Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1893-08-26
THE BACHELOR.
HE GIVES HIS OPINION OF HIS
PLACE IN SOCIETY.

nature Abhors a Bachelor-He is a Nom
entity or IA Nuisance A Cynic Gives
Melancholy Description of His Expert
cnce.
What are the uses of bachelor?"
asks writer in the ST. Jumes Gozete,
and he continues: Il speak, of course,
not of those who are accidentally and
temporarily bachelors, owing to the
mere fact of their being for the mo-
ment unmarried, but the true gems
the men whom fate has fixed where they
are, whom to imagine married is to
think contradiction. L am beginning
most reluctantly, and after many strug-
giles, to assign myself to this class. The
unauimity of my friends is too strong
for my smothered longings. Their
opinion is declared by their acts.
But | must not be always talking
about myself. 1t is the general aspect
TO which L wish to direct your attention.
The real truth is that we have no place
in society; or at the best we are but
what commercial men call dunnage-
stuff, put in to fill up odd holes aud
keep the valuable cargo in its place and
uninjured. We are mistakes, over
sights. Nature abhors bachelor. Tho
unmarried woman, we know, is val
liable element in society. She has
career; if there is not one fit for her,
we have so to alter our laws and habits
as to make one. But no one makes a
career for bachelor.
Il was talking to Miss Nellie the
other day arthur wasn't there. 1 gem
orally happen to call when he isn't
there), and [ asked her of what use she
considered me to be. She looked at
me and said, with little laugh:
"'Oh, you make one.'
"'Of any other utility? inquired.
well she replied, searching her
memory, you bring flowers sometimes;
you talk to mamma; oh, and once you
took us to the theatre-to The Dead
Heart.
"'Ihat was an allegory,' / observed.
LIT was, said she, just after found
that [ bad begun to-you know-for
Arthur.
TO return said I; if I disap-
peared, would any one miss me? Would
soul notice my absence?' l said this
in tones of the deepest melancholy.
From what he says sometimes, re-
sponded Nellie, with twinkle in those
blue eyes of hers, i think Arthur
would.
That's just it! A bachelor is non.
entity or q nuisance. L don't mind
being nuisance to Arthur; in a way +
like it, But the general truth (and I
don't want to digress into personal
matters) remains. Now, to be nonen--
tity is, perhaps. the most annoying
thing that can happen to a man; and
to be a nuisance-well, at the best, it 8
poor consolation; besides, Nellie's
mamma has limited to me, most un-
equivocally, that she does not consider
it morally justitiable.
II was lying on sofa at the club an
evening or two ago, looking at the ad-
vertisements in the Baza1' 1--WE take it
because the married men like to know
what things really cost, when heard
Il voice behind me.
Choosing your trousseau? asked
Teddie Fleury.
"'Tutp glancing at the title page of
the paper, Il thought it was the 7'wE'
AS q matter of fact, the two papers arc
about the same size.
'Teddie winked as he sat down be-
side me.
Congratulate me, said he; I've just
got engaged
He obviously wished me to ask who
the lady was; but, as knew she would
be somebody else next month, it did
not seem worth while, and, instead, l
inquired, 'Why?'
Why?' he echoed, in amazement. l
waited for his reason. Well, sup.
pose, he said, at last, that I'm tired
of filling up the time till the other fell
low comes
Don't be too sure that you've seen
the last of that l observed, cynically.
But Teddie had stumbled on truth.
Dunnage, dunnage! How often have ]
spent my lovelornest glances on an eye
that wandered to the door, my mos.
charming compliments on an ear that
listened for the creak of another's
boot! The other fellow was coming
or was expected, but not coming, which
made matters worse still. And when
he came-well, I've always wondered
how women can be such bad judges OF
men.
"A married man once said to me:
The great pull you have over us is,
that you don't let your trousers bag at
the knees
There seems to ms to be pathos in
that. Unencouraged, unappreciated,
often unobserved, we cling, in solitude,
to the ideals of youth. A married man
does not; he need not. For him, these
ideals are functi Tor, rather functn, for
all ideals are to me feminine officio.
They have won for him a wife; she is
his forever, bag his trousers how they
will. Poor woman!"
Convinced.