St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1874-05-01
From the Galaxy for April.
Women as Women.
BY JUNIUs HENRI BROWNE.

BY JUNIUS HENRI BROWNE.
Wedlock. whether in the
same or in separate classes. Is always
most important and solemn experiment
its consequences for good or i'll are in
calculahle its reaches infinite. 1t Is
likely To found Il race. to begin world.
Centuries hence may be affected by it
the happiness of millions. may depend
upon its adjustment. With a deeper
than theological Significance. it should
be Il sacrament. and all the gods should
be invoked to give it benison. Mans
part is. relatively. of minor moment.
After creating its miscrle>. he can cs-
cape them. Woman must receive and
sustain the brunt. He marries. she Is
married He binds, she is bound. Is
it strange she feels so much concern for
her coupling; for every ceremony. Ill
troth of Il connubial character Has
she been fortunate, she wishes to wit
ness or to learn OF equal good fortune
To her sisters. Has she been robbed of
her just due, she longs to know that
others have been fairly dealt with III
the game of hearts.
1t is inexplicahle that the gravcst re-
lation of life should he entered into
with the least consideration. We tIeat
matrimony as a joke, as it often proves !;
but it is Il very ghastly one. As if
prescient of its sadness. we make merry
over its beginning. lest we shall have
no pretext for after rejoicing. Would
it not he wise to defer public observance
Of nuptialS until they We're asccrtained
to he something besides form Music,
! flowers. display. and rcvclry are I'M
pleasantly remembered when they are
preludeS to distressing divorce. legal or
spiritual, or to shallow mockcries nt
contentment. The advertisement ot
| gladncSs should come after substantial
cause therefor. They would he prudent
who should hold weddings i'll strict
privacy, and, ten Years later. hid friends
! to Il feast of OfdemonStratiOn. Then there
could he no miSgiviugs, no shadows
crouching under the radiance. no sug-
geSted discordS between the bars of
melody. as there are when fate is chal-
| lenged with sounding cymhals.
1t is not the custom to dance or Jun
ket at funerals. which are not half ST
sober of import is hymeucal rites. At
! the one. the end has been attained; re-
spent their force: the rest is peace and
| silence At the other. solicited should
| he ovcrtlowing: the beginning is preg-
nant dread responsibilities are slip
| ping their lc;lshrS to hunt down doom
The bride feels this the weight of as
sumption is upon hcI. Her hope i
| f;inged with fear. She smiles bravcly
! Her breast is haunted with awe of the
unknown. She wants the light. the
| sparkle, the gayety- for assurance
against preScntments that refuse To bC
allayed. She avows herself happy; but
| it is an uneasy, tumultuous happiness
vhich can hardly recognize itself.
The skeleton mt the nuptial feast Is
| the sage who thinks. ana lyZes. compares
forecasts. May You be happy" is al
he darcs to say, and he says it i'll the
tone of philosophic speculation. He
has stood by other affairs, and he re-
members how early the fire, pronounced
saclcd, went out. and could not he re-
kindlcd. He has participated i'll wooden
tin, silver weddings. and he approve,
them. if they he genuine. us signals o
success in dubious and dangerous en-
terpriseS. He may have ground for be
lieving them false shows: though, i
well designed, they serve to encourage
the many who have failed, with the
belief that from the present there Is still
redemption. The marking of progres
is comforting. When we have fallel
behind. il is stimulating to know other
have advanced.
In the conjugal firm, man ordinarily
Supplies the capital. and woman Is th'
active and responsible partner. He
interest is ten times his, and, incongru
ously. her power is ten times less. Sh'
is the mother-and maternity is seven
eiChths of neutrality-suspicious. an equa
right to her children, who are tin
fathers almost by accident. Does tn
garden. owned in common, belong L
the tiler, Sthe fertilizer, who has pu
his life into it. or to the careless sOwe
of the seed Posterity looks to heI
The fathers of the race may be inferior
if the mothers be worthy. Leaders, Il
Il rule, resemble her who bore them
But the father, by his conduct, by neg
lect. suspicion. injustice, tyranny, ma
mar the mother, and warp the children
He is disposed to domineer and oppres'
to interfere with that which in no WIS
appertains to him. In order to lnclt
ner not to meddle with his duties,
which he is ever complaining, he pei
petually invades hers. The stream
his domesticity flows through his ol
. ticiousness. He regulates by lntrodu'
, ing disorder; exacts obedience, an
< secures deceit.
a The woman's destiny being in til
: hands of the man, everything hangs o
their compatibility. The doctrines
the Perfectonists might approach rea
ization, could generation after gener;
ton be fifty mated. The famous bui
What has posterity done for us migl
ho soriously answerad What have "