The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-09-22
THE WIVES OF GREAT MEN
MANY PUBLIC FIGURES OWE Sue
CESS TO MARRIAGE.
Remarkable Cases-Wives OF the Presi-
dents-Grcat Men as n Rule Are Hap
PLY Married-Mmes. Garfield. Hayes,
Cleveland, Logan. whitney. Carlisle, Etc.
SPECIAL Correspondence.l

Cleveland, Logan. whitney. Carlisle. Etc.
Special Correspondence
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19.-As one sees
more and more Of the successful men Of
the times. and learns more and more
about their daily lives, the stronger be-
comes his convictions that the men on
whom fortune smiles have their wives
as often to thank as the fates. Marriage
is certainly not failure among states
men. doubt II IL is failure, or any
where near failure, with the men who
achieve success in any field of human
endeavor. Though it is easy to deduce
from the divorce statistics that, taking
the country through, one marriage in
dozen ends IN separation, the fair infer
cnce from this being that for every di-
vorce there are four or five other matri-
monial misiits, giving the startling total
Of 80 per cent Of failures, no such rule
applies to the successful men as a class.
The man who achieves political or
other success in these days does 50 IN the
face of fierce competition. If he would
reach the summit, a scnatorship, seat
in the cabinet, or on the supreme bench,
or a high place among the members Of
the house Of representatives, his life
must be n record Of successes. a singlc
failure, one mistake, is often fatal The
race is TO the strong, the victory to the
enduring, and hence the man who makes
a mistake in that most important of all
undertakings, that most serious Of all
contracts, matrimonv. generally finds
himself outrun by his more fortunate
fellows. A little philosophy like this
makes it easy TO understand the fact
which is impressed on the mind of every
person who well knows many successful
men.
No place in this country is equal TO
Washington for study of the influence Of
wives upon the fortunes Of ambitious
men, and it is a genuine pleasure 70
write down the fact that the wife seems
stronger and more potential the closer
her work is scanned. With surprisingly
few exceptions the great public men Of
today are happily and successfully mar
ried. Not only happily, which means
love and peace in the household, but
successfully, in the sense that they have
life partners worthy of them, partners
who are intellectual as we'll as moral
helpers. When one sits down and calls
to mind the famous men who owe much
very much. to their wives, whose wives
have helped make them, the number Of
such is soon seen to be sirikingly large
Some Of these may be properly named
here.
There are exceptions to the rule, Of
course, men Of power and genius, who
havo pulled themselves up, though
weighted down by partnership with wo-
men not their equals, with women who
have little character. small intellccts, de-
ficient emotion and bad instincts. None
of these will mention by name, because
it would be highly improper TO do so;
but | could point the pen toward num-
Der of successful men who deserve all
the more credit for their accomplish
ments from the fact that their marriages.
though not productive Of positive unhap-
piness. have resulted in failure in the
broader sense.
Another fact which the student Of
sociology viii do well to consider is that
a surprisingly small number Of success
full men are bachelors | cannot call 10
mind in congress q dozen men who never
married, though, Of course, there may
be more than that, and there are also a
number Of widowers. II appears to be
prctty well understood in this country
that bachelorhood is a positive handicap
TO the ambitious man, particularly if lac
is a politician. The people look upon
bachelors life rs a thing incomplete,
lacking, suspicious. Bachelors now in
congress say they could be more easily
reelected, could. with less expense and
effort, hold their own al home, had
they wives to help them. If it is
true that a wife of the right sort
is a help to a statesman at home, it is
doubly true Of his efforts at the capital
Here the good wifc--the gifted, intui-
tive, intellectual wife-is Jewel. There
are many prominent public men who
have wives that shine in society, make
friends for them, help them hold the
friends they have; there are many, too
whose wives help them think, The man
with no wife at all is at great disadvan-
tage; the man who does not marry Joins /
those other unfOrtunates, the mislts in |
giving comfort TO pcssmists who hold |
that marriage is failure. Samuel j. |
Tlden would have been a more I
popular man had he married; so |
would James Buchanan; and though I
Grover Cleveland was elected president |
when bachelor, and defeated after be /
coming a benedict, no one will deny |
that his marriage to handsome Frances /
Folsom gained him new popularity and |
brought him closer to the people
Davy Burns, whose house, the first |
built in Washington, still stands Just /
south of the White House, once said q
very suggestive and rather impcrtinenl !
thing to George Washington. The ia
ther of his country had been trying to
buy Burns land TO build the Federal
City upon, but Burns was obdurate anI
irritable, and the negotiations were al
times conducted in bad humor Finally
the old Scotchman exclaimed; "What
would you have amounted to, George
Washington, if it hadn't been for the
widow Custis:' The suggestivencss Of
this remark viii DO apparent when one
remembers that Washington's marriage
was certainly the best stroke Of good
luck that could have come TO him ut the
time. 1t is really a serious question if
Washington would have become a great
man but for this fortunate marriage.
His wife brought him wealth, beuered
his social position, gave him opportu-
nifty, aud throughout life was his help
meet II adviser. The wives of the pres
idents. with few exceptions, have been
worthy partners Of great men. Abigail
Adams vas one of the cleverest women
of her day, 1.-THE prop, guide, solace and
glory" Ct John Adams life. Dolly 1ladi-
son was one of the most popular Amer
lean women that ever lived jefferson
was a widower, and his administration
t,s,t,1l lu ta ba,,t x,,.., at,..o.. tt.l l..l a..