Old Maids and Old Bachelors [pp. 288-291]

OLD MAIDS AND OLD BACHELORS.
taining large commercial cities, will diffuse population, will draw
out the resources of the respective back countries, and develop those
resources which are naturally dependent upon the fostering care of
the city, as the city is upon the support to be drawn from the
country.
Happily we have Norfolk so situated as to be a great commercial
depot for Virginia and North Carolina, while the city has an access
from the back country, that can readily and easily support it. The
same is true of Savannah; in reference to Georgia and Florida, unless Florida will assert her rights to a true independent position,
and establish one of her sea-port towns as her own commercial
center. The same is true of New Orleans, fed by the Mississippi
and the waters that drain its immense valley; and the same is
true of Galveston, with its gulf coast, and exhaustless back
country.
An inspection of the map will show that the parts of country
these towns supply require commercial centers, and as such each
has the back country on which it can rely for every element of
support.
In reference to direct trade with Europe, a subject the Southern
patriot will not willingly let die, we wish to call attention to the
facilities now offered the Southern planter by the several' Southerm
export and import Companies" located at Charleston, Savannah,
Tallahassee, Jacksonville and other points, all of which have
European connections. They are under competent ma(nagemenit,
and will at all times upon applicants complying with their terms,
which are accommodating, furnish money to parties, or purchase
articles firom England or the Continent, upon terms far cheaper than
we could at the North, for all of the accumulated expenses we have
mentioned are saved, by resort to these companies.
It should also be borne in mind as a pregnant fact, that direct trade
with Europe on the part of the South will divert a vast quantity
of the precious metals from Northern to Southern channels, an item
not to be despised in these verdant days of Greeiibacklcs.
ART. VIII.-OLD MAIDS AND OLD BACHIELORS.
OLD maids and old bachelors are the most agreeable and useful,
or the most disagreeable and useless, of mankind. The larger portion of them belong to the latter class; yet all of them, if in early
life they had avoided seclusion, and betaken themselves to useful
occupations, might have become meritorious and agreeable memibers
of society-more useful, meritorious and agreeable than married
people; for it is very muilch the habit, and somewhat the duty, of
the married to contract their associations, their affections, and their
chatrities within the narrow circle of their immediate families tand
near relati)mis. This, in some degree, necessary habit must tend to
contract and narrow the mind, or at least to prevent its cultivation
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