. 81
could not help me along in the world. Al
besides, she holds her head a little abo
the common folk, and expects to marry
lawyer, or a doctor, or a Judges son-al
she's fixing up her rigging now to go
Beaufort, Shocco, Old Point, or somewhs
else, to catch him. If we s'see su
things in the green tree, what may we {
pect in the dry" as the Scripture sal
My fifteen dollars a week cannot afford
81 1 u OtN Ad4ChCh W tdilllit dliu al
her ilk, for she is the representative o.
class.
Well, here is Miss 0phelia; she is
daughter of the richest man in town.. s
was educated(D at one of the bon ton, "a
ionable schools, of which there are a tn
sand too many now in the country. ]
know, dear Editress, what her accompli
meats are, no doubt as | understand
'haye been all along there" But despite
her poling, ophelia is a woman of g
traits, and might be made a model won
like "ophe." as l fondly termed her WI
in childhood's happy hours we tripped al
to school together-and 1 think l &C
make her, by proper training, a model C
panion for a sensible mechanic-as hig
dignity as woman could aspire to. But "
B would she think-what would Papa
Mamma say, were I to presume to
wooing theres An eternal disgrace, I
would think, had been cast upon them, v
|, with the smell Of the workshop on mt
dare to pollute the fragrant air of their
t~ocratic parlor. Where nov ladv Elf,