This Lasts Until The Father And Mother Return; When All
Retire To Their Respective Homes, The Men Re-Conducting The Partners
Of Their Affections.
Thus they spend many of the youthful evenings of their lives; no
wonder therefore, that they marry so early.
But no sooner have they
undergone this ceremony than they cease to appear so cheerful and
gay; the new rank they hold in the society impresses them with more
serious ideas than were entertained before. The title of master of a
family necessarily requires more solid behaviour and deportment; the
new wife follows in the trammels of Custom, which are as powerful as
the tyranny of fashion; she gradually advises and directs; the new
husband soon goes to sea, he leaves her to learn and exercise the
new government, in which she is entered. Those who stay at home are
full as passive in general, at least with regard to the inferior
departments of the family. But you must not imagine from this
account that the Nantucket wives are turbulent, of high temper, and
difficult to be ruled; on the contrary, the wives of Sherburn in so
doing, comply only with the prevailing custom of the island: the
husbands, equally submissive to the ancient and respectable manners
of their country, submit, without ever suspecting that there can be
any impropriety. Were they to behave otherwise, they would be afraid
of subverting the principles of their society by altering its
ancient rules; thus both parties are perfectly satisfied, and all is
peace and concord.
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