New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-27
MARRIAGE.
T7hat wise and Witty Men Haze
SAID About 1t.

MA FAcTs ANp FANciEs FROM THE
THOUGHT OF AGES. Compiled by Frederick
8 co S0'''"' -''''' -
Mr. Morton has added another small volume
TO his "epigram series" II is TO be, he says
the closing. volume. Lovely women and men
have been the subjects OF the former counpila-
tons. These epIgrams. beginning With 'Punch's
famous DON'T" are arranged in eighteen d.
visions. the controlling inspiration OF which does
not appear. The juxtapostion &C the selections
often goes by contraries. The compiler warns
the reader in his preface that in subject IN
which so much difference Of opinion exists ne
does not propose TO take sides. Neither does he
aim at exhausting the material Those VINO
want more matter are advised to begin with
Genesis and read Up systematically to the last
published book. Vow and then slight liberties
have been taken with the quotations, where oS
taking them out Of their context missing point
NAV be supplied by adding a word or so.
As there appears to be no system in the ar
rangernent and as in reading the pages one IS
struck by the similarity Of much OF the thought
old and new. on the subject, as much as by
any other feature, it may occur to the reader
that It might have been interesting TO bring like
epigrams together 10 trace lightly the cireua-
ton OF this sort Of small coin from earlier times
TO the present day. It seems TO be a favorite
reflection for instance, that the unmarried in
cline 10 wish marriage and the married freedom
Somewhat early in the book the reader will
chance upon this expression from Samuel John
son:
Those who enter into the married state can
seldom forbear TO express their repentance and
their envy OF those whom either chance or eau
tiOn hath withheld from II.
A little later Emerson viii be found quoted to
this effect:
Is not marriage an open question. when it is
alleged. from the beginning Of the world, that
such as are in the institution wish 10 get out,
and such are cut wish TO get in?
Go on a few pages and go back not few
decades, and an old English song is come upon,
reading in this fashion:
Those that are out butt heads against the pane.
Those that are IN butt TO get out again
And again Montaigne. taking a different poetic
concept for the same notion. IS credited with
this version:
The land Of marriage has this popularity. that
strangers are DESTROYS Of inhabiting it. while its
natural inhabitants would willingly be banished
from thence.
Something Of the same sort is denoted toward
the end of the book by a Spanish proverb: For
whom does the blind mans wife adorn herself"
anticipated on an earlier page by Benjamin
Franklin's why does the blind mans wife paint
herself?'' Proverbs that pass over national
boundary lines have still the honor Of being as
signed in each case 20 their own country. Thus
a Scotch proverb may be found here 10 the effect
that Honest men marry soon. wise men never. 3"
and later French one reciting that Honest
men marry soon wise men not at ALL But
then there has ever been traditional entente
between Scotland and France.
The volume which lives up to the standard
set by its predecessors. is fitted with an index
OF authors and one OF subjects.