Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1867-12-25

hereafter, InaJ are COmpe1eoAo 49, "
The divine thought and ideal OF mar
rage is one of the most transcendant
"a the accomplishment Of it Is one OF
the most blissful, in life. And It Is
thing not to be rushed into heedlessiy,
but 70 be dealt with soberly, discreedy
II is anything but q fan
tasy, or q passionate outburst, or q mat.
Ter Of calculation. II is a thing OF
moral Judgment. 1t IS duty as high
as that which lifts itself between you
and the face of God.
After giving him this advice Isaac
blessed Jacob, and sent him away 70
Padan-aram TO, get a wife.
Now there IS another part to this
history. When Esau saw that Isaac
had blessed Jacob, and sent to Padan-
arau to get q wife and forbid him to
take a wife Of the daughters of Canaan
he went and married a Canasnite.-
He married out Of spite. And there
have been a great many people VINO
have married from a rebound OF pas
sion. But l never heard of one who /
was glad Of it afterward. do not |
know what sort of time he had. but
you can suspect what sort of time
she had, after marrying under such
circumstances.
This IS typical instance. 1t is not
the only time in which aman has over
slaughed his own happiness outof spite
to somebody else. There Is q great
deal of this yet. There is large band
of disciples, l think, who ought to be
called SoRs of EsaH.
Two neighbors have premises sd-
joining. They quarrel. One builds
barn in the place most iEconVenient to
himself, and in a place where, under
ordinary circumstances, he would not
have thought OF building it, on purpose
to cut off his neighbor's prospect. He
submits to extra labor and annoyance
for ten years, Just for the sake ofspiting
him any howl
/ A man shuts up road that he HIM
self wants, Just for the sake of COM
pelling his neighbor TO go five miles
around instead of three. He subjects
himself to any amount of inconVeni-
ence because it will spite his neighbor
Two men quarrel. They, in order 70
spite each other, follow each other up
and down in society, that shey may get
hold of something by which to ipjure
each other. They spend more time in
Il making themselves mean and wicked
and disagreeable for the sake of spi-
ting on each other, than would be suf-
ficient to resist all temptations and
; build up honorable achievements in
life. But then they like to spite each
other
Men will report damaging stories,
and make themselves the common
sewers of the village, for the sake OF
spiting somebody that they dislike.-
II matters not how foul or unclean the
story may be, if it only hurts the per-
son at whom it Is aimed.
Sometimes families seem to be or
ganized on this principle, and the hus-
band is perpetuallY acting in such q
way as to spite his wife; and she is
perpetually acting in such 3 way to
spite himself. They Inconvenience
themselves for the sake Of spiting each
. other.
Political parties do the same thing.
l think that for twenty years in lndi-
ana the United States Senators were
never chosen by the party in power
The other party, combining with q
few in the dominant party, defeated
the man of their choice. So that for
twenty years the Senators that were
sent for the purpose of spiting the par
ty that sent HIM.
And still the same thing goes on
The same thing has been done, and l
1 doubt not through time many things
will be douo, for the sake of spiting
somebody or something. 1t is not the
law of polities-it is the law Of human
nature. 1t is the spirit of old Esau IN
men, which fep him, when he found
that his father did not want his broth
er to marry in Canaan, to say THAT
is the reason why will do it. will
spite my father, that has treated me SO
shabbily, by marrying one OF the IN
habitants of Canaan" That spirit
flows on in ten thousand channels yet,
and it is no more lovely now than il
was then, although it is in very respec-
table places and is looked upon with
favor by many, and possibly by some
that are here, who are conscious that
they are acting wrongly, imprudently
and unwisely, for the sake Of spiting a
neighbor. It is the very archway in
which man acts to spite himself in
the end.
That they enter into this sacred state
ought to hold themselves bound TO do
, it on the Scriptural ground-not upon
, calculation of secular advantages
: Happily, in our time, all the romantic
, sentiments revolt st the idea of a mar
riage connection formed for secular rea-
, sons. The public sentiment Of this
Christian country would deride and
condemn a man who should desecrate
the sanctity of life by selecting q wife
for pecuniary or ambitious reasons
, For, although sometimes, among the
innumerable chances Of life, q man
acting from considerations like these
, may find a wife coming to him, con-
trary to all reasonable expectations, as
. Joy and blessing during the whole OF
his days, yet, ordinary, such cslcula-
tions result in barren and unfruitful
affections, in dry and arid married lives
if not in contention, in misrule and
unbsppiness.
Nor should the fancy direct the se-
. lection. There can be nothing less
sound or stable than that of following
the fancy of ones eye. In the pleas
ure of the hour one may be attracted
| to another from reasons that co1sti-
tute strong primary influence, but
! that are not founded on qualities that
last. ~ .- n
Neither should you form q marriage
connection upon the sentiment of atfec-
. ton. There are many that are capable
of inspiring enthusiastic Affection
There are many kinds Of wood that
kindle quick and burn out quick
: There are other kinds of wood that
kindle slowly, bat that once on fire,
keep on fire all night long. There are
a great many persons who are sdmira-
, bly, fitted to amuse for an hour or two,
; but who are utterly united for the
} closer intimacy of q voyage, or for the
} counsels, cares and responsibilities OF
, that great eternal conflict of life which
is carried on in the family. Therefore,
} when a man would found household,
which is the beginning of his own or
: ganized life, it ought to be none on
: moral grounds; and no person, tseems
: TO me. should take the step except
/ with the full adVisement, not only OF
/ conscience, but of religious feeling
4 And one that is selected from good
4. Judgment, from conscience, and from
a moral consideration one that IS Sc