Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1861-04-30
A Talk About Marriage.

Two maidens in youthful bloom and beauty
sat earnestly talking. ) Their thought was reach
ing away into the future their theme was mar
riage. 6slcLl iaI1Ae3 as ofg n yso1. ts,gftso gs
| Il like him well enough" said one of them
i sbutA--15Aos aldi.1s4 SIT Bsqasss eng ~
f. She paused, the objection unspoken.1al
-."What is.the impedinent, Alicew 4--s
''His income is too small. ."s1 94si 0915i
! tsWhat is it 2nl 93nheio ft 1e4slit no9Ao1l
| Slight hundred dollars year."
ssYou might live on that" ~ = ---A
"Live! Bah What kind of living2"
"Not in princely style, will admit"
| ""Nor scarcely in plebian, Fanny. Eight hun
| dred dollars! Why father pays six hundred dol
lars rent; and I am sure our style of living is
tplain enough. Eight hundred! Oh, mol like
Harry better than any young man have met.
could love him, no doubt. But he can't sup
port wife in any decent kind of style."e
ssDid your father and mother begin their mar
ried life on larger income than Harry Pleas
ants now receives? Mine did not, as have Of
ten heard them relate" 80. -. -
"Father and motherl Oh, according to their
story, Job,s famous turkey was scarcely poorer
than they were in the beginning. Mother did
| all her own work, even to the washing and IRON
ing believe. Fathers income was not over
three or four hundred dollars year." a95
Auu luoy WoTc udpPy toBSeAoI dul SuIo
aNo doubt In fact, I've heard mother say,
that the first hard struggling years of their life,
were among the happiest she has known. But
that doesn't signify for me. That is no reason
why her daughter should elect to go into the
kitchen, and spend her years in washing, ironing
and cooking. If o nan isn't able to support a
wife genteelly, ,and in the style to which she has
been accustomed, let him marry some Irish cook,
sewing GIRL or washerwoman, who will manage
his household with needed economy. Young
men who can't earn more than eight hundl ed
dollars year, should not look into our circle for
wives" "a 9 alao@ aasa. blDaas sey
81 don't like to hear you talk in this way, Al
ice," said her companion. I'VE are not supe-
rior beings, but only the equals Of men,"
"Dd | say that we were superiora"
"One might infer from your language that you
| thought so." H7l
81 don't see how the inference can fairly be
| drawD.n
sour circle for wives, you said just now.n
| eyes"
| "What do you mean by that?'
"a circle of intelligence, refinement, taste and
cultivation" replied Alice.
'sYou don't say wealth."
| mo. My father, though living is good style
is not rich. have heard him say more than
once that we were up to our income"
s'Then we have only our own sweet selves
with which to endow our husbands. No houses
| or lands; stocks from which to draw an income
nothing substantial on which to claim the right
of being supported in costly idleness We must
be rich, indeed as to personal attractions
"We are educated, accomplished and-and-'
Alice was little bewildered in thought, and
did not finish the sentence. ~@aia ~
"Not better educated or accomplished, as girls,
than are most of the young men who, as clerks,
earn only from seven hundred to thousand dol
lars year. In this regard we are simply their
equals. But it strikes me, that in another view
of the case, we cannot claim even an equality,
They are our superiOrs."
"Not by any MEANS" replied Alice 81.
s'We shall see. Here is Harry Peasants, for
instance. What is his income2 think you
mentioned the sum Just now?" @
"Elght hundred dollars year." @
"That is about the interest on-how much 2
Let me see-about twelve thousand dollars. To
be equal, as match for Harry, then, you should
be worth twelve Thousand dollars"
0How you talk, Fanny!"
s.To the point don't [? If we are not supe-
rior to the young men who visit us; simply SUI
perior in virtue Of our sex; then our only claim
TO be handsomely supported in idle self.indul-
oence must lie in the fact, that we endow our
husbands with sufficient worldly goods to war;
rant the condition"
"You are ingenious"
uNo. matter-of-fact. What have you to say
against my position, Alicea Are we better than
Young men Of equal intelligence and education 2"
mo, canot say that we are."
'sIf we marry, we must look among these for
IN