Evening star., 1894-01-27

The Novel Reading Girl.
ard Franks, and Charles; and the natural
result is a great number of what are called
love matches to which, it must be ac-
knowledged. mesallances are too often the
corollary- Between these two theories it
Is impossible to make a positive selection:
for the bad of each is 50 bad and the good
of elch 81 good that both alike are capable
Of the most unqualified praise and blame.
1t may however, be safely asserted that
the confidence every American girl mas in
her own power TO choose her own husband
helps to lessen the danger, and to keep
thinss right. For an honorable girl may
be trusted with her own honor; and a dis
honorable one, amid Il number to choose
from, may. peradventure, fare better than
she desc ryeS; for Fortune does sometimes
bring in the bark that is not steered
Most girls make meSalliancas in sheer
thOGShteSSlesS. or through self-will, or IN
that youthful passion for romance which
thinks il tne 10 lose their world for Love
Foolish novels are as often TO blame for
their social crime foolish men-noveis
which are an apotheosis of Love at any
cost! Love against every domestic and So
clai obllgationi Love in spite OF all prudent
thought OF meat and money matters, Love
i'll cottage, and niShtinsales and honey
SnckieS TO pay the rent! And If parents OBJ
Ject To their daughters marrying ruin, then
tney are represented as monsters OF cruel
ty; while the girl who flies stealtnily to her
misery, and breaks every neral tie TO do
50, is idea!ized into an angel OF truth and
suffering.
The Wife Of a Servant,
In real life what are parents to do with a
daughter whose romantic folly has made
ner marry their groom or their footman,
we have outliyed the inexorable passions
Oh our ancestors, and their undylng loves
ana hatreGS, sacrifices and revenges Our
social code tolerates no passion swallow
ihS up all the rest. and must be con-
tent Win d decent expression OF feeling
" iAt tneir daughter has done they can
not Undo; nor can they relieve her from the
Soci&: consequences of her act. She has
c-iNSel 10 put tneir servant above and be-
lore then, ana 10 aumiliate her whole fam
uy, thdt he may please her low-born l,ver
anu nerseii, ana she has therefore no right
10 any more COnS.dSrat tion than she has
gwen 1-et parents may not cease To low,
hef' ana they may spare her eli reproaches,
hho"liiS' lnat her punishment is certain:
but tney cannot, Tor the sake of their other
chIicfeh, treat ner socially above the sta
tion sne has CHOSEN. She has become the
WI; "ine W servant, anu they cannot accept
ner husband as their equal nor can they
insult their friends by Introducing him n
tneln How wretched is the position sbe
mas put herself in, for if the man she mar
r!ei De naturally low man, he will prob
abiy drag her to his level by the "grossness
OF MS nature. If she be a woman of strong
character she may lift her husband un
r',r,f maiI' Put she accepts such labor at the
mas 1t impossible either to lift him n h.
Level or 10 Sink herself to his level. what
tnea remains? Lifelong regrets bitter
setting of herself free. But the latter ran,-
ely carries desperation instead of hona
with it, Never can she quite regain ber
na!aen pace, and an aura of a doubtful
life Vi Ner future
After all. though men have not the rerr-
iat!on OF he:ng romantic. it is certain that
III the mater OF unequal marriage they are
more frequently imprudent than women
Ihere is some possibility of lifting a low
born woman 20 the level Of a cultivate5
man. and men dare this possibility far
mere frequently than is generally supposed.
reFhaps after a long season .hey frd tbo
hne ladies' with whom they have i;rted ana
IaHced WEAKNESS; and in this mood tbey,
are suddenly taken with some simple. nm
fashionatie girl, who does not know either
now TO dress. or fiirt, or dance So thew
make the grave error of thinking that no
cause fine ladies are insupportable women
who are not fine ladies' will be sweet and
companiorable But if The one be blank.
will that prove the other a prize? The 1uli
ness or folly of polite woman is
bad enough, but the dullness and folly
of an uneducated woman is worse.
Very SOON they find this out and
then comes indifference. neglect, cruelty.
and all the misery that attends two ruined
lives.
Certain Wretchedness.
The result of unequal marriage in both
sexes is certain wretchedness. and this YER
dict is rot to be altered by its exceptions.
however brilliant they may seem to be-
For when man of means and education
mar es an uneducated girl Of low birth or
woman of apparent culture and high So
cial position nlarries her servant; and the
marriages are reasonably happy, then it
may be pos lively said there has been no
mesalliance." The husband and wife were
unequal only in their externals. The real
characters of both must have been vulgar
and naturally low and under-bred.
1t is folly to talk of two beings unequally
married growing together" or of 'time
welding their differences" and making
things comfortable Habit indeed reconciles
US 10 much suffering, and to many trials:
put an unequal marriage is a trial one
mas any business to have. 1t is without en-
cuse, and therefore. without comfort. When
the Almighty DEGREES us a martyrdom he
blends his peace and consultations there
with; but when We torture ourselves our
5InerinSs rage like a confiagratiol. Per-
maps the chain may be worn, as tight
shoe is worn. into shape, until 1t no longer
lanes; but oh. the misery in the processi
AND even in such case the resigned suf-
ferer has no credit in his patience; quite
the contrary, for he knows, as well as
others know, though submission to what
God crdainS is the very height of energy
and nobility. submission to the mistakes
we ourselves make is the very climax of
cowardice and weakness.
AMELIA E. BARR