The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-04-27

cantankerous sister in law to end with.
Nay, when Miss Hopkins, that middle aged
and strong minded young lady OF bllghted
affections, and Mrs. Jenkins, that woman OF
sublime aspirations, who has unluckily
"mated with clown coalesce against the
opposite sex, fall into one another's arms
and vow eternal friendship--for a year; after
which, for five more, they make all their
acquaintance uncomfortable by their eter-
nal enmity-even in this lamentable phase
of the sentiment, it is more respectable than
the time. serving, place-hunting, dinner.
seeking devotion which Messrs. Tape and
Tadpole choose to denominate friendship
"Men may laugh at us, and we deserve it;
we are often egregious fools, but we are
honest fools; and our folly, at least in this
matter, usually ends where theirs begins
with middle life, or marriage.
at is the unmarried, the solitary, who
are most prone to that sort OF sentimental
friendship with their own or the opposite
sex, which, though often most noble, unset
fish, and true, is in some forms ludicrous,
in others dangerous For two women, past
earliest childhood, to be completely absorbed
in one another, and make public demonstra-
ton of the fact by caresses or quarrels, is so
repugnant to common sense, that where 1t
ceases to be silly, it becomes autually wrong.
But to see two women, whom Providence
has deniedonearer ties, by wise substitu-
ton making the best OF fate, loving, sus-
tanning, and comforting one another, with a
tenderness often closer than that of sisters,
because it has all the novelty Of election
which belongs to the conjugal itself-this,
say, is an honorable and loving sight.
"Not less so the friendship-rare,
grant, yet quite possible-which subsists
between a man and woman whom circum.
stances, or their own idiosyncracies, pre-
clude from the slightest chance of ever
falling in love- That such friendships Car
exist, especially between persons of Ger.
tain temperament and order of mind. ane
remain for lifetime utterly pure, interior
ing with no rights, and transgressing no Law
of morals or society, most peoples observa
ton of life will testify ; and he must take {
very low view of human nature who dare
to say that these attachments, satiricall,
termed Platonic," are impossible. But
at the same time, common sense must ALLOW
that they are rare to find, and not the hap
piest, always, when found because in som
degree, they are contrary to nature. Ma
lures law undoubtedly is, that our neares
ties should be those of blood-father o
brother, sister or mother-until comes tn
closer one of marriage and it is always,
not wrong, rather pitiful, when any extra
neous bond comes in between to forestall tn
entire affection that young man ought t.
bring to his future wife, young woman t.
her husband. l say ought-God knows
they ever do. But, however fate, or folly
or wickedness may interfere to prevent il
not the less true is the undoubted fact
that happy above all must be that mar
riage where neither husband nor wife eve
had friend so dear as one another
After marriage. for either party to hav
or to desire a dearer or closer friend tina
the other, is state of things so inconceiV
ably deplorable- more erring, the nor
deplorable- it will not bear discussion
Such cases there are but He who in tn
mystery of marriage prefgured a create
mystery STILL alone can judge them, for ii
only knows their miseries, their temptation
and their wrongs"