Year: 1865

IckeL III a tOUSefy--OnS pEl1e 70 bnOu-
sand planks."


So say the Wiseacres that look upon our
sunshiny world through green spectacles.
But are they srightl We say, NO. We
do not believe word about the ''thOu-
sand blanks" 1t is just as right and nat
ural for young folks to think and talk
about being married as it is for birds TO
sing and flowers to blossom. 1t has been
'the fashion" ever since the pretty Rebe-
kah astonished old Bethuel BY her brief
wooiag and winning, in the dim twilight
OF the far-Otf Scriptual days, and RachaePs
ioVe-story glimmered like a pearl of ro-
nance through the dark thread of He
brew history. Don't be ashamed of it
girls. fyou have won the heart Of
strong, steadfast man, you should rather
glory in your prize. We have no pa
tience with the sickly sentimentalism of
modern days that considers eourtship as
something to be prosecuted in a stealthy,
underhand sort of way, and an engage
ment of marriage as a secret that should
be wrapped in impenetrable mystery
"She is engaged to be married, but she
won't own it ~ How often we hear that
inscrutable sentence whispered from ear
to ear Well, why should she not own itl
If she loves a man well enough to trust
her whole future in. his hands, she surely
ought not to shrink from candidly confes-
sing it. Rebekah, the jewel of the Orient,
had no such scruples ON the subject. And,
moreover, were we the 'happy man." we
should not regard our true loves reti-
cence on the subject as particularly COM
plimentary. If she were ashamed of US
before marriage, where would be our Sc
curity that she would, not be still more
ashamed afterward On the contrary.
we should wash our hands of the whole
affair, and look out for some young lady
who would be frank enough to Gown" the
engagement.


Choosing wife is nosuch puzzling en-
igma as it used to be, before the lights Of
modern science shone across this nine
teenth century of ours. If you marry an
angel, and discover afterward that she is
something very far removed from the
supernaI, you have only yourselfto thank
for it. You might have read the dormant
existence Of those very repellant traits of
character that broke upon you like thun-
derbolts in the conformation of the pretty
head, the shape of the polished forehead,
the curve of the stately neck. You might
have seen the flash oftemper in her eyes,
the acerbity of her close lips, the iron will
of the square chin. Nature inscribes her
character plainly enough in face and brain;
and if you did not take the trouble to read
the signs and tokens, why, you have only
to make the best of the bargain!


Nord do we believe in long courtships.
Jacob must have been very remarkable
individual not to have got heartily tried
of Miss Rachael Long before those four
teen years of ordeal had transpired; and
we have no proofs that Rachael was not
waning into a confirmed old maid while
Jacob was earning her. Don't wait to
make your fortune, young lover! If you
are not rich in money, you must have
stores of strength and youth, and warm
fresh love; add with those gone, you
would be poor indeed, though you reyel-
ed in the wealth of John Jacob Astor. A
man never falls in love but once. He has
fancies, ikings, friendships based on gem
uine esteem, but the celestial fame comes
once only in alifetime. Therefore, if you
love woman, and she is worthy of your
affection, marry her, and trust to God and
your strong right arm to bring the world
to recognize the wisdom of your choice.


As for all the current nonsense on the
subject Of selecting wife," our snrewd
opinion is that it is only nonsense. Fan
cy young gentleman prying into his in
smorsts's house before breakfast to ascer-
tain whether or not her collar was pinned
correctly, or her hair brushed geometric-
ally straight. Picture him descending
upon her all sorts of certain and uncer-
tain hours to find out whether she made
bread or played the piano, and if there was
any dust on her comfortable. If he has
not judgment enough to make his cleo
ton without any such extraneous aids, we
opine that his intellect can scarcely bs of
the very highest order.


Yet there are some keen disappoint-
ments in this business of matrimonial
choice. A man who marries a pretty
girl under sort of transitory enchant-
ment, is very apt, when the honeymoon is
over, to discover that she is only mortal
after all, and consider himself rather in
the light Of wronged individual The
pretty girl, too, begins too see that her
lover is neither more nor less than q man |;
it is impossible that she has her moments
of grave reflection on the subject. Thus
it requires considerable amount Of phi
losophy to survive the first months of
matrimony without whatare called "loyers'
quarrels." Yet there is a love strong
enough and broad enough and deep
enough to bear up all imperfeetions and
shortcomings on its resistless current
Now and then we chance on a marriage
based on just such love as this, a union
whose links brighten as the years 60 on,
and are cemented even more strongly In
the world "where there is neither mar
riage nor giving in marriage"


While there are summer and winter,
seed-time and harvest there will be per
petual repetition of the sweet old story of
love and courtship. 1t is as it should be.
Let there be no false modesty, no mis-
placed hesitation on the subject. God
meant his children to be happy in the
spring-tim of their lives; shall we hide
away the good gifts Of love and spprecia-
ton which He has given us


Mrs. GEO. WASHINGTON WYLLYs.


The belief that this world is ultimately
to be destroyed by fire is supported by the
discovery that such fate has befallen far