The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-02-25

hundred and ninety mine cases out Of a
thousand, these unlicensed departures and
decampments by moonlight are ruin, tenn
poral and eternal. 1t 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 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 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 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 up half a
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 q 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 a higher
plane, or the marriage on an equality,
there would be no objections, and hence no
inducement to claudestinity. In almost
all cases it means the lowering of woman
hood. Observe this law: A man marrying
woman beneath him in society, may
! raise her to any eminence he himself may
reach; but if 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. Is any
woman so high up that she can afford to
| plot for her own debasement? There is
not State in the American union that ha s
not for the last twenty years furnished an
instance of the sudden departure of some
Intelligent woman from an affiuent home
| to 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
happy, but he undertakes big contract
when with three dollars a day he attempts
to support some one who has lived in a
home that cost twenty thousand dollars
/ per annum. This has been about the
! history of most of such conjunc-
tions Of simplicity and extravaganza,
the marriage Of OK and eagle; The
! first year they got on tolerably well, 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 a 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 also to be de.
plored, 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 tc
be made, and they can see for their daugh.
| ter nothing but wretchedness in that di-
rection. They have keener and wiser APP
probation, for instance, of the certain do.
| nestle demolition that comes from alcohol.
ism in young man. They realize what
an idiot woman is who marries a man
who has not brains or industry enough te
earn a livelihood for family. No bureau
OF statistics can tell us the number OF
women who, after marriage, have to sup.
port themselves and their husbands. II
the husband becomes invalid, it is a beau.
tiful thing to see wife uncomplainingly,
byneedle, or pen, or yard-stick or washing.
machine, support the home. But these
great, lazy masculine louis that stand
around with hands in their pockets, al.
lowing the wife with her weak arm to
light the battle of bread, need to be re.
gurgitated from society. There are in
Vulnerable 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 te
stop such train of disaster. They have
TOO often seen the gold ring put ON the fin
| ger at the altar turning out to be the iron
INK OF chain Of domestic servitude
What farce it is far a man who can mo-
support himself and not worth a cent in
the world to take ring which he pur.
chased by money stolen from his grand.
mothers cupboard and put it on the finge,
Of the bride, saying.
With this ring thee wed and with all INV
worldly goods thee endow.
| 1t Is amazing to see how Soma uo,,a,