Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1870-12-08

stance"
The old laughcr laughed. 'John,
he answered, ''thc worst mistake yor
can make is to marry woman Just like
yourself in taste. You don't want tc
marry q woman's head, but her heart.
John defended his theory, aud the
Governor only remarked that he would
be cured of that sooner Or later, and the
sooner the better.
The next morning John had letter
from his sistcr. Part of it ran thus;
"Ive concluded, old fellow, that il
you don't marry you'll dry up aul turn
to parchment I'm going to bring home
with me the smartcst girl | know, She
reads Carlyle, aud quotes Goethe, and
understand Emerson OF course she
don't know what | am up to, but you
must prepare to cnpltnate."
John did not like Amanda's assuming
to pick a wife for him, but he did like
the prospect Of meeting a smart girl,
and he opened the letter again to make
sure that he had not misunderstood. He
read again, understands Emerson y
John was pleased. Why? | think | can
divine. John was vain of his own abil-
tiles, and he wanted a woman that could
appreciate him. He would have told
You that he wanted congcnia society.
But congenial female society to an am
bilious man whose heart is yet untouched
is only society that, in some sense, I'M
derstands his own greatness and admircs
his wisdom.
In the old home they were looking
for the son The family proper con,
sisted of The father, good Deacon Har-
low, Johns two brothers, ten and twelve
years old, and Hudah, the "help,' This
last was the daughter Of nejghboring
farmer, who was poor and hopolcssly
rheumatic, and most Of the daughters
hard earnings went to exc out the scanty
subsistence at home. Auat Judith, the
sister of Johns mother, "lookcd aller'
the household affairs of her brother-in-
law, by coming over once week and
helping Huldah darn and mend and
make, and by giving Hulduh such adj
vice as her ineXpcricncc was supposed
to require. But now Deacon Harlow's
daughter had left her husband to eat his
turkey alone in Boston. aud had brought
her two children home TO receive the
paternal blessing. Not that Mrs.
Amanda Holmes had the paternal bless.
ing chiefly in view in her trip. She had
brought with her very dear friend,
Miss Janet Duuton, the accomplished
teacher in the Mt. Parnassus Female
Seminary, Why Miss Janet Dunton
came to the country with her friend, she
could hardly have told. Not word
had Mrs. Holmes spoken to her on the
subject of the matrimonial scheme. She
would have resented any allusion to such
project. She would have rcpcIlcd any
insinuation that she had ever dreamed
that marriage was desirable under any
conceivable circumstances. 1t is a way
we have of teaching girls to lie. We
educate them to catch husbands, Every
per.addei accomplishment is put on
with the distinct understanding that its
sole use is to make the goods more mar
ketable. We get up parties, we go to
watering-places, we buy dresses, we
refurnish our houses, to help our girls
to a good match. And then we teach
them to abhor the awful wickedncss Of
ever contcssing the great desire that ma
ture and education have combined to
make the chief longing Of their hearts.
We train them to lie TO us, their train
efs; we train them TO lie to themselves :;
to be false with everybody on this sub,
ject; to say"no" when they mean
eyes" to deny an engagement when
they are dying to boast of it. II is one
of the refnements of Christian civiliza-
ton which we pray the Womon's Mis-
sionary Society not to communicate to
poor ignorant hcathens who know no
better than to tell the truth about these
things.
But, before l digrcssed into that line
of remark, l was saying that Miss Janet
Dunton would have resented the most
remote suggestion of marriage. She
often declared, sentimentally, that she
was welded to her books, aud loved her
leisure, and was determined to be an old
maid And all the time this sincere
Christian girl was dying to confer her
self upon some worthy man Of congo
NAL tastes; which meant, in her case,
Just what it did in John Harlow s-some
one who could admire her attainments
But, sensitive as she was to any impnta.
ton of desire to marry, she and Mrs,
Holmes understood one another dis
tinctly. There IS a freemasonry OF
women, and these two had made signs
They had talked about in this wise:
Mrs. Holmes, My dear Janet, you'll
find my brother bear in manners,
fear. | wish he would marry. | hope
you won't break his heart, for know
you wouldn't have him.