The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-31


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 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 60
to Nineyah but provided for the recreart
prophet no better landing place than the middle
of the Mediterranean sea.
The modern novel is responsible for many of
these abseondings. Do you think that young
woman would sit up half night reading novels
in which the hero and heroine get acquainted In
the usual way and carry on their increased
friendliness 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 flight and pursuit, and
narrow escape, and drawn dagger, all ending in
sunshine andiparental forgiveness and bliss unal-
Logged and gorgeous. In many of the cases of es-
capade the idea was implanted in the hot brain OF
the woman by cheap novel, ten cents worth of
unadulterated perdition.
These evasions of the ordinary modes of mar
rage are to be deplored, for the reason that
nearly all OF them are proposed by bad men, l.
the man behaves we'll he has a character to which
he can refer, and he can say: If you want to
inquire about me, there is list of names of peo-
pie in the town or neighborhood where live"
No, the heroes Of escapades are nearly all biga-
mists or iibertines, or drunkards or defrauders,
or first class scoundrels of some sort. They
have no character to lose. They may be dressed
pomatumed and padded. and diamond ringed,
and famboyantcravated, until they bewitch the
eye and intoxicate the olfactories, but they
double distilled extracts Of villainy, moral dirt
and blasphemy. Beware Of them.
Stolen waters sweet. and bread eaten in secret
is pleasant. But he knoweth not that the dead are
there
Fugitive marriage is to be deplored because it
almost always implies woman's descent from
higher social plane to lower. If the man was
not of higher plane. or the marriage on an
equality, there would be no objections, and
hence no inducement to clandestinity. In almost
all cases it means the lowering of womanhood.
Observe this law: A man marrying a woman be-
meath him in society, may raise her to any emf
hence that he himself may reach; but IL a woman
marry a man beneath her in society she always
goes down to his level. That is law memorable,
and there are no exceptions. Is any woman so
high up that she can afford to plot for her own
debasement9 There Is not State in the Amer
lean Union that has not for the last twenty years
furnished an instance of the sudden departure
of some intelligent woman from an af1uent home
to spend her life with some one who can make So
a day, provided he keeps very busy. Well
many a man has lived on So a day ard been hap
py, but he undertakes big contract when with
50 day he attempts to support some one who
has lived in a home that cost 500, 600 per annum.
This has been about the history of most of such
conjuncrions of simplicity ard extravaganza, the
marriage of OK and eagle The first year they got
on tolerably we'll, for it was odd and romantic,
and assisted by applause of people who admire
outlawry. The second year the couple settle
down into complete dislike of each other. The
third year they separate and seek for divorce,
or, as is more probable, the man becomes
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 there.
These truant marriages are also to be deplored
because In most instances they are executed in
defiance of parental wisdom and kindness. Most
parents are anxious for the best welfare of
child. If they make vehement and determined
opposition it is largely because it is match unfit
to be made, and they can see for their daughter
nothing but wretchedness in that direction. They
have keener and wiser appreciation for instance,
of the certain domestic demolition that comes
from alcoholism in young man. They realize
what an idiot a woman is who marrieS a man
who has not brains or industry enough to earn
livelihood for family. No bureau of statistics
can tell us the number Of women who, after
marriage, have to support themselves and their
husbands. If the husband becomes invalid it is
beautiful thing to see wife uncomplainingly,
by needle, or pen, or yard-stick or washing ma
chine support the home But these great lazy
masculine louis that stand around with hands
in their pockets allowing the wife, with her
weak ARM to fight the battle of bread, need to be
regurgitated from society. There are innumer-
able instances in these cities, where the wife
pays the rent and meets all the family expenses
and furnishes the tobacco and the beer for the
lord of the household. No wonder parents put
on all the brakes to stop such train of disaster
They have too often seen the gold ring. put on
the finger at the altar, turning out to be the iron
link of chain of domestic servitude. What Il
farce 1t is for man, who cannot support himself
and not worth cent in the world, to take ring
which he purchased by money stolen from his
grandmother's cupboard and put it on the finger
of the bride. saying:
With this ring thee we'd and with all my worldly
goods thee endow.
It is amazing to see how some women will
marry men knowing nothing about them No
merchant or merchanteSS would sell one hundred
dollars worth Of goods credit without know
ing whether the customer was worthy of being
trusted. No man or woman would buy house
with membranes of mortgages and liens, and
judgments against it uncanceled and vet there
is not an hour of the day or night for the last
ten years there have not been women by hasty
marriage iutrusting their earthly happiness to
men about whose honesty they know nothing,
or who are incumbered with liens and judy
ments, and first mortgages, and second mort
cages. and third mortgages of evil habits No
wonder that in such circumstances parents, in
conjugatlng the verb in question, pass from the
subjunctive mood to the Indicative, and from
the indicative to the imperative. In nearly all
the cases OF escapade that you will hear of the
rest of your lives, there will be headlong leap
over the barriers of parental common sense and
forethought
Stolen waters sweet and bread eaten in secret is
pleasant But he knoweth not that the dead are there
We also deplore these fraudulent espousals,
and this sneaking exchange of single life for
married life. because it is deception. and that is
a corroding and damnng vice. You must de-
ceive your kindred, you must deceive society,
you must deceive all but God, and Him you can
not deceive. Deception does not injure others
30 much as it INJURIES ourselves. Marriage is too
important crisis in ones life to be decided by
sleight-ofh hand or sort of jugglery which says:
presto. change Now you see her and now you
don't" Better wait for years for circumstances
to improve. Time may remove all obstacles
The candidate for marital preferences may
change his habits or get into some trade or
business that will support home, or the inexor-
able father and mother may be promoted to
celestial citizenship. At the right time have the
day appointed. Stand at the end of the best
room in the house, with joined hands and minis
ter of religion before you, to challenge the world
that "f they know of any reason why these two