Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-05-16

growth in Christian grace. After illustrate
ing the dangers to which we are exposed
by showing that the decline and destruction
Of the Roman Empire was caused by such
extfavagauce Of society that the young men
could not afford 10 marry, and refused, even
though the Emperor tried to compel mar
p 0riaCes--a solemn fact which ought to be
warning to every young man and woman to
cultivate economical habits, so that they
can afford to marry, and save their country
from destruction-the Gazette thus con-
cludeg i'
eve must encourage plainness and sim
piicity of living. We must turn wealth into
channels Of utility, and not Of luxury. We
must endeavor by all means, 10 create a mid
die class not amenable 10 fashion; and we
must foster and encourage young men in
marrying young, living frugally, and turn
ing the riches, which their industry accumu-
lates, into useful and benehcent channels"
It is our purpose to consider whether early
marriages should be encouraged as a blessing
% to the parties, good to society, and a patri-
~ otic service to the country; but we might di-
gress to inquire whether there is any founda-
.7tion for the premise that marriage tends to
80. the power and preservation of the State, and
celibacy to its weakness and destruction.
a- The Gazette finds two circumstances in Ro-
man history; one that some young Romans
were reluctant to marry on compulsion; the
other that the Roman Empire declined. Ac-
cording to the rule of the true statistician-a
science for which the Gazette is somewhat
distnguished-when two circumstances are
coincdeDt, one Of these must be the cause,
and the other the effect, and the Gazette con-
cudes, of course, that the refusal of the young
Romans TO marry caused the decline in the
power of the Empire. .1
The reverse of this was the theory of the
.o' law given to the Hebrews directly from
Heaven. That recognized the unftness of a
married man for the defense Of his country,
and provided that he should remain at home
for year after he had taken wife, no mat
ter how great the public danger. We pre-
sumo that no advocate Of early marriages will
sI argue that he was any less disqualified for
s war, or any more willing to face death at the |
end of year than he was during that time; |
therefore, this rule is, in effect, recognition |
that marriage is, to some extent apermanent |
disqualification fer service in war. Our Gov
Al ernment recognizes the same principle in its
enlistments for the army, and almost excludes
married men. The decline Of the martial |
spirit has always marked national decay, and |
if marriage units man fo- war, celibacy |
% can hardly be held responsible for the sad fate |
of Rome nor very threatening to our national
power. 80 pa NN
If marriage is a conservator of national |
vigor, polygamous nations ought to be most
powerful, for they carry it to the greatest ex-
tent; but it has not saved the Turks nor did
it the Jews, and the decline of their power
and martial spirit began when marriage was
carried to such an extent that Solomon had
seven hundred wives and three hundred con-
cubines. 1t is singular that the writer in the
Gazette should be oblivious to these statis-
tics and to the fact that power has left ORR
. entail nations where marriage is most ex-
tended, and has settled with nations where
ii is most restricted, and where celibacy most
abounds.
The writer arrives at the conclusion that
the rich should live frugally (thereby letting
their wealth accumulate) in order to encour-
age economical habits that will enable young
J men to marry young, and to that end we
81 must create middle class, not amenable
to the laws of fashion, who can afford
to marry But this is another fallacy in
the premises, which we must notice before
we take up the conclusion. Young men of the
middle class naturally expect to improve
their position, by pushing forward to en-
inence in their profession and success in their
business. An ambitious young man of this
position is least likely to handicap his pro-
gress with 'young family" None marry
so generously as beggars and those whom
generations Of poverty have made hopeless
of any rise, and it is proverbal that children
are the poor mans blessings. If the Gazette
wishes to encourage marriage and young
families, it must suppress the ambition to rise
in the world, and encourage unthrift and
reckless poverty 1t is singular that so sta
tistical a journal should be so ignorant of the
effect of poverty in increasing population.
Mr.. Buckle, in his History of Civilizaion,
undertakes to show by statistics that mar
riages and population increase and decrease
in proportion as food is cheaper or dearer,
showing that our affections, which we are
prone to think governed by affnities, are
subject to fixed natural laws. But he illus
trates this by the early marriages and inn
mense increase of the Irish peasantry, who
live chiefly on potatoes, on which diet, he
says, more population can be supported, to
the acre Of ground, than on any other. Ire
land should be quite a little heaven on earth
to the GGzette, which holds that early mar
riages and young families are the foundation
Of all virtuous society and of growth in
Christian grace.
But Mr.. Buckle, like other statistcians,
has seized on two coincident circumstances
and made one the cause and the other the
effect, and from that derived his theory that
our hottest affections go up and down with
the price of a barrel of pork. It is unsafe
philosophy and as the Gazette is somewhat
given TO the statistical line, we will illus
,trste' The Roman Empire rapidly declined
after the conversion Of Constantine and the
establishment of Christianity as the religion
of the State. Statistical philosophers, like
the Gazette and Mr.. Buckle, would of course