Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-08-09
I wonder says a writer in the Ralti.


tainments she realizes that in so doing
she. was admitting herself weak, COM
mon-place or silly, she would continue
to perform this surprising act of
humanity. This column is not rude
enough or bold enough to assert from
its own observation that the wives of
its distinguished acquaintance have
these characteristics, but after making
historical Investigations upon the
Marriages of clever men it is inclined
to think that a modest soul indeed
must be hers who will boast of her
spouse's mind. Fer with light from
the past one must conclude that, of all
tneu. men of ability are least fitted to
choose a wife for themselves and that
a clever man is pretty apt to make
muddle of matrimcny.
To begin with the great soldiers and
diplomates: Justinian out of the
whole world chose Theodore; Henry
". Margaret of V&lois, to whom he
was Indifferent, and after divorcing
her, stout, crafty, lorid Marie de
Medici, whom he despised. William
the Silent proved that taciturnity is
fascinating trait to women, for he
married four times. His first wife was
stupid German of whom he tired; he
divorced his third, \ frivolous person,
who offended him by putting his rare
words in bottle and setting them on
the mantlepiece, and his fourth was a
lady whose chief charm consisted in
the fact that he had never seen her
until she had become is bride. Napo-
Icons first wife was selfish, extrava-
giant and in their early married life a
coquette and cold to his impetuous
ardor Having separated from her, he
married Marie Louise, calculating
woman without heart and untrue
when his fortunes deserted him. The
provoking but unexceptionable Marcus
Aurelius married pretty fool, the
great Marlborough termagant who
enforced her commands by the applica-
ton of her hand to the back of her
ear, Sir William Hamilton a vulgar
adventures who charmed away Lord
Nelson from the mediocre wife who
had no power to hold him, Frederick
the Great a dull housfrau, Peter the
Great an ignorant and brutal peasant.
Henry Will married two sensible
women out of six, one of whom was
really clever, for she succeeded in out.
living him. William |. Emperor of
Germany, had for wife a dolt and
meddler in his politial affairs, Talley-
rand deliberately selected a woman
who never believed in him.
Nor can we clear up the mystery of
their lack of judgment in the choice of
their wives by saying that genius also
lacks discrimination in the selection of
friends or counselors. If any one of
the clever men named had used the
good sense in inatrimony they dis
played in the choice Of advisers mar
riage would not have held the element
OF chance. Justinian's counselors
were Narses and Belisarius. Henry
Nv, as distasteful as was the stern and
unrelenting Sull to that pleasure
loving monarch, shaped his policy ac-
cording to his wise dictation. Napo-
Icons captains were Ney, Junot, Murat,
Jourdan, Moreau and a score more of
resourceful men, Henry VIII. dis
cerned the capabilities of Wolsey,
Cranmer, Cecil and Russell. Under
Bismarck William welded a number of
discordant petty sovereignites into one
great empire. Telleyrand, who de-
ceived all his masters, chose and be-
inn narcni-
cacity. Weakness or error of judg-
ment in these men was only displayed
in affairs of the heart.
Literary Men Not Exceptions.
Nor in the matter of the selection OF
a wife have the literary men succeeded
better. Cicero, after living with
Terentia off and on for 20 years, re-
lieyed, it is true, by the famous
voyages to Sicily, got a divorce from
that lady, ostensibly because she
quarreled with her sister-in-law, but
in reality because she was dull. The
quarrel might have been provoked,
but the dullness was an original
possession, which in his youthful
ardor of courtship he called innocence.
He then at so married his wifes ward,
whose gayety, after matrimony, sud
denly became frivolity and earned her,
100. a speedy separation. Cato's self
effacement in making his friend
present of his wife because the former
took a fancy to her, while it displays
a disposition to oblige, creates a Turk
ing suspicion that the philosopher was
ennuied. Dante served the long-suffer-
ing German as no doubt he would have
served Beatrice had he gotten her.
He moved her from Florence to
Ferrara, and from Ferrara TO Venice,
and from Venice to Padua and then 10
Ravenna, in the meantime COM
memorating his misery in strains that
have wrung sensitive hearts for four
centuries. Anne Hathaway was weak
and frivolous, and Mary Powell was
divorced under a similar indictment.
Il is singular how soon innocent ana
fascinating merriment develops into
this vice beneath the scowls OF
brilliant husband. Addison was
wretched with his Countess Of War
wick. whom long intimacy before mar
rage might have taught him TO know.