Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1870-02-18
LONG ENGAGEMENTS.

If you should happen to discuss with
elderly and experienced ladies the sub
ject of Long engagements, you Will
find that they will shake their heads
steadily and at once pronounce an un-
euuivocal verdict of disapprobation.-
Like the celebrated colonial Judge,
they are perhaps not so happy in their
augmentation as in their decision,
but they fall back upon their verdict
as characterized by the most impreg-
nable wisdom. If you come TO inves-
tigate their reasons, they candidly
avow themselves empires; their opin-
ion Is merely generalization of lim1-
ted individual experiences. 1t will be
found, however, that the British moth
er's reasons generally resolve them
selves into two first, they say that If
an engagement is indefinitely prolong-
ed the daughters health is apt to suffer
very greatly ;-and next they say that
the long engagement has an inherent
tendency to disintegration-that it is
apt to resolve and come TO nothing
| The subject is a. matter of considerable
practical importance, and may repay
an attempt at elucidation.
OF course extreme instances are to
| be avoided both on the one side or on
the other. Sometimes. very brief Is
worse than a very long engagement
| Most people have heard in their time
some queer stories of very short en-
| gagements. | remember the case OF a
| gentleman who was going out as a
missionary. | do not think that ne
was going al fresc0 among the savages,
but rather, j should think, to some
district where Europeans can live very
| .,,+fs,i IN
prevalent heathenism. | believe that
Ii is an understood principle, for rea-
sons easily intelligible, that mission
ary is best married. This gentleman
had neglected, however, TO the very
last, to provide himself with such 9
necessary adjunct to his lab0rs. Ht
was taking tea with a nice family, anC
he announced that he had TO depar
for the East the day after the morrow
and also the unsatisfactory state Of hi'
, personal arrangements. a young lady
J who was present rather liked him "a
, an individual, and greatly sympathlze'
with him as missionary. The resMt
z which may be stated in an abridge'
) form, simply was that the young lad.
? who saw him one day married him TN
7 next, and sailed away ith him 10 Indi
= ON the third. We do not wish to bod
+ i'll for this interesting young couple
: but we are sure that terrific pape
e might be written on hasty marriages
e Now let me give case in point %
D the engagements of truly Venerabl
# character viii n have come 10 IN
knowledge. There was man In Au'
: tralia who was engaged TO a lady in EnG
5 land for twenty years. The lady pleaC
J. ed that she could not leave her mott
o or. / wonder, by the way, wheth'
r she had ever asked her rmOther.
am not sure that young ladies a
, WAYS fully understand their mothe
e on these points. The gentleman a
3 lowed the plea, and a languid, sem
Al Platonic correspondence went on
Ie One fine morning the gentleman w
Is surprised by letter from his anciel
$, friend, informing him that her moth
D was now departed this life and tn
4 She was ready TO come out and mar
rs him. This was rather a serious d
% mand 10 make upon u middle-aged m'
II while cracking his egg at breakfast.
at But he considered that he had Civ
ly his Acceptance, and did not fail 20 hon
s. the draft in the most bdsiness-li
ne why.
m Here is another case of a quasi lo
d, engagement character. A clergym
Mt was walking in a beautiful park 10 nC
~ d famous castle and the surrOundi
il landscape. At sudden turn of I
ne walk he met lady, whose face, thou
or somewhat changed by time, he RENE
n bered well. ltwas that of lady
", whom the parson had heen engae
an twenty years before. They had los
n each other greatly then, but, acco
to ing 20 their notions of living, tn
10 did not appear the most forlorn chaI
Tor of a union. Under thesN circu