The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1869-05-27

NO. 40.
ning her respect and best affections be
fore you made her wife ? Did you the,
lift her to. the position Of helpmate
oootdant, sbarer Of your apxieties snt
equal partner in your estate?< Did 20,
labor to turn the oatural ambition iut'
a Legitimate ebanncl?: Did You con
tide to her care joint guardianship o
your childrenl Did you 10 any seps<
treat her as human being Of. like
passions With yourself, or as beautiful
bird which you had caught and. Gagged
Had she been properly educated and
placed in a position to feel the eiyh,
OF her responsibilities to God and man
she would have been one of the mobiles,
as she is now one Of the l:ve!iest Q,
Gods creatures. Society and you have
wronged her quite as much as sue ha.
wronged you. Shall she bear al! the
penalty OF the mutual wrong ?"
He sat With his face buried in Lis
hands, and after some moments of 81.
lence said
''1t is strange that if marriage is
slavery, women should generally BE-
wiling to accept it,"
1T is strange that the Indian squaw
accepts and glories in the position If
burden bearer, lodge-buil Ter, til!er-ot-
the'soil, cook, tailor and lady-seryaut
to her lord, and feels that the ho3or
of the family requires that he should
spend his days in elegant ease. It. is
strange that the city merchant and pro-
fessional man should glory, in keeping
body and mind on a strain from the
first day Of January until the last day
of December, year after year, that his
wife may loIl 10 a luxurious coach and
aaunt in costly robes, exempt from care
and labor; but Gods law of marriage
is impera i've and will not be. thwarted
BY human statutes.". =,
Again silence fell between them un-
til he answered: u.
"G1antlng the truth of all this, it but
proves that Gods law of marriage is
perfect, and that of man q general
.uass Of errors. The inference in my
case, is that God did not join US to-
gether, that We never we're truly mar
ried, and that society but corrects its
own error in putting us asunder.-
Whom God joins must be those whom
he upites in heart and mind aod soul as
He has united you and me. Itis His
law which commands me to claim you
as. mine, my other self, the missing half
Of soul and body"
"Do not! Do not! De not say it p'
she plead, while he yet spoke, wring-
ing her hands in passionate entreaty.
He threw one arm around her, and
catching both her hands in one of
his, he drew her once more t. his bo-
som in spite of her struggles, saying:
~"Do not wiring the skin from those
poor little hands. They have done no
wrong, and they are mine, mine, mine.
By my hopes Of heaven nothing but
death shall part US" ..:.
"Do not hear him, Father" she
cried, then ceased to struggle and said:
"You arc man. You would not use
your physical strength against me to
make me do what I think wrong"
I He released her, and raising herself,
she said:
"Thank you. That is like yourself:
Gods law is perfect, but we are very
imperfect reaectors of it. The delib-
crate judgment Of @h' most enli.h'e"-
ed communities, imperfect as it may be,
is safer guide in matters concerning
the general welfare than tn individual
will of the person interested. If there
were no general law to regulate mar
riage, there would be an end Of civiliz-
alton It is better to suffer in obedi-
ence to an imperfect law than intlict
suffering oa another in a probably
criminal attempt to avoid it. Your
marriage has been sanctioned by chill
dren. You once loved your vile, and
first. cared for me because I was her
friend. Your regard for me is strong
outgrowth from that strong love: Your
strong will; aided BY your children and
her true love for you, will yet bring
your affections to their proper rest; but
even if this should mot be, it is right
that you should give her the protection
of your name aud home and the socie-
tJ of her children, that you should
atone for your, errors as we'll as she for
hers.
"She has learned to>lovs you, to love
her children aud to love God. No law
Of man can break the tie that binds
you through them. What will you say
when, iu coming years, they ask you
for their mother-the beautiful, ten
der mother wb om they will always
crave to aeey What account will you
give of the life committed to you, and
which you did not guard by your su-
perior knowledge and experience As
for me, I would rather die now than
ever be the tie that should prevent your