Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1870-06-03
EDITOR OF CEDAR FALLS GAZETTE:

few remarks by one of our diyines,
last Sabbath morning, we thought
that the arguments used were more
forcible than convincing, and were
at a loss to understand how the gen.
tleman could SO confound the idea of
immortality with the rearing of small
families. The substance and final
ending of his remarks were to the
effect, that unless woman gives her.
self up entirely to the rearing and
training of a large family of children,
mans happiness is blasted, his home
broken up, divorces increase in mum.
Der, and immortality spreads like
some devastating element. This
theory is so absurd-so far fetched
that one can hardly know how or in
what light to look at it. We have
yet to learn from the beginning of
infidelity in Greece and Rome down
to the present time, that its origin
can be attributed to this. We will
investigate and then advance some
reasons why large families do not ex-
list as rule at the present time. In
the first place, there Is great want
of that Anglo Saxon element that so
largely ditfused itself through the
blood, bone and sinew of our fore
fathers and their offspring. Both
men and women have lost that
healthy and vigorous power neces-
sary to perpetuate a race sound in
body and mind. The woman Of to-
day is not the woman of yesterday.
The physical is losing ground and
the intellect is weakened for want of
vital enegy to feed on; and this be-
cause of the exclusiveness of our
American people, who fail to see that
without a commingling of races or
nations no government or people ever
prospered. There is hardly one wo-
man among dozen, at this time, who
is capacitated physically to rear and
properly control large family and
in many cases the mothers life Is the
forfeit-giving up her life from phys
ical exhaustion.
Nor is the husband and father fit
ted for bis burden. And shall we at
tribute all this to fashion and its de-
mands. Not by any means. Doubt
less there are many evils arising from
fashion and its attendant dissipa-
tions; yet the primary cause has
deeper root. Let us look at the man
Of the present day. While we take
no part in the reform movement, we
do think that some strong minded
women are necessary to take care of
the effeminate men, for we cannot
deny the existance of such a class,
and reform is necessary in that di-
rection. Look at at the man who
has selected for his life companion a
rosy and blooming woman, whose
attractions soon fade under the null
tiplied cares of maternity. What is
the result. He turns from the lesser
light to one more attractive-one who
has kept pace " it'll the times-whose
intellect has been ripening under the
genial rays cast from life free from
care. We have known women by
nature noble and good, who have be-
come seekers after fashion, and all to
win back the admiration, and love
lost while giving their hearts and at
tention to their family. There are
men who keep true under the most
trying circumstances, but they are
the exception not the rule,-and we
do not believe any woman blessed
with children will waste time in pet
ting q lap~dog, at least, such a case
has never come under our obscrva-
ton. But, very common thing,
and without comment, is the fact
that many men are surrounded by
their pet dogs, and spend hours
watching the gambols Of their canine
favorites to the utter exclusion of
their families.
Now, if we wish to effect reforma-
ton in society and families, we must
begin at the head, and as man is the
head, of course, our efforts must
point in that direction, and the first
movement will be to welcome more
hardy but not less intellectual class
of people to our shores, Then, in
the intermingling of cur nation with
another will be seen a better and
healthier class of people, for 1t Is a
conceded fact that no nation ever did
exist whose power did not consist i'm
the commingling of one or more
nationalities. Then let us renovate
and restore the purity of the fountain
head /; make man true and domestic,
then woman will, like the stained
web that whitens in the sun grow
pure, by being purely shone upon"
Then divorces will cease, family dis.
cord will be unknown, the name of
husband and father will bear sacred
significance. Then women will
cherish the holy name of mother and
cher children will rise up and call
her blessed" VIRA.
MERRITT VS.. MERRITT.-John u.
Merritt has stolen q march on Lu-