The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-11-07
Marrying for Money.

Amid all the moral degeueracy and all
the corruption Of manners, which are uni.
yersslly recognized and deplored as the nat
ural consequence Of the growth Of wealth
and luxury, it is, to the moral philosopher
who avoids this degeneracy by rejecting the
cause, source Of high qualification to
know that the prevailing sentiment Of good
society is against marrying for money. 1t
seems an exceptional feature in the general
mercenRry relations Of society, which can
only be the result Of keeping before the im
agination an ideal far above the realities o
life, and Of continually progressing TOWARD
it. 1t may be that in this regard the litera
ture Of romance has been efficient in cult.
waiting a noble moral sentiment; for in that
the admiration is always attracted by the
heroic devotion of the heroine, who rejects
the rich and old, and ugly suitor, and mar.
rIe5 the handsome young lover with no for.
tune but his genius, and lives in an orna-
mental cottage with but two or three ser
wants, and no carriage but u pony phpton,
while her chosen one wins fortune with
two or three strokes of genius, just as ge-
MUS always does.
But, on the other hand, it is not probable
that such literature would be written if
there were not already a sentiment in soci
ETY. that would be touched by it. What
ever the causes, society has in this one affair,
which relates TO the finest emotions of the
heart, retained its purity; for the prevailing
sentiment regards it as base to marry for
money. And 50 strong is the feeling on
this subject that it il customary to speak OF
such marriages as mere licensed concubin.
age. Or if there be yet any mercenary con
sideration remaining, it is confined TO men,
who, somehow, seem in all things to have -
license for sentiments and practices that
would make the beings whom they persuade
to become bone Of their bone and flesh of
their flesh unfit for general society. And
so there may yet be heard among men OBJ.
servations upon the probabilities Of chow
the old man will cut up'-as it is expressed
in the language Of polite society, in cases
where there are more heirs than one; and
50 it is customary among these to speak of
daughter who is the only child Of well.to.
do father as an Eeiress, although the faith
ers days may be long in the land to inherit
his own property, and perhaps to play it
out.
And even in this respect, although the
phraseology smacks of worldly calculation,
yet it is but in words, for these same young
men, whose tongues talk Of marrying for
money, often marry these so.called heiresses,
and support their social pretentiops by their
exertlons, and rear families large enough to
make q respectable following to the stake,
and fight the battle with fortune with this
load on their backs, and either win or 20
down under odds, before the rich pere con
cludes TO pay the debt Of nature,or to be cut
up at all. Thus those whose lips have words
Of mercenary marriages often show in their
actions the most disinterested devotion.
But as to young women, the sentiment OF
society does not tolerate even the language
Of mercenary marriage. The thought OF
selling girls first affections for money is SO
rePulsive that even words which speak light
ly OF such debasement ALWAYS arouse the
sentiments. The girls second affections are
entirely different article. and society est.
mates them by q different scale. But for
the freshness OF the female heart, no consid.
Grafton must be thought Of or talked Of but
love. And this is not the sentiment alone of
romantic youth, but of mothers, who give
out this principle from the abundance Of
their own experience, and who are able to
compare the value of the social appliances
which wealth brings, with the wealth Of con.
nubal affection. The strongest testimony
to the happiness Of married life is in the fac
that mothers always prefer that their sons
and daughters shall be guided by the divine
instinct of affection, in choosing their mates,
rather than by the cold calculations of what
are called prudent marriages.
girl Of society, trained up under the in.
huence OF such noble sentiments, will ask
nothing more with the man she loves than
that she shall have simply an income that
will support such style Of living as she
has been accustomed to, or such an estab.
lishment as BELTS her social standing or pre-.
tensions. All she asks is love and living,
or living and love. In this she is as
simple in her tastes, and as continuing in
her love, as Bridget the maid Of all work,
who marres Mike, the digger with but two
blankets between them for she must have
an assurance Of living and she looks upon
Mixes brawny shoulders and stout calves as
that assurance, with the backing Of her own;
and, Furthermore, the coupling Of their house
hold goods doubles their protection
against the cold. Thus the love
love Of the girl Of fashionable society, who
simply requires fashionable establishment,
is just as dsinterested as the love of the
humble maid who marries cotter, Each
asks only an assurance for such living as
they are accustomed to. This is only the
common necessity, and, therefore, a due
care for it cannot DO called marrying for
money.