El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-11-21
Marriage a Leap In Dark
No Man or Woman Knows Just What
the Matrimonial Lottery Ticket
VIII Produce.
BY Dorothy DIX,
THE newspapers have T,

TINE newspapers have recently
contained accounts of the mar
riage of a middle aged couple
who had never met until the wedding
day, and in which the bridegroom had
never seen the brides face until she
lifted the. heavy veil she wore after
the ceremony was performed.
1t is the custom among many ORR
entail people for a man to thus marry,
sight unseen, and to get his first
glimpse Of his wife after it is too late
TO return her to the bargain counter
in case she doesn't come up to his ideal
Of female pulchriture but, so far as
IS known, this is the first time an
American man has entered the holy
state without taking squint at his
fellow adventurer to see whether she
was peach or a lemon.
Of course we all know that appear
ances are deceptive, and the eye is
the poorest of all guides TO go by,
especially in judging a woman. Still,
the faithful candidate for matrimony
has felt that he must do what he
could to protect himself against IN
necessary risks. and, at least pick out
a wife that looked good to him Hence
the world stands appalled, at the reck-
less bravado of the man who has added
one more foolhardy hazard to the big
gamble by marrying one whose coun-
tenance he has never beheld.
Yet, after all, does this man take a
looks, than does every other man who
takes wife?
No Woman Looks Today as She VIII
Tomorrow.
For what woman looks like today
she will not look like tomorrow, nor
the day after, nor the years after that
= The truth is that all marriage is a
leap into the dark and the result de-
Ponds so completely upon accident that
sometimes one is tempted to think
that the grabbag principle Of selecting
husband or wife is just as good as
It is one Of the most tragical facts
Of existence that there seems to be no
way of judging beforehand what sort
an will make. and that all the ordi-
nary tests of character by which we
judge people fail absolutely before the
acid test of matrimony
For instance, our rough ideal Of a
fIne man Is man who is honest, up
right, just in his dealings with others
and liberal spender. If, in addition
10 these qualities, we can say that he
IS a good son we feel that we have
described a paragon that any woman
ought to thank God for getting.
But does the possession Of these ad-
mirable qualities insure that man
VIII make a good husband? 1t does
Many a man who is as sober as the
town pump, and as domestic as the
house cat and as upright as the moral
Jaw. IS a grum crouch at home, and a
grinding tyrant whose wife trembles
oeIore MIN. Many man who IS lib
eraI to the outside world is a tight
wad TO his wife. or else he's so gen
erous about setting up drinks for the
boys mat there's never enough money
to buy his wife shoes. Many a man
who is just to his employees is cruelty
unfair to his wife, and even the good
son not infrequently considers it per-
fectly fair to offer up his wife as
sacrifice to his mother.
No woman can estimate what sort
Of husband man will make by the
esteem IN which he is held by the
world. for there is nothing truer than
the old French proverb which says
that there are men who are the Joy
Of the street and the sorrow of the
home"
So every woman who marries really
goes it blind She has no possible way
Of telling what sort of a husband she
is getting.
Nan Takes Chances Too.
And the man who marries takes
appears to be pretty, and sweet and
amiable, and industrious. and econom-
zeal, but no human being except the
girl and her mother-and they won't
telI-know whether she Possesses
those virtues in reality. or If she has
Just assumed them as bait wherewith
to catch a husband.
Many poor man who has been cap
tured by a beautifuI face has found
out that the good looks all came off
with the. paint and powder and false
too much trouble 10 be worn everyday
Tor mere husband Many an unfOr-
tunate man has ascertained that the
girl who was so meek and mild that
butter wouldn melt in her mouth be-
fore marriage turns into a shreW and I
vlrago after marriage. Many a man
who marries a poor girl because he |
wants a thrifty and Industrious wife
finds out that the girl who has had to
work and economic before marriage
goes on a perfect orgy of spending and |
self INDUCING as soon as she's got a |
man to toll for her.
On the other hand. many a girl who |
has been a silly little butterfly before !
marriage becomes a household grub |
afterwards: many a girl who has been /
a gay little flirJ before marriage turns /
into the most devoted Of wives. and |
many a girl who has been extravagant ]
becomes a model OF thrift when she /
has her husbands money to handle
And no soothsayer can warn a man I
in time to do him any good Of which 1
way the cat is going to jump.
Matrimony is a case in which you |
never can tell what will happen, or |