Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-08-27
II. WHITMORE,
Publisher and Proprietor.
French Marriages.
n Blackwood's Magazine.l

France as elsewhere-is to regard happi-
ness as vested right, as natural fact,
as a permanent condition, as a self
suffieing, self-sustaining state, which
ought to 20 on and last because it has
once begun. Most of them violently
revolt the first time they are asked to
own that married happiness may be, on
the contrary, and by its very essence,
the most ephemeral Of all shortlived
creations. They take mans love as a
property and due; they fancy that it is
the husbands duty to keep up that love
without any special aid from themselves;
they let themselves be loved, but they do
not help love to last; as Johnson said,
"they know how to make nets, but not
how to make cages" In cases such as
these-and, unfortunately, they constl.
tute the majority of experiences in all
lands-there is small hope of perma-
nent oontentment; if the husband is ig-
norant elough-as indeed the greater
part of husbands are-to view the case
exactly as the wife does-to imagine
that be can leave the futare to take care
of itself, and to allow the early rush of
mutual satisfaction to struggle to its
end, without proyideptly preparing, in
good time, the element of the second
act of married life, then be reaches the
usual emptiness and disappointment in
ignorance of the causes which have pro-
duoed them, and ends by regarding them
as a natural consequence of matrimony
But if he is a thinking man, if he has
given some of his attention to a calcula-
ton OF the conditions necessary for the
conservation of home delight, then he
does Indeed suffer if he finds himself
tied for all lie TO woman who is in
capable Of helping him to attain, by
mutual labor and mutual watchfElness,
that rare but admirable result, perma-
nent and increasing joy in marriage.
In France there are certainly q good
many people who rise to these higher
yiews-who look on marriage as seri-
Gus occupation, which requires absorb
ing thought-Eho eeaselessly endeavor
to improve its form, aaa ~ lifts its con-
sequences and its products aboye the
level of humdrum existence. And often
they succeed. Now success, in such a
case, implies that they distill, from con
tact with each other, 3 degree, an eleva-
ton, thoYo1ghness, a perpetuity and a
reality Of happiasSs which less able and
less careful mlanipulatoRs of home life
ore incapable of producing. They sh9V
US WiaSt skill and science can elaborate
from ordin6rg eources; they show us the
hight of satisfactoa TO which we are
capable of climbing in relation between
man apd wife, il we will but regard that
relation as plant to be sedulously cul-
tiyated, aud not &C. 9 weed to be left to
combat unaided fer existence. Many
au example might be given In support of
this rough indication of what marriage
may be when Il is rightly understood.
In the higher ranks OF French society
there are men who merit to be called
professors of the art of happiness; who
have a1alyzed its ingredients with care;
full. fingers aad scrntinizing eyes; who
have consummated their eEperience of
means and ends; who, like able doctors,
can apply an immediate remedy to theI
,laily diGeulties OF home life; whose
practice Is worthy Of their theory, ans
vho prove Il by maintsipipg in their
wives hearts and in their own a peren-
NAL neysrgeakening sentiment Of graf
itude and love But alasl these cases
are exceptions. Most French people con-
tent themselves, like their Reighbors in
other countries, with rumbling careisssly
marriage, making no attempt TO
improve It, and not even suspecting that
il is capable Of improvement And yet,
thanks 10 their light, Laughing natures,
they generally keep clear Of gloom
They bring into married life the bright
cheeriness which is so frequently an
attribute Of their race; they stave Of
worry by insouciance; thew support an.
noyances with GOODNESS, whichin their
case is not indifference, but which, TO an
foreign eye, looks so singu
larly like il that il is difficult at FIRST TO
fx the point where calm patience ap-
pears TO end, and Indifference seems to !
begin.
There are, however, contradictions in |
abundance 70 this rule Of quietly sup
porting cares. Frenchmen have some /
lines in their character 50 many Of the |
faults which elsewhere are Supposed TO |
be the property Of women only, thai
hey are capable OF growing fidgety and /
nersoas b . scarcely creditable degree
and woe 70 tie unlucky wife who STUN
,les N q husband Of that specieti be
-esrs her .ut with teasing. Gentle and
lTectionate a. ne men ordinarily are.
here are some among hem who are ab-
Iolutely iniolerable ai home. Lpekily'
hey form an infinitely small minority
,theruise 4 would Be nonsense % pre-
end that French marriages, on the
Fhole. are happy. The evidence which
an be collected by listening 70 opin-
ons, includiug ill-nsiured scandal IN