The Osceola times., 1881-05-21
THE HON =.
A Prominent writers Views on Marriage
and drunkenness.

A lady writer thus expresses her
views en- the causes of unhappy mar
riagcs. She says: We differ con-
siderably Us to tiR causes OF unhappy
marriages, 'Hasty, imprudent unequh
marriages bring certain unhappiness.
SAYS the recent article, heard of one
case where the parties we're engaged
seven years, knew each other thorough
ly, if knowledge OF human nature is
possible, which ] almost douot. The
lover was as ardent and importunate as
lover could be, and few months after
marriage the pair were divorced. am
inclined TO believe hasty marriages fully
as safe as the deliberate kind. 1 have
seen prudent marriages by the score, for
prudence, especially Of worldly, tinan-
cial kind, is virtue in which We Ameri-
cans excel. think marriages as a rule
are tolerably equal, so haste and impru-
dence do not induce all the evil. All,
mol far more is il due to the notion that
every man and woman must marry
whether or no. Every man and woman
must, perforce, try his or her hand at
an art which is the highest, the sublim-
est in human life. one requiring the
purest ideal, the most unerring percep.
ton, the greatest measure of ability, the
most perfect individual character; the
aim is more difficult one than that
which the artist, the painter, poet, or
musician has set before him. Each
of these has a fair chance Of securing
the degree of harmony he aspires to,
but the complete harmony OF two
joined lives, who can secure that?
Pity that the old Spartan stand
ard as to who were really fit to live
could not be applied To these thousands
Of silent candidates for matrimony!
Who are really fit to be married. Does
it require rare prophetic power to pre-
dict the result of many Of the marriages
we see en- cred intoP
There is where reform should be
brought into action" Doubtless. But
/ am the last person in the world to
seek to enlist in any reform whatsoever;
observing for years the various public
and private attempts at it, am con-
vinced of their utter uillity, and would
not waste effort and vitality in any such
Quixotic way. Alter 'he moral patient,
the unwilling recipient of any species OF
reform is tugped, pushed, coaxed up the
hill OF a better life, he deliberately rolls
back down the hill as soon as the pro-
tecting arm is removed or the exhorIing
voice stops to take breath. / have
seen instance after instance Of this sort
of failure, heart-breaking failure, and 1
have had two or three heavenly. expert
ences myseIf that suffice for a lifetime
More efiicacious than the praying over,
arguments, persuasions, sound reason
ing OF the temperance reformers would
be the smallest atom of seli-respect,
manlness, will in the drunkard; be is
manifestly destitute of these saving
qualities. Well, then, let society, in.
stead of dawdline and filling the air with
lamentations, put it out of the power Of
imbeciies to obtain liquor in any shape.
That would settle the business, and cut.
ting the knot is better than trying to
unite it, especially when the devil him-
self has put all his pet twists into it to
battle the pious.
Urge our young people to avoid such
debasing, miserable unionsY Not |. An
Alpine donkey, Mexican burro, is
mot more stubborn than our average
young persons Of either sex. Say don't
to them and they invariably do, rather
more quickly, TOO, than they at first
intended; SO the evil is but pre-
cipitated. Whatever you may say TO a
girl about the vices of her intended but
endears him to her, for she looks for
ward TO the blissful task of reforming
him, and even has visions of falling on
her knees, in becoming attitude, in
some lager beer saloon. Uniaithiul? He
would not be unfaithful to her. To say
ANYTHING to an enthusiastic youth against
l. u L. Ia,- h.,
pleasant and less effectual. The imper-
inent interference of friends, etc.
No, we are not called upon in life to
reform more than one, and the ignoble
failure we make of that In most cases
leads to this oilicious zeal in behalf of
our neighbors. ia man does not drink,
smoke, embezzle, harass his de- eStors, de-
fraud his creditors, or torment any wo-
man out of her senses, he is doing pretty
well, and ii has taken a deal OF self
training to bring him up to that point.
If woman has so far progressed as not
to love dress better than anything in
heaven or on earth, she is approaching
gradually that superior intellectually
which the woman-tutiraglsts claim for
her.
II is entirely too gratifying to the
self.love OF the sinner, the reprobate, to
know that all these efforts at conversion,
at reform. that the church. and the re-
form movement, and the amateur saints
In all directions are frantically making
for him. If he felt they would just
let him 60 down to the dogs if he
wanted to, he might change his mind;
and if he felt that all their interest, their
love. their helpfulness was for the good
and worthy, he might speedily yet tired
Of remaining outside the pale Of decency
and civilization.