Year: 1871

ried," ;" said serious mother to her child.
ut IL much more solemn not to be-"
responded the judicious infant. The
latter view of the solemnity Of marriage
appears to bs g.rwing alarmingly pop
ular in the United States. A few days
ago q western paper announced that
young gentleman and young lady,
who were only slightly acquainted,
were out buggy -riding, and the young
man defisd his companion TO stop at the
Justices and get married. She plucktly
accepted the gege of combat-"not
imagining he would stand his ground
and he-who had made the proposition
through simple silliness-could not see
his way clear to graceful retreat. 50
the two spirited idiots stood up and
were made one, and drove home some
what thoughtfully with a marriage
certificate in their hands that more
than filled them. They parted ut the
lady's door with constrained courtesy,
and the young wife, As the facetious
annalist expresses it," has just been
measured for divorce"


A Pittsburgh journal records another
case which is just twice as silly. Two
young men called upon two sisters, and,
in the course of the conversation, the Ice
Of decorum having melted away before
the shafts Of that "nonhumorous humor'
of underbred youth, which Howells has
so perfectly characterized, the young
people began to dare each other to do all
sorts of unadvisable things. A defiance
to immediate matrimony was of course,
promptly made and accepted; for the
staple jest OF that class Of persons Is of
rings and bridecake. One of the zanies
went out for q parson, and the two
couples were married with much gig
Cling. OF course, after spree like that
there was no SAVIOR in further converse
ton, and the husbands went home and
the wives to bed. In the morning the
clerical hierophant sent in the legal
attestation of his last nights perfor-
name, and the humorous quartette
found themselves reduced to duo.
But that no element Of idiotic absurdity
should be wanting to the event, each
man was married to the others sweet
heart, q detail which had been over
looked as altogether unimportant in the
mad hilarity of the ceremony.


This monkeyish trifiing with the
most momentous matters, may seem
incredible at first sight. But, In fact, it
is the most natural thing in the world.
A young fellow. not much accustomed
to society, positively loses his senses IN
the company of lively girls: and If we
may believe what the daughters OF Eve
say of each other, there is none too
much wisdom on that SUMMER side OF
the world. Somo one once criticised
Thackeray for max ing the conversation
of his young people SO silly. "Non'
sense" replied the great truth.teller;
lit cannot be made silly enough" The
talk Of young people who are somewhat
intimate, is not of much higher order
than the inarticulate murmuring OF q
mother to her baby. In those circles
where knowledge of the world has
brought some idea of self-command,
this amiable folly is confined to words
But among the mass Of youths and
maideus of city and coutry, juxtaposi-
ton and high spirits are liable at any
moment to fix caprice in irrevocable
acts. Nothing but opportunity Is neces'
ary for that. And unless the whole
world, outside Of our limits, is wrong,
opportunity is by far too frequent, In the
present structure of American society.
l cannot be denied that the sererity ol
| our earlier morals now exists only In
tradition. That earnest and strenuous
piety of New England, where each man
lived as if always under divine super
vision, has passed away, and has left, II
is true, the most faultless social fabric
that ex lists; but the old asceticism can


not be expected to survive forever, aftsI


the old bigotry is departed. In th'


pioneer days Of the West there was tot


much work to be done to leave any


time for the frivolities of gallantry


But leisure and wealth have coln'


together, and tho social life of ou


interior States is more animated ant


unconstrained than any other provincial


society of the world. Foreign books


foreign plays, and the influences o


foreign travel, have broken down th'


safe barriers of what our parents callst


modesty and we have agreed to cal


prudery. In our news stands, in ou


streets, in our theaters, you see nothin,


to distinguish US from Europe, but thu


language. Our morals have become


Continental in all but the liberty allow


ed to young girls. Is it not worth whil


to consider whether we are to be exemp


from application of the lesson tina


all advancing civilizations have learn


ed?-that solitary evenings passed witt


"gentlemen friends" are not the mos


improving school of young maidenhoot1


and that there is basis of truth in til


monkish adage that Solus Gun. sofa


not a condition favorable to religion


meditation?-7r Tribune.


OBSERVING OLD RULEs.-The rigi
observance Of old English rules in til
South Carolina courts, and a neglect
the same on the part of Mr.. Petigrl