San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-12-08
TOO FEW MARRIAGES.
COMPLAINT MADE BY MANY OF
THE GENTLER SEX.
Mothers With Marriagable Daugh-
tiers Think Young Men I'm
pose Upon Their Welcome
Cause OF the Diff
Guilty.

The complaint Is not frequent on
the part Of the fair sex that young
men of to day are not so prone to en- ter
the happy bonds of matrimony. Old
maids are severe and unspsiring in
their criticism OF the lack of sppreci-
alton on the part of young men for
the pleasures of domestic life; and
mothers. especially those who have
several manageable daughters,
make the soft impeachment that
young men are not slow to enjoy the
inequalities of the homes Of friends;
and not infrequent visitors and callers
N and out of season, even engaged in
no END Of f1rtation-but waen it
comes to the important question of
all questions, they fail 10 nlaterialize.
While the young men are, OF course
to blame, there is something thai
can be said in mitigation of their
Offense. 1t is true that the young
man Of today is more flippant and
selfish than he should be, but to
make The sweeping allegation that
he is ipsensible to the felicity of a
home, graced by gentle feminin ty,
that is doing him an injustice. The
young men ls q victim of circumstaD-
ces, q slave to economic conditions
over which he has no control.
To have home is one thing, to
provide for one Is another. The earn
ings of the average young man are
hardly sufficient to defray his own
expenses, they are certainly made
Quate to keep up a house and pay ex-
tensive milliners' bills. The require
ment eft society, compliance with
the conventienalitles OF life are such
as to necessitatea large annual ex
penditure, far in excess of that which
Is paid in salaries in the ordinary per.
suits of life. If the young man mar
ries poor girl, possibly not the least
incentive she has in getting married
is TO be provided with home for lite
and a comfortable one at that To
her marriage is a prize she has drawn
in the lottery of lite, and having
toiled for years she desires to taste
something of the luxuries Of this lite
and is anxious to enter society and
keep up appearances. or course, 1t
would not do for her to be without
servants, and to have this comfort,
and that little luxury, to he dressed
as well as others, 10 be fashionable
to 60 to the thesters, parties. But
all of this costs money, mnch more
than her young husband can prob
ably earn.
Ii he marries q well-to. do rich girl
he il still worse off; by marriage she
expects home at least as good as
that che left. She considers to have
certain claims upon her husband; she
never fails to assert herself, and be
tween weeping wher she grows ang
nv there is not seldom the implied
sensure, it is with my money that we
live, and 1 will have denied me no
pleasure And vet the income Of
the money she furnishes ia far less
than the expenses Ut the hOuse-
hold, not to say the providing for the
family, the saving for the dowery Of
her daughters, the pocket money
which her sons can spend at college,
Under these circumstances the
young man has too much pride to es-
tabllsh home unless he can provide
for il by his own earnings, can noC be
ceusured If he hesitates to contract
moral obligations that he does not
see his way clear to fulfill. The fault
does not lie with either the young
man or the young lady; it is socie y
which lie to blame. II fashion did II, t
reign supreme and call for so many
sacrifices; if society did not make 20
many demands: # cOnventionalism
did not entail so much expenditure
of Unnecessary energy and outlay "t
money, and luxury did not possess
the hearts of the young people of to
day, there would be no reason why
the numberless bachelors OF today,
could not enjoy the pleasures Of home
Chicago Press.