The times., 1897-02-12

| universal. In conventional sense. as in
Europe among the privileged and pros
porous classes, 1t Is matter Of calcula
tion, of arrangement, of mutual advantage
Even here, where there Is neither ranb
nor title, where, strictly, there are no
classes, where everybody has chance,
wedlock has come to be considered as 1t Is
transatlanticly. This sort of wedlock Is
merely financial or social transaction, a
thing of betterment, point of policy A
man does not necessarily propose to q
woman because he loves her. She does
| not accept him because she Is in sympa-
| thy with him. Altogether different con-
siderations influence them. They enter
into covenant to play tho part of hus-
band and wife for what the condition
| yields them. Each Is materially benefited
thereby and both appear to be satisfied
If the burden is too heavy to bear, they go
apart and, after getting divorce, try the
experiment again under moro favorable
circumstances, as they conceive, perhaps
with similar result. This is what fire.
quently happens in merely fashionable
conjugality. But it happens equally la
nnfashionable circles also. Love matches,
rs they are styled, are no safer, no happier
often, than matches in cold blood They
not infrequently prove to be lucifer
1
been made in heaven. There can be no
kind of marriage that does not involve risk
that may not terminate disastrously. The
nuptials that promise best may turn out
the worst. Those that look worst may
| turn out well. Hymen can never be trust
| ed on appearances, or after any number Of
guarantees. The completely prudent man
consults his prudence by remaining single.
! He thinks it better to regret that he has
not been husband than to regret that he
has been one. To his mind it is more for
tunate to have missed love than to have
suffered from it's fulflllment.
| Valentine ought to be the saint that pre-
sides over and insures happy oonnubiali-
ties. But he is not, nor Is any other saint.
Saints are too wise to interfere with any
thing matrimonial. They probably know
that it is entirely too hazardous, and they
are disinclined TO sacrifice the good repu-
tation they enjoy with the faithful. They
like to be wholcsomely occupied, to have
their hands sfull-remembering what pow
er satan is thought to have over those WHO
are idle. If any one of the interminablo
! list of saints should make speciality of
presiding over happy marriages, his duties
would be too much restricted for him to
! be in any way useful 1t is well enough
to assume that st. Valentine looks after
! love affairs, whether he does so or not.
| Love affairs are so innumerable and ire
| pressible-only very small proportion of
| them result in marriage-that it is strictly
! inst To say that there are 365 ST. Valen-
| tines days in every year. Even these would
| not be half enough Love is perfectly nat
ural and inevitable. Marriage is extra
natural, and in way superlluous, being
wholly secular, not at all divine, insti-
tuition, as it has been designated. Mayhap
love can get on more conveniently without
marriage than marriage can without love.
Whether assumed that they can or can't,
one constantly does get on, as we are all
aware, without the other, and ever will.
How often is it said that marriage must
continue that the world may continue?
In broad sense, yes; in conventional
sense, no. Nature will provide at all haz-
ards for the perpetuity Of the human fam
lily. She cares nothing for individuals,
but she makes certain of the race
As the sagacious Goethe says: ''She is all
things She rewards herself and Furnishes
herself, and in herself rejoices, and is dis
tressed. She is rough and gentle, loving
and terrible, powerless and almighty In
her everything is always present. Past or
future she knows not. The present is her
eternity. She is kind. 1 praise her with
all her works She is wise and STILL No
one can force her to explain herself or
frighten her into gift she does not give
willingly. She is crafty, but for good
end. . Man obeys her laws even in
opposing them. He works with her even
when he wants to work against her.
Life is her fairest creation, and death Is
her device for having life in abundance.
Most thoughtful men have had and still
have much the same idea of nature whose
purposes, il she have any, must remain in
scrutable. We may try to the end of time
TO guess the riddle of life without the
smallest shadow of success The problem
of population has long puzzled the ancient
nations, and is now puzzling our own,
though it has little more than century of
age The famous theory of Malthus has,
many maintain never been satisfactorily
disproved We frequently hear that the
continual multiplication of people on the
planet is the cause of half its evils; that
If the annual births in this republic were
one half what they are the other half
would fare comparatively well. Even the
drastic custom ascribed to China of regu-
larly destroying infants by wholesale has
not undone the harm complained of there.
And we Americans are never likely to i'm
itate China in that regard.
True, many of us abstain from mar
riage, especially in cities, for various rea-
sons, but not it is believed, from an ear
nest desire to limit the census. Neverthe- |
less it is claimed by some that he who con- |
scientiously refrains from paternity is neg
atively mild benefactor of his kind. |
Opinions differ widely on this subject; |
but nature will no doubt finally settle it. |
If we can trust anything, we can certainly
trust nature Meanwhile we may rest |
assured that we need no saints to stimu-
late the human family in it's instinct for |
pairing. Sinners at large will not swerve |
in this from natures urgency. To pretend |
otherwise may be part of their national
jesting. JUNIUs HENRI BROWNE.
At the Postomce.