Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1870-09-17
Marriage.
BY ROBERT COLLYER.

It is the experience Of all times, aod' u
doubt Of all peoples, that men and xomer
are made for each other, to be husband
and wife, are very often brought together
by . providence they cannot account for
and can never be separated in their soul,
any more. A young man goes iuto room
With heart as free as an minated swal
low, and comes out Of it sixty minutes af
ter a captive for life and the maiden
knows what the youth knows, and in heI
heart says amen to the revelation, though
it may take her some time to soy it with
her lips. I have friend iu Philadelphia
man Of great intelligence, who told me
that when he was in the middle Of the Pa.
ci6c, on a voyage, he saw face in q
dream, aud it was borne in upon him that
this was the face Of his wife. He went
through many adventures after that, was
away about seven years, came back, went
home, went to quarterly meeting in Bucks
county, and there saw in Quaker bonnet
for the first time with his human eyes, the
face he had seen in his dream The
maiden became his wife and | never saw
a happier pair on the earth, or a sweeter
home or children. Aud l have no doubt
Of the perfect truth of the story: all true
marriages are made 10 Heaven, SO
can true love is blent with reverence
AS heavenly light is bfeut with heavenly
blue" .....-. ..t. ...t'
And any true observation Of the life VIC
arc living will bring the assurance that
marriages Of this sort are by no means so
few as cynics aud satirists would leave US
to inter. If from thirty to forty years of
intimate observation 10 two widely sepa.
rate sections of society, two worlds, and the
intimacy of minister to boot, can be Of
service in forming an opinion, it is mine
that great preponderance Of the men and
women that become husband and wife find
their helpmeets, their matches, the one be-.
ing they need to make up the full measure
so far Of their life in the man or woman
they marry. 1t is probable they may not
find what may call their ideal man or wo.
mau-the wonderful person the rouances
can make SO much better than the Lord
makes us, in the sense that the pictures in
fashion plate are finer than the portraits
of Healy or Eaton. When we form our
taste on this sort of standard, we are likely
to be disappointed and ought to be. 1t is
possible, too, for many reasons I shall not
give, that in the truest match the Lord
himself can make there will be times when
the husband and wife cannot see eye to
eye, or maze one music Of the base and
alto in which they plighted their faith.
1t is extremely probable, if man cannot
always feel satisfied with himself before he
is married. he will not always feel satisfied
with his wifi. after; aud, If she sometimes
charges herself with folly when she is a
maiden, she may do the same now and
then by her husband when she is a wife.
IF my selflove cannot hide or extcnuate
what is wrong 10 myself always, it must
be very tender and holy aud everlasting
love that will steadily overlook what may
be wrong in another that only love a.
,ocN as myself. Indeed, 1 know nothing
in the structure of this universe. or in life,
or in the Bible that can bear me out in
the idea that doubled possibility Of hap
piness 10 the addition Of another life to
mine ought not to bring just that much
more trial also. Twice the felicity im.
plies twice the infelicity in every other
direction. The most delicate organization
is always exposed to the most appalling
pain. This is in some way to be expected
then. In what way we cannot very we'll
forosee, and it is not best We should. 1t
may be health, or temper, or habit. 1t
is no matter, there must be tria! of our
faith in each other, as there is Of our faith
10 God and some doubt now and then Of
each others love, as there is now and then
of the diviner love of Heaven. No man
or woman has any business to enter into
this intimate oneness Of life and soul with
out such an expectation. When the lark
scars and sings over q mountain tarn, his
shadow is as deep in the water as his soar.
ing is high 10 heaven.
Wise old Bishop Taylor says again
" Marriage has in it less Of beauty than
single life, but more Of safety. 1t Is tnore
merry, but also more sad. It is fuller Of
joys, but also of sorrows. It lies under
bore burdens but is supported by the
siren 9Th of love. so that these burdens be.
come delightful" Somcthing like that,
then. is to be expected in the very nature
of things. It is to be found. as the shad.
ows cast by the truest aud purest light thit
ever shines 10 home. The sweetest wife
that ever lived has said things to her hus-
band scores of times that she would allow
no human being to say about him. or once
for all that third person must hear piece
of her mind. lift were in prayer meeting: !:
and the truest husband will now and then
make his will known to his wife in tones
SO imper;ous that, If he heard another Ut
ter them TO the same woman, it would
bring him leaping like 4 leopard At the
scoundrel who dared to speak 30 to the
mother Of his children. Jack" We said
to our journeyman. when he had been
down home once, "Jsck, what i the mat
ter I" Matter enosgh," Jack replied,
sheepishly, " l wer going past house at
Otleytown end, an I hee'ard . woman
scream murder. rushed in, aud there
wer her husband hitten her; so l hit him
and Knocked him doom, and wsr holding