The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-09-12
E4RLT NLfRRTIGE.

When DR.. Johnson advocated the early
marriage of young men, he spoke the NOR
atty of the Christian, the wisdom of the
philosopher, and the knowledge of the man
of the world. He knew from his own eX-
perience, and from the wild lives of the
men with whom he associated during the
first years of his London life, that early
marriage is the great safeguard of youth,
the preseryer of purity, and the sure pro
moter Of domestic happiness-''the only
bliss of paradise that has survived the
fall"
Profoundly convinced of this, we delib-
crately declare that early marriages should
be, as a general rule, recommended and
promoted by those who have influence or
authority over young people. By early
marriage we do not mean the marriage Of
boys and girls, but of men and women.
Marriage is the only natural, proper and
safe state for the majority of persons liv-
ing in the world. If one-third of the an
gelic host-those bright and pure spirits
fresh from the divine Hand-fell at the
very first temptation, how can man, prone
as he is to sin. hope to escape? If the
saints of old, who subjected their bodies to
the spirit by penances so terrible as almost
TO realize Byron's remark ''of meriting
heaven by making earth helP'-if these
holy men found it so difficult to resist the
allurements of the lesb how can the pam
pered and luxurious Christians of these
days, living in an atmosphere of seduc
tiOn, mirgling in a gay and wicked world,
and thrown in constant contact with men
who break all the commandments with
perfect indiffercnce-how can these Chris
tians of the latter days hope to avoid the
dangers that surround them if they refuse
to seek the safety that is presented to them
in marriage, unless they make use of un-
usual means and preveutives which few
are willing to adopt?
Byron, who had tried all pleasures, and
gratiied all his passions unto safety, de-
clared that the ''best state for morals IS
marriage This was the mature and de
hberatc opinion Of man who had married
most wretchedly.
Shakespeare says: "a young man mar
Tied is man that's marr'd'' ''% But mar
ried, as he was, at the early age of eigh-
teen, TO woman eight years his senior, lie
was most glorious contradiction of his
own assertion. So assured is his position
as the monarch of the world of literature
that the most daring and ambitious spirits
have never presumed to dispute his supro
macy; much less has there over been found
a man bold enough to play the part of the
Lucifer of literature, and attempt to de
prive Shakespeare of his 'pride of place. .
Surely, the fact of the poor Stratford boy
filing the world with his name and fame
after marrying at eighteen, is an argumen
in favor of early marriage.
"A young man married is not MAJ
that's marr'd.'' Had Byron married hi!
earliest and purest love, Mary Chaworth
both the poet and the world would have
been the gamers. We would then have
had more poems like the magnificent
Fourth Canto Of CIilds Harold. and rc
poem like the voluptuous Don .yyau. Do
mestic happiness, instead of domestic mis-
cry, would have been Byron's earthly
blessing, for the pure affection of his noble
#AUs IFeH that Ends H-eT, act. g. 80. fif.