The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-07-27
20, il is piiiful;
Near q whole eityful.
Friends they had none

Friends they had none
do not wish to encourage celibaey or
TO disparage matrimouy, but rather to speak
a few words of defense and comfort for
the unappreeiated bachelors. Some people
think frighten men into matrimonv by
telling them that no man ever remained a
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 II
would that ali men were even as myself
1t is good Tor them if they abide even as |. .
We offer Tor the consideration of those
who regard. bachelor life as always
failure or wasted existence few prominent
names from the past and one or two of the
living who have hOnored the bachelor state:
Michael Angelo, Bishop Ken, Isaac Watts,
Toplady, Montgomery, Berridge, Cowper,
Grey, David Hume, Horn Tooke, John
Randolph, Washington Irving, DR.. MuhIen-
berg, Baron Humboldt, James Buchanan,
Samuel Tilden, Thaddeus Stevens, Vice
President Wilson, Alexander Stephens,
John g Whittier and Phillips Brooks.
These men could not all be reckoned as
saints, but they win compare favorably
with an equal number of prominent married
men A hasty glance at the lives of some
of them will prove interesting.
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 peaeefulness
Of his serene eountenance BY her cruel
speech, 'she loved the jewel, but could not
admire the casket that contained it, refer
ring to his diminutive stature aud delicate
appearance This gentle soul was not in.
different to such speech, for on one occa-
sion, when entering public meeting, some
one eontemptuously said, ''What, is that
the great Watts?" he quickly retorted:
Were so tall to reach the pole,
Or grasp the ocean with my span,
must be measured by my soul
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 Tilted, and often for very frivo-
lous reasons
From yonth to hoary age we all sing the
immortal doxology, "Praise God from
whom all blessings flow" written by the
bachelor, Bishop Ken.
Berridge was quaint genius, who would
put all our modern humorous preachers in
the shade He could have resisted whole
army of leap year privilege maidens COM
bined. He completely silenced very
wealthy lady who proposed to him in the
name Of a much higher authority than a
leap year privilege, She told him ''the
Lord had revealed to her she was to marry
him. He replied Madam, in that case
God would have given me a similar reye-
lation, on the contrary, he has always
warned me not to take Jezebel in this
place" Yet this old bachelor preacher
was not of the sourgrape 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 before he
recovered He said he would not offer the
many widowers hold such noble senti-
ment? Later on in life he wrote, The
purest love in the world is the love of the
dead, since it is free from all sensuality and
selfinterest.n The children of his widowed
sister We're for years dependent ON his care
and bounty
In the future many 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, Whitefeld, Bulwer, Byron, Dick
ems and Charles Sumner added nothing to
their laurels Our divorce courts seem to
indicate that ordinary men do not fare much
better The trouble is not with matrimonv
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 ten
fold more unhappy married. Reformation
should begin before, not after. marriage.
Our bachelors are not useless encum
brances, There are a very few of then
without some one dependent on their bouatl
and kindness, Many an aged mothe
thanks God for her bachelor sou. To-
often vie and children are an excuse fo
cruel aud willful neglect Of helpless parents
More often a son is unable to support botl
wife and mother, and the only refuge 70
the parent is the poorhouse