Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-07
ON THE MARRIAGE TIE.
Views of Jules Simon on the Relation
of the Sexes.
From the London Daily News.

From the London Daily News.
The venerable Jules Simon has favored the
readers of the Rerue de Fdmipe with his views
on the important subject of marriage.
He has not much faith in those sudden and
romantic attachments which novel writer's and
dramatists prefer. As to the common COM
plant that marriages de rason often unite peo-
pie who know little of each other, he thinks
that this reproach is much more applicable to
what are called 'love Matches" Think be-
fore You marry is the maxim. NJ Simon is
not much afraid of mesalliance; he assures us
that the only real mesalliances in the France of
these days is the union of two persons of
wholly diverse tastes and inclinatons Judg-
ing by the samples which he cites from his
own circle of friends-though this circle to
be sure, is unusually large one-these i'll
assorted unions must be rather common in
Frence. He knows a married lady who spends
her day IN writing 'vaporous verses'-her hus-
band Is a tanner and beyond hides and skins
neither knows nor cares for anything. Another,
a male friend, Is poet; this friends wife is a
graduate in mathematical sciences. One of his
acquaintances, again. who is a member of the
institute. has married country girl who can
make cheese to perfection, and, as he scorn-
fully adds, knows little about spelling"
Another is an agnossic of the aggressive type;
his wife is always at church. We are hidden
to ask ourselves what conversations these
couples can hold together, and how they can
unite in directing the education of children.
The most noteworthy feature of tue essay
however, Is the writer's appeal to the drama
fists to assist in promoting sound and sensible
ideas regarding the relations of the sexes He
dcplores the influence exercised by the dra-
matte authors of the day, and especially bv the
vaudevillists. They appeal to the passions
and to the desire Tor amusement; but, unhap-
PLY. in so doing they are rather apt to let
morality suffer. Not that they deliberately ex-
alt the false or debase the true. To take an
incident very familiar on the French stage, a
father discovers Il foolish son in the tolls OF an
artful cOurtesan and endeavors to bring him
back to the domain OF sober reason The
French playwriShts are careful to give the
father the best of the argument; but then
they must also present the case of the
infatuated sou-muSt not only depict the
infatuation, but must Justify it by
adequate causes Here is the moral danger
for the spectator. Mr.. Jules Simon would have
the playwrights turn occasionally from the
psychology of the passions to the study of
moral obligation. Where, for example, the
son has been the tempter and his victim has
been cruelty betrayed he would have the stage
father address the stage son i'll such words as:
PAY your debt. You have lied; redeem your
word. You have stolen; you must restore. She
loves you no longer, for she knows you now as
you are; and as for yon, you have never loved
her. But that shall be your punishment" Mr.
Jules Simon is of opinion that such a father
would be less commonplace than the other,
though he viii not venture to predict that he
would be success on the stage.