The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-02-10
THE MARRIAGE RING
DIR. TaImage on Clandss,ine Marrias-
es and Escapades.

The subject of DR.. Talmage's third
sermon of his series was "Clandes-
tine Marriages and Escapades," and
the text proverbs IX., II and Is !:
Stolen waters are sweet and bread
taken in secret is pleasant. But be
knoweth not that the dead are there. >
The preacher said:
The Garden OF Eden was a great
orchard of fruit bearing trees, bush
els and bushels OF round, ripe glorl-
Gus fruit but The hortieulturist- and
his wife, having it in charge, hank
cred for one special tree simply be-
cause it was forbidden, starting bad
streak in human nature, so that chill
dren now sometimes do something
simply because they are forbidden
to DO 1t. This kink in the human
race Is not easily uusnarled. Solo
mon recognizes this principle in the
text, aud also the disaster that fol-
lows forbidden conduct.
The institution of Christian mar
riage is like a ship launched by the
Lord grandly from the banks of the
Eaphrates and floating out on the
sea for the admiration and happi-
ness O! all nations. But Free-love-
ism struck il from one side and Nor
monisIu struck it from another side,
and hurricanes of hbertiuism have
struck it ON ali sides, until the old
ship needs repair in every plank and
beam and sail and bolt and clamp
and transom and stanchion. Ia 9TH
er words the notions of modern So
cisiy must be reconstructed on the
suti-ct of the marriage institution.
In New England, which mas been
considered by many the most moral
part of the United States. there
are 1900 divorces per year. In Yer
mont swapping wives Is not a rare
transaction. Moreover our ooasted
Professionalism is, on this subject,
more lax than Roman Catholicism
Roman Catholicism admits of no di-
vorce except the reason that Christ
admitted as a lawful reason. But
Protestantism is admitting anything
and everything. and the larger the
prapOrti of Protestants in any
part OF the country the larger he IA
tio of divorce: Do you not, then,
think that Professionalism needs
some toniug on this subject? We
admit that ciapdestinity and esca-
pade are sometimes authorized and
made right by parental tyranny or
domestic serfdom. Satan presideS
over the escapade. 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 ind
officiating minister or squire. He
points out to them the ticket office
for the railroad train. He puts them
aboard, and when they are going
at 40 miles the hour. be jumps of
and leaves them in the lurch ; for
while Satan has genius for getting
people into trouble he has no genius
for getting people out.
Children are not expected to mar
~ to please their parents but TO
please themselves. Given good
morals, means of livelihood, ap-
propriate age and quality Of social
positions and no parent has right to
prohibit a union that seems delibef-
ate and matter of the heart. Ii
the hand offered in marriage be
blotched of intemperance. if the
life of the marital candidate has
been debauched, if he has no visible
means of support and poverty and
abandonment seem only a little
way ahead. If the twain seem entirely
unmatched in disposition, protest
and forbid and reinforce your opin-
ion by that of Others, and put all
Lawful! obstacles in the way; but do
not Join that company Of parents
who have ruined their children By
a plutocary of domestic crankiness,
which has caused more than one
elopement.
In many of the cases of escapade
the idea was implanted in the hot
brain of the woman by a cheap nov
Il, 10 cents worth of unadulterated
perdiiion. The heroes of escapade
are nearly all either bigamists or
| libertines, or drunKards, or deiraud
ers, or first class seoundrels of some
sort. They have no character to
lose. They may be dressed in the
height Of fashion, may be cologned
and pomatumed and padded and
diamond ringed and famboyant-
cravatled until they bewitch the eve
and inloxicate the olfactories, but
thew are double distilled extracts OF
viiiainy. moral dirt and blasphemy.
These truant marriage5 are also to
be deploTed, because In most instau-
ces they are executed In defiance of
parental wisdom and kindness.
Most parents are anxious Tor the
welfare Of a child If they make q
vehement and determined opposi
ton it is largely because it is Il
match unfit to be made. If YOU
have sensible parents, take then
into your confidence IN all the
affairs Of the heart They will give
YOU more good advice in one hour
than YOU can get from ali the world
besides in five years. Fugitive mar
riage is to be deplored because il
almost always implies woman's de-
scent from a higher social plane to 3
lower 4 man marrying a woman
beneath him in society may raise
her to any eminence be himself
may reach; but il a woman marry 2
man beneath her in society, she
always goes down to his level II
view of all this charge you 20 break
nm plandestinp correS DOnHpncp If van