New-York tribune., 1875-01-15
BOSTOE LITERARP NOTES.

BAYARD TAYLOR IN BOST0N-OLD AND NEW FOR
FEBRUARY-JoHN WEISS ON MARRIAGE AND DI-
voRCE-NEw BOOKS TO BE PUBLISHED By LEE
A. sHrPARD-ANorHER LITTLE CLASSIC"
lrRon REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TIIE TRIBUNE
BosToN, Jan. 12.-Last night Mr.. Bayard
TAYLOR gave us Bostonans the lecture on "Ancient
Egypt" which you In New-YOrk have already heard.
He had an excellent house, and cordially re-
ceived. 1t CHANGED 20 be the PoetTravelers htIeth
birthday; and knowing that fact fell into reverie
about noble half century of work behind him. and
tho probability OF still better things TO come in
the next twenty-five years. For Mr. Taylor seems
to me only lately to have reached the full and ripe
maturity best powers Time has dealt very gently
with him and any Yankee who undertook TO guess his
age would pronounce him much younger than he is. 30
there doubt plenty OF time and plenty OF strength
before him write his name among the stars. believe
last night was the SEVENTEEN time he has ecured this
Winter, and ffty moro lectures yet TO come-a
lecture season, tbs, closely filled and exacng as
would break down frazier physique; but which, so
far leaves MI Taylor without trace O weariness. He
was fan of life and spirit last night asif his seventeen
lecture had been his first.
The most striking paper IN old and Ne1 for February
will be that OF the Rev. John Weiss on Marriage"
which, read in two parOrs has already produced
small private sensation Mr. Weiss thinks that the
discussions of this marriage prO0em in which the
present age ia prolific, are not 10 be ignored The
constant cry which up from the married them
selves who have failed to realize their reasonable
expectations, shows us that there IS mistake
where II we help to discover 1t, We by so much
help the world toward its millennium. Since the cou-
tract is broad and deep human nature
10 must therefore, and always comprise both the
folly and tho strength which men aud women contribute
TO that, they do TO every other human con
dltion. Hereditary folly and in1riI. cra unmasked
quickly In marriage than In any other relation
Before the ceremony, she is goddess angel au en-
and to fasciuate. Aud he is knight, ~ glittering with
golden armOr-al high courage. ard unstained faith
and Gnseihsh strength Afterward she finds him only
man made OF the dust OF the earth want OF dinner
aud cross IL does not suit him absorbed In business
coarse, 1t may be, sometimes-just man! And he
finds her also with Inherited tendencies and
present defects anxious to know fine people aud wear
fue garments. They have come out OF the rosecoored
country OF vision Into the daylight OF the "Paace Of
Truth" He is harassed by busness-she by housekeep
ing They meet i'll atuned, and they fall out with
mutual recriminaton. Her sensitive nature exsgger
ates his strong one depreciates and overooks Per
haps her fine tastes lead her 10 be too expensive and
then begins 10 wonder whether the price be not
overhgh which he pays for the pleasure Of her society
As remedy against this mutual ignorance which
leaves open such subsequent opportunities for mutual
discovery Mr. Weiss approves OF the coeducaon OF the
sexes,
What can be more salutary than such an opportunity
to affect both sexes with native admrstons aud dis
dans that characters In the very act OF developing
out OF inherited mperecons may fall INTO wiser rels-
tiOns with each Otheri While the same mental pursuits
summon them away from trivial feelings into noble
emulation ana the sexes pQue each other only TO coVet
the prize OF knowledge. still the mnglng Rances Will
liberate sweet courtesy and temper tnat cannot Dc
tred with; and clairvoyance OF unspoiled souls Will
reign. Nothing premature need DO dreaded, any more
than in garden OF flowers. Nothing affected viii meet
with toleraton: DCthiug mean ana Ve can survive the
awful scorn of these Inbribed candidates for virtue
Let IL be tried only for the chance OF graduating bet
ter subjects for the 3shcr discipline OF MARRIAGE
In order make early marriages even tolerably hope
full this coeducation would be necessary. II not thus
thoroughly known to each other, the contracting par
ties would no doubt. better to wait until time had
matured their Judgment. But plan for mixed educa
,ion aud no postponement OF marriage, train
the two sexes to seek each other with misplaced and
monstrOus fOrethought"
One end OF marriage is frequently forgotten-it Is
meant 20 be discipline Just as all other OF
mortal life have work of discipline TO do. He would
make disastrous mistake who SHOULD wed perfection
wedding which, luckily. will never be possible To fly
from every dissoBance difficulty through the open
door of the divorce court would be unwise for q
child to quarrel with his spelingbook because It was
not always easy.
But on the other hand there is no ignoring the fact
that marriages even those which contracted with
the purest feelings and intentions do sometimes develop
such m antagonsm OF temperaments utterly sub
yerts the power to make q hOme-tbe very reason-of-
being of marriage. And here Mr.. Weiss deals boldly
with the question OF whether dscordsnt couples ought
or ought not, remain together account Of their
children. He says:
Tho air OF the becomes oppressive diss0nance
the children see bickeIng but insensbly mbibe
quarrel that is n0iselessly waRed by impiacabe
trarty; tho sources v their early culture wnlon ought
TO be kept mpid aud shadowess seem 10 lie contin
uav rsked up by tins gnared root; and clouds drift