Smyrna times., 1897-09-08
SHALL OUR GIRLS MARRY :?
BY MRS. NJ. P. HANDY.

S-"'AJ III SdTueSI, the tefVOf OF he
suppllcatlons reused an owl at roos
In nelghbOring tree. The bird. afte
the manner of its kind when disturbed
called out ''HoO, hoo, hoo" There
upon the woman, having the faitl
which expects to move mountains. he
heved that the Lord had come in per
son to answer her prayer and was in.
curing whom she sought in marriage
Anybody, good Lord, anybody. ,
she made haste to reply. But the owl
by no means quieted, continued to
hoot. 'HOo, hoo," and the woman
responded: Anybody, Lord, anybody
Jes' so 'tis man."
This absurd little story was consid.
cred choice bit of wit by our grand
parents, and courtly gentlemen were
wont to tell it with relish seventy-fiye
or hundred years ago. The state OF
society which esteemed it fine bit of
pleasantly that an unmarried woman
should dance in her stockings, without
shoes,at the wedding of a younger sis
ter, held it to be the chief end of
woman to marry.
"Get married as soon as you can. "
was the precept taught girls in those
days; marry we'll if possible, but at
any rate get married." The emancipa-
ton OF woman is in nothing more man
lfest than in the attitude of the new
woman toward matrimOny. With so
many resources for pleasure and profit
at her command, she is in no hurry to
barter her liberty for
The sweet, safe corner of the household
fire
Behind the heads of children,
and Bridget in the kitchen and Pris-
ella in the parlor alike think not twice
but many times, whether they will be
wise to change their condition for the
holy estate of matrimony.
Wise mothers nowadays teach their
daughters that it is far better to re-
main single than to marry badly, and
wise fathers strive to equip their girls
no less than their boys, to fight the
battle of life single handed, if need be.
II would like to marry some day, "
said young society woman, past
twenty-five, charming enough to have
many men at her feet, and the possess
sor of an income which allowed her
comfort hedged about with economy.
Eyes, [ should like to get married,
really. A husband of the right sort
adds Immensely to a woman's comfort
and social Importance, and so is a good
thing. Then you know, I adore chill
dren. But there seem to be SO few
men worth while. All 1 ever met who
were interesting happened to be poor,
and l should have to be idiotically in
love to marry any one with less than
81, 900 year. In fact I think 1 ought
to ask more. Where did you meet
your husband?" She spoke in a sud
den burst of confidence to a married
friend few years older than herself.
The friend laughed. "My husband? /?
My dear, you would not have looked
at him twice. When l met him he was
a drummer with a salary of 81 200 a
year. That is where you girls make
your great mistake: you won't under
stand that man who has brains and
energy enough to earn 50, 900 year is
far more likely to double that income
over and over again than the man who
lnherits $4,000 year is to keep it."
The question in a nutshell is not
what man has, but what he is. There
are men for whose sake poverty may be
cheerfully borne; men who when the
wolf howls at the door, like the old
negro in the wilds of Michigan go forth
zen kill dat wolf, sub, boun' ter have
fresh meat anyhow" and bring back
the wOlfskin as a trophy.
When Abraham Lincoln went a WOO
ing he met with scant welcome from
the aristOcratic relatives of the wolf
whom he sought. The blue blood of
the Kentucky Todds boiled with in
dignation at his presumption in aspir-
ing to one of their number. Fortu-
nately for her, Miss Todd was old
enough and determined enough to
please herself in marriage, and her
relatives were unable to forbid
the banns. All they could do was to
turn the ''cold shoulder, movement
which they hastened to reverse when
in after years the dispised "rail split
Ter" became President of the United
States.
So also friends and relations won
dered when pretty Julia Dent, among
all her suitors, elected to bestow her
heart and hand upon penniIess lieu
tenant, who, as one of the disap-
pointed put it, 'could not even talk.
imagined the brilliant future in
store for the shy young soldier, and
no one who knew the bride
but was Of the opinion that she might
have done better. 1t was a love match
pure and simple.
1t must be remembered that in these
instances the objections raised were
all from a worldly point of view; no
one ever doubted the high character
and the personal probity of the men in
question.
If people are imprudent enough to
marry upon nothing, expecting Provi-
dence to find them in bread and butter
they have small reason to complain
when obliged to go hungry. 1t is
foolish to say what is enough for one
is enough for two. 1t is not, and no
can make it so. Edwin, for
instance, contrives to live comfortably
and maintain his position in society,
which he values above all else, upon
his salary as bankers clerk, at $500
q year. But it never occurs to him to
ask Angelica to share it. Were he so
far as to forfeit himself, with her
wisdom, would think him dis
Five dollars a week pay the
rent of the room on side street; his
club for he contrives to belong to a
good club, gilt-edged club indeed,
though not SO heavily guided as to be