Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-05-23

CnarleS Duoley warner In Harper's Magazine.
The desire Of the Englishman to marry his
deceased wife's sister is one Of the most marked
phenomena of the times. The deceased wtfe,s
sister bill may be said to be his steady occupa-
ton. In all his breathing spells from emergen-
cies he turns to that. When he Is not being
massacred by the South Africans, or Staying
Soudanese, or fighting Africans, or pacifying the
Irish, or being blown up in his tower be is at
tending to the deceased wife's sister bill. He
comes back to 1t out of all victories and all de-
feats with unwayering pertinacity and courage
II appears 10 be the passion of his life to marry
his deceased wife's sister. We who live IN n
land where nobody opposes such an alliance
to Englshmen. And seeing how universal and
strong this desire is in England, we cannot but
inquire why the Englishman does not marry
he go on marrying the wrong one and then
wait for death and the law TO help him out?
IL seems 10 US That much as this matter has
been agitated, 1t never has been discussed in a
philosophical spirit. We admit the fact of the
oyermastering desire to marry the deceased
ofthe marriage increases the longing for it,
but We have not analysed the origin OF the de-
sure aase Of mas 6een treated In England as
question Of sociology When we come lace to
face with the question, is it not this: Does not
the man generally make mistake when he
marries one or two or more sisters? The
world often sees 1t at the time, the sister who
is left sees it, but the man is blind to what he
is doing. He not only takes the one who does
not make him the best wife, but the one least
eligible tor life insurance, and.so voluntarily,
bother the world with his Deceased Wife's
Sister bill. And the reason of this mistake
lies q good deal in the nature of man him.
nature of woman also. He is so con-
stitpted that he does not recognize the
wien He is b make outward good
pearances. Beauty goes for much with him.
Iveliness s counts for a good deal; even willful-
cases out OF ten he will choose the girl out of a
houseful who is at once the pet and the tyrant
Of the house, the spoiled child, whose selfish
Of all the rest. Seeing all this devotion, he
thinks he is marrying the queen bee. We are
Intending to say nothing against the woman
he makes his Wife; as women go. she Is we'll
enough, and if the circumstances continued to
be what they were at home, she would be for
comes evident how much she owed to her sis
tiers, whose unobtrusive virtues We're the neces-
sary background to all her specious attractive
ness. Nine cases out of ten the man will take
the girl of the family who knows the least
about cooking, or the management OF a house.
or about nursing, and is the least patient in
trial, and has the least common sense-that is
the least OF those everyday qualities that make
and day to day. Hence to cover his own blum
ders, the clamOr for u Deceased Wife Sister bill
1 nne man loves his WieIef course he does
him, are better in his eyes than the virtues of
other women. Bat when real life begins. and
the sister comes to live in the house, as she
pretty certainly will come, then he sees who it
Is that makes life go smoothly, who takes up
the hundred household burdens, who is always
KIND ana patient, and especially indulgenL to
hlm-ior the capacity OF the wife's sister to be
indulgent to all the Weaknesses of her brother
1n-laW Is one OF the circumstances that we must
take into account in this investigation. Her
utter sef-sacrifice and ability to come into aon-
fdential relations with him, and TO take his
part against an authority which he Sometimes
feels the WEIGHT of all the nnvpiStS bac tnI-
note Of It is not She who keeps a tight rem on
him. He is not afraid OF her. She excuses
him, and makes it easy for him to get ON with
himself. And she has certain sterling qualities
that admirably supplement the loveliness and
attractiveness of the wife. He feels this for a
good while without exactly seeing it or know
ing it, but when the great bereavement of his
life comes, and the world is suddenly desolate
to him, he comes around with the Deceased
Look at the world as it is. Consider the
capacity of the sister for making herself indis-
the power to attract the man into matrimony
but she has the qualities that ne finally recog-
nlzes as necessary to perfect comfort in It; and
IN England. when it is too late, he wakes up to
the fact that he should have married the sister,
But this is not the end of the inquiry. There is
something in the nature of woman herself that
brings about this state of things. In order to
bring out the best there is in a woman, sacrifice
OF herself is always necessary. Fortunately she
enjoys this. She has a kind Of pleasure in see
ing her sister preferred and led away to the
altar. She likes the man all the better for being
such goose as to choose the pretty and more
incompetent one. And in the new household,
whether she is permanently a part of it or
only has an occasional superintendent of it.
she develops in her sUbOrdination many OF
the lovely virtues. In some cases she was not
naturally so unselfish SO sweet tempered or
so tolerant of a mans unreasonableneSs as her
sister who marries, but her part OF selfefface-
ment Is u training school. and all the sterling
qualities of womanhood are evolved. The very
position of being a wife's sister is invaluable
discipline, and we do not wonder when we see
SO many households where the sister, under
this discipline, shines with the steady radiance
of a star of the first magnitude.
1t Is probably useless to urge the Englishman
to marry his wites sister in the first place. 1t
would take away one Of his grievances; and
something of this kind to put into a reform bill
he must always have. Human nature is con-
Trajectory, and perhaps If he could carry his
Deceased Wife's Sister bill the subject would
lose its attraction for him, and assume the UNI
important position the matter holds in this
country.