Marriage

Men and womea, says rheodore 1 arKer, and cspccially young people, do not know that it takes years to marry completely two hearts, even of the most lovïng and well-sortcrt. But nature allows no suelden chango. We slope very gradually from the eradle to the summit of life. Marriage is gradual, a fraction of us at a time. A happy wedlock is a long falling in love. 1 know young persons tlunk lovc belongs only to brown hair and plump, rouncf crimson cheeks. So it does for its beginning, just as Mount Washington begins at Boston Bay. But the golden marriage ia a part of love which the bridal day knows nothing of. Youth is the tassel and silken flower of love, age is the full corn, ripe and lolid in the ear. Beautiful is the morning of love with its prophetie crimson, riolet, purple and gold, with its hopes of days that are to come. Heauutui also is the evening of love, with its glad remembrances and its rainbow side turned toward heaven as well as earth. Young poople marry their opposites ] in temper and general eharacter, and inch a marriage is generally a good one. They do it instinctively. The young man does not say, "My black eyes require to be wod to blue, and my overv ehemence require3 to bealittle modified with somewhat of lullness and reserve. When these opposites come together to be wed, they do not know it, but eaeh thinks the other just like himself. Old neople never marry their sites, they marry thoir similars and f rom calculation. Each of these two arrangements is very proper. In their long journey these oppositos will fall out of the way a great many times, and both will charm the other back again, and by and by they will be agreed as to the place they will go to, and the road they will go by and become reconciled. The man will be nobler and larger for being associated with so much humanity unlike himself, and she will be a nobler 1 wnnmn for havinff manhood beside her, ihat seeks to correct her cleficiencies and supply her with what she lacks, if the iiversity be not too great, and there be real piety and love in.their hearts to begin with. The old bridegrooui, having a urnen shorter journey to make, must associate himself with one like himself . A perfect and complete marriage is, perhaps, as perfect personal beauty. Men and women are married fractionally- now a small fraction, then a large fraction. Very few are raarried totally, and they only, I think, after some forty or fifty years of gradual approach and excitement. Such a large and sweet fruit is a complete marriage that it needs a real happy marriage of love and judglaent between a man and woman is one of the things so very handsome that jf the sun were, as the Greek poets fabled, a God, he might stop the world in order k feast his eyes with such a spectaele.