The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-03-01
LOCAL ITEMS.

done here except preparing for another
crop. The politicalexcftement that the
papers say exists in the city finds no res
pOnse here, and only a few, who expect
thereby to get into Office, want an cleo
ton ordered by Congress " or any other
man." The planters we have heard ex-
press their opinions ON the subject, say
an election this spring, would greatly in
jure the planting interests. Our District
Court adjourned this week, and, as be-
fore intilnated, business generallyisver
dull. We have to rack our brains con-
siderably to find subjects for locals. The
weather is and has been excellent for
farming operations; hut that subject is
ga short horse and soon euFried." =
With nothing transporting Of a sensa-.
tiOnal nature, We have to come down TO
dry statistics. The three most import
ant periods on events in human life are
birth, matrimony and death. We can
not mention all the births in our parish,
for the parents do nOt furnish us with
the information, and there is no record
from which we can derive it. The same
may be said in regard to the deaths ;tbut
we shall, at an early date, rake the living
the Goals for the manner in which
they do not care for their dead in our
public cemetery. And in regard to
riages, the parties very seldom have us
furnished with the facts, though we pub
lish simple announcements of marriages
free, provided they do not exceed five
lines. But there is a source from which
we can learn the number and names of
persons whohave been licensed to marry.
From the time OF the purchase Of this
State from France up to 1916 OF 1850, or
somewhere between these two dates, the
record of marriages in this parish was
numbered from / to the highest number
reached during the year. THEN the fol-
lowing year commenced with number
one, and so on, until about the period
mentioned. From that time to the pres
ent, the record has been N continuous
series, from number 1 to the last license
issued. The last one issued, up to the
morning of the 27th ult., when we con-
suited the record was number 1858.
TIE show, that though business of al
most every kind i saEeEy dull, the matri-
monial business is very brisk here, We
have searched the record for the month
of February just past, uptO the morning
of the 27th day thereof, and find that
sixty-two marriage licenses We're issued,
which makes one hundred and tweHty%
four human beings made supremacy hap
py kor miseFable) in our own parish du-
ring that short space Of time. In look
ing at the names of the happy pairs, we
notice one significant fact-very,<very
few Of them reside in our incorporated
towns, on belong to that class who make
pretanaionstaf fashionable life andwho
banker after and indulge in, as far as
they can, the1uxuries, extravagance, and
idle, do-nothing habits, which only the
really rich can afford, and Which sooner
Orlater generally bring the latter topov-
eFty. Shelter, food and clothing are the
great essentials to niatrimony. Where
there liz not a reasonable assurance that
these will be forthcoming. it is worse
than folly to marry. The desired or re-
quired amount andquality Of these, viii
depend upon the habits, tastes, educa-
ton, training and social position OF the
. parties. Out in the country, ON young
people are strong and healthy they (both
young men and young ladies' knew how
to work and are willing to work, their
wants are feWandsimple, andth they natu-
rally andsat an early age, glide into mat
rimony. But in our incorporated towns
the case is qnite different. There our
young people are often raised to do moth
ing but know how to dress, dance, ZAP
pear in society,"" and +" show off, To do
these things requires money, and thai
most Of them hGve not got, except to d
very limited extent. And here stands
the bane of matrimony among them
they are poor to begin with, and they dc
not know how, or if they do, they aretoc
worthless and lazy to acquire the means
to furnish the aleter, food and clothing
which are the essentials to. matrimony
And the few who can and who are willing
to furnish them to a limited and reason.
able extent, are not willing to marry OF
wiz. not be married by tlioss whose fails
raising and habits make them require
themtoan unreasonable extent-uTTeas'
onahle for poor people. Of course, "ev'
erybodysto his own taste"; no one neeG
get married unless he on she wants to
but what would become of the world j
no one would marry because, he or sht
could not live IN ease and elegance affel
marriaRe2 Andthis is What isthe mat,
ter-nearly all acaat TO marry, but many
do not because they cannot be suited
Now the class wIS cannot be suited live
in OuE towns and cities and the cause
they cannot be suited is owing to thu
false raising, habits, ETC., aforesaid
There is certainly a screw loose some,
where in the society to which this elias!
belongs; and it behooyes mothers, VIII
d0 the principal part in the raising ana
training of both sons and daughters, anl
who have the daughters to marry off, Il
rectify this loose screw. One thing i
~certain-if the young men are. often to-
worthless for the young ladies to marry
they were raised by the. sane, mother
who raised the young ladies; and
Tenld not be illogical to suppose tia
there is a latentAegree of the SAM
w~orthlessness III some of the young Ia