LADIES' COLUMN.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 223, 9 May 1872, Page 8

LADIES' COLUMN.

You have seen a beautiful girl, bsa4|^^ ful in person and in spirit, graceful . form and feature, and of a lovely disposition, married to a man of common mould. We can recall many such instances ! Then again, you see strong, intellectual men — men every way superior — so greivously mismated! It has often been remarked that, if matches are made in heaven, they must have dreadfully shaken up and misplaced on their way down ! Now it is very natural that "people should, in the first place t all want to marry well themselves ; but, also, in the second place, that their own friends should be particularly well married. At the same time, when we come to-* take a broad, philosophical, true view of the matter, what do we find to be our conclusion, on the subject ? It is very simple, and it is this: — Marriages, on the whole, cannot average above a certain medium quality. In other words, marriages, in general must be precisely on a level with the general character of the persons of whom the community is made up. And, as a comprehensive proposition, the whole problem of marriage is reduced to this question : Is it better for such people to maury each other, or to live single 1 It is inevitable that, as marriage is general, there must be thousands of instances in which parents will be disappointed at the matches which their children make. Love is mysterious, and it - leads the feet of boys and girls in directions where their fathers and mothers would fain not have them go. They will not select the companions for life which others would select for them. " The most that can be done to tender marriage happier is to contribute what one can to the improvement of the whole community. You cannot foresee who is to become your son-in-law or your daughter-in-law — ■ perhaps the very last person on earth you would expect. Whatever parents do, therefore, for the physical, intellectual, arid moral culture of the whole people, tends to increase the chances that their own sons and daughters will -marry well. What among all the novelties of the day (writes a London correspondent to the " Cornwall Chronicle ") do you .think of the new wedding rings just come into vogue — one of which was recently made for Lady Agnes Duff ? This ring consists of two hoops of gold, flat, and fitting perfectly together. On the inner surface the names of the happy pair — the date of marriage, and sometimes a motto, or posy as the old writers have it. Thus you may carry your marriage certificate always on your finger. This, however, is no new -invention, but has always been known from ancient times, the ring been called " Grimmel," from jumelle — or twin. One of the first jewellers in Bond- street has revived this, and now among the elite no other nuptial rings are used. Can girls stand a college course of study ? Mrs. Stanton thinks they can, and says : — ' I would like you to take 1000 young men and lace them up, and hang ten to twenty pounds of weight of clothes to their waists, perch them on three inch heels*, cover their heads with ripples, chignons, rats and mice, and stick ten thousand hair-pins into their scalps ; if they can stand all this they will stand a little Latin and Greek. " At last Spiritualism has not only become a fact, but a most useful fact. The spirits have been made to work a sewing machine. We have got the great new motive power which we have wanted so long. Seekers for perpetual motion may now settheir minds at rest — for, of course, spirits can never grow tired — and Watt and Stephenoon may hide their diminished heads. It's all quite clear and straightforward. A few Sundays since, at the house of Mr. Stokes, in the presence of Mr. Home the medium, Miss Cook, Miss Eogers,- Mr. Frank Everitt, and Mr. Bond, a sewing-machine was made, by unseen hands, to " work quickly and well. " vOn the work being arranged, the spirits stitched along the entire length of a piece of. calico which had been placed for them. " After this we confess all our doubts are turned into the warmest admiration and approval, ~"Echo :>