The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1868-11-26

/ s'~s~~-AS 80
i =, It transmutes aliens into trusting hisnda
And gives its owner passport round The globe.
IT. JIR1ns
" SECOND MARRIAGES..
From the London Revie,c.
Matrimony being, from the senti.
menta! point of view, holy business: q
bond which is not only gravely to reg
ulate his life, but in al likelihood to
! exercise an influence over the life to
come, the ,ucoogruity, the indeesney-
may, the very sacrilege-of .dmitting
into the spiritual compact more than
one partner; is suf6cieotly obvious. 1t
sayors Of psychi.l polyg.mY. II take
Beatrice" says Benedick, "as the only
participant in my veal or woe; I take
her for time and eternity" But in =
year or two Beatrice dies, and then
Benedick chooses Laura as the one par
ticip~ Mt for time and eternity i; and if
he survives Laura there is nothing to
prevent him adding third and fourth
to the firm. Now, at each new be-
trothment the sanctity Of the business
falls apeg. Nobody enters secopd
marriage With the; same reverence, or
earnestness, or ardor with which he
contracted the first. He is older and
scDldsr familiarity for the estate has
bred Indifference; the being at his
side is not trembling, pure little soul
whom all his strong, chiv.l,ous nature
rushes forth to protect, but = nice sort
of person, who is going to look after
his servants and see that his linen 10
kept in good order Even with the
first wife romance elded by settling
down into, a .Darby-and-Joan dee-trot
sort Of existence; with the second one
there is not even the romance to begin
With: For: few men-so few IL to be
out of fcourt-make love match twice
in their lives: The first match is con.
!traeted ia the .rdor Of youth; the Sec
opd is mostly calculation. Either
the widower is weary Of solitude, aud
has been ,habituated to the household
order over which = mistress, p,esides !;
or;he aces the chance Of wealthy alli-
ance or he has property aud, no heir,
and must needs bave ore !; Or ae must
have some one to- look after bis. little
comforts. There are a hundred mer-
ccnaty pleas for second marriage 70 one
plea Of affection. .True.lore-,e mean
nov true love in its flaming bachelor
; state, not tho Darby-and-J Joan: .:dog.trot
seldom survives in a man after thir-
y. The truest, faithfalest, hottest and
most bliesfully upcomfortabl. love Of all
is calflovc, which seldom lasts after
seventeen: All subsequent passions
are = mere imitation Of this-not halt
50 absorbing, not third 20 blind, not a
tenth SO pure. The calf ou,lives its
calmoni, gets. the better Of its spoon
ishness, laughs at it, and a few years
later it tries to produce it over again.
But he never succeeds. The taurine
passions arc = mere stage play. He
may: persuade himself that he il desper.
ately in love with the dear girl, tha.
she is an angel, that if she Tilted him
be would do. something dsspsra.e-go
mad, emigrate, blow hii' brains ont,
perhaps; but in his inner soul he
knows that ill this is mere pretenoe :;
that his heart is not a = raging furnace,
but tepid as the mildest shaving wator !;
that his pulse would not hear her aud
beat had he lain for century dead
indeed, lit does not even quicken now
when she enters the room. ao sees
her faults-none clearer; and be in
tends to correct them one day. There
is nothing in bis love like the wild
adorihg passion Of the schoolboy; that
comes but once iu life, md the love
which il bold enough to propose, and
callous enough to treat Of settlements
IN mere earthly imitation Of it. How
much laser then, = second marriage,
which means q 'fiitieth love! If into
the frat there entered some element Of
|scsdtion, or mere ignoble shrcwdness,
tho second is wholly compounded Of
these, and Of a selfshuess which is
parent Of them. The motives which
lead bachelor to propose are mostly
single:hs.rted enough; TO really loves Tie
girl and tries to do al he can to max,
her happy: But the widover enter,
The iiaaoe with the : intention that sh.
shall make him happy, He is tho di,t
party to BE considered, not she. And
thetj .rs few f,|x1 single girls, aud certainly
nos&idoxs, contemplating an .lli.uos
with a,'onss married man, who do no,
fally.anidentand this. + When . widow;
laccepts widover, she must fssl The
secondhand nature Of tho bargain
Inc e 80 s.aE..t ,...:E - :..A!.( ~ A