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Witch Weekly · June 10, 2018 – 4:07 AM

Opinion Piece: Men Are Thinking With Their Hearts—Not Their Brains! (And What This Means For You!)

As the nineteenth century continues to near its end, so too does the requirements for a gentleman’s wife, apparently! In recent years we’ve seen a number of lesser women capture the attention of well-bred gentleman, which, depending on your perspective, might appear more or less a good thing! However, I daresay that the lax requirements will prove dangerous as time goes on—and it may even prove to be the downfall of good society altogether!

Especially in the minds of ladies who grew up in less affluent circles, less requirements may prove good for their prospects; however, for women from wealthier families—and especially for the families of the misguided gentlemen—such a notion may induce an unquellable anxiety!

For hundreds of years, strict societal expectations have prevented a baker's daughter like Miss Magdalena Backus—now Mrs. Magdalena Byrne—marrying into the perhaps notorious but by no means poor Connolly family, nor would it have allowed Mrs. Hannah Pettigrew—the daughter of a known criminal!—to find herself with wife of quidditch sponsor Mr. Thom Pettigrew.

However, with failing morals and the prevalence of love matches, social circles have begun mixing in a manner that has left well-bred women uncertain of whether there will be any gentleman left to marry!

The notion of blood purity has always been a controversial one, but few would argue that allowing species to mix, such as the marriage of Mr. Andrew Lyness (a wholly respectable wizard, and a wealthy one at that!) to the veela, Mrs. Juniper Lyness, should be readily accepted by any member of good society. The fact that laws have not been implemented that would force an annulment just proves what influence liberal politicians have had on the sanctity of marriage!

In even more recent days, rumors have been abound that healer-in-charge and wealthy heir Mr. Richard Gladstone has harbored romantic—and by all means inappropriate, given the laundry list of scandalous accusations against her—inclinations towards the now-destitute Miss Annabelle Scrimgeour. Such whispers do little to refute what has become clear with previous cases: gentleman are putting less weight on reputation and wealth in favor of a love match.

Even more concerning is the reports of famed foreign seer, Miss Ines Valentine, whose claims of predicting romantic pairings have captivated the public in recent weeks! There is so much to lose and so very little to gain from putting weight on such folly.

What happens claims are made that a gentleman of good repute and fortune is destined to find love with a common whore? Or worse—what if a woman of good breeding becomes fully convinced that her soul-mate is her father’s valet?

How can a marriage be full of mutual respect—which, in my good opinion, is far more desirable than the temporary flame of a handsome beau—if a wife is no more educated in matters of society than a common housemaid?

So to any young woman of lesser privilege who desire a husband of immense wealth: think carefully before accepting a proposal from a man above your station. While the allure of extravagance and the finer things may seem irresistible to a young, impressionable mind, any marriage will quickly prove volatile—for once your enraptured beau begins to see his new wife is a lesser compared to his sisters and friends’ wives, he will begin to harbor a sort of resentment towards you.

(And a marriage of one-sided resentment is certainly one you'd wish to avoid.)

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Declan Wood

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