The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-03-18
Damsels and Wedlock.

these sages SO far fail to act up to their
principles as to frequently immediate them
selves upon the altar of marriage NAV,
perhaps, be regarded as proof that human
nature is not, after all, utterly selfish. Ger
tainly, when thev have themselves passed
into the demoraliZing condition of wedlock
they are in condition to speak more au-
thoritativeIy of the horrors than they were
before, and may be the better enabled TO
talk in glowing terms of that delicious
freedom and those pure delights which
they have forever lost. That not few of
them do all this is touching proof f that
terrible earnestness by which they are,
possibly inspired; and the misfortune is
that the world seems disposed to laugh at
them and to set them down as humbugs
of pronounced type. This being so, it
is not surprising that many of the warn
ings which the high-souled philosophers
feel constrained to address to their fellows
are like unto the seed which fell upon
stony ground. 1t is, alas, melancholy
fact that the majority of folk are disposed
to look CONTEMPORARY upon all monitory
references to marriage, and show by their
actions that they resolutely decline to be-
lieve that matrimony frequently turns out
a tremendous blunder, which has been
4
This state of things c.nnot be but discour-
aging to the philosophers, and they are
really deserving of hearty commentator
because they do not, in despair, give up
their work of eXhortation, more especially
as, in many cases, they are undoubtedly
regarded as admirable bores. Yet, though
they are snubbed and decried, it is a sad
fact that of the many marriages which are
made large proportion turn out misera-
BILE failures and bring little but regret TO
those who have entered into them. Ii
may safely be said, in sober earnest, THAT
there are at the present moment scores OF
hearts which are heavy, and hundreds OF
eyes which are wet because their owners
failed to take good comprehensive look
before they irrevocably plunged into the
sea of matrimony. With all due defer
ence to philosophers, it must be written
that this is not SO much because the insti-
tuition of marriage is mistake as because
it is one that is very little understood by
numerous individuals until time when
the understanding of it is of little use.
Angelina and Claude, when they stand to-
gether at the altar, in nine cases out OF
ten are simply taking each other ION
chance" Now, Angelina may turn out
an angel, Claude may show that he is
an angels opposite, this order of things
may be reversed, GRAND this is the worst
contamination of all-Angelina and
Claude may have proved how disagreeable
human nature can be before the termina-
ton of fortnight's honeymoon. If the
couple are unhappy, it cannot be said that
their being so is entirely their own fault.
They have but done what the most of hui
man kind do in putting their hand into a
lottery bag and drawing forth something
worse than a mere blank. Angelina, If
she had wished to do so, could never have
seen Claude except when he was made as
much like prince as possible, IN order
that she might be duly impressed; and
poor Claude would have found it equally
impossible to have pOunced upon his ador-
ed Angelina when she was not in fit state
and ready, in all respects, to receive him.
Angelina cannot be blamed because she
hid that little temper" of hers; neither
can Claude be censured for choosing to
forget that he possessed number OF small
vices, of the minor character, which, in a
general way, he was particularly fond OF
airing. Nor can either of the pair be
blamed because, like two rogues, each
chose to think that he or she was clever
er hypocrite than the other.
Matrimony must always result in more
or less disastrous consequences, but there
! is reason to believe that if there was less
marrying in haste there would be less re-
pen'ing at leisure. Maidens, in particular
are addicted to rushing headlOng into the
gaping vortex of wedlock. Nor, perhaps
When every thing is considered, is this al
all strange. As the respectable daughters
| of respectable people, their circle OF action
is very circumscribed one, and theil
means are of the slightest. They have
control over nothing, even the most i'm
pOrtant of their own actions being direct
ed by other. They may earn miserable
pittance, but it is by indulging in drudg
cry against which their souls reN olt. Mat
rimony is the only means by which they
see that their unhappy and Illuminating
condition may be altered, and truth to say
this seems right royal way TO the i'm
| provement of their state. With a huS
| band, they imagine. they will get the con
! troll of lou &c, the inmates of which viii
| be their willing subjects, the command o
a purse, and greater liberty Of action thar
a single young lady can ever hope to en-
joy. Nor is this all marriage will raist
| her, girl thinks, in the estimation of hel
friends, and effectually prevent her from
| becoming what nine women out OF tel
! have a horror of, to-wit, an old maid
| Then, in addition to this merely practica
| aspect of the case, there is the purely sen
| timental one. A damsel may imagine
| that it will indeed be nice when she has {
! husband who is never weary OF kissing
and caressing her, who is ever ready II
satisfy her smallest wants, and who lives
but TO please her. When a maiden is II
the state of anxiety to escape from one
state of life into another, it is not surpris
ing that she should often be deluded tC
the extent of imagining herself In love
with a youth, when the fact Is that true
affection for him forms but small part O
the impulses by which she is actuated
Nor is it at all remarkable that she should
sometimes succumb to the first young fel
low who makes overtures to her, and, oc
casiunally, lead him on to believe that mo-
only is he very much in love with her, bu
that she is also very much in love witt
him, belief which, in most cases, there
are no opportunities of shaking until it |;
too late. Damsels who are unduIy eager
to get married, expose themselves to Sc
rious danger in addition to that Indicated
They run a good chance of finding them
selves Tilted, or of fancying that they have
been Tilted, which amounts to the same
thing. Men may, for time, be attracted
toward women who show a marked pre-
ference for them; but, as rule, they
value most that which there is most diff
Guilty in getting. Indeed, in many case:
it is the pursuit of prize which renders i
attractive rather than any particular meri
Of the prize itself. Thus. though damsel'
may, in their eagerness to get married
draw men on to a certain stage, thu
chances are that the latter will draw bacl
before taking the last, irrevocable step
and leave the damsels objects of ridicul'
and compassion to those who are acquaint
ed with what has TRANSFERRED. If these lat
ter were less wishful of getting married
they would make fewer mistakes and NEE
with less rebuffS than they do nOw.-Lon
don Liberal Review.
Boys and Stumble Bees.
Did you ever undertake to break up
humble bees nest? Three boys tried