The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-07-23
A Bachelors Lament.

reprint of letter entitled "a Bellies
Lament" The fair unknown regrets
seven weary years of social toll. She
is twenty-four, and has been flattered
and complimented, and with the
slightest encouragement might now
have been allowing wife. She says; at
is lamentably true that. like many
another girl, my ears have grown so
accustomed to compliments that they
are only empty, meaningless sounds,
for despite the victory woman
achieves every time somebody tells her
she is beautiful, particularly when she
knows there is truth in the assertion
the fact remains and overwhelms her
like an avalanche fromwhich there is no
escape that among all the knightly
gallants not one OF the praiseful throng
has the manliness or courage to ask
her hand in marriage" She points
out the folly and figures the expense of
this luttering- -around-the light-with-
out-coming-to-th -the-point business and
adds: "Isn't is simply heartrending for
q girl of my years-and my qualifica-
tions, too, | may add-to contem-
plate? Is it any wonder sit in M
room every day, after q night OF de-
collete dressing and silly Waiting, and
shed bitter tears because, though men
fatter, they refuse to think well
enough of me to marry me?" truly
sympathize with the young women;
but let me ask: Is the lot Of the eyoung
men who fatter but dare not wed
lovely damsels of her stamp any more
enviable? How often have not re-
| turned from q full. dress rout, divest-
ed myself of the infallible spike
TAIL" esconsced myself comfortably
with my slippered feet on the
mantel, fired the final cigar
philosophical. Through the curling
smoke see visions of the fair being
upon whom I've expended my best ef-
forts at persifage only an hour since.
/ think how coy it would be were she
to be gazing at the dying embers ofthe
hearth, sitting on a low stool by my
side, and how tenderly I'd kiss those
pretty shoulders that / but an hour
since compared with those of the
Venus at the Louvre. The picture is
| SO enchanting I even seriously specu-
late upon the possibility of making it
real. A little sober reasoning and it is
/ all dissolved in smoke even like the
cigar, the remnants of which throw
| among the blackened Goals. I'm
twenty eight and struggling barris-
/ ter. The battle is not won. I've a
reputation to make-position to gain.
Ewes fair daughters OF to-day do
not cast their lot with struggling
young men, win or lose, rise or
60 under. The young lady OF the
period is too well trained to do any
thing that is not strictly good form,
don't you know, and it is not good
form to give away to sentiment to the
extent of marrying q man who has
not wealth or position. If it is not
an absolute drinking foreigner with a
title, it is fiity-year-old millionaire,
with neck the size of her waist that
can successfully bid for the favors oi
the fair maiden Of to-day. She will
listen to your tributeto her beauty.
She even grows connoisseur in the
matter of the quality of your compli.
ments. She is not stupid and you
must sharpen your wits in order to
invent palatable food for her vanity.
She waltzes with you, firts with you,
even iEdulges in tender little scenes
with you; but marry you-dear no;
"he's such dear fellow, but then he
is SO wretchedly poor. and one must
wed brilliant party you know
i do not know where the fault
lies; but that marriage among
the better bred people is becoming
beautifully less cannot be denied
That the effect upon both sexes is de.
moralizing is equally apparent.
know scores Of youngmen with brains
| and education who shan society and
the fashionable young woman for the
reason that they well know that mar.
riage cannot be thought of until much
later in lie with women in her sphere,
and to follow in her wake an admirinp
swain is thankless and costly task
frought with more vexation than
pleasure. The result is that in most
large cities there are coteries OF young
men land usually the b~ss ones, too
who live rather fast lives, and ncon-
sequence when they do marry at q
late day are unfit to be hus
bands and fathers. / know scores
of young men who would be wiling &c
marry-and in many cases il would bt
their salvation~-couldt they find youns
women of equal social attainments
who would brave the struggle with
them. The lives ofmost of these yount
men can be boiled down as follows: 4
more or less--according to disposi