The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1864-03-23
A Rrier Chnptcr ON p,cbcior,,

4 Brief Chapter on bachelors.
The Boston Ercniry Transcript has the
following
PopcShimsclf an old bachelor. and tkere.
fore speaking from experience--aifords but
little comfort TO tho brotherhood lie sayst
Let sinful bachclors their woes dSplore;
Fall well they merit all they feel, aud more.
Tho etymology of this word is any thing
but complimentary. Junius derives il from
bdEelos, foolish and mendge, from pds ehsrd.
iier, knight Of the lowest order. II is BY
some supposed TO he derived from bdccd.
huTcas, crowned with lnurel.berres. This
is more digniicd, certainly but it reminds
us ot George toinian's wotus, in regard ID
Sir Thomas Erping ham. who returned from
hs wars in France crowned with lawels,
and sat down in his solitary castle, all alone
That sitting undcr laurcls, all alone.
ls much morc dignifcd than entertaining.
Legislators have done their utmost, since
God created man. to compel this refractory
class to fall into tho ranks like useful citi.
acns. and obey the standing orders, recorded
in the twcnty-cighth verse of the first chap.
ter of Genesis. Tho Roman censors tried
old bachelors. AZ Satan advised the Lord to
try John their substance. They were
fined. but to very little purpose; possibly
the ordeal with bois might have been moro
clloctual Dion mentions an ancient law
which compelled persons of full age 10
marry In the timo Of Augustus, the lee
JUiid dr mdritmdis ortiD,ibus was enacted,
and old bachelors were handled without
mittcus. They wcro made incapable OF
taking lcgacios. and of inhcriting, with Ger.
tain exceptions. Thus TO employ veno.
rablc pun, matrimony became, in sornewhat
novel way, II matter O money /; for Plutarch
says the dread of losing these golden adj
vanagcs drove many to marry-probably
rs the less evil of the twain.
With the llchrcws, marriage at twenty
was matter of obligation. They gave
literal construction to the command in
Genesis Ccl, ,bacy was accounted disgrace
lul-a cause for rcproach. Women wero
willing to support themselves, il they
could only get married, and remove the
disgrace. Thus we read in Isaiah iv, L:
" And in that day seven women shall take hold
of one man. saving, We will eat our own bread,
and wear our own apparel only let us be called
by thy name, To take away our roproach.'"
| 1t is not stated whether these seven wo.
men were maids or widows.
| Iycurgus was rather hard upon old bach.
oors. by his laws they were accounted
| infamous rendered ineligible to any office,
civil or military; and forbidden to appear
|
! led round the marketplaco by tho women,
in dcrision. They were compelled to sing
certain songs in ridicule of themselves.
BY tho canon-law, whom males arrived al
puberty they were required either to marry, +,
or turn monka and profess chastity forever,
In England, in 1896, the seventh year of
! William III, bachelors over twonty-6ve
years of age wcro subject to an annual tax
Gl2 los. for a duke, &c. In after time
they were taxed upon thoir servants. In
turning over the leaves of William Homes
tahlc-bock, wo stumbled ON this passage:
There il n being who can never taste
the exquisite joys of homc-t moan tho aid
bachelor. lie rcturus to his lodging thcro
may be every thing he can possibly desire,
in the shape of external comforts. provided
for him 10y the oilicious zeal of his house,
keeper but the room has an air of chilling
yacancy-thc very atmosphere OF the
apartment has II dim, uninhabitcd appear
anCC-thc chairs, set around with provok.
inS ncatncss, look provokingly usclcss and
muccupieh. All is droary and repeling
No gentle iaCS welcomes his arrival no
loving hand meets his, no kind looks all
sW o. the llstlcss gaze he throws round tho
apartment ~ he enters. lie sits down IA
n book. alone. There is no one sitting by
his side, TO enjoy with him tho favorite
passage, the apt remark, the just criiicsm."
And all tho---We were about to fin
ish transcrhiHg this interesting passage,
when, lifting our eyes across the street,
wc saw Caud0 and his fat wife. Ii was
very hot; they appeared fatigued and out
of sorts she was hanging on one arm, ami
ho was carrying her sick poodle on tho
other. Well, truly. thought we, as we
showed aside the volume and laid down our
pen, there is much to lie said OH both sides
| of almost ovory 0uesti0n