Year: 1871




about women, female beauty was so fas-
cinating that it was a certain means OF
securing a husband. Nowadays, he
adds, men have reflected upon the sub
ject, and it's seldom that girl is married
for her personal attractions, whatever
they may be; so she ruus great risk of
always keeping her honorable title of
maid, unless her parents are rich enough
to pay a handsome sum to some gallant
or another to change it into that of a
wife.


1t is an incident, of, in fact, sort of
prodigy, when man marries a woman
solely for her beauty, a quality which
has fallen considerably in value in mer-
cenary days. If it ever should take a
rise, it might be well to adopt the Per-
sian mode of reducing the number Of
old maids. This consisted in selling the
beautiful girls to those who were willing
to buy them, and giving the amount to
the ugly; So that the handsomest en-
dowed the ugliest the second in beauty
the second in ugliness, &c.


I But this plan would. we fear, be in
applicable in few days, for there would
be but few bidders for the beautiful wo
men, and the ugly, if the money was to
90 with them. would be the only ones TO
! find takers. Seriously, continues our
Frcnchman, who, it must be borne in
mind, is speaking of France and not of
the United States, marriage is tending to
disappear from among our social habits.
The number of old maids, especially Of
| the middle class, is increasing daily.


A laborer or mechanic has no difficulty
in getting married. for his wife takes her
share of work. In such case matri-
mony is joint stock association. The
working man spends less when married
than single. His clothes being made
and kept in repair a: home, an d the more
wholesome and less expensive nourish-
ment more than compensateS for any ad-
ditional expense of having another TO
provide for This, we need not say al
ludes to France, and may be more or less
true, as we hope it is, in our own coun-
try.


Among the rich, especially where the
woman brings handsome dowery, mar
riage is also possible !. but in the middle
class. how can it be nova days All the
young girls are brought up in the same
way. Each one is SO exclusively adapt
ed for the great prizes that there are
none suitable for the inferior ones
What are now called the necessities are
far more than what were formerly con
sidered the luxuries of life. All kinds
of equality have been tried at various
times, but one only has been retained,
and the most dangerous and fatal of all
the equality of expense.


Every girl is brought up with the idea
that she will draw in the lottery of mar
irage the first prize. 1t is imagined that
style and mplishments will make up
for a want of fortune 1t is mistake !;
they viii only make it more necessary ;
in fact, absolutely Indispensable.


Marriage is the greatest luxury man
can indulge in. When we reflect that
all the women of the middle class are
now days brought up TO shine in socl-
ETY., that there are no longer any marked
distinctions as far as expense is concerned
and that the standard of necessary llv
inc is fixed according to that of the rich
est, man mus. indeed be greatly in love
if he does not hesitate before the noun
tain of velvet, silk and jewelry that he
must consume all his days in accomslish
ing. in order that his wife may be pro-
perly dressed. -u.-r


For men of this class, woman is not
companion, to take her share in proper
ton to her strength of common cares and
labors of life, but an idol that he must
pass his days in adoring for the admlra-
ton of men. a poor man who marrles
such woman without dowry, would
be capable of buying horse which had
to be fed upon topazes aud emeralds In-
stead of oats. So it is now rare to find
a husband of the kind, and soon it will
be impossible,


The ARrIC ExPEDITIoN.-lt is con-
templated that Halls Artic expedition
will he absent two years, or even longer, ,