Year: 1860

A correspondent Of the Boston Courier We.
commcnds the " formation of society fOV the
promotion of Economical Marriages" He thSs
describes a lease" Ofthe kind Of social suffer-
ing he would alleviate There is q lady Of my
acquaintance who has lately given her daugh-
ter in wcdlock to a young man OF Cstimable
! character, though Of limited means-a phrase
the cheap novcli>ts are habitually using as n
the fact that poor tnan could bear good
character WIS 30 rare as to demand parA-
gruph by itself For several days before tho
wedding, | saw in the house Of my friend ex-
tcnsive preparations on foot. An immense
pile Of cards were sent out; the chambers were
filled with Scamstresses cabinet councils were
held twice day below stairs by the parents
and daughter, to settle the questions concern
ing music, refrcshments servants, crockery-
ware, silver, and many other Things. Each
morning, the young lady and future husband
were running about town to finish up the
thousand details 4of- the occasion and each
night the whole family, fatigued by the days
labor. retired to unrefreshing Slumber. At
last the evening Of the performance came. 1t
was preceded by hours of the most tiresomv
supervision, preparation, anxiety OIL every ac-
count, and when the maiden went to her toilet,
she was more fit for the attendance Of the fam
lily physician than Of the bridesmaids. New
erthclcss there was no retreat; so trusting to
the excitement Of the hour for physical force,
she took the arm Of the man with whom sho
was to go through life. himscfalmost as nearly
worn out as she, and after having undergone
the ceremony Of promising to love, honor, and
obey stood for three hours to receive the con-
gratuations Of the guests, the majority Of
whom felt the same interest in the scene as
they might have at the theatre or bullet. The
crowd finally dispersed, the last carriage drove
away, and after few hours Of quiet, the hap
py pair took an early train Of cars, and jOltcd
about the country for ten days or thcreabouts,
on pleasure trip"


The writer further cnlarges on the difficulty
oE meeting tAe-exPeRses of an ordinary wel--
ding in these days, and then goes on to moral
ize thus instructively: "The wonder is rather
that SO few young men are crushed at tho
commencement Of their married life than that
so many forever cramp themselves by extrav-
0gance. How many welded pnirs are there IN
this small city who dare to be independent
and comfortable, instead Of sacrificing their
content to the outrageous claims OF what ID
called public UpinionP How many would not
be ashamed to own that, being unable to pur-
chase meat seven days in the week, they went
to market only every other dayS How many
would not feel their cheeks burning with an
unmanly blush, should they venture to discuss
with the wife at the breakfast. table the com.
parative expense of fish, flesh, or fowl, with
reference to the days dinner9 And how many
Of the young wives Of this metropolis are there,
into whose hearts would not steal that horri-
ble doubt as to whether they had done we'll in
marrying so economical man, were such
discussion to arise? And what is the result
Of all this cowardly striking from an absurd
phantom? Why, men become engaged in
marriage, and then drag on, year after year.
in the hope Of being better able to supports
wife," till the beauty Of the girl fades, the soul
Of the man withers, love dies out from the
breast Of the one or the other. and instead Of
two married lovers, the world receives q fiirt
or disappointed woman, dcccivcr or cynic
Or, if the man avoids this Scylla, he rusheS to
his destruction or worse Charybdis."