The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-15
The Marriage Question.

Inc marriage question.
The communication growing out of the
question. Why are there fewer marriages in
Savannah among the white people now
than formerly in proportion to the white
populate M which occupied so large part
Of the MORNING NEWS last week, took a
wide range aud excited a great deal OF in
terest. Many more communications were
received than were published, and many
more would have been received, doubtless,
had the publication of the communications
been continued. Quite number OF COM
munications were received from points out
side of Savannah. Indeed, the out Of town
correspondence only began to come in when
| the publication Of letters stopped. The
only reason for stopping the publication Of
them was that. although well written, they
covered the ground that had already been
gone over retty thoroughly.
There is no doubt that the communica-
lions taught some lessons and did some
good. They showed that any young man OF
good habits, who is industrious and economi-
cal. and who has fair amount of business
ability, can marry and get along on a very
small income, royided he selects for wife
a woman OF good judgment, who knows how
to be economical, and who is willing to bear
her legitimate share of the burdens Of life.
Such couple will get ahead in the world,
and before they reach middle life will be In
very comfortable circumstances.
1t is impois bic, however, to lay down
any rule that will apply to all young poo
pie. There are some young married people
who cannot live upon an income three or
four times as large as one that would keep
other yong married people of the same
class in comfort and enable them to save
something every year. A great deal de-
ponds upon the training which young peo-
pie have had in their homes and the habits
they have for ed in their youth.
The communications showed that many
young men have the idea that the girls,
particularly society girls, are not fitted to
be wives Of poor men, because of their lack
OF knowledge Of anything which pertains to
the care OF home, and they also showed
that the girls think that the young men
hesitate to get married on small salaries be-
cause tn y have to give up habits which
take good share of their incomes. No
doubt that there is much truth in what the
young men and the young women
say, but the young women seem
to be the most courageous, because
it is evident that they are ready to share
poverty with husbands who are worthy of
them, and that they are willing to learn
those things which are necessary to make
homes happy if they are ignorant of them.
If the young men were as ready to practice
I'D no
small income would not be so much OF
ar to marriage as it is.
1t is probably true that the percentage of
girls who know nothing of household duties
large. and it may be that there are some
who are proud of the fact that they give no
time to any domestic employment, though
why they are proud of 1t is not evident.
Their mothers do not think it beneath them
70 do household work, and the most sensible
wives speak with pride of their knowledge
# everything that pertains to housekeep-
ing, and of their ability to do everything in
4 case Of necessity. No wife who depends
wholly upon servants has a happy home,
because uudirected servants are careless,
Indifferent and wastefuL
Parents are responsible for most of the
unhappy marriages. Many not only neglect
to impress upon their children that life has
its responsibilities, which are certain to
come sooner or later, but they do not pre-
pare them for these responsibilities. They
10 not look carefully after the habits of
their sons nor teach their girls how to be-
come good wives-real helpmeets. They do
not impress upon them strongly how neces-
sary kindness, gentleness, forbearance,
industry and frugality are to domestic
happiness.
The correspondence will do some good.
1t will make young men and young women
think, and those who think will seldom fail
to find the way to success and happiness
Life is short even for those who live to
good old age. and the aim should be to
make the most of it. They make the most
of it who have a purpose and are in earnest