The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1868-12-10

county she lived in, and had he no
been elnviisd, - . shs. 4! most fortunate o
men I So, good ,nd pure, lt'o;. "
sioele-uinded and uuselfsh. Few met
had ever found such !. treasure, and b
h.d not tn, slightest purpose Of partin,
with anythisg without value received
What could compensate for her loss
The ltroabls Of getting The consent o
her parents and the iupossibility o.
getting her without il, had aroused
and betrayed him iato exertions vhict
ho would have thought quite inoom
patible With his own importance ia az
ordinary eourt.hip; aud, after all thi,
outlay, tho thought Of separation VI.
not To- be borne. He was not the mar
to lose on an investment. He had
never intended abiding by the term,
exacted % the condition of their mxr.
riags, which were homo separate from
his parenk aud freedom to worship God
He felt, snost men do, that tho end
justified the means, in;winning tho 70
man Of their choice, and rather took i,
for granted that: after marriage she
would sheertuliy yield tho points 10.
sisted upon - prior conditions. His 'de.
Of marriage ~. Of. the geuuin, Miltonie
order. He believed woman "a,
"Heaven's best gift to man." and, lik.
the honest German, who exclaimed in
his touching sorrow for his departed
'ro"; II has lost sheep; 1%hasS los'
COWS; I has lost hortss; bat noting h..
ever cut mo up like Dc: less ov mine
katarins Edward strsfyader felt
that: the los of half Of his estate would
not Be: equal to that Of his intended
bride. To ALLEVIATE that precious aaec-
tioa. which promised 70 bless aud
brigham bis whole Life v.s no part Of
his plan ; but he "a. utterly incapable Of
eomprehending the situation. An only
son, accustomed always to have his
wishes consulted as Of fist importance,
he had rather grown into the idea that
the world vas made for his especial
use, and learned to calculate al e:ents
BY their influence upon bis interests.
So instead Of asking what new duty the
:ealanity which had 20. saddssly bsf.l-
len the family Of his betroth.d required
Of him, he only inquired how hs could
best take advantage et it. That Mar
gaset fsIt the solemnity and binding kferoe
Of her engagement, q scarcely second
to tho marriage: contract, he knew full
we'll. Poverty had made her psouniari-
y dependent upon him, aod he felt tL,t
he made some saeri6ce to love aud duty
when he ~as willing to keep his en-
gagem.nt and marry i. girl without .
dollar-he who could get fortunes
larger than he could ever have hoped to
receive With her. Her devotion to him
vas beyond question, and it VA. !. favor
able time. for scouting terms which
should make her solely bis. He want
ed to make the best bargain he eeuld, ,
but had 10 thought Of losing the article:
Is to her mother aud her family, they
would no doubt get along comfortably.
Thousands Of widows did, and for The
meeting question, 1t would plainly be
M.rearet's duty to follow; the example of
Eve in her address to Adam and ex-
claim, "Be God thy law ! Thou mine p
What would become Of his rights as
= husband if she were to Judge for her.
self in matters Of conscience Z L. not
the husband the head Of the wife, even
% Christ is head Of the church I and i
not He Supreme Lswgiver Of. tho
churehY He could not have. this set-
tied satisfactorily while her father. lived
and prospered, but now, it would save
trouble to have it al unden:ood. As
to the clause about the separate home,
this too hs had intended To- overrule
when The power came into his hands.'
Il was more convenient aud economical
to live With "ths old folks" and this
now he would stipulats to s.vs trouble
in the future. ~
Those who may feel inclined to CON-.
denim him should remember that hin
plant were in accordance with = p,inei.
pie Of human nature 70 general !. 70
hive BEEN maintained, q : fuadament-
Il principle Of jj.'risprudenee, through
alf the enlightenment Of this century
aud those preceding it. It ~as espeeii-;
ally enacted, BY those respectable I'D,
Saxon swisehsrls who .ts boars' heads,
lived il unehisksd: houses and wore
bras cellars in The days WHEN Alfred tho
Great vas king, oraboat that period,
that ''the msrriets' sovsaaat sanak oil
previous eoatraets bstvsea:ths raz.iss."
By this h~, in full. fosos to-day, 10
agreement which . man makes With his
wife, either before OF altar marriage, is
null and void in the nature Of the ease;
as BY marriage she loses the power Of
making contracts; +; sud vh.tsver r.:
sponsibility OF, profit may sesrus 70 .
contract; made previous to marriage
msrges in tho husband, aud man can.