Delaware State journal and statesman., 1869-09-24

entrap him into selfrevelai0n. IL TINS
brother be young, especially, The manner III
which he will illustrate several OF his SIS
ter's peculiaiiles which have hitherto puz-
zled the lover is very singular. With the
artlessness of youth, he will briray the weak
noints OF the biinging-up, mott ms and tenn
per of the whole family. He hns neither the
age, caution, wit nor wisdom of his sister;
and obeys the caprice or whim of the mo-
ment without any regard to the attentive
scrutiny which is being directed upon him.
With ingenious -garrulity he will let you
into family secrets; and may give very diff.
erent versions Of stories which looked
charming, or only comical, when they fell
from the lips of his more astute sister, 1t
NAV be said that man is acting unworthily
in taking advantage OF the youih'sinnocence
to pry into family secrets; but everything is
fair in marriage and II nothing has been
concealed nothing can be elected by this
indirect method of cross examination. If the
girl is as amiable, and honest, and good
tempered as she processes to be, II she really
holds those arlless aud beautiful beliefs in
human nature; if her manner towards her
parents and brothers and sisters be the same
when visitors are absent as when they are
present; II her interest In literature and tue
arts be not assumed; and if she is, in brief,
an angel in disposition and soundly-eulii-
waited woman in attalnments, no study i'll
the brothers. character will de- troy or alter
ones regard for her. On the contrary,
| when he sees all these good qualities dis
played in their raw material--when The
| youth oil ingenious pudOr betrays the same
| fine attributes, n trifle less harmOnized and
polished, which his sister exlibi's, the lover
| feels assured of the wisdom OF his choice.
He goes forward to the inevitable goal with
courage and hope. The period of hesitation
| is over, and rivals are hidden 10 beware.
On ihe otner hand, the brother may un-
willingly tell tales OF the most disastrous
kind. One OF the chief tests OF character
is its regard for truth; and velaciiY is so
much matter Of hnbit-so much dependent
on the educalion-that all the members OF n
family are likely to have notions on the sub
ject more or less similar. OF course we do
not mean that intentional lying is likely TO
accrue from n certain kind OF bringing up,
however much it may help toward ii; but
that habit OF uttering inaccurate statements
whether through a transient wish ol ma
king matters look pleasant to ones COM
paniOn, or whether through n certain intel
lectual fascination for dramatic points which
misplaces what is for whnt might be-is one
OF The commonest of human hilings. The
brother will show you whether that tendency
has been largely developed in the family.
He has moi the skill TO be consistent in his
innocent Misrepresentation. To please
you, perhaps he will profess mn ardent nd
mrali0n for some mutual acquaintance, and
say how much that acquaintance is admired
and liked by his (the brother's) family; and
then, next day, having forgotten all abou
the matter, he will call the acquaintance {
tiresome old lool, whom his sisters detest
Another related point on which he will yield
much important information TO the anXiou!
lover is the extent to which the family hal
been brought up "ior show"-wheiher tina
exceeding courtesy and perfect amiNlilily o
the sister is IL natural or acquired product
| He, too, it may he presumed, has heel
Taught, il his sister has been taught, that thl
CHIEF duty in life is 10 look well in the esli'
nation of friends, and he will display by
the most ingenious fashion the means which
, the family traditions have thought requisite
for that purpose. He will profess lOvo io
intellectual aud artistic pursuits which yol
see lie does not feel merely because u is high
and proper that he should do so. If he ha'
been taught to assume sincerity MS a viriueh,
+ will hetTay the Con 1ici between his owl
/ nature and the assumption. Play with hin
B nj billiards, and in fits aud starts he will eN
hibit astonishing candnr in conlessing I
5 "fiukes"- obviously priding himself on hi
| honesty, and hoping thai you admire III an
the next minute you will find him relapsn
INTO his real self, and making statement
e about intended "cannonsn which are calcu
g lated to strike you with awe and wonder
o In many similar directions, the brother ma
he led 10 give evidence upon family qualities
y irrespective oil those chance lights whic
IS you may obtain from his direct assertion.
n But the grand point, in which he is an a
If most infalllble guide, IS temper. We kno'
Is Of few more interesting amusements-eve
for those who are long past the age at whic
IS coniugal results could hang upon the pul
% suit-than the noting Of the strange resen
i blances and differences between the famil
h disposition as it is exhibited in son, an
d the same as ii is exhibited in daughte
n These minute shades Of discrepancy, ten
ID pored by all the varying conditions of Sc,
age, aud opportunity, form sort of physic
y kaleidoscope perpetually offering new cor
lie binatinns. And when it is your mOther-i
1t law whom you are regarding, the interest
Id indefinitely increased. There Is not fit
L. oueruious waywardness in the brother tn
n. does not beget qualm in the heart of 4
= sisters suitor; and there is nothing whit
f" rejoices the latter so much as 10 observe
Is courageously considerae attitude in Il
h temper and disposition of The boy or ma
to In the case of the brother-n-law there are
50 pretty feminine DISCUSSES to conceal the tr
no state of affairs and the lover rapidly forr
ed an intimacy which is full of surprises
him. Anxiously does he inquire wheth
this his possible brother-in-law is alwa
ge governed by the absolute indeeision jud
- ment and wayward temper which lie son
of times exhibits. He looks with dismay up
by the brothers. peevish inilabiliLY, and is
ut shocked by his lntractable and obsllnf
is folly as scarcely to be able 10 remonstTa
IL Perhaps there are two or three brothers,
on gifted with the irascible and childish tel
to perAmeni; and, perhaps, both father n
he mother are dangerous subjects to deal wi
of when the soup is cold or the dressmnl
th dilatory.
a With all these indications, II Is possi
is iei that his faith in his own sweet friend shol
"a. not be troubledg How, lie asks hims'
~ ~ could such a perfect flower have sprung
H. H. in this hot-house of angry passionsP Ang
n 'no do not consort with devils; and in sucl
;;sa' pandemoDium the appearance of an inet
ia gruous visitor hrovOkes suspicion. L
M ~, young brother, for example, is the incar
NJ NJ tion of bad temper, and even seems G
seious OF it. He conlesses 10 having got i
rage about nothing, and having kept Iii
III self and his family on tenderhooks dur
al nl,e dinner simply through a fit of sulklness.
Wy W he gets bad hand at whist, he filings do
9,'s, the cards in a passion, aud goes OIL TO
" own room; Ii he misses favolite stroke
prr billiards, he dasles his cue on the table, c
, pe' the cloth, and sits down, mOrOse and l
p,s faced. He makes no effort to control l.
t''e self; and in these childish moods bew
that you do not speak 10 him Of that 81
nu- in whom you arc interested He will
two the truth about her, or, rather he Will
ect, what his ungovernable passions venting.
,,o self upon every object OF his contemplate
20 would have you 10 consider the truth.
W a small matter what the boy says; but il
grave matter that such ungovernable 1
the pcrs should be in family. Insanity, SC