Kimball enterprise. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1883, 1883-06-01
A Glance at the Marriage Rela.
tiOns of Various Men of Cen

1t has long been disputed question,
writes L. D. Morgon in the May Lippn.
colt, whether men of genius should, like
ordinary mortals, seek for comfort and
happiness in the married state, OF
whether the "divine spark" which has
been bestowed upon them does not unfit
them for the somewhat precarious bliss OF
matrimony. The different sides of the
subject have been discussed with true
gravity by various generations of au-
thors, and may have reached the con-
clusion that such gifted human beings
should be welded to their vocations
alone, and avoid the harassing cares OF
family, or the possible misery conse-
quent upon union with frivolous and
children are impediments to great en-
terprises," writes Lord Bacon and "cer-
talnly the best works, and of the great
est merit, proceed from unmarried or
childless men,"
Mr.. Morgan presents an interesting
collection of glimpses at the matrimoni-
al relations Of many distinguished men,
with a pleasant vein of comment. We
make the following extracts:
Socrates, indeed, is said to have ex-
poused Aantlppe on account Of her
shrewlsh temper, which gave occasion
for the constant exercise of patience and
self-control. But few will sympathize
with such morbid desire for self-sacri-
fee on the part of the sage; volunteer
martyrdom excites little commiseration
and most generally be its own reward.
"Marriage.is not like the hill Olympus,
wholly without clouds,' said Old Fuller:
yet-mark the inconsistency-he was
twice married, and would probably have
entered into that condition of precarious
bliss mad he lived little longer Such
a disinclination to state of "widower-
hood" we find among the sternes. abus.
ers of matrimony in general, very few
among them living up to their principles
on this point.
Dean Swift thus neatly throws the bur.
den OF unsuccessful unions on the
gentler sex: The reason why so
few marriages are. happy is because
young ladies spend their time making
nets, and not in making cages! Such half
truths were dear to the Deans heart, and
generally left sting behind, which did
not displease him, especially if the in
jury was resented and the imputation
loudly denied.
Milton seems to have been ANYTHING
but happy in the domestic life; yet he
was thrice married, his last wife being
thirty years his junior. He quietly di,
vorced himself, taking the law into his
own hands, when his first wife deserted
him and returned to her parents, she
being "disgusted." says an old writer.
with her husbands spare diet and hard
study" Considering himself free to trv
his fortune again, the poet paid his court
to a young lady; when his wife hearing
fit suddenly reappeared, threw her.
self on her knees before him, and egsed
to be taken into favor agatha request
which was granted, and doubtless after
ward repented of.
When Dryden's wife desired to be a
book. that she might employ more of
her husbands society, the poet replied:
BE an almanac, then, my dear, that +
may change you once year." This was
severe: but he did dot like her, and re-
yenged himself for his martial disap-
pointmeni by abusing matrimony in gen
eral.
The poet and landscape gardener
shenstone, not considering his circum-
stances good enough to warrant mar
rage with the lady, of his affections,
seems 20 have econtemplateda union with
his maid servant, who served him for
years with feminine tact and gentleness.
The novelist Fielding accomplished
the fact which the poet hesitated at, and
actually made his maid servant his wife.
Goldoni, the lively Italian writer Of
comedies, showed singular prudence in
refusing to marry a charming girl with
whom he had fallen in love, because af-
ter somewhat exhausting pleasure trip
she showed serious signs of fatigue and
threatened to lose her bloom and elasic-
ity early in life. He therefore relin-
quished his claim to her hand it would
never do to have an ugly wife.
Inc !Ierman poet Jean PAUL Richter
married a fair sensible woman, de-
voted housfrau, who, as we ale told.
could, when the occasion required,
rip q dress apart, dye it her
self put it together again, and wear it
with grace and dignity the next evening
to a large party. Yet Caroline could
read Plato in the Greek as we'll. With
the exception of an occasional attack of
jealousy on her part, decidedly incon-
venlent in the wife of a German SEN
timentalist, the union appears to have
been harmonious one.
Another literary man who seems to
h''S DSon iaAily Happy III tHe CnO1Ce OF
wife is Dick Steele, who, by following
his friend Addison's advice and combin-
"love and interest" in the marriage tie,
made two successful unions-the good ma
tured, constituencies spendthrift. His
first wife died soon after their marriage,
and his second was wooed so diligently
that months courtship brought about
the wedding day. In spite of occasional
contentious, which were often caused
by Sir Richards little pecuniary ire
gularities, the marriage was harmon
ious one.
Wordsworth was as happy in his do
mestic circle as poet should beck
ceptionally so, perhaps-his serene and
prosperous life reminding us of the lives
of our own two poets, Bryant and Long
fellow.
southey and Coleridge married sisters
the Misses Fricker-'both milliners,'
as Byron scornfully termed them. Ex-
Cellent in every way, it would have been
strange indeed if Southey had not
proved the best of husbands, and there
is no reason to doubt the harmony Of his
married life. Naturally, when the diff
ferences in character of the two friendA
are considered, such was not the case
with Coleridge. Putting aside his unfor-
tuate indulgence in opium. it must be
granted that few women could have
borne patiently the pecularities of the
poets nature. Who shall blame Mrs.
Coleridge that she did not, or could not,