The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-03-04
Da,nsels and wed1ock.
From the Liberal Review.

Philosophers of cynical turn of mind |
are in the habit of speaking fervidly in ia
vor Of the state Of single blessedness and
very warmly in condemnation of the hon |
orable condition of matrimoDy. That these |
sages so far fail to act up to their principles |
as to frequently imolate themselves upon
the altar of marriage may, perhaps, be re-
garded as proof that human nature is not,
after all, utterly selfish. Certainly, when
they have themselves passed into the de-
moralizing condition of wedlock they are
in position to speak more authoritatively
of its horrors than they were before, and
may be the better enabled to talk in glow
ing terms of that delicious freedom and
those pure delights which they have for
ever lost That not few of them do all
this is touching proof of that terrible earn
estness by which they are, possibly, in
spired; and the misfortune is that the
world seems disposed to laugh at them and
to set them down as humbugs of pre-
nounced type. This being SOFT is not sur
prising that many of the warnings which
the high-souled philosoph, rs feel con-
strained to address to their fellows are like
unto the seed which fell upon stony ground.
1t is. alas, melancholy fact that the ma
iority of folk are disposed to look contemp-
tuously upon all monitory references to
marriage, and show by their actions that
they resolutely decline to believe that mat
rimJDy frequently turns out to be tre-
mendous blunder, which has been more
easily made than 1t CAT be remedied. This
sad state Of things cannot be but discour
aging to the philosophers, and they are
really deserving of hearty commentator
because they do not, in despair, give III
their work of exhortation, more especially
as, In many cases, they are undoubtedly re
garded as admirable bores. Yet, though
they are snubbed and decried, it is sac
fact that Of the many marriages which ar,
made large proportion turn out miserabl,
failures and bring little but regret to thos
who have entered into them, 1t may safe
ly be said, in sober earnest, that there ar
at the present moment scores of heart
which are heavy, and hundreds of eye
which are wet becase their owners taile
to take good comprehensive look befor
they irrevocably plunged into the sea o
matrimony. With all due d ference t
philosophers,it must be written that this
not so much because the institution of maj
riage is mistake as because it is one tina
is very little understood By numerous ind
viduas until time when the understand
ing of it is of little use. Angelina an
Claude, when they stand together at tn
altar, in nine cases out of ten are simpl
taking each other ION chance" Now. An
gelina may turn out an angel, Claud
may show that he is an angels opposite
this order OF things may be reversed
Grand this is the worst contamination 0
all-Angelna and Claude may hay,
proved how disagreeable human nature Cal
be before the determination of a fortnight
honeymoon, Ii the couple are unhappy, j
cannot be said that their being so is entire
" their own fault. They have done wha
the most of human kind do 10 putin
their hand into lottery bag and DRAWN,
forth something worse than a mere blank
Angelina, if she had wished to do sc
could never have seen Claude except whe
he was made as much like prince as pos
sible, in order that she might be duly i'm
pressed; and poor Claude would hav
found it equally impossible to have pour
ced upon his adored Angelina when sh
was not in a fit state and ready, in all II
spects, TO receive him. Angelina canpc
be blamed because she hid that ''littl
temper of hers; neither can Claude b
consured for choosing to forget that b
possessed number of small vices, of tn
minor character. which, in general way
he was particularly found of airing. Nc
can either of the pair be blamed because
like two rogues, each chose to think tha
he or she was a. cleverer hypocrite tina
the other.
Matrimony must always result in NOR
or less disastrous consequences, but Their
IS reason to believe that it there were les
marrying In haste there would be less r,
penting at leisure, Maidens, 10 particr
lar, are addicted to rushing headlong in,
the gaping vortex of wedlock. Nor, PEI
haps, when everything is considered,
this at oil strange. As the respectful
daughters of respectable people Their circ
OF action is very circumscribed one, an
their means are of the slightest The
have control over nothing, even the mo.
important ct their own actions being d
rected BY others. They NAV earn mi
cradle pittance, but it is by endulg;ng
drudgery against which their souls reyol
Matrimony is the means by which the
see that their unhappy and humilatir
condition may be altered, and truth
say. this seems a right royal way to I,
improvement of their state. With hu
band, they imagine. they will get the CO
troll of house, the inmates OF which W
be their willing subjects, the command
apurse, and greater liberty of action TIL
single young lady can ever hope