The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-09-23
THE AGED GROOM AND YOUTHFUL BRIDE.
LONGSTREEGE ON MARRIAGE
"A bridegroom OF ScvcntyFivc Years
Gives His Views on Matrimony,

Among the kilograms OF congratula-
t1on received by Gen. and Mrs. Long
street upon tho occasion Of their mar
rlagc WAS one from tho New York
World, which invited the young hero
who beg ins life at 50" to give his views
of marriage, and how he approached
the huptial altar upon this occasion.
AS soon as Gen. LongStrcct found
time he complied with the Worlds
request, and telcgraphed the following
reply:
ITO the World Accepting the kind
compliments of the World upon this.
the occasion Of my happy marriage to
one OF tho 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
read the Bible record Alright Adam did
not know his ago when tho Almighty
fashioned for him tho helpmcct, who
was, later on, to play such an impor
taut part in the world. Youth is Il re-
lative term, and is not correctly OK
pressed by.years. The young heart il
often the creation OF years Of sorrow
preceding, and the sunlit face ol the
man OF 70 is more suggestive Of th,
perennial youth that makes men at.
tractive than the frowuiny visayc @,
70, which speaks Of discomfort and un.
rest. L have often, as your Congratu.
tiOn suggests, been struck with the
epigram OF Holmes that he was 50
years young
"The counting Of age is often ali /,
matter of point Of view. The youth
first counting his years, which proceed
from nothing, estccms himself Young
because they are few. The man o.
many years might equally accoun,
himself young because mis- remainder
is equally few. AS | experience The
influence of this happy day | ask my
self II | am really old, or am Just be-
behind me, | know, much OF which
has been wasted because its giving
was prodigal. There are glorious
years ahead Of me which I can ap
preciatc because have at last learned
their value. | think, and feel and
enjoy. God has blessed my later years
with presence and an understandings
which have multiplied their value ana
rendered their existence Il pleasure.
" as | have grown from decade to
decade | have seen tho growth and
development of :umily which | loved
and cherished. In the order Of Pro.
Videncc the wife and mother has been
removed; the children have left the
shadow Of the parent tree, and cact
has llown to a nest Of its own. | still
remain in the OLD house, with bu: the
pictures to look at or an occasional
letter to read from an absent one. i
feel lonely because Of the want Ut
company, but, excuse me, do not feel
Old There is too much bounding of
the pnlsc, too strong npumpihg & OF thu
heart, too great 4 wealth OF affection,
to allo" of me drying up like an oid
mummy, to be set aside in some mausO-
leum. There is life and energy and
left, aud where these are
youth has not llown.
"What then WAS more natural thar
that | should put my house in order,
pay renewed attention to my toilet
and wander out to SEQ what kind of an
iin preston | could make? | found q
pretty face and was attracted; | sought
acquaintance with the owner and was
charmed read nur heart and found
it pure; looked in her soft blue eyes
and found that love was twiuklinp
there. l, Of course, hesitatcd to press
my suit until | felt assured, and surely,
thought L to myself, if she thinks me
Joung what need have L to care what
others think? During the years that
arc left to me can be to her such n
husband that not all the young men in
Christend0m could equal, and the
memory which she will carry down
the years when, in the order OF nature,
may not be present, will be to her a
sweet dream to be treasured and trans
mitted to children's children.
"What does woman gain by mar
riage? All, there is q question to
Ia ix,h a.
How often the young woman marrics
her cqual in years to find herself but
the companion. slave, whose value is
reckoned by the work she does. The
other day distinguished Georgia
lady, Mrs. FcntOn, IN an address before
the Farmers Convention, pictured
such wife, ground down by exaction,
by a single, word of ap
probation, who, after years OF toll and
striving, dies, and then to be for the
first time appreciated. | make the
argument that thorc shonld be dis
parity in years, but not Of youth, be-
tween husband and wife. The man OF
experience who has been through the
world, who has rubbed against it's
rough edges, has had his obstinacy
enlarged and his quality Of apprccia-
tion so refined that he can feel anG re-
sDond to those delicate longings which
arc implanted in the female breast.
The man who, in the crowning
years Of his life, takes to wife q fair
young girl, invites her, not only to the
condition of wifehood, but to the
dignity OF partnership. He naturally
has affairs to attend to in which his
wife takes an interest. Hcr powers
develop as her husband learns to lean
on her Judgment, and thus there is
brought about that community OF in
tercst which cnrapturcs the principals
concerned in it, and then we have the
model husband and wife. In my case
/ have q vineyard Oh my farm. | have
sheep and other rural interests.
have a book on the market which re-
quircs a good deal Of attention and
have q correspondence requiring re-
spcct. All this was very heavy to me
alone. My wife has an understand OF
business she has been the editor Of q
paper and has literary talent. twill be
q pleasure TO her to enter into all bust
nes enterprises, and together We can
plan and consult and perfect, thus
passing days Of happy anticipation as
well az OF rcaiiI alton. She under