MARRIAGE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 7568, 20 May 1886, Page 3

MARRIAGE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sik, —A letter under the above heading, signed " Benedict,"^appeared in the issue Daily Times of the 15th, and it is worth the trouble of all proper thinking men and women to try and solve the problem,-"What is the cause of the growing tendency towards celibacy, which seems to be yearly on the increase in the Colony ?" It is a known fact to colonists of long standing that young women are gradually encouraging the idea in themselves that to become a fit candidate for marriage their chief points of education must be—how to dress well, and pianoforte playing. Once they attain this, they are then fit to enter the matrimonial state. In this lies the grand mistake. The proper educational points to cultivate are —sound physical training (aninvaluable acquisition), andthorough idea of housekeeping. Music is certainly indispensable in all households, but why should a young woman who understands the art of housekeeping not be able to cultivate her musical taste as well as one who does not? The idea entertained by most young ladies who are accomplished in pianoforte playiug is that housekeeping is altogether below their notice— a preposterous idea indeed. The first grand object is proper domestic training. From that, all embellishments such as music, &c, will naturally accrue, that is to those who are naturally endowed. Until the young ladies of our fair land give precedence to proper physical development and a thorough idea of housekeeping, celibacy will always be on the increase. A young roan, or old either, does not, I am sure, want a wife merely for her dressing abilities, but for to make him a happy home and to put his income to the best advantage. If, unhappily, intemperance and broken morality are his shortcomings, the sway of a true loving woman is the only thing that will reform him. Compared to this, all the lecturing and advice which those of his own sex can bestow hold no comparison whatever. In this respect the abilities of all true women cannot be too highly estimated, and let us hope they will exercise same to the best advantage; they would be setting a gooc example to those of- their own sex who lack it, and be the means of reforming numbers of young men from the abyss into which they are daily leaping. Marriage resulting from true Platonic love is the only thing to reform society to the grade which God in His gracious wisdom has predestined it should be. Until this is done we shall always be in the same unsatisfactory state as is at present existing. Trusting this will have the effect of stirring up a subject which has wrongfully been lying dormant for the last quarter of a century,—l am, &c, - Sympathiser. May 17.

aud suggestions, approved by the Ministry of the day, remain unacted upon, and no provision exists for the future increase of lunacy in the Oolony. Uuless the matter be speedily taken in hand, an adverse change will surely set in, and the present successful treatment of the insane, as evidenced by a high rate of recovery and a low death rate, will become a thing of the past. The Colony is fortunate in possessing as superintendents of asylums men possessed of special knowledge aud ability, but their services are ill-requited when they are badly paid and provided and placed in constant difficulties through overcrowding their asylums. While the wages of attendants are thrice as high as in the old country, the salaries of superintendents are lower than those paid in England. No enencouragemant is given in the way of annual or other increases or pensions, and they are required to pay for substitutes when taking that occasional leave of absence which in their case is an absolute necessity for the preservation of mens sano in corpore Sana. "