Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-01-25
THE BACHELOR HITS HARD.
His Spirited Rejoinder to the siarr'eo
Mans Argument.
To the Eilitor Of ne Dispdtch;


To me Editor of he Dispatch;
Nv pugnacious friend, the married nla ~
continue the discussion as TO the relstlfs
advantages of marriage and celibacy anu
regards nv silence as a confession OF "eah-
ness. But he has no right to assume pe.
cause am disinclined to controversy, tna s
therefore am "unpregnant OF my cause
and can saw nothing | am well aWalS
that to one schooled in the warning dlscoru
of matrimony,
"Upon whose ear the signal word
OF stri\s and MOL is hourly breakins'
It NAV seem strange TO find an indlTerence
to the last teord and GOODNESS 10 tne nio
mentous question OF KNIFE OK ,oS he
sors.h IL my friend were a bachelor ue
could better appreciate the lack Oh anS"ei
that turneth away wrath. -, IL
But not 10 be discourteous, VIII agnlLn a
accept his gage and plead 10 rev Oh tho
counts in the arraignment. hot
nm rather at o loss 10 understand whht
the special ground is upon which Beneulct
makes his gallant fight for matrmony. OI
the one hand he depicts the happiness VI
the married state, and appeals TO uottnl
selhshness in order to induce an entrance
into Arabia Felix, and then again ne
arouses us TO the venture in the cold ana
-
conflict here, and can only account for IL
by assuming that marriage is like DESERT
fecked here and there with veTdant oases,
but with long and dreary reaches OF sanu
between. SO that to lead pilgrims TO make
the Journey he tempts Us now WIN Tue
date-trees Of Damascus, and then anon ne
urges us across the waste with threa1s oi
Bedouins on the horizon.
He tells us "a good wife viii help you
T.
hear TO place such q burden on woman
are we not entitled 10 praise rather thsn
censure? Most men are led by vanity 70
believe that woman's happiness depends
upon them. On the contrary she has 70
thank them tor much of her misery. IL Is
pitifully true that in many cases the
woman is crushed beneath q double Dur
den, and the whole weigh int OF the yoke Slips
on her tender neck. l am charged WIN
"cheatlng o good woman out OF nus
band This is very fattering, but expe-
rience forces me to deny the soft impeach-
ment. Nor can / believe the gentle IN
situation Of his third count. e., that
some sweet girl Is ready 10 deluge me WITH
a flood of love, &c. Ii my kind friend
could convince me that there IL some
Mariana in the moated grange" weeping
through the dusky shadows for my coming
| would incontinently make any sacrifice
to solace her, and willingly, for sWeet
charity's sake, join the noble army OF
martyrs. But know there Will be no sucn
demand upon me while Benedict STANDS
forth the sturdy champion OF matrlmohy.
| The crowd is with him.
He charges me with violating the great
| law given to Adam. Cessdt ratio, cesar ie1'
| When that command was given some ten
| thousand years ago there were only two
| persons on the globe. Virginia had mol
| been discovered, the western states were
tenantless, the Delta of the Nile lying raj
| low, and Roanoke City non-exlstent. lhere
was a great scarcity OF labor and the theory
| of Nautilus had not been dreamed OF. bu'
| in this our era China is crammed with nun,
Try millions, England cannot RAISE preao
| enough TO feed one half her population
! Belgium has 975 souls to the square mile
| and in Ireland men are starving, Watch
men on the heights of statistical sclencI
warn us with bated breath that at the
| Dresent rate of increase the time Is fast APP
| preaching when there will be two mouths
| TO every ear of corn, and cannlbalism may
! not be confined to the valley of the Congo
! In view of these dread facts IS not TN
! bachelor a benefactOr, IN that he retard
| the dawn of fearful day!
| In the natural desire TO prevent oneA
name from falling into dull oblivion 1t 4
| well TO remember that evils of surer growth
than good, the weed than the flower. Ih'
| future possibly holds as many Neros and Ca
! liguas as it does Towards and HayelockS
| IL is delightful to contemplate being tn
| father of q troop Of angels IN the mex
world, as my enthusiastic friend puts 1t
| But how would il be TO writhe in the sui
phurous agony of Sheol, surrounded by
| lot of demons for whose existence you ar
responsible? Better forego the angels
than risk the devils. thinks the timiC
| bachelor.
Benedict reproaches me for my love OF
silence. HIS chamber of horrors, he says
is an asylum of mutes, and he prefers los
of sight to stiffness of tongue. Chocln
SON govt. To me speech is human, silenc'
| divine. Above the babble OF humanity
| ofttimes as drearY as the gibberlng o
Dead-Sea apes, beyond the curses, tn
groans, the wailings of this sad world o
| ours, lie the Eternal Slences, the Rlevana
where He giveth HIS beloved sleep. Ever
to married man at times such a hope o
restfulness. should think, would be pre-
ferable to everlasting chatter.
If my friends ears ever grow weary, as
know they must, OF domestic lecture o
nursery uproar, let him fly for refuge to tn
long, deep silence of some bachelors den
there light quiet pipe and in gentle reye
RE rest his tired, oIse-bewildered brain
He will find it as grateful as peaceful
harbor 10 q storm-tossed ship, and he VII
further discover that sometimes IL IL dc
cidedly good for man to be alone" b.