The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1889-03-30
SINGLE BLESSEDNESS.

RED ladies Tho have not appeared tc
me to feel, aI,er the age of thirty
that their existence was thoroughly
comfortless and wretched, writes ar
"Old Maid' in the New York Led
ger. Many have | heard express
themselves thus openly and that such
IS the fact can very easily be learned
by an accurate observer of the hu.
man countenance. 1t is also certain
that three out of every five OF the
| young ladies OF the present day re.
main unmarried, because so many
young men think they can not c.tiS
on less than two thousand a veal
when married; and how few :ner
there are with two thousand veal
compared with the number of young
ladies in the country! There are some,
times five, six, eight girls in one
family; generally all tolerably pretty,
the most of them pleasing and &C.
compllshed women-many possess,
ing talents of no ordinary stamp
yet, perhaps, in our drawing rooms
these lovely and accomplished beings
are completely neglected by the other
sex, because" i must repeat the
sentiments | have heard from thous.
ands OF young men OF tashion) 81
never talk to girls. | dare not pay
attention to unmarried women, be.
cause am not marrying man; my
friend, -, flirted with so-and so,
and was accused of behaving improp,
erly. | don't like to excite false
hopes; | shall never marry, unless
can find wife with at least two OF
three thousand a year, because am
much richer unmarried with the
small fortune | have"
1t is no use to quarrel with the
state of society as it is at present con-
stituted for we cannot alter it; but
think it might be beneficial to give d
few hints on the education of women
which might perhaps be useful ii
procuring them, in state of single
blessedness, as it is falsely called, q
greater share of happiness, or a less
load OF m sery, than they at present
appear to me to possess after the
awful age of thirty.
A girl OF thirty is called an old
maid. She goes to a ball, and gen.
orally sits neglected all the evening,
or dance with some gentleman who
has often been asked to dine at her
fathers house, and who remarks:
"Miss-is rather baSSee-a good
old girl-and | must do my duty
there; and now | shall dance with the
beautiful Miss -" My heart al
ways bleeds for the modification
see endured by these poor old girls
continually. There are certainly
some single women whose talents
have made them as much considered
in society as they ought to be; but,
then, | have generally observed that
they have fortunes, or have had ad.
vantages above others to bring then
into notice, and to give to the natu.
raj ambition of the human specie:
some scope Of action.
| will suppose a case in which there
are tour girls-a moderate proper
ton in one family-and two sons
and viii suppose their father pos
sesses five thousand a year. | vii
suppose one of four young ladie:
very pretty, one tolerably pretty anc
the others rather plain. They have
been educated, in all probability, a:
the greater portion of American girl:
are. First of all they go every Sun
day to church, and are moderately
rich, perfectly honorable, upright ane
well principled. 1t is only for thei
own happiness that l would propose
any change in the education of ;
class for whom | entertain so high ;
respect.
These four young ladies have al
been brought up with the idea tha
they will become wives and mothers
and are taught to cherish these nat
ural affections which, if by some re
mote chance one out of four eve
does marry, will make her SO ami
able and lovely as a married woman
They are all allowed to read moderI
novels, at least all such as are con
sidered to have a moral tendency
Now, | maintain that there is scarcel7
one of these works which does no
impress any young woman with th'
idea that happiness can alone b.
found in love and marriage.
The heroine is very amiable anc
perfect, surrounded with admirers
all contending for the honors of he
least notice; but where is the move
which represents four poor, pretty
unnoticed girls, who are destined t,
pass their young years with so mucl
as one admlrer amongst them? Yea
after year passes-their bloom an(
beauty tade-and my four lovely ant
accomplished warm hearted beings
having seen all their youthful castle
tall one by one, become listless anc
unhappy. They have little in life tc
interest them; one dies OF com
plant of the spine; another live
many years on arrow-root and calf S
jelly, and is enveloped in flannel ever
in July; third is under the care O
a DIR. S. for indigestion; and perhaps
the fourth, who is made of touehe
materials and born with less feeling.