The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1886-03-12

real cases Of justiflable rebellion, In ninety.
nine cases out of q hundred, yea, in nine
hundred and ninety mine. cases out of .
thousand, these unlicensed departures and
decampments by moonlight are ruin, tenn
poral and eternal. It is safer for woman
to jump off the docks Of the East River and
depend on being able to swim to the other
shore or get picked up by ferry-boat. The
possibilities are that she may be rescued,
but the probability is that she will not.
Read the story of the escapades in the
newspapers for the last ten years, and find
me a half dozen that do not mean poverty,
disgrace, abandonment, police court, di-
vorce, death and hell. "Stolen waters are
sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleas
ant. But he knoweth not that the dead
are there" Satan presides over the esca-
pade. He introduces the two parties to
each other. He gets them to pledge their
troth. He appoints where they shall
meet. He shows them where they can find
officiating minister or squire. He points
out to them the ticket Office Of the rail
train. He puts them aboard, and when
they are going at forty miles the hour, he
jumps off and leaves them in the lurch;
for, while Satan has a genius in getting
people into trouble, he has no genius for
getting people out. He induced Jonah to
take ship for Tarshish, when God told him
to so to Nineveh; but provided for the re-
creant prophet no better landing place
than the middle of the Mediterranean sea.
The modern novel is responsible for
Of hoon sclx
that young women would sit up half
night reading novels in which the hero or
heroine get acquainted in the usual way
and carry on their increased friendship
until. with the consent Of parents, the day
of marriage is appointed and amid the
surrounding group of kindred the vows
are taken. Oh, no. There must be fight
and pursuit, and narrow escape, and
drawn dagger, all ending in sunshine and
parental forgiveness and bliss unalloyed
and gorgeous. In many Of the cases Of es-
capade the idea was implanted in the hot
brain of the woman by a cheap novel, ten
cents worth Of unadulterated perdition.
Fugitive marriage is to be deplored be-
cause it almost always implies woman's
descent from higher social plane to a
lower. II the man was not of higher
plane, or the marriage on an equality,
there would be NO objections, and hence no
to clandestinity. In almost
all cases il means the lowering Of woman
hood. Observe this law: A man marrying
q woman beneath him in society, may
raise her to any eminence he himself may
reach; but IL q woman marry man be-
meath her in society, she always goes
down to his level. That Is law inexora-
BILE, and there are no exceptions. IL any
woman so high up that she can AFFORD to
plot for her own debasement? There 10
not a State in the American union that has
not for the last twenty years furnished an
instance Of the sudden departure Of some
Intelligent woman from an affluent home
10 spend her life with some one who can
make three dollars day, provided he
keeps very busy. Well, many . man has
lived on three dollars . day and been
when with three dollars day he attempts
10 support some one who has lived in q
home that cost twenty thousand dollars
per annum. This has been about the
history Of most Of such conjunc-
lions of simplicity and extravagance,
the marriage Of or and eagle; The
l1rst year they got on tolerably well, for 1t
% odd and romantic. and assisted by APP
plause Of people who admire outlawry.
The second year the couple settle into COM
plete dislike Of each other. The third year
hey separate and seek for divorce, or, ~
8 more probable, the man becomes .
RI Nd q
waif Of the street.
Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten
n secret IL pleasant. But he knoweth not
hat the dead are there.
These truant marriages are also to be de-
,lored, because in most instances they are |
in defiance Of parental wisdom |
md kindness. Most parents are anxious |
or the best welfare Of q child. II they
make vehement and determined opposition
is largely because it il . match unfit to |
'e made, and they can see for their daugh- |
er nothing but wretchedness In that d. |
ection. They have keener and wiser APP
recitation, for instance, of the certain do
nestle demolition that comes from alcohol |
SIN in young man. They realise what |
N idiot . woman 10 who marries . man
vho has not brains or industry enough to
arm livelihood for . family. No bureau
( statistics can tell rs the number Of |
women who, after marriage, have to sup. I
'ort themselves and their husbands. II |
he husband becomes invalid, IL 10 beau
iful thing to see . wife uncomplainingly,
y needle, or pen, or yard-stick or washing
machine, support the homo. But these
reat, lazy masculine louts that stand
round with hands in their pockets, al
owing the wife with her weak arm to
ght the battle Of bread, need to b ~
urgitated from society. There are In
instances in these cities where
be wife pays the rent and meets all the
amily expenses, and furni hes the tobacco
nd the beer for the lord Of the household.
10 wonder parents put on al the brakes to
top such train Of disaster. They have
% often seen the gold ring put ON the an
or at the altar turning out to be the iron
NIX Of . chain Of domestic servitude.
That farce IL 10 far man who can not
Import himself and not worth . cent in
ae world to take ring which he pur-
based by money stolen from his grand.
lother's cupboard and put IL ON the finger