The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1873-08-24
Early Marriage.
From the Cath olic World for September.

Early marriage.
IFrom the Catholic World for September
When DR.. johnson advocated the early mar
riage of young men, he spoke the morality of
and the knowledge of the man of the world.
He knew from his own experience, and from
the wild lives of the men with whom he asso-
ciated during the first years of his London
l.fe, that early marriage is tho great safeguard
of youth, the preserver of purity, and the sure
promoter of domestic happiness-" the only
bliss of paradise that has survived the falln
Profoundly convinced of this, we deliberate
ly declare that early marriages should be, as a
general rule, recommended and promoted by
those who have influence or authority over
young people. By early marriage, we do not
| mean the marriage of boys and girls, but of
men and women. Marriage is the only natu-
| raj, proper and safe state for the majority of
persons living in the world. If one-third of
| the angelic host-those bright and pure spirits
| fresh from the Divine Hand-fell at the very
| first temptation, how can man, prone as he is
who subjected their bodies to tho spirit by
| penances 80 terrible as almost to realize Byrons
| remark of meriting heaven by making earth
| hell IF these holy men found it so difficult
| to resist the allurements of the flesh how can
| the pampered and luxurious Christians of these
days, living in an atmosphere of seduction,
I1n1ngling in gay and wicked world, and
thrown in constant contact with men VINO
break all the Commandments with perfect in
ditference-how can these Christians of the
latter days hope to avoid the dangers that
|
| that is presented to them in marriage, unless
| they make of unusual means and prevent
ives which few are willing to adopG.
! Byron, who had tried all pleasures, and gra-
| titled all his passions unto safety, declared
that the best state for morals is marriage"
| This was the mature and deliberate opinion of
| o man who had married most wretchedly.
Shakespeare says "a young man married is
q man that's marr'd." But married, as he was,
at the early age of eighteen, to a woman eight
years his senior, he was most glorious con
traR fntSp n inn 90 IG
| his position as the monarch of the world of
| literature thai the most daring and ambitious
spirits had never presumed to dispute his su-
premacy; much less has there ever been found
a man bold enough to play the part of the Lu
cifer of literature, and attempt to deprive
Shakespeare of his pride of place." Surel ),
the fact of the poor Stratford boy filling the
world with his name and fame after marrying
at eighteen, is an argument in favor of early
marriage.
young man married is not o man that's
marr'd." Had Byron married his earliest and
purest love- Mary Chaworth, both the poet aud
the world would have been the gamers. We
nifcent Fourth Canto of Glide Harold and no
poem like the voluptuous Don Juan. Domestic
: happiness instead of domestic misery, would
have been Byron's earthly blessing, for the
pure affection of his noble though erring heart
have been concentrated upon one adored OBJ
ject. Moore's early marriage to his beaut tiful
and beloved Bessie did not mar his brilliant
career either in literature or in society. Her
love and sympathy cheered him in his young
and struggling days. when
: IAN feverish and glowing.
He rushed up the rugged way painting to tlme'
When success crowned his efforts, the prais,
aud admiration of Bessie We're dearer to the
young poet than all the ilattery la"ished upor
him by the lovelcst ladies of England; and
when misfortune came which drove away hi'
, summer friends, she was ever by his side
! frightening and encouraging the despondine
poet.
The wife of Disrael was Disraels best and
, truest friend. Her influence fired his latent
ambition, and brought into active use has
: finest talents. Sustained by her, Disrael
abandoned the idle and aimless life of a Lon
don dandy, and became a statesman and the
$ leader of statesmen, rs Prime Minister oi
c Great Britain. His domestic life was most
T happy. From tho triumph of the senate and
the pageantry of the court, he turned with un
affected delight to his home-life and his home
love. The sweetest associations of his life al
clustered around that home, where he always
: found the truest sympathy and love. Fully
r realizing the blessing of married life, he ha'
a written: "Whatever be the lot of man, how
= ever inferior, however oppressed, if he only
: love and be loved, he must strike n balance il
q favor of existence; for love can illumine the
. dark roof of poverty, and Tighten the fetter o
A the slave"
y These few examples, which may be multi
a piled indefinitely, are given to show that, 81
d far as fame is concerned, "a young man mar
Il red is not man that's marrd."
f Now, to another and more practical view o
reason for not marrying that they can't affor
it-that marriage is a luxury only for the rich
We know that the sordid forms of fashonabl
II society have encircled this heavenly rose calle
90 love with so many thorns that the opulen
~ alone can gather it with safety. We ais
st know that, In the gay world, as Lady Modis
le observes in the Careless Husband, sincerity il
love is as much out of fashion as sweet snuff
nobody takes it now" But what man of sens
what man who longs for love and a home, woul
he think of marrying woman of fashion who's
mornings are passed in bed over a sensations
~ novel; whose afternoons are spent on the stree
TT and whose evenings are danced away in th
ballroom