The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1877-10-17
soms Womea who DO Not Marry.

4
1t is common thing for writers
upon social questions to lament a
certain tendency towards decrease
in the number of marriages, which
tendency they assume as fact-ani
linen endeavor to explain. The most
popular explanation among cheap
moralists in the press and in the
pulpit is to the effect that the young
men of this generation have disin-
cllnation to matrimony because the
young women are SO extravagant to
their habits that only rich fellows
can afford to marry them, and so fri
volously educated for the adornment
Of society rather than the creation
of a home, that they cannot become
good wives. This may be true to
some extent in regard to the wealthy
classes in which the young women
are brought up in luxury, and taught
to expect nothing else during their
life time, and the young men are ac-
customed to depend upon regular
income, which they have learned to
spend upon themselves but not to
increase. No such narrow minded
and cynical Interpretation of the mo
tlves OF human conduct should, how
ever, be accepted in a broader appli
cation. We are inclined to think
that the majority of men now as al
ways desire wife who shall prove a
true comrade in the battle of lite
and share its triumphs or its defeats,
and the majority of women are will
ing to enter into such an offensive
and defensive alliance with the man
they love against the world. What
guarantee has he who waits until be
has won success before he marries.
that the woman whom he chooses to
share his fortunes is worthy Of trust
or affection? Taking for granted the
existence of a Discrimination to mat
rimony in our day, we should ex-
plain it not more by the dread of
yonng men Of limited means to as
sumo new burden, than by the un-
willingness of young women to cast
off the burdens which they have al
ready assumed. Within the past
few years many new avenues of en-
ployment have been opened to wo.
men, and they have found their way
into many departments of industry.
Thus young girls have acquired a
certain spirit Of independence, and
as they have grown in helpfulness.
the helplessness of those about them
seems to have increased. AS the
girls in some households became
bread winners, the boys seemed to
grow idle and careless, and, lacking
the spur Of necessity, they fell into
the habit of lazy trust in their sis
ter's industry, which the sisters of
the last generation showed in the in
dustry of their brothers. Thus, in
addition to that large class Of work
ing girls who have been left to sup
port widowed mother or family
of younger brothers and sisters,
thousands who have to become vir-
tually the head of the household
through the drunkenness Of father
or the worthlessness Of a brother
When girls had not so many en-
Payments as they now have and
were incapable ofearning such good
wages it was simply impossible for
them to take such burdens on their
delicate shoulders. Now they ac-
cept these tasks in spirit of cheer
ful self-sacrifice, and soon find their
youth slipping away from them and
their beauty fading. They cannot
think of marriage, because marriage
would sink their individuality; de-
prive them of the power of earning
money and turn adrift those depend
ent upon them for support; so the
wrinkles come, and toll hardens the
frame into grim outlines. and the
shadows of unrealized dreams and
unfulfilled hopes fall over the bright
ness Of the eyes, and the woman is
merged in the worker. 1t is won
derful how many cases of this kind
there are in the country. They out
number the cases of young men
Sinking matrimony through dread
of women's extravaganza three to
one. Philosophers like Mill would
consider this tendency Of women to-
ward hard labor and celibacy an in
dication Of an advance in civilization,
the harbinger of that era anticipated
by the doctrinaries when love shall
cease IN hn fhp main hnsiness nr a;fo