The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1897-09-30
WHY THEY MARRIED.
GENEBAL AND MRS. LONGSTREET WRITE
ABOUT THEIR MARRIAGE.

GENEBAL AND MRS. LONGSIREET WRITE
ABOUT THEIR MARRIAGE.
The Venerable Groom Declares lie 1:
Old Only In Years-The Brides
Ideas-Better the Wife of an Old
Man Who Commands Love and Re.
spect Than one Who Has Nothing
but Youth to Commend him.
1t is nobody's business but theil
own if Gen. Longstreet, man of IS
and Miss Ellen Dortch, pretty and
talented young woman of only ~
should marry each other, and theil
reasons therefor are not matters o.
public concern. Still, as they have
seen fit to write about it what they
say is perhaps of sufficient interest to
bear reproduction here. In response
to an invitation from the New York
W0>IH, Gen. Longstreet writes as fol-
lows:
Accepting the kind compliments OF
the WorM upon this, the occasion OF
my happy marriage to one Of the most
charming ladies of Georgia, permit me
to express to you my appreciation OF
Americas greatest newspaper.
People have been marrying ever
since the world began. In fact if we
rea the Bible record right Adam did
not know his age when the Almighty
fashioned for him the helpmeet who
was later on to play such an impor-
tant part in the world. Youth is a
relative term and is not correctly ex-
pressed by years. The young heart
is often the creation of years of sorrow
preceding, and the sunlit face of the
man of seventy-fve is more suggestive
Of the perennial youth which makes
men attractive, than the frowning
visage of twenty, which speaks Of dis
content and unrest.
| have often, as your congratulation
suggests, been struck with the epigram
of Holmes that he was "eighty years
young" The counting of age is, after
all, matter Of point of view. The
youth first counting his years, which
proceed from nothing, esteems himself
young because they are few. The man
of many years might equally account
himself young because the remainder
is equally few. As l experience the
influence OF this happy day ask my
self if l am really old, or am l just
beginning to be young.
There is time behind me, l know,
much OF which has been wasted, be-
cause its giving was prodigal. There
are glorious years ahead of me, which
| can appreciate, because have at
last learned their value think and
feel and enjoy. God has blessed my
later years with a prescience, and an
understanding which have multiplied
their value, and rendered their exist
ence pleasure.
AS have grown from decade to
decade, have seen the growth and
development of a family which loved
and cherished. In the order of God S
providence the wife and mother has
been removed; the children have left
the shadow Of the parent tree and each
has fi)wn to nest of its own. | still
remained in the old house, with but
the pictures to lock at and an occa
slonal letter to read from an absent
one. feel lonely because Of the want
of company, but excuse me, do not
feel old. There is too much bounding
of the pulse, too strong pumping of
the heart, too great wealth of affec-
ton to allow of my withering up like
an old mummy, to be set aside in
some museum. There is life and en-
ergy and ambition left, and where
these are life has not flown.
What, then, was more natural than
that should put my house in order,
| pay renewed attention to my toilet
and wander out to see what kind Of
an impression l could make. found
pretty face and was attracted. |
sought acquaintance Of the owner and
was charmed. read her heart and
found it pure. looked into her soft
blue eyes and found that love was
twinkling there. l of course hesitated
to press my suit until | fel, assured,
and surely, thought to myself, if she
thinks me young, what need care
what others think? During the years
which are left TO me can be to her
such a husband that not all the young
men in Christendom could equal, and
the memory she will carry down the
years, when in the order of nature,
may not be present, will be to her a
rich dream TO be treasured and trans
mitted 10 Chlldren's children.
What does a woman gain by mar
riage? All, there is question TO which
diverse answers might be given. How
often the young woman marries her
equal in years to find herself but the
companion slave, whose value is reck
oned by the work she does. The other
day distinguished Georgia lady, Mrs.
FELTON,, in an address before farmers
convention, pictured such a wife,
ground down by exaction, uncheered
by single word Of appreciation, who,
after years of toll and striving, dies,
only then to be for the first time ap.
preciated. l make the argument tina,
there should be disparity of years, but
not Of youth, between husband and
wife. The man of experience, ~ho
has heen through the world, who ha:
rubbed against its rough edges, ha.
had his obstinacy subdued, his power
Of consideration enlarged, and hi.
quality of appreciation SO refined tha