The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-08

compelled to write down a perfectly
truthful account of how they proposed
to their wives, or how those ladies
went half way to meet them, we
| should have a chapter of human ma
| ture full of humor of the unconscious
kind.
have heard of people marrying
when only 20 or even only IS years
of age. Well, there is no use talking
to people of that kind; they have not
come to years of discretion; they are
| infants in the eyes of the law, and
| fools in those of every sensible person.
| When I see people of tender years like
| this marrying l always think of one
stock of sweet pea trying to support
another.
| Certainly if young man will smoke
the best cigars, and will give expensive
drinks to every fool who claps him on
| the back and calls him "old man." he
cannot afford to marry. because he
would not deny himself small and not
very elevating luxuries for the sake
of gaining that greatest of all luxuries,
a good wife.
A certain philosopher said that we
| should marry early and often. This
advice cannot be followed if we wait
till all the preliminaries that have been
| enumerated in reference to character,
health, money, age and so forth are
| quite satisfactory. Rather we shall
have to enroll ourselves the disciples
| of another philosopher who said, II
young, do not marry yet; if old, do not
| marry at all
There are persons who never seem
to realize that love has a sacred and
a serious side, that it is more mod
ern fair ones jest, more than a sub
ject for fun and banter. When they
become engaged these frivolous people
will not put aside their inordinate love
of Irritation. The results are jealousy,
| lifting, breach of promise of marriage.
| There are girls who might be descrio-
ed as having been extensively engag-
! ed
1t is Just as well when engaged peo-
pie do not live too near each other.
Lately, talking of a certain young man
l happened to mention that he came
over every day to take tea with his
fiancee. The comment of an experience
| ed woman who heard the remark was
Every day? How dreadful; that is
as bad as being married." Still, if peo-
| pie are going to tire of each other 1t
is better that they should do so before
rather than after marriage.
|
Some engaged people quarrel almost
as much as if they were married. This
is bad, for it forms the habit of nag
| ging and trying to get the last word.
| 1t has been said that engaged people
speak to each other with their eyes
and with their mouths only when
| they are married. We hope that they
! do, and that some of them will not
use their tongues too much afterward.
The first year of married life is more
| important than any or perhaps than
all years that follow.
Under the pillow of Washington Irv-
ing, when dying, there were found a
! lock of hair and miniature. Who will
say that a man or a woman ought to
marry who treasures up such memo
rails and thinks of what might have
been? Some have never found their
other selves, or circumstances prevent
ed the junction of these selves; and
which is more honorable, a life of lone
illness or a loveless marriage?
At what age are bachelors and
maids generally called "old?" This de-
ponds very much upon themselves. A
woman is no older than she looks, and
a man no older than he feels. The
fact is people bring upon themselves
the appellation of "old bachelor" and
"old maid" AS a rule, it is not given
to any one who retains well-regulat-
ed mind, a disposition to enjoy sim
pie pleasures, sympathy with the suf-
fering of others, and fortitude to sup
port his or her own plans.
People who have their way to make
in society cannot afford to be badly
dressed, and they must be good listen
ers, or if they talk themselves, they
should never be long and never wrong.
Mamma" asked a little girl, what is
classical music?" "Oh, don't you know?
1t is the kind you have to like whether
you like it or not" Socially ambi-
tious people cultivate this kind Of pill
ability. To have a taste or will or
soul of ones own is bad form"
Boys take up with any good chaps"
they come across, but even little girls
choose their companions upon the most
approved system of grown-up snob-
berry. When, few years later, girl
of this kind gives herself in marriage.
she generally does so to the best man
she can get from the point of view
of social ambition, and If there be any
desire to get on in him. she tries to
drives her lord, la Lady Macbeth.
into the highest place.
We may ask whether 1t Is not a
higher social ambition TO endeavor to
adorn that state of life into which Cod
has called US than to wish to push
ourselves where we are not wanted,
and where there are more kicks, or, at
least, snubs, than half-pennies.
Under a glass case In Bethnal Green
Museum may be seen q sort Of scien-
tifc bill of fare. 1t is the amount of
food proved by experiments on convicts
and others TO be necessary to keep an
adult person in perfect health for TWEEN
ty-four hours. Some of our gourmsnds
would think Il painfully little. and yet
anything more than this must do harm,
on the principle that what we leave
at table often does more good than
what we take and that the man who
eats little eats much, for he does not
dig his grave with his teeth, but lives
longer 20 eat.