Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1860-09-25
M I SCEIL A n Y
1t Don't Pay.


What follows is to be read carefully. The
sting of the age is in it. The social trouble Of
the time is laid bare, aud the yelled Isis of our
too busy life stands with uncovered face, gazing
at US with sad, dreaming, warning eyes, and
pointing to line of shadows more fearful than
the witches summoned before Macbeth, the ter
rible ghosts of dyspepsia, divorce, loveless homes
and suicide. Read it, and say if it does not
come home to the business and bosoms of almost
every one OF Us.
No one cares for advice they imagine doesn't
offer pleasure enough to make the performance
of it pay This is literally golden age Ev-
erything must pay. 1t must pay for youth to pay
attention to old age. 1t must pay for society to
be sociable. 1t must pay fur friends to keep up
show Of friendship. 1t must pay for enemies
to be foes. | scarcely think our sordid souls
would allow US to lie down or get up, to take
were not forced to acknosiedge it ''would pay"
The appeasing of hunger, the refreshment of
sleep, the recreation of rest, standing in our
mercenary sight in the same light as postage
stamps-just as good as gold.
The old fashionable days when men went
courting, and girls had beaux who popped the
question, have gone by forever They would
not pay now a-days. Young men now pay at
tention young ladies have their admirers; it
isn't necessary to do any counting, and then get
married in most business like manner. It is
the only way that would pay. 1t doesn't pay
for husbands to sit down to a cosy cup of tea
with wifey, tell the news, or kiss the baby; he
can only swallow his food in the most abstract
ed manner, pass his cup to his ''lady," without
speaking or looking at her; frown that the cross
baby isn't kept out of sight, and grumble be
cause there may be chill on his biscuit The
lady doesn't feel hurt at this--it wouldn't pay
for her to feel bad over it--and she goes out af-
ter tea where she knows there are people who
will notice her neat new dress and pretty face.
By-and-by somebody goes to his bedroom, takes
out little oblong case of rosewood, abstracts q
pistol, load, cocks, and fires it straight into his
own heart. His ''lady" has lost him, friends
blame him. No use Of living any longer-it
wouldn't pay. a
We always have q plea for absence from
home-always an excuse for the late return, the
neglected favor, the forgotten promise. Busi-
ness, business, is our watchword and constant
cry-no time for wife, or home, or bairns.-
What is divorce but the ghost ct businessa 1t
erawls along the deserted halls of affection, lays
its cold hand on the heart, fixes its abstracted
gaze far away from home-feels with its Shiny
fingers for those tender heart strings-lays hold
of thep--breaks them. Man and wife are put
asunder-business stands between and parts
them. They grieVe, they are angered, they are
divorced. Women have faults enough, Heaven
knows! my grumbling self acknowledges it read
lily still / would be their defender in some
things. We can work to live, but it is not ne.
cessary that we should live to work. Moreover,
many pastime comes under that hydra headed
monster, yclept business, which has no right
to be there. Ihave many married acquaintan-
ces. often see them linger at the Office long
e.. oho r:~l> II.
dropper-in or whiting away at the silent cigar
The tea-table is perhaps waiting at home-the
wife perhaps watching at the door. The tardy
loiterer comes at last, declaring that he was un-
avoidaby detained by business. If the wife
grows jealous of this bugbear, which keeps her
husband from her all day long, and sends him
home at night so tatigued that he cannot sit up
to chat, what has he to say to her but that q
man with a family is forced to work; and be he
a LAWYER. doctor, editor, preacher, scavenger. or
bricklayer. the cry is forever the same. Some
wives wear an apologetic look always on their
faces in the presence of their husbands. as
though they would say: Il am sorry to be such
a burden to you sorry that you are so unfortu-
nate as to have wife and little ones. I hope
YOU will excuse u.s. we would not be here if we
could help it," And no doubt the poor woman
means it-no doubt she dreams sometimes of the
aching hearts and say, "Peace, be STILL" No
doubt when Sunday comes, she forgets to join
in that part of the litany which prays for dsliv-
erance from sudden death, and she learns to
look at her children pityingly, and to whisper
mournfully. as she bends above them in their
cradle, .sHow little you dream, poor darling, what
terrible sorrow life is"
The fashionable woman takes different
course. The world knows what that is; but in
either case. man is as blameable as woman
The Bible tells us there is a time for all things
after marriage man has no right to forget
there is time for rest, and to devote the whole
of it to business Let him count the number of
times his heart beats in one day, and make up
his mind TO set aside q certain measure of its
pusations for "home, sweet home"
A medical journal says hatsingie women have
the headache more than married ones. That
NAV be: but don't married men have the head
cache oitener than single ones9