St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-30
HISTORIC BAoaELoRs.
Some Famous Men Who Never
Married and Yet Were Happy,

There seems to be unanimity of SEN
timent, says the Philadelphia Press,
that whether marriage is failure or
not, bachelors most certainly are not.
Defenders and admirers of single
women are not wanting. Their good
ness and usefulness are fully appre-
ciated by large number of people.
But the poor bachelors have not single
advocate.
Oh, 1t is pitiful:
Near whole cityful
y Friends, they have none.
do not wish to encourage celibacy
or disparage matrimOny. but rather to
speak few words of defence and COM
fort for the unappreciated bachelors.
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 for
get that grand old bachelor, st. Paul,
who does not seem to depIore his situa-
ton 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 bachelor life as always a
failure, or wasted existence, few
prominent names from the past and one
Or two of the living who have henored
the bachelor state: Michael Angelo,
Bishop Ken, Isaac Watts. Toplady,
Montgomery, Berridge, Cowper, Grey,
David Hume, Horn Tooke. John Ran
dolph, Washington Irving, Dr.. Mullen
berg, Baron Humboldt, James Buchan-
an, Samuel Tilden. Thadeus Stevens,
Vice President Wilson, Alexander Ste
vens, John G. Whittier and Phillips
Brooks.
These men could not all be reckoned
as saints, but they will compare favor
ably with an equal number of prominent
lives of some of them will prove inter-
eSting.
As we in our 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 counte-
nance by her cruel speech, ''she loved
the jewel, but co uld not admire the cas-
ket that contained it," referring to his
dlmlnutiye stature and delicate appear,
ance. This gentle soul was not indif-
ferent to such speech, for on one oc-
casiOn when entering public meeting
some one cOntemptuOuSly said, What
is that the great Watts?" he quickly re-
torted:
Were / so tall as 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, in vulgar parlanee.
Tilted, and often for very frivolous rea-
sons.
From youth to hoary age we all sing
the immortal doXOlOgy. "Praise God
From Whom All Blessings Flow" writ
ten 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-
privileged maidenS combined. He COM
pletely silenced very wealthy lady
much higher authority than leap-year
privilege. She told him "the Lord had
revealed to her she was to IN AIRY
him." He replied: MADAM. in
that case God would have given me
similar revelation: on the contrary, he
has always warned me not to take
Jeyebel in this place" Yet this odd
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 i'll 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: "Tne purest love in the world
is the love of the dead, since it is free
from all sensuality and self-interest."
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, Bulwer. By
ron, Dickens and Charles Sumner added
courts seem to indicate that ordinary
men do not fare much better. The
trouble is not with matrimony. but
that there is an awful lot of miSera-
BILE, selfish. unhappy people in the
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 before,
not after marriage.
Our bachelors are not useless encum-
brances. There are few of them with
out some one dependent On their boun-
ty or kindness. Many an aged mother
thanks God for her bachelor son. Too
often wife and children are an excuse
for cruel and willful neglect of helpless
parents. More often sou is unable to
support both wife and mother. and the
only refuge for the parent is the poor
house.