The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-06-29
HISTORICAL BACHELORS.
Some Famous Men Who Never Married
and Yet Were Happy.

sentiment that whether marriage is s
failure or not bachelors most certainly
are. At the best they are regarded as
very selfish and useless members oil
society. Defenders and admirers oil
single women are not wanting. Their
goodness and usefulness are fully ap.
| preciated by a large number OF people.
But the poor bachelors have not a
single advocate.
30, it is pitiful;
| Near a whole cityful,
| Friends they have none''
do not wish to encourage celibacy
or to disparage matrimony but rather
to speak a few words of defense and
comfort for the unappreciated bach
elors. Some people think to brighten
men into matrimony by telling them
that no man ever remained bachelor
without sooner or later regretting it.
Such people forget that grand old
bachelor st. Paul, who does not seem
to deplore his situation when he says:
Il would that all men were even as
myself. 1t is good for them if they
| abide even as l.
| We offer for the consideration of
those who regard q bachelor life as al
ways a failure or wasted existence a
few prominent names from the past and
one or two of the living who have hon
ored the bachelor state: Michael An
gelo, Bishop Ken, Isaac Watts, Top
lady, Montgomery, Berridge, Cowper,
Grey, David Hume, Horn Tool1e, John
Randolph, Washington Irving, DR..
MuhlenbSrg, Baron Humboldt, James
Buchanan, Samuel Tilden, Thaddeus
Stevens, Vice President Wilson. Alex
ander Stephens, John e. Whittier and
Phillips Brooks.
These men could not all be reckoned
as saints, but they will compare favor
ably with an equal number of promi-
nent married men. A hasry glance at
the lives of some of them will prove in
teresting.
AS we, in His own imagery, "rise on
the wings of faith within the veil, and
see the saints above" we thank God
for the life of that dear old bachelor
Isaac Watts. We are indignant, even
now, at the heartless woman who could
disturb the peacefulness Of his serene
countenance by her cruel speech, ''she
loved the jewel. but could not admire
the casket that contained it," refer
ring to his diminutive stature and deli
cate appearance. This gentle soul was
,ofi IND tn ,,.ah
one occasion when entering public
meeting some one contemporary said,
What! is that the great Watts?n he
quickly retorted:
Were l so tall to reach the pole,
Or grasp the ocean with my span,
must be measured by my soIl.
The minds The standard OF the man."
By the way, it is not to the credit of
women that so many great and good
men have been, in vulgar parlance,
Tilted, and often for very frivolous
reasons.
From youth to hoary age we all sing
the immortal doxology, Praise God
from whom all blessings fow," written
by the bachelor, Bishop Ken.
Berridge was a quaint genius. who
would put all our modern humorous
preachers in the shade. He could have
resisted a whole army of leap-year
privilege maidens combined. He COM
pletely silenced a very wealthy lady
who proposed 10 him in the name of
much higher authority than a leap
year privilege. She told him 1.-The
Lord had revealed to her she was to
marry him." He replied: MADAM,
in that case God would have given me
similar revelation; on the contrary,
he has always warned me not 10 take
q Jezebel,i in this place" Yet this old
bachelor preacher was not of the sour
grape order, for his hymn for marriage
occasions is about the only one for that
special purpose in most hymn-books.
Washington Irving was disappointed
in love in early life. 1t was years be-
fore he recovered. He said he would
not offer the dregs of affection to any
woman. How many widowers hold
such a noble sentiment? Later on in
life he wrote, 1.-The purest love in the
world is the love of the dead, since it
is free from all sensuality and self-in-
terest." The children of his widowed
sister were for years dependent on his
care and bounty.
In the future many a struggling boy
will be glad that Isaac Williamson
| lived and died bachelor.
Many great men complete their best
efforts and triumphs before marriage.
The married life Of large number
like Milton, Wesley, Whitfield, Bull
wer, Byron, Dickens and Charles Sum
ner added nothing to their laurels.
Our divorce courts seem to indicate
that ordinary men do not fare much
better. The trouble is not with matri-
mouy, but that there is an awful lot of
miserable. selfish, unhappy people in
this world. They think that marriage
can take the place of change OF heart
and character. Poor fools; the traits
that make them miserable single will
make them tenfold more unhappy mar
ried. Reformation should begin be-
fore, not after marriage.