Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-06-11
The Ideal Marriage.
From a Boston Minister'S Sermon.

He preached, in response to many
special requests, on Marriage" TAX
ing for bis text Gen. IL, 21>24 The
subject of marriage was taken because
of It's intrinsic importance and its fun
damental relations to all social order.
The community are now in fear of a
coming pestilence that will bring
death and destruction in the summer.
Efforts are being made to ward off
this enemy and prevent its fearful
work, but at the same time another
pestllence Is on the way, and its black
fringe is touching us. 1t is far more
dangerous than any other conceivable
one, from the fact that il menaces the
home, the greatest of all social institu-
lions. In Massachusetts in 1860 there
was one divorce to fifty marriages. in
1876 one TO every twenty, and in 1883
one to every fourteen. In New Eng
land 1000 families are broken up by
divorce every year.
This alone is an appalling state of af-
fairs. Along with the increase In di~
vOrce moral poison has increased. In
the period between 1860 70 divorce ia
creased two and one~half times in fire.
quency, while crimes against chastity
and moralitysincreased three-fold. The
question then comes: Has not loose
ness Of legislation fostered 1ooseness
OF social life, and how long will it
take to bring the ratio of divorce to
marriage to an equity? Then the
nome as al Institution will be destroy
ed, and the millennium of hell will
be here. The marriage bond is sink
ing IN the public estimation to a mere
civil contract, and there needs to be q
reassertion of the divine origin of
marriage. The Roman Catholic
Church is not responsible for any of
this state Of affairs, be it said to it's
credit. The difficulty is that subordi-
nate reasons of profane nature have
undermined the sacred element. Mar
riage has become the stapping>stone
to improve family connections, to
gain admission to society, to gain
power, and many like thiHgs. The
young man looks for wealth, the girl
to gaining her own way. The mean
ing Of the institution seems to be mis-
apprehended. For this process of dis
indignation something is needed be
sides prohibitory legislation. 1t is
not the lack of high ideal that rem
ders so many marriages of our day a
series of social disasters? It must be
religion and morality in its highest
sense. The ideal must be raised in
popular and youthful mind The
underlying idea and primeval prin-
ciple is moral, not physical or ma
terlal. The idea is that it is not good
for man to be alone, and so woman
was made as his complement, his con-
verse. The fundamental principle is
cOmpanionship. There is nothing
equal to the dreariness of a heart that
has been torn from its counterpart by
death. The unmarried man or WON
an must have something as a substi-
tute, either IN greater work or larger
interests, to that self~centered selfish
ness which makes the terms "old
maid" or bachelor" opprobrious.
True marriage is the greatest moral
good, an actual and absolute surren-
der of individual unit. The only
higher act is surrendered to G. cd.
True marriage is a redemptive force,
| and is aimed to destroy selfshness
and teach US the secret of living for
others and not for ourselves. The
social value of the institution is ine~
vitality salutary in any social organi-
zafon. Some look upon marriage
in the same way as the pairing of
birds IN spring. He who does take
this purely physical view is lower
than bird Or beast. This danger can
only be averted when young men and
women look at matrimony as means
of moral elevation and spiritual en-
Ilightenment.