The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-05-06
GREAT MEMS WIVES.
The Story O. Lafayette and His Br!dc-Two
Bachelor Presidents.

IL YOu SNcI lestO tuC JIG WI Ahi"o SIl0
you will learn that he married when he
was sixteen years old. His wife was the
daughter of the Duke de Noslies, and
she was, as she ought to have been, the
younger of the two. When Lafayette
resolved to come to America and give his
services to our forefathers in their strug
gle for liberty he was laughed at by his
father,in-law, who was at the time the
French Ambassador at the English
Court, and all his blood relatives who
belonged to the French nobility. His
young wife alone Of all his family SYM
pathized with him in his noble and un
selfish resolve. She urged him to go and
bade him God speed when he sailed from
Bordeaux in April, 1777, to join his for
tunes with what every nation in Europe
considered to be lost cause,
Through all the months and years Of
uncertainty and danger she wrote him the
most afectionate and encouraging letters,
and when in after years he was thrown
into an Austrian prison, she voluntarily
Joined him as soon as she was permitted
to do so and suffered all the privations
and tortures that were inflicted on him,
and was 80 broken in health when they
we're finally liberated that she never en-.
tirely recovered. This story might be
heightened out and given in beautiful
and touching detail. l only refer to it
because when reading it 1 happened to
be struck with the idea that nearly all
the men who have done really great and
heroic deeds in the world have been
married men. Who ever lived through
more tempestuous times than Lafayette,
and what man in history has left behind
him fairer name? He lived to be
sixty-fve, and more than forly-ive years
of that time were passed in tumult and
revolution. No man was ever more de-
voted to his wife and family.
The same may be said of Washington,
who was married before the Revolution
began and whose wife was his steadfast
friend and counsellor through all the
dark and discouraging times that befell
the American army. Lafayette's wife
FASTENED to join her husband in an Aus
train dungeon, where he lay for FIVE long,
weary years. Washington's wife hasten.
ed to join him at Valley Forge when the
fate of the country hung in balance and
almost every heart failed. Napoleon
won his greatest victories and reached
the apex of his fame while Josephine
was his wife, and while he loved her.
When his overweenipg ambition tore him
away from her, his star began to decline,
and his desertion Of her for the Austrian
Princess did more to create dislrust and
dislike of him in the minds of his own
couutrymen than any other act Of his
life. Nearly all the great soldiers have
been married men whose wives were de.
voted to them through all the uncertain
ties and horrors of war. One would
think the man who least needs wife is
soldier, and yet the best soldiers,
whether in the ranks or in command, are
married men. All the great commanders
of the late war we're married men.
The pathetic story of Gen. Grants de.
votion to his wife and the quiet influence
she cxertcd over him is too we'll known
to need recital. Gen. Lee vas married
man, and the historian has not yet arisen
to describe the beautiful devotion of his
wife through the fearful conflict that
ended in the surrender at Apponiatlox.
Gen. Mcclellan was q married man, and
the happiest moments Of his life were
spent at his own 6reside. The domestic
lives of the three most celebrated Gener-
ais of The late war make their memories
precious to the friends of each and teach
lesson for all mankind. All the Presi-
dents of the United States have been
married men except two-Buchanan and
Cleveland-and, as everybody knows,
wife would have been good thing for
each Of the notable exceptions. Mr.
Buchanan was q courtly and elegant gen.
tlemau, and MIR. Cleveland makes good,
practical, business-like President; but
Mr.. Buchanan will always be regarded
with cold reserve, and Mr.. Cleveland
cannot be called social favorite. The
world at large wants to hear of the do
mestic quality of its heroes. If it is
young man who dies on the battle. field,
it likes to know that he loves his mother
or his sister, or that ho had sweetheart
who would have been his wife in time.
The dearest traditions, the tenderest
sentiments, the most touching romanccs,
the greatest pictures and the noblest
sculptures have their origin in some
scene or incident that leads up to the
family altar. The poets are tie only
reputable people who defy marriage.
Shakespeare would not let Romeo remain
the happy husband of Juliet, but Kills
both of them. And this is the funda-
mental love play Of the world, yet il 1t
could be reconstructed according to the
wishes and sympathics of nine,t ,tcnths OF
mankind, Juliet would recover from the
sleeping potion before Romeo takes the
Verona apothecary's poison. Goethe
does not allow Faust to marry and have
chance to attain the full Development
of the perfcc. man. He shows Clearly
enough that knowledge will not make
man happy. Faust sits in his laboratory
and knows everything. but is yet unsatis-
fed. lie hears the voices of happy chill
dren and goes out into the world to sec
what there is for him. lie finds poor
Marguerite, but it were better fer both
him and her if he had not, and his ven
turc is IL failure. He returns more mis-
cradle than ever, and SO docs every man