The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1865-05-31

TALK ABOUT MARRIAGE.
BY T. 4. ARTHUR.

BY I. <. ARTHUR.
Two maidens, in youthful bloom and
beauty, sat earnestly talking Their thought
was reachingi away into the tuturc-thcii
theme was marriage,
Il liked him well enough" said one Of
them, but
She paused, leaving the objection unSpo-
ken.
What is the impeachment, Alicc2'
Ellis income is too small. y
"What is it?''
Eight hundred dollars gear
You might live on that, y
"Ilive? BAH What kind of living?'
Not in princely style, admit.
"Nor scarcely in plebcian, Fanny. Eight
hundred dolarsl Why, father pays six
hundred dollars rent, and I'm sure our style
of living is plain enough. Eight hundred
dollarsl Oh, no. | like Harry better than
any young man | have met. | could love
him, no doubt. But he can't support a
wife in any decent kind of style. "
Ibid your father and mother begin heir
married lite on larger income than Harry
Peasants now receives? Mine did not, as
have often heard them relute.
Father and mother! Oh according to
story, Jobs famous Turkey was scarcely
poorer than they were in the beginning. -
Mother did all her own work. even to the
washing and ironing, | believe. Father $
income was not over thrcc-or four hundred
dollars a year.
And they were happy together, | am
sure,
mo doubt. In fact, | have heard moth
er say that the first bard struggling years Of
their life were among the happiest he had
known. But that do,s't signify ior me. -
lhrt is no reason why her daughter should
elect to 60 into the kitchen, and spend her
life i'll washing, ironing and cooking. If a
man is not able to support wife gen'eclly,
and in the s yIe to which she has been &C
customcd. let him marry some Ii1sh cock,
srwing gi |, or Wssher-woman. who will
manage his household with the needed
economy Young men who cant earn more
than eight hundred or thousand dollars a
year should not look into our circles for
wives.
Il don't Ike to hear you talk in this way,
Alice, said her companion. I'VE ure not
superior beings, but only the equals OF the
MN,
did say we were sunerior?'
Zone might infer from your language
that you thought so. :"
Il don't see how the inference can fairly
be drawn"
Our circle for wives, you said just
now.
Yes"
"What do you mean by it?"
"a circle of intelligence, refinement,
taste and cultivation" said Alice.
You don't say wealth."
"No, My father, though living in good
style, is not rich, | have heard him say,
more than once, that We were living up to
our income. ...
Then we have our own sweet selves with
which to cndow our husbands. No houses
or lands; no stocks from which to draw al
income; nothing substantial on which to
claim the right Of being supported in costly
ideness. We must be rich indeed az to per-
sonel attractions.
'Wc a,e educated and accomplished, and
and
Alice was little bewidered in thought
and did not finish the sentence.
mot better educated, or accomplished,
as girls, than arc most of the young men,
who, as clerks, earn only from seven hun
dred to thousand dollars IL year. In this
regard we are simply their equals. But, il
strikes me, that in another view of the case
we cannot even claim an equality. They
are our superiors.
mot by any means" replied Alice.
"We shall see. Here is Harry Peasants
for instance. What is his income? think
you mentioned the sum, just now
Eight hundred dollars year, am
told. =
'eThat is the interest oh-how much? Let
me see-about twelve thousand dollars -
To be equal, as u match for Harry, then,
you should be worth mt least twelve thou
sand dollars.
| How you talk, Fanny"
'"lo the point, don't /? IF we are not
superior to the young men who visit us,
superior simply i'll virtue of our sex, then
our only claim to be supported handsomely
in idle sef-indulgence must lie in the fact
that we endow our husbands with sufficient
worldly goods to warrant the condition"
ou are ingenious"
"No, matter of fact, What have you to
say against my position, Alice? Are we bet
tel, than young men Of equal intelligence
and education?'
No, cduhot say nat we are.
IF We marry, We must look upon these
for husbands. Rich men, as a general thing,
select their wives from rich mems daugh-
ters. Our chances in that direction are not
very encouraging. Your father has no
dowry for his child, nor has mine Their
families are large and expensive, and little
or nothing Of the year income is left at the
years close The best they can do for us is
to give us homes; and feel that it is not
much to our credit that we are content to
lean on our fathers, already STOPPING under
the burden of years, care and toll instead
of supporting ourselves. The thought has
troubled me much OF late
A sober hue came over the face of Alice,
as she sat looking into the eyes of ker