The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-04-10
The Bachelor.

AS matters stand at present, the
bachelor-as householder, at any rate
contributes nothing to the rates and
taxes of his country, whereas the
married man has to pay both for his
own privileges and for those Of the
single man. This, to say the least, is
hardly fair. Why, then, not revert
to an ancient usage, and subject the
bachelor to pecuniary penalties, for
his self appointed immunity from the
cares of life
When a proposal was made not long
ago to tax the bachelors of France, as
they we're taxed in the days Of the
Firstu Republic, the fact was recalled
that Republics generally have been
hard aupon the celebrates. The wise
Plato condemned the single men to
fine, and in Sparta they were driven
at stated times to the Temple Of Her
cules by the women, who there drilled
and castigated them in true military
style.
The ancient Romans, too, we're
severe with their bachelors, who were
made to pay heavy fines; and, worse
than that, for, after the siege Of Veil,
Camillus is reported to have compelled
them to marry the widows Of the SOL
diers who had fallen in the war.
Again, in the time Of Augustus,
the married men, all other things be-
ing equal, were preferred to the single
men for the public Offices. Then the
Roman who had three children was
exempted from personal taxes, and the
bachelors not only had to pay them,
but were prevented from inheriting
the property Of anyone not Roman
citizen.
Coming to more recent times, we
have several instances of like kind
recorded for US by recent writer on
the subject. In the French settle
| ment of Canada, for example, women
| were sent over after the men, and the
single men, that they might be forced
to marry, were subjected to heavy
| taxation and the restrictions on their
trade and movements generally.
Those who married were dealt with,
on the other hand, in generous spirit.
| Not only were they provided with a
good wife and comfortable home, but
| they were rewarded according to the
number of their offspring. The father
of 10 children, for instance, was pen
| stoned for life at the rate Of 300 livres
year. If he had 12 children, he had
100 livres year more, and the amount
ran up to 1900 livres year when 10
children blessed the union.
Abbut the close of the Seventeenth
| Century the local authorities Of East
ham, in Massachusetts,, voted that
every unmarried man in the township
| should kill six blackbirds or three
crows yearly as long as he remained
single, producing the scalps in proof
| and, as penalty for not obeying the
order, he was forbidden to marry until
he had made up all arrears
The requirements here were almost
nominal but it was somewhat differ
ent in Maryland, where, half a century
later, the Colonial Assembly imposed
tax Of shillings yearly upon all
bachelors over 30-as we'll as upon
widowers without children-who were
possessed Of $500.
At home we were not quite so Sc
we're when William III. chose to sin
gle out the bachelors for enactment.
In those days any commoneD who re-
mained single at 25 had to pay a shil-
ling fine yearly, and the amount was
increased with rank or title. A Duke
was supposed to be special offender
in not taking a wife, and had to pay
for his whim to the extent Of IL
pounds 10 shillings per annum. 1t is
thus evident that the fact was recog-
nized that the prosperity OF a country
depends upon its married citizens.