Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-10-28
OPINIONS on MARRIAGE

Marriage is honorable in ALL says st.
MI. and the same opinion has been ex-
-ssed in much the same words by in
P,arable authors from Seneca down
- II is curious, however, to note
" writer's have differed in the testi-
NV they have borne to this, the most
D..-ed of human relationships. "A man
Is himself seven years older the day
aftar his marriage says Bacon; and, ac-
sording to a lady writer, marriage is "the
| .a+snnnsychosis of women-it turns them
20 different creatures from what they
Ire before" The reading that comes
| te+uean the lines here is capable of more
han one Interpretation, and it must be
80 IN the initiated to take the view which
a,ost answers TO their own circumstances.
There are no two meanings, however, in
.bs Johnsonian declaration that marriage
= the best state for man in general, and
| worry man is a worse man in proportion
a. he is unfit for the marriage state y
Nor. although he looks at the matter in
tvo aspects is there any ambiguity in
Daniel Webster's opinion that in mar
Rage there is no purgatory-'it locally
contains heaven or he'll; there is no third
nlace in IT," Nevertheless the relation
ship is good for the chief uphold
or. of the doctrine of a third state for
We have distinguished wearer of the
,in1 of the Fisherman Plus III preach
inc that marriage is better for the clergy
tban single life" And even Voltaire.
with all his doubts and speculations, has
this to say with regard to the sacred tie:
The more married men you have the
fewer crimes there will be- inasmuch as
marriage renders a man more virtuous
and more wise" Cotton put in that
marriage is a feast where the grace is
sometimes better than the dinner
Ndancthon agrees with Yoltaire on this
question his opinion being few un-
married people are affected as they ought
to be toward the public good and per-
ceye what are really the most important
objects in life Montague is inclined
to be ironical on the subject, saying that
the land of marriage has this popularity,
that strangers are DESTROYS of inhabiting
IT, while its natural inhabitants would
willingly be banished from thence" If
there is irony also in Sidney Smiths OBJ
servation on the subject, it is softened
with delightful touch of bumor. We
have the genial divine comparing
married couples to a pair of shears.
so Joined that they can not
be operated, often moving in opposite
directions, yet always Furnishing any one
who comes between them We have one
noted author intimating that even at the
worse there is certain measure of bene-
fit in marriage. I'VE are not very much
to blame for our bad marriages" says
Emerson; I'VE live amid Authorizations,
and this especial trap is laid to trip up
our feet with, and all are tripped up frat
or last, but the mighty mother who had
been so sly with us, IS if she felt she
owed ~ some indemnity, insinuates into
The Pandora box of marriage some deep
and serious benefits and some great joys"
There Is the same difference III the YER
dict on the married staie in the poetic as
in the prose references to it. The testi
wOny on both aspects of marriage is in
fact voluminous, and it could not we'll be
otherwise, seeing that it deals with what
bears chiefly on human JOY and sorrow.
But there is no question as TO which way
the balance turns.
To begin with however, il is impossi-
5le of course, to say whether marriage
will realize all the happiness the two per
sons chiefly concerned may naturally be
supposed to anticipate from it. And it
Is not surprising that, as it is a choice
for better or worse" even matterof-fact
people are disposed on such occasions to
pay some little attention TO usages and
omens appertaining to such a choice.
The bride is sure to rejoice if the sun
shines on her. and is as likely to be de-
pressed should the marriage take place
in thunder storm. She does not trouble
herself for the moment that the light or
shade she has most reason to look for or
dread depends entirely on the way in
which she and her husband are deter
mined to bear and forbear with each
other.
Here there is no mention of Sunday "a
favorable marrying day in the humber
walks of life in some parts of England
and Ireland. In Scotland, Sunday is not
known as marriage day, nor is Monday
in any great favor owing probably to an
old Jaw, passed early in the eighteenth
century, directing that for the better
observance of the Sabbath no wedding
should take place on Monday. Tuesday
and FRIDAYS however are considered good
marrying days north of the border. In
Wales the Drefere' 1e seems TO be for
Saturday In Roman Catholic countries
important ventures are seldom begun on
Friday, and it is rather curious, there
fore. to find that in France thelast Friday
in the month is regarded as fortunate
day for weddings, excepting, of course,
al the Fridays and all the other days IN
Lent. during which period marriages are
forbidden. Generally May Is looked up
on as a month to be avoided for marriage
purposes 1t is not very clear why the
merry month should be in ill-repute in
This connection. Probably it is super
'uhou- notion that has come down to us
from Roman times, but on the other
hand, the Romans objected to February
iormarrying as well as May, while Feb
mary with US is as much in favor for wsd-
dugs as any other month except June.
The Jews used to set apart certain
days for betrothal and marriage, and APP
pointed ehe fourth day for splnsters and
We fifth day for widows. The custom
prevails among modern Jews, but with
notification as pointed for spinsters,
and Thursday for widows. Here, how
e'e' 'ae arrangement is one of conven-
renee and not of superstition: But 1t Is
altogether superstition which prevents
marriages in Scandinavia on Thursday,