The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1866-01-25
Domestic Happiness.

The following article, which we clip
from the New York Tribune, is respectful
~ commended to the attention to the
"Bachelor,s Club" especially that portion
Oft who are so fearful of SERIOUS atte1-
ton" paits to ladies.
The first of a series of five popular lect-
ures was delivered on the 18th at the Thir-
teenth St. Presbyterian Church, by the
Rev A. n. Willis, of Brooklyn. The top
ic of the lecture was Domestic Happi-
nes." Not all the joys which earth can at,
ford beside can equal the happiness of a
complete, well ordered household. No,
the gorgeous edifice which the most skill
full architect caff rear; not the master piece
of the greatest sculptor the world has pro
duced, even thou ii he seem to inform tn,
cold marble with breathing, palpitating
life, can equal the greatest master piece OF
hum IN creation-a happy, perfect hom
There is no sphere which human intelle, I
can attain, so grand, SO noble, as the posi-
ton of the wife and mother who reigns
queen of her complete and perfect house
hold. He (the lecturerl would lot be like
a certain polite Frenchman, whom he had
heard OF, who, when he was introduced to
a married man, always exclaimed aloud,
Happy manr' and when he met a bache-
lor remarked sside. Lucky fellow.' He
would rather eXclaim, "Oh, unlucky bach
elor," who does not know what a happy
home is. The lecturer quoted from the
writings of Jeremy Taylor, that quaint, old
prose poets description of the true wife"
But perhaps some musty bachelor in my
audience may eXclaim, '"This might all be
very well if one were always sure of get
ting good wife, but marriage is only a
lottery, and the chances ere one in ten of
drawing a prize Never was there a
greater mistake. Marriage is no lottery,
five enter into il with our eyes open. In
every transaction in life there are risks to
run. Ifa man gets cheated in trade, he
does not eXclaim, "Well, all trade is a lot
terry" man runs little risk of being
cheated who buys his goods at proper pla-
ces. Ifyou wish to bny a watch, and
should go to some auction store, where a
red flag was hanging out of the door, and
a suspicious man inside was selling off
watches at "a rapid rate at very low prices,
and you should purchase your watch, and
in few days should ind that the gliding
was peeling off and the watch would not
keep time, that you had been cheated, in
short, you would not go about saying,
well, buying watches is lottery, after
all" A man who only deals with what he
understands is in little danger of being
cheated, and what subject should he un-
derstand better than men and women with
whom we are constantly in contact, if we
would only study them as carefully as we
do the details of our daily business. Again
it is urged by many young men that they
cannot afford to marry, because their in
come is not large enough tosupport a wifi.
This great mistake. \ true wife, if she is
sensible and competent, will enable her
husband to save more thar she will re-
quire for her own expenses. This may
seem incomprehensiblet to those who have
never tried it, but it is nevertheless true.
The explanation is, that each of them, if
they love one another truly, has reason
for planning and thinking for each other,
rather than for themselves. But suppo-
sing the eyoungcoupleh happily married, how
shall thsy mike that happiness perma-
nent and lasting? This must be achieve ed
by mutual politeness and forbearance. 1t
was all very wrong when ones politeness
and urbanity We're extended abroad, and
all the little impatiences and bittnernasses
kept for home. Again, husbands who
were men of business were apt to give too
much Of their attention 10 their business,
and too little to their families. They sho'd
that it was less conductive To their
children's happiness and well being that
they should bequeath to them the memo
ry and Influences ofa pleasant home. The
lecture was listened to with marked atten-
ton by a large and intelligent audience,
and was frequently and earnestly applaud
I'd.
GETTING 1T RATHER THICK.-A lady
poetess writing about her lover, SAYS in
The most charming manner imaginable:
He dew
In one long Kiss my whole soul thr'o
My lips, as stalight drinketh dew!