Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1861-03-14

that twenty po.is are unhappy bocaase ,ls-ir
wives died and twenty are wretched became.
their wives lived. In one case Tho husband
trrmbles for fear has consort will leave him. snd
IN tho other for t-ar that she won't! The hu-
morist had prccecied thus far when the inge-
nsity Of his o~n logic made him a1 IDIOT. and
he reAlly eomPleted the essay with solemn
protest asain.s marriage. While We emile q,
the entertaining Frrnrh gentleman, Il * worth
Observing th.s many Of the finest tribute. paid To
thc gentler sex have emanaied from old bache-
lors-the leht-bssrtrd Bsncdicks Who never
lived to be married. Tas,o made Leonora i'm
mortal. and Herrick h;s Prudence BALDWIN
and these were the most incurable Of old bachc-
ic~s. There IN oae of Herrick,s lyrics ta HI.
sweetheart 20 diminutive and chasfe and per
an aldermsn'--tha can ncyrr think Of it with
out quoting IL:
on MS rArp rnxv
I'm this ntrie urn Is laid
Pre~dere~ BALDWIN. once my maid.
Fwm whose happy .park here Ie,
Spring tse purple violet !"
No reader OF 'recen. biography il unfamiliar
with Lady Byron's unfortunate marriage. nor
with the love of Jean Burns nor the TOUCHING
account Of Shelley two wives. nor with ,b,
tender care with which the wife Of Tom Moor.
watched over the splendid ruin Of his intellect
The memorials Of Thomas Hood by his son and
daughter reon,ly publi.hed m this country by
hcknor 4 Fieids. present Us with delightful
psrture ID domestic literary lie JAe book IL
self Is not = remarkable specimen Of biograpbi.
cal writing. hut the character Of Hood and III,
wne ar 30 full Of human goodness, ~ Touched
With all delieste grsees, that one forgets every
thing che. Mrs. Hoods letters are dcliciou.
unIe'eaings Of herself She was
"A .Idri,. yet woman. too.
Acreasrr not too taisht or rood
fu human natures daily food
fH transient >orrv~s, simple ~tIe-
fraiss, blame, io,e. kis>es. tears and smiles ="
Oar own day and our own literature are not
barren in instances OF such UNIONS. nor lacking
in painful bou-ehold histories. The time h..
not come ~ben il would be proper 20 speak Of
the wi,es of those authors Who are still living
or who have but newly passed away from among
US Many women who to-day are moving qui.
city and gracefully through thc light aud shadow
OF hrcside life, are to bc known hereafter
Their names will be gracious words 20 other
generations. They shsll have justice done them.
Tor the n'netsenth century, among other invcn-
i'ops and discoyeriss, has discovered Woman |!
IL Was not enough that shs was placed in ,he
garden Of Eden for We were blind for ma.
ny thousand years When the world ~as Young.
We made her fetch our wood and cook our food.
and play the mcn,L In onr days Of chi,.lry
We taught her TO be pretty Amazon tn dress
our wounds TO bind herscsrf about our helmet.
10 receive = fantastic and insincere adorafion.
Then, n IL there we're never to he an end 10 our
nonsense, We fsncied ale was an Arcsdian shep-
ber'iess, or q lovely wood ny mp. with confused
ideas Of virtue. Then Was the sickly. scntimrn.
tai. pastoral age in full blast. Th-n did she
tap US on the cheek with her fan. and smirl
and smile and paint and powder. and wear her
hhir four stories high. That vas the cour,ly
age. But by and-by she ~oari-d Of these foi.
lies. We began 20 treat her with more sense !,
then little by little she hegsn TO assert h.rself
the better we trrated her the more .bc asserted.
until nj last pc cried out like Frsnksnste n.
What monster ~ this wc have created? p But
u was not monster--it Was only A Fomar :
Grcat IN ber weakness, noble in her charity
beautiful in her patience We have found her
out! sbe vas never 40 recognized as now ve
have discovered that she has brain ~ we'll an
heart tina, abe can write verse. Ike Mn.
browning. paint pictures like Rosa Bonheur
and still BE all that is gentle and loysble like
Florence Nightingsle