58 ON THE COMPARATIVE HAPPINESS OF THE SEXES. 



of forty, her entire history is one of love. She generally centres her 

 most affectionate regards on one object, and is doomed, from the 

 etiquette of society to cherish her loves in the solitude of her own bo- 

 som, carefully concealed, not from the world merely, but from him 

 also on whom her affections are placed unless it should so happen 

 that he had previously fixed his regards on her, and had seriously 

 apprised her of the fact. And little, indeed, does the male world 

 know, and less does it sympathetically think of the miserable existence 

 which many a beautiful, amiable, and accomplished female is fated to 

 drag out in consequence of cherishing emotions of ardent love towards 

 some object, but which, though luxuriating in her own heart, she 

 dare not either disclose to the object loved or to the world. Nay, so 

 far from unequivocally'developing to the idol of [her soul the ascend- 

 ancy he has obtained over her, she cannot even venture to convey 

 to him an intimation that she is particularly partial to his company, 

 and thus secure to herself even a distant chance that his heart also may 

 be impressed with a conviction of her good mental qualities or her* 

 personal attractions. No : she must trust to the tender mercies of Fate 

 whether she shall ever be even on a footing of intimacy with him she 

 loves ; and, even if this should be her good fortune, she can do nothing 

 by words or actions herself; but must leave it entirely to his own ca- 

 price or fancy, or whatever else it may be termed, whether their ac- 

 quaintance together shall ripen into love and be consummated at the 

 Hymeneal altar. Were our sex more intimately conversant than they 

 are with the history of the other, they would not need to be told that 

 there are thousands of the best and most beautiful of womankind who 

 brood over in the sanctuary of their own bosoms unrevealed and unre- 

 quited love, until the vitals of the constitution are impaired, and they 

 have prepared for themselves a premature gave. Yes, indeed, it 

 occurs with a painful frequency that a lovely female sacrifices by an 

 invisible, but not less real process, her own life to the ardency and 

 constancy of her regards to one who was perfectly ignorant that he 

 had ever been the subject of one single thought of hers. 



How different is the case with man when he has fixed his affec- 

 tions on any individual member of " the fairest of creation's works! " 

 Though not hitherto on terms of intimacy with her, he can have no 

 difficulty, provided there be no striking disparity between their re- 

 spective stations in society, of forming a familiar acquaintanceship 

 with her. And then it is his province to develope to her the estima- 

 tion in which she is held by him, and thus by disclosing his love to 

 her, most probably beget on her part a similar feeling towards him- 

 self. Or should it so happen that her heart had been previously 

 gained by another, or that for any other reason she felt indisposed to 

 encourage the attentions of the supposed suitor, then there is an end 

 at once to the matter, his suspense is removed, and, instead of long 

 ruminating over the disappointment, he will transfer his affections 

 to some other object. 



Witness again the advantages which the male possesses over the 

 female sex in the most important of all human transactions that of 

 marriage. Man alone has the privilege of choosing who shall be his 

 partner in life. He ran ratine through the whole circle of his female 



