St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-10
MARRIAGE "A IA MODE.

Of how much actual value would HUI
man life be if all sentiment were
stricken out of existence? Deprive
''loye's young dream" of Its poetry, its
fancy. its solacing tenderness, its yearn-
ing after infinite purity, its belief in
eternal constancy, its enraptured de-
votion to one object, excluding all others,
and the best part of existence has been
filched away. The May-day idyl is
still-born without that sweet, palpitating,
eyer-recurring seance which each right
nurtured human soul has sometimes
felt. The fresh songs of the mating
birds; the intoxicating redolence of the
opening flowers; the careSsing beams
of the young moon nall these are mean
ingless without they are somehow con-
Joined and mingled with that sweetest
vision that in some way and at some
period adorns and canopies every fin
iShed human life. Sexual alteration
that is pure puts men and women in
closest touch with creative nature;
makes them full partners In the propa-
cation of all that is righteous and beau
tiful under the sun: constitutes them
the agents of God in the genesis of the
race.
We laugh while we wonder at the ex-
travagances of Romeo and Juliet: we
smile while we sob at the fated raptures
of Faust and Marguerite; and yet, when
language mas exhausted metaphor. when
music has shrieked out the poverty of
all harmony in sound, when the souls
of the master poets and singers of all
races have grown weary in vainly striv-
ing to express the height anu depth, the
length and breadth of this feeling which
is common to ali then we rest as we
sit with Darby and Joan, who are con-
tent to feel, without striving to express.
Thrice blessed is the man or the
woman who has entered into this psy-
Geological or spiritual condition-this
Elysian garden--with pure heart, and
has emerged from it without stain, Fate
ever thereafter is robbed OF half her
malevolence. Poverty, disease, dis
aster may oyerwhelm; envy, hatred and
fear may pursue; the stain even OF
crime and guilt may slnireh and scar
no matter-about the golden bowl that
Is bent or broken still will cling
family perhaps, but still lending it
sweet odor-the changeless nidor of
that brief period when love was young
and so real that all things became pos
slble to the one who loved.
Now the reverse of the fairy-like
picture:
This is very cold and negleetful
world. There is no actual physical
Sustenance in mere love. "Wheu
poverty comes in at the door,
l0vefies out at the window" etc.,
etc., etc. Is marriage a la mode"
less failure than that which has
the fever dream of love for a mo-
tive? America has been very prolific in
the production of miIlionaires during
the past thirty years. and many of these
have been prolific in generating daugh-
tiers. The habit of trading these young
ladies in the open market for titles is
becoming more and more prevalent.
There is no suggestion of secrecy or
shame about the matter. 1t is regarded
as an entirely legitimate co numerical
transaction, in keeping with the eternal
fitness of the immutable laws of trade.
Here is handsome maiden and so
IUdu1 VI WttdllH, WHO HAS an
old name, princely title. ducal coro-
vet tor exchange? II the maiden has
any interest in the bargain. the world is
not permitted to know it. If the young
sprig of "the upper classes" has or has
not any affection for the young lady it is
point purely of secondary Importance,
and never mooted. The truth of
history compels US to assert that
as a rule neither the youth nor
the maiden manifests any feeling at all
in the matter. Ordinarily the girl is
''the idol of society,"" and as such has
long ago ceased to have any sort of feel
unexpectedly to entertain that vulgar
sensation defined as love. And he? Oh.
the nearest approach to actual ecstasy
that he can reach is found in the reflex
nervous action which follows the alb
sorption and assimilation of vermouti
cocktail or a glass of plain, uuadorned
absinthe. Never mind. These two are
married. Does it take large stretch of