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

servance of this or that precaution will
add to the measure either of the Joy or
sorrow of the newly married.
Marriage was not always the voluntary
proceeding we now find it. 1t was com
| pulsory among the Greeks. The Spartans
would not tolerate celibacy, and by the
laws of Lycurgus criminal proceedings
could be taken against those who mar
ried too late or unsuitably, as well as
| against those who did not marry Mt all.
1t went hard with the latter. Should any
man remain single beyond a certain age
he was publicly soorned, and was made
to do penace by walking naked in the
winter through the market place, singing
satirical song on himself In the
French settlement of Canada women
were sent over after the men, and the
single men, that they might be forced to
marry, were subjected to heavy taxation
and to restrictions of their trade and
movements generally. Those who mar
ried were dealt with, on the other hand,
IN generous spirit. Not only were they
provided with good wife and comfort
| able home, but they were rewarded by the
number of their offspring. The father of
ten children was pensioned for life at the
rate of 800 liyres year. II he had
| twelve children the allowance was in
creased to 400 livres, and it went up to
l,20O hyres when fifteen children blessed
the union. The conditions were reversed
in the English colonies, for there the set
tiers eagerly welcomed the other sex. and
did not hesitate to pay traders heavily in
tobacco weight for every marriageable
woman they b roIght over. As far back,
however, as 1865 the local authorities of
Eastman, Massachusetts, voted that every
unmarried man in the township should
kill six blackbirds or three crows yearly
while he remained single, producing the
scalps as proof, and as peualty for not
obeying the order he was forbidden to
marry until he had made up all arrears.
The requirements in this case were almost
nominal; but it was not so in Maryland,
where half a century late, the colonial as
sembly imposed a tax of shillings year
ly upon all bachelors above thi-ty- FIVE
years of age land on widowers without
children) who were possessed OF $500.
There was a similar graduated tax ON bach
elors in England in the reign of William
III. Any commoner who was a bache
lot at % had to pay a shilling fine yearly,
anu Nlt dLilOuut Was luClGdSbu III tttOIu-
ance with rank or title, any ducal offend
or being taxed TO the extent of el2 10
shillings yearly. The taxes grew heavier
before they were removed, and the time
came when bachelors were called upon
to pay an extra tax on their servants.
Thus we see the old states as we'll as young
ones have found cut that their prosperity
depends upon its married citizens. The
best subjects AS Lord Bacon points out,
are those in this relationship, the reason
he gives for the conclusion, being that sin
gle men are light to run away" while she
that hath wife and children hath given
hostages to fortune" 1t is true that my
Lord Verulem declares at the same time
that the unmarried man show most enter
prise either in a good or bad direction,
but we have an offset to this in j ohm Tay
lor's moralizing on the bject-namely
that "a married man falling into misfor
tune is more apt to retrieve his situation
in the world than a single one"