The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-02-05

Re has no visible means Of support, and
poverty and abandonment seem only
little way ahead; II the twain seem en-.
tirely unmatched In disposition, protest
and forbid and re-enforce your opinion by
that Of others, and put all lawful OBJ
stacles in the way; but do not join that
company Of parents who have ruined their
children by q plutocracy OF domestic
crankiness which has caused more than
one elopement. I know Of q few cases
where marriage has been under the red
hot anathems OF parents and all the neigh
bors, but God approved, and the homes
established have been beautiful and posi-.
lively Edenic.
But while We have admitted there are
real cases Of justinable rebellion, in ninety
nine cases out Of . hundred, yea, in nine
hundred and ninety mine cases ont Of
thousand, these unlicensed departures and
decampments by moonlight are ruin, tenn
poral and eternal. Il is safer for woman
to jump OF 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 IL that she will not.
Read the story Of the escapades IN the
newspapers for the last ten years, and find
me 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 of and leaves them in the lurch;
for, while Satan has q 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 go 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
many of these abscondings. Do you think
that young women would sit M half
night reading novels in which the hero or
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 DO fight
and pursuit, and narrow escape. and
drawn dagger, all ending in sunshine and
parental forgiveness and bliss unalloved
and gorgeous. In many OF the cases Of es-
capade the idea was implanted in the hot
brain of the woman bv cheap novel, ten
cents worth OF unadu,terated perdition.
These evasions Of the ordinary modes Of
marriage are to be deplored. for the reason
that nearly all of them are proposed by
men. If the man behave well he has a
character to which he can refer. and he
can say: "If YOU want to inquire about
me, there is a list of names OF people in the
town or neighborhood where live" No.
the heroes Of escapades are nearly all
either bicamists, or lihertines. or drunk
ards, or defrauders. or first-class scound-
rels Of some sort. They may be dressed in
the height Of fashion. NAV be cologned,
and pomatumed. and padded. and dia-
moned-ringed, and famboyant- cravated.
until they bewitch the eve and intoxicate
the olfactories, but they are double-dis-
titled extract. Of villainv. moral dirt and
blasphemy. Beware of them.
Fugitive marriage is to be deplored be.
| cause it almost always implies woman's
descent from higher social plane to q
lower. Ifthe man was not of higher
plane, or the marriage on an equality,
there would be no objections, and hence no
inducements to clani,stinitv. In almost
all cases it means the lowering of woman
hood. Observe this law: A man marrying
| a woman beneath him in society. may
raise her to any eminence he himself may
| reach; but IL a woman marry n man be.
| meath her in society. she ALWAYS goes
down to his level. That is n law inexora-
| BILE. and there ara no executions. Is any
woman so high up that she can afford to
| plot for her own debasemant? There is
not State in the American union that has
| not for the last twenty wears furnished an
instance OF the sudden departure OF some
intelligent woman from an affluent home
| to spend her life with some one who can
make three dollars day. provided he
keeps very busy. Well. manv a man has
lived on three dollars q dav and been
| happy, but he undertakes a big contract
| when with three dollars day he attempts
| to support some one who has lived in q
home that cost twenty thousand dollars
per annum. This has been abont the
history of most of such conjunc-
tions Of simplicity and extravagance,
the marriage of OK and eagle: The
first year they got on tolerablv we'll. for it
is odd and romantic. and assisted by ap-
plause of people who admire outlawry.
The second year the couple settle into COM
plete dislike Of each other. The third year
they separate and seek for divorce. or. as
is more probable, the man becomes a
drunkard and the woman . blackened
waif Of the street.
Stolen waters are sweet. and bread eaten
in secret Is pleasant. But he knoweth not
that the dead are there.
These truant marriages are alse to be de.
plo-ed, because in most instances they are
| executed in defiance Of parental wisdom
and kindness. Most parents are anxious
for the best welfare Of q child. II they
make vehement and determined opposition
| it is largely because it is match unfit to
be made. and they can see for their daugh-
ter nothing but wretchedness in that di.
rection. They have keener and wiser ap.
probation. for instance. of the certain do.
nestle demolition that comes from alcohol.
ism in young man. They realize what
an idiot a woman is who marries q man
who has not brains or industry enough tc
earn a livelihood for q family. No bureau
Of statistics can tell US the number Of
| woman wh0 Altar rria havo IN cr1v,.