The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1870-07-06

"My poor, dear father
Then they fell upon each others neck
and wept tears Of penitcnce and forgive.
ness together.
OUR DAUGHTERS.
Under this head the London Graphic
prints sensible article, which in so
many points is quite applicable to sim
liar phases of society in this country
that we commend the following para
graphs to the attention of our readers:
1t seems to us that nothing could b.,
better calculated to hinder marriage
than the present system of domestic
economy, etiquette. and hospitalities
In the first place, the excessive luxury
and display in which upper and middle
ranks indulge, forbids anything like
easy intercourse between young people.
What with the waton costliness Of dress
entertainments, and other family items
very little remains to be spent upon
every day comforts and every day enjoy.
ment. In largo per centage of cases
there is no doubt that the balance is on
the wrong side, aud that tho people not
only live up to the utmost they can af.
ford, but afford themselves just triae
more than they can pay for. Conse.
quently certain stercctyped scale of
living is adhered to, at what cost the
victims Of fconventionalism and the wor-
shippers of fashion only know; and
much more rational qualifications are
sacrificed.
The diversity of family interests,
moreover. is an offshoot of the self same
evil. While girls lives have so little
in common with the lives of their broth
ers and fathers, who can wonder at the
Objectionable way in which some of
them find amusement for themselves Z
The Germans express the diverse inter.
ests and unsympathetic existence of a
family circle in one word, "Unzusam-
mengehorigkeit, which, literally trans
lated, is altogether belonglngness, and
it is just this that We complain of in a
larger sense. Not only as members of
families, but of society, our unzusam.
m,enyehortgkeit is growing evil against
which every one ought to struggle.
Is it impossible to enjoy the society
Of cultivated woman unless she wears
dress decollete exceedingly (? and is o
man not to be considered clothed and in
his right mind who is not habited 10
black trowsors and swallow tail coat2
All this is absurd enough, and generates
serious Inconvenience and extravaganza.
And would it not be wise to adopt a
more sensible style of evening dress,
which would enable people to walk to
each others houses There can be no
doubt that the low gowns and cumbrous
head dresses of ladies of tho present
day, or rather night, arc relics of a
barbarous age, aud must some time or
other give wayro more sensible COS.
tune.
There is yet another point to consi-
der. A man often remains unmarried,
not because he prefers single life, but
because he is too conscientious, and too
unscl6sh, to condemn young woman
nursed in luxury, to poverty and the
aDxictics of an uncertain livelihood.
1t seems to us that grcvious rcsponsi.
bility rcsts upon parents. In this
matter, at least, they should take little
heed for the morrow, aud consider their
daughters, not as mere pretty playthings
in tho house, but as rational beings
who will, sooner or later, fare the hard
realities Of life, and it may be, unaidcd
and alone. 1t is nonsense to affirm that
the extravaganza Of the age is oblga.
tory. We could do our duty us citizens,
parents and Christians, quite as we'll,
and perhaps better, if we rcsolutely ad..
hero to the principle Of living within
our incomes no matter how small. We
could meet old age twice as chcerfully,
and what to parvuts is harder -till--tllc
middle age of our unmarried daughters,
if VIC had placed them beyond the reach
Of the penuty that dopresses, the disap.
pointmcnt that sours, and tho despon-
dcnco that dcmoralizes.
- The sweetest Of strains-tryiug to
lift pretty girlon horse.
Tho frog does not remember when
ho was tadpolo, but othcrs do-thcrt
is moral to this which souIo NIGH
profit in remembering.
Love, tho toothacho, smoke, {
cough and tight boot, arc thing,
which cannot be kept seorot very
long.
- Many persons take advice ns the,
do physic--to fling it aside the niomen
the Doctors back is turnod