Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-07-27


contest.
But, my dear Mrs. Jones, did it ever
occur to you that society is in good |
degree accountable for such ill-assort |
ed marriages as the one we are talking |
of? And by society, mean you and |
me and all the rest of u.s. Did it ever |
occur to you that women have much to |
contend with, that their way IS hedged |
in by difficulties, that their feet are
hampered by circum stances, and that
often they walk through the open door /
of matrimony simply because it seems
to be the only door that is open p
They ''stay not on the order of their
going''-but go-mcrely because it is
easier to go than to stay.
Do you not know what society has to
do with the matter?
Let me tell you then. Society frowns
virtuously, it is true v hen girl makes
an unequal or degrading marriage
But, nevertheless, it tells her by i'm
plication that any marriage, even a
poor one, is better than no marriage
at all. 1t jests at "old maids" and
| sneers at old maidenhood. II thinks
Miss So and So is getting rather pdsse
She must be nearly or quite, twenty
! five! 1t wonders how old Miss Blank
| may be, and intimates that she was on
the stage (of setdety) as many as ten
years ago. 1t thinks it is very strange
that none ofthe Smythe girls have mar
ried and Mrs, GrIndy maintains that
according to the best of her know
ledge and belief, it is exceedingly NOR
tifying to the Doctor, their father !!
Of course all parents expect their
daughters to marry sometime and are
disappointed ifthey do not 1t doubts
whether Miss Thompson has lever
had an offer" it curls its lip satirically
when Miss Jones-not you7' daughter,
my dear madam puts a flower or
two in her faded hair, and hints that a
cap would he more appropriate. In
short, it smiles blandly upon Sixteen,
and turns up its graceful nose at thirty
two.
Now do you suppose that this same
sweet, impressible Sixteen hears and
sees all this. and is not influenced
thereby? Is not the lesson so plain
that The way -faring man though a fool
may read it? Be sure that sweet Six
teen will read every word of it, and
she will give it q free translation thus
marry as speedily as possibly, girls,
before you grow old and faded, and l,
) society, find it necessary to sneer al
} you. Angle for husbands beside all
5 waters, aud seek for lovers as for hid
t den treasure. So shall you be wise
: and honored and escape the awful
!, curse of old maidenhood."
| Perhaps poor little Sixteen or Eight
s cen, as the case may be, is too gen
1 timely modest to follow this advise
e literally. She does not go angling fol
1 q husband. But a would be HUSBAND
goes angling for her--one utterly un
4 worthy of her, it may be,-one who il
s to her as a Satyr to Hyperion. Sh'
!, does not care much for him. But it il
t ''nice" to be engaged and to wear
e solitaire upon the first finger of he
n left hand it is "nice to be a bride anC
II to have bride presents, wear veil ant
= orange blossoms, receive congratula
S tiOns and all that, more than all, it is
;, dreadful thing, shameful thing, to b.
an ''old maid," and who knows whethe
/ she will ever have another offer? S.
she suffers herself to be caught. Tel
e to one, society frowns after all, ant
If thinks she might better have waitet
d awhile--never once seeing that tn
e girls course was the legitimate fruit o
}. its own teachings.
IS The crown of wife hood when il fit
rs the brow, when it is placed thereon b,
y the rightful hand, and when it is grand
l. ly worn, is a royal diadem. But ar
g those three conditions always met P
1t is so Cften a crown of thorns tha
% it were well if maidens were taught t
IS be more chary of accepting it; il the
d were taught that the loneliest s;ngl
re life was less lonely than a loveles
y marriage; if they were persuaded tina
al any woman can live her life out alon
re far more wisely, more calmly, NOR
ot happily, more honorably, than as til
is wife of man to whom she must loo
le down rather than up, and who ca
never call out what is best and highes
g in her own nature You know, my dea
D. Mrs. Jones, that believe in marriage
RI But do not believe that all marriage
lie are pure and honorable and holy
ID 1t takes more than the benediction @
is priest or the dictum of magistrat
h, to make true marriage
IS 1t is hardly to be expected, perhaps
at that woman, young girls especially
SAOulO OS ablC ~ OlSCtll1ludl
e. between the false and the true. Bu
er ought we not to help them Shall W
i'll not teach them to wait till the righ
a man comes, even if they have to wa
W forever? Why should they be in hast
of to take the snood of the virgin fror
i'll their hair? Let them be taught tina
~ tits infinitely better never to marry tha
of to marry the wrong person; let then
rs be taught that the estate of the Inmal
at ried woman isiust as honorable as tn
er estate of the wife, and there will b
rs more true marriages.
is But girls sometimes marry for
to bone. Do they? Let us talk abou
u the matter.
d, Society is to blame for this also
ad Public opinion says that it is not a
lg honorable in q woman to work for
j !; living as it is for man to do SO. !
al man loses caste if he does not work
er woman loses caste if she does. To b
re sure, there aye a few things, two o
W three, that a woman may do withou
lis offending the autocrat who rules owe
m the destinies of woman. She ma
he teach, she may write, or she may b
IS, an artist. But suppose she abhor
at teaching-and has neither the abilit
to nor the inclination to write or paint
11r DnrbonS Sb hoe oro,iuC fOY.