Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1877-08-02


cold Indifference and blasting disappoiut
ments of the world, is only mockey on the
name of hell3 The journals Of the present
day ore constantly warming our young peoplo
by the recital of blood ourdliug murders, or
attempts on the lives of one or the other Of
the parties Of these awful alliances, of cruel
separations, of soandalous divorce suits,
while others, ashamed or too timid to resort
to such expedients, seek relief in suicide or
groan on under tho soul CALLING chain till
welcome death brings them release in an
untimely grave.
Marriage, it has been said, is lottery out
of which it is only possible occasionally to
draw one prize for many blanks. If this
is fact it is made so by those who draw,
and not by him who originatedit. Marriage,
in its proper sense, was never designed to be
the abettor of covetousnesa, the inoreaser
and centralizcr of worldly wealth, puppet
to dance to the frivolous and often wicked
caprioes of speoulating parents aud fortune
or fame hunting suitors, nor least of all to
be the minister Of unholy passion. Looked
upon and entered into under any of the
above aspects, it is undoubtedly lottery
if nothing worse, and she or he who 80
draws deserves to draw blank-a blank of
love, oongcniaity Of aou and all the tender
sympathies which make the sum Of true
welded bliss.
One of the great obstacles to the happi-
ness which God designed should grow out
of the welded state is, that the parties
married. are too frequently altogether differ
ent from the parties courted, and unfortu-
nately the discovery is not mado' till tho
difficulty is beyond romedy. What good
can possibly be anticipated by those who
represent themselves to each other under a
character which they must know from their
own personal experience they cannot sustain
through life. How common it is to see
young people during their intercourse rela-
tive to marriage acting towards ono another
in such manner as to hide from each other,
Us much as possible, their true character
The young lady is brought to believe that
the gentleman who Graves her baud is the
very impersouation of all virtue and ex-
cellenoe; her woman's nature with all its
native accumen is powerlcss to discover in
word, gesture or action one single objec-
tionable feature, aud all the latent springs
of affection and love of which she is
capable, flow out toward this fanciedrem-
bodimcnt goodness. She plights him her
love; and hope and fancy combine their
common powers to portray future of bliss,
contentment and love second only to that
enjoyed in Eden. On the other hand, the
gentleman is brought to believe that the
lady he loves is par excellence the exponent
of all human aud even angelic perfection
Under this strange delusion the clergyman
is called in and they are made one. They
set out on life's untried and unknown path
anon tho disguise, by which caoh was SO
successful in cheating the other, drops of
and the true face and character revals ITSELF
The awful discovery is made that each have
been made the victim of deooption--base de-
ception. Love and hope look on iu terror, and
alasl too. often afrighted BY the dreadful
reality, take their everlasting departure; and
hate and despair seize the vacant throne and
the lurid fires of hell are kiudled where the
soft radiant beams Of heaven should have
forever shod thoir celestial influence! Briny
teurs quenoh not the flame, elimination and
recrimination only serve to intensity the
pain, and the miserable artifices Of their
own ruin are transformed into demons to
torment each other and those around them
or to seek relief in means and appliances
by God and religion disalowed. M
The parties to whom the writer would
offer ndmonilion may doubtless think the
above picture over colored, but if the record
of the day and my own observations are to
be trusted there are thousands who can
testify that the half has not been told Dear
young friends, if you are Of proper age and
can sec your way open for the proper support
of family, have acquired that experience
which cducation and respectable association
and religious culture imparts and which
alono can fit you for so important q relation,
to you, / say, it is your duty to marry. 1t
is the relation which God and nature do
signed you for, but in this, like all other
great aud importantnndersakiDgs, remember
that "IIoncsty is the best policy"