The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-04-27
THEIR SENIORS.

Bisting uished Men who Married WO.
men Older than Themselves.
New York Letter to the Cincinnati Gazette
Speaking of oblivion, it is surprising no.
rapidly even the great fall out of motto
Carlyle and George Eliot were literary won-
ders, and they are already dropping from
observation. The latter was buried at
Hghgate, which is already known. as the
resting place OF Coleridge. The fact that
her husband John Walter Cross was so
much younger (tventy years. than herself
occasioned much comment. This, however,
s not without precedent in literary and social
life One of leading clergy in this city
is married 10 woman ten years his senior,
and the union appears congenal. Moham'
med's wife was twenty years older than her
husband, and it is much to the credit ofthe
latter that he honored her to the last. lie
ascrbed much of his success to her assistance
and influence. John Howard, the philan-
throplst, married out of gratitude woman
who was equally his senior. She died in a
few years, however, and his second union
WAS one of love- 1t was, however, also dis.
solved by the death of his wife, and he then
devoted himself TO philanthropy. Napo-
Icons first wife, Josephine, WAS his senior by
six years, being thirty at the time of their
marriage, whils he was twenty-five. 1t would
have been we'll for him had he valued her
conjugsl love, whose violation WAS the begin
ming of his ruin. Aaron Burr also married
widow, who, like Josephine,
had two children. Mrs. Burr was ten years
older than her husband, but the union was
very harmonious. She probably allowed
him that large liberty with the fair sex to
which he had been accustomed, and thus
avoided domestic qusrrels. John Wilkes,
the famous London agitator of the last GEN.
fury, married a lady who was ten years his
senior, but she WAS not willing to overlook
his irregularities, and hence obtained d.
vorce.
johnson, the photographer, married the
Widow Porter, who had small property.
He was acquainted with the family before
the death Of her husband, and this helped
in the matter Of courlship. Mrs. Porter
WAS As, while her husband was only q nj the
time OF the wedding. The parties started
horseback for the place where the ceremony
was to be performed, and johnson thus des-
cribes the journey to Boswell: "Sir, she had
got into her head from old romances, that a
woman of spirit should use her lover like a
dog. AT first she told me rode too fast.
and she could not keep up with me; but
when Stacked my pace she passed me and
complained that Jagged. was not to be
made the slave Of caprice, and therefore
pushed on till | was out ofsIght. When she
got to the destination l observed that she
was.in tears" johnson always mourned the
loss of his wife, and though he WAS only AZ
at the time of her death, he never married
again. How often in his subsequent writings
no refers to his lost companion in the most
aifec tionate manner.
When only Is Shakespeare was married to
Anne Hathaway, whose age was 20. Six
months from the wedding day the first son
was born to this ill.msted psir. The hus.
band and father had no means of support
ing family, and when the latter had in
creased 10 tho number of a son and two
daughters he fed TO London. The deserted
wife supported her children rs best she could,
and twenty years sf,erward her husband
returned, and by his subsequent conduct
slrove TO atone for his early error. Such
facts as these prove that John Walter Gross,
in marrying Marion Evans, had some striking
presidents.