The Republican journal., 1873-02-27
Written for the journal.
Register Studies. No, 8.

| Written for the journal.
| Register Studies. No. 8.
LOST MEN.
'She knew nothing when | married
| her. | tried to teach her something; 1t
made her angry, and l gave it up" was
the exclamation of one who had married
| a pretty face, and found to his sorrow an
empty head. Not that the one always sup
| plements the other, but that it does TOO
often, everybody will admit
Not long ago, while doing over the
newspapers, my eye fell upon the article
entitled Lost men" Old Morpheus took
sudden flight as reused myself into read
ing and thinking mood. The writer with
some ridicule, and good deal of bonn
bast, and wholly without logic or reason,
proceeded to reckon as lost men the hus-
bands of all women who have ever Ne
came eminent. He has gone down on
his knees most pathetcally, implorng
mercy in behalf of his fellow men who
have married such women as Lucretla
Mott, Julia Ward Howe, Lucy Stone and
others, who, he claims, have striven
against fate and destiny, to keep their
heads above board; but finally have to
accept nonentity, as the common fate of
all men who have the temerity to marry
zone OF those womenh - 1t may be that
the husbands of these distinguished ladies
have employed the man of the quill TO de-
tend and save them from destiny. Or it
may be warning to feminine aspirates
for q broader culture and better life, to
desist or die old maids The article is
fair specimen of the style of argument re-
sorted to by the enemies of the suffrage
movement. Ridicule supercedes logic,
and false premises are vanished into the
semblance offacts. Weak minded women
are made to stand up and declare, that
they have rights enough, goodness
knows" And so on to the end of the
chapter
So when a gentleman of fine culture
and great goodness of heart said to friend
of mine, My wife knew nothing when |
married her. | tried to teach her some
thing; it made her angry, and | gave it
up"-l said to myself es, there are
lost men, hundreds and thousands of them
Men whose attempts at correct living and
fair dealing are paralyzed by selfish IL
responsible wife"
man has a right to expect that his
wife shah know the difference between
addition and subtraction, practically
that if he be earning slowly. and she
spending lavishly, the result will lie on
the minus side OF the equation--a fact all
all thrifty house wives will soon learn.
But am not thinking Of the prudent,
thrifty matrons; rather of the class who
begin life by exacting the uttermost far
thing from their toiling fathers, and ac-
cepting unwarranted sacrifices from their
over-worked mothers, until both father
and mother look with infinite relief to the
time when the daughter shall have home
OF her own, and they be freed from the
burden Of her support, The time comes
sooner or later MS come it will to most
pretty faces; but, ignorant OF life and
careless Of its duties, her highest ambition
is to wear purple and fine linen and fare
sumptuously every day" And she will
do it, too; for was it not for this very pur-
pose, she accepted --- "for better or
for worse" ? Her lack of Judgment and
ignorance of the commonest details of
domestic affairs drive her husband to the
verge of distraction, from which he seeks
relief in his cups or in the courts; possibly
in both. All of which might and ought
to be prevented. In fact this state of
things could not exist if young girls were
early made to feel that life of idlepess
is just as disreputable for them as for
their brothers. A young man forfeits his
claim as gentleman who allows himself
to be a moth on society or burden to his
friends. Why then should it De any less
so for young ladies? Is it respectablep
Is it right? Is it the proper training for
| the future wives and mothers of America,
to sit perked up in the parlor, all ruff es
and flounces, reading French novels, max
ing cats and dogs in worsted, talking
| nonsense with their "set," making eyes
at all the killing young men, answering
! advertisements for correspondence
with view to matrmony'-and all the
other ridiculous nonsense that too many
young girls indulge in. Such find a
plenty of admirers both male and female,
ready to flatter and retail silly compli-
ments with the expectation of getting
something in return. The arched eye
brows; the Grecian nose; the fashionable
hair, black to-day and yellow tomorrow ;
the beautiful hands; the taper fingers !;
and even the finger nails; also the mouth
how to be "worn"-all freely and fuently
discussed-as we'll as the endless new
fashions, which are made paramount to
everything else. So. between fashion
and folly. they are quite spoiled. Those
arethe women whose husbands are doomed
the day the twain are pronounced zone
flesh" They may strive to keep their heads
"above board' but strive in vain; there is