Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-12-24
EARLY MARRIAGES,


The condition of the very poor, to which
Lord Salisbury, among others, has recently
been directing public attention, is no doubt
the result of improvident marriages; and
II this fact is not more generally admitted,
it is perhaps chiefly because of the impos-
sibihty of conceiving of any practical
remedy. THE period at which love is
formed for the first time" observes Sir
| Walter Scott, "is seldom that at which
there is much prospect of its being brought
| to a happy issue. The state of artificial
society opposes many com phcated obstruc-
tions to early marriages and the chance is
very great that such distractions prove in
surmountable." THERE is, however, a whole
section of society in which, although the
obstacles most assuredly are there, they
are simply ignored. Love laughs at i'm
possibilities, and rarely condescends to
treat them seriously until they begin to
assume the form of olive branches cluster
ing thick and sprouting fast: and then
usually the impossibility of satisfactory
home life without little prudent prepare
ton becomes dismally evident. In respect
to this matter, some Of the East-end mis-
sIonary reports are very curious reading.
This same young woman, writes one
good man in his report-referring to the
case of match box maker. who for six
years had nothing but heap Of dirty rags
to lie on at night" this same voung
woman have been writing about has mar.
RED. The young mans money could only
meet the expenses OF the church fees so
they were in a fix how to get the ring. Her
landlady, who has a tender heart, lent hers.
OF course, after hearing how hard up thew
were for cash, was quite prepared not to
see any additional furniture, but found
they had treated themselves to a tea.trav
and penny pepper-box. l should have
liked Mr.. b. to have seen her proud look
when she put the marriage certificate in
my hand,
People OF this class know very little
about obstacles to early marriage Ii is
only in the grades of society considerably
above them that difficulties are rarely in
superable, and opinions always have diff.
fered, and always will differ as to the adj
vantages or disadvantages which such
difficulties really constitute. There are
some who are inclined to look on the ne.
cessity, which so many young folks are
under, of postponing marriage till they
verge on middle life, as a misfortune insep-
arabic from 4 highly artificial state of soci.
ETY.. On the other, many sober and sensi.
Bile people regard the marriage of two
young persons who have scarcely completed
their teens as something little short of a
scandal, and are accustomed to speak of
ages ranging from 20 to 80 for the bride,
and from 80 to 40 for the bridegroom, as
though they were guarantees for pros
porous and happy married life. Young
men and women who have arrived at this
time of life they consider likely to "know
their own minds" They have given mn
the giddy, frivolous propensities of bows
and girls, and have come to years of dis
erection. They undertake the responsible
ties Of married life, it is assumed, with
their eyes open, and ought to be better
prepared for them than hair-brained Young
noodles who are under the illusion that
love is the one and only serious business of
life. The course of true love never did
run smooth, and, it is sometimes argued,
it is usuallp best that it should not. when
it sets in very early.
This is all very fine, but after all it is the
elderly, ld-fogyish view of things. Very
few marriages are ever planned from this
point of view, and those that are do not
always prove the most fortunate. Wise
men are not always 80 wise as they think
when they are pitting their wisdom against
the DEGREES of nature and one of natures
DEGREES certainly would seem to be that
when Edwin and Angelina have once fallen
in love they shall ge5 married as soon as
conveniently may be. 1t is matter of
pretty general observation, too that at
tachments-ot friends and companions as
well as lovers-are all the stronger and
more enduring for commencing early in
life. There is a very common but a very
erroneous way of looking at such matters.
a desperate, vehement attachment is
formed, but parents or circumstances come
in and forbid the banus, and the two Young
folks go different ways. Years afterward
each is able to smile at the early iufatua-
ton. The course of time and events have
berne them in widely different directions.
Circumstances have made them bv low.
imperceptible degrees, entirely different in
tastes and habits and character and thus
incline them to think that they would have
been unsuitable from the beginning. So it
appears in the cold, clear light of middle
age and when these two wide. awake per-
sons hear of the desperation of two vouup
lovers, bent on early marriage, but whose
course has proved impassably rough. thew
pooh-poo the matter, and bid them look
forward to the time when they shall have
made other attachments, and seen the mis-
take they were on the point of making.
There can be no doubt, however, that
young people assimilate to each other verv
much more readily than these more adj
vanced in life, and that incompatibilities
often so apparent to on.lookers disappear
to great extent as time goes on. Every
body admits the Importance of the com.
partnership of young persons, because it is
scarcely possible for any two of them to
associate together much without becoming
in many respects like each other whereas
later in life nobody attaches the same i'm.
portance to association, Characters are
formed and not easily impressed either for
good or evil. At eighteen Edwin might
have easily been broken into harness, had
taken him into hand. At eight
and thirty the task is very different one.
London Globe.