Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1886-07-15
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Men Want Companions, n
Merely Houselxeepers.
! the Philadelphia Record.

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women which has lately absorbed
much OF the attention of writers is at
what age girls ought to marry. The
diversity Of these opinions, ranging as
they do over the entire period OF girl
hood, from eighteen to thirty, render
them OF little value in point CT advice,
and there is no hope that they would
be needed if they were. Whenitcomes
to affairs OF the heart all the advisory
councils, in the world are OF small ac-
count. Girls are pretty apt to take
the re;ns in their own hands when the
subject under consideration is matri-
mony. And it is right that they
should when it happens that they are
blessed with Well-balanced heads, OF
have arrived at years OF discretion.
But the well-balanced head is not al
ways the result OF age, neither do years
always bring discretion.
The world is full of misfits, which can
| be attributed to various sources. Not
all of them can be laid to the folly of
youth, although early marriages are
Undoubtedly fruitful source of do
nestle woe. The marriage de conven-
ance must bear its share of the bur
den. A fine establishment is often con-
sidered OF paramount Importance to
the necessary accompaniment in the
| form of husband. who Is, indeed, not
infFeauently looked upon in the light
of an incumbrance at the very outset,
when, il ever, there is some glamour of
romance. But the age has nothing to
do with this sort of matrimonial COM
pact. The discreet" young woman
who forms such an alliance generally
does so with her eyes wide open, and,
| whatever be her measure OF misery, is
deserving of little sympathy. OF very
near kin to her case is that OF the wom-
an who sees cher shadow grow long at
her feet" and with old-maidism, with
its attendant horrors, staring her full
/ in the face, makes up her mind
to marry, and does marry, the
| first man who offers, merely
for the privilege OF writing "Mrs." on
| her visiting card. The chit OF sixteen
could hardly be guilty OF greater folly,
| TO call it by no harsher name, although
| it can hardly be reckoned short OF q
crime when committed deliberately.
The priest has no right, even had he
| the power, to look down into hearts,
| and such marriages, if marriages they
are, are every day consecrated and
sanctioned by the law. And it is in
accord with the universal rule OF re-
tributive Justice that they carry with
| them consequent bitterness.
One of the strongest arguments
| brought to bear against early marriag.
es is that girl under the age of twenty
is hardly through with her school
books, and that she has had no OPP
/ portunity to acquire any domestic
| knowledge to say nothing OF the great
world OF human nature. Experience.
| which is needed to tone down the ar
rogance of youth she has not had, and
amiable and lovely as she may be, she
has not learned the divine art OF ST.
| lence. Another source of domestic dis
satisfaction in the case OF too youth
| ful marriage is that women rarely ad-
vance in literary requirements after
| they have taken upon themselves the
vows OF wifehood, whereas men, as a
rule, 90 on until they have passed
their prime. The pretty little
wife who was once his equal, and met
every requirement of his taste, has
fallen sadly into the background, and
| although he may continue to cherish
her, he will very likely in his mind
| contrast herwith the woman who is up
with the times, who can converse with
him and appreciate him. Possibly the
brainy woman would not keep his
house so well, but man is so consti-
| tuted that, however much he may like
creature comforts, he wants a com
panion in his wife, and not merely a
housekeeper The latter can be hired
cents. He wants his wife TO be some
thing above and beyond all this.
There is another side to the ques-
ton. The children-and there ares still
sometimes children even in American
families-will have as their birthright
stronger and finer brains If born OF
mother who is full grown in mind; and
as they pass from the animal stage OF
their existence, and advance in book
lore and become worldly wise if the
mother mind is OF such a grain that
! it can enter into their pursuits, they
will not grow away from her and
| home.
| do not mean to say there are no
| happy marriages consumated in ear
| ly youth, but the chances are against
| it. Diana OF Poictiers at the age oil
| thirteen married a widower of fifty,
and there is no record that her twenty
years of married life did not hold its
| full measure of bliss, although her sub
sequent years would seem 20 attest
the contrary. However, it was a dan.
gerous expe iment. 1t is the law OF
nature for gay youth to love gay
youth, and a wide discrepancy in point
of years is quite as likely to result ia.
| tally as wide discrepancy in point
! OF taste. 1t is not often that a girl OF
twenty-five has the same taste she
had at eighteen. The heyday OF ro
nance is not so strong within her.
She looks beneath the handsome exte-
rior for some inward graces of mind
and heart, and the chances are in ia.
vor OF her happier marriage. Love is
| proverbially blind; he is more-he is
willfully blind, and should be made to
open his eyes. A little common sense
mingles advantageously with every.
thing, and so far from being
out of place it is abso.
lutely essential to safety in al.
fairs OF the heart. And in this the
mature maiden has an immense ad-
vantage. She will have struck the
plane of her life, and the man whom
| she fanCies and who fancies her will be
very apt to be harmonious to the
| highest degree. 1t is solemn thing to
get married, and if it is "solemne1
not to- it is better in this matter to
"bide q Wee" Undue haste in matri.
! monial alliances often results in un.
| speakable misery. Marry in haste
and repent at leisure" is no myth, as
thousands of venturesome unfortu.
mates will testify. Go slowly. The
summer is soon ended, and life-mar.
ried life, at least-is not one perpetual
| holiday. Patience, forbearance, faith
and the sort of love that will make
one happy in making concessions to
the other, are necessary to that true
| union of souls without which there
can be no complete marriage-no mar,
riage that can withstand the blight o!
winter days.
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Care of Chickens.
The chickens must be protected