National Republican., 1888-01-23

His subject was. Broken Promises of Mar
riage," and his text from Judges xi, 35; II
have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and l
cannot 60 back" He said:
Gen. Jephthah, the commander-n.c chief OF
the Israelitish forces, is buckling on the sword
for the determination OF the pcstiferous Am.
monites, and lookingup TO the sky he promises
that If God will give him the victory he Will
put to death and sacrifice as u burnt offering
the first thing that comes out from the door
OF his homestead when he goes back. The
hurrahing of triumph soon runs along the
line of all the companies, regiments and
divisions of Jephthah's army. A worse
beaten enemy than those Ammonites never
strewed any plain with their carcasses. Gen.
Jephthah, fresh from his victory, is now on his
way home. As he comes over the hills and
through the valleys the whole march home
ward for his mon is q cheer, but for him
great anxiety, iOr he remembers his vow to
slay and burn the first thing that comes forth
from his house 70 greet him az at,er his victory.
shall first come out and who could get heart
TO beat out the life OF faithful creature like
that, as he comes fawning aud barking and
master In merry welcome after long absencc2
No; II was not that which came forth to meet
Jephthah. Perhaps 1t may be young dove
let out from It's cage In tho generals heme
which, gaining its liberty, may seem to rejoice
in the public gladness and futter on the
shoulder of the familiar head of the house
hold. But who could have the heart 10 slay
such winged Innocent No; IL was not that
which came forth to meet Jephthah. Or 1t
may be some good neighboT that will rush out
togreet him after having first been In TO tell
the family of the near approach of the general.
But who could slny n neighbor who had come
on the scene to rejoice the reunited house.
hold? No; \ was not that which came forth to
meet Jephthah.
AS he advances upon his home the door
opens and out OF 1t comes one whose appear
ance under other circumstances would have
been an indescribable Joy, but under tho
pledge of a sacrifice becomes horror which
blanches his cheek and paralyzes his form aud
almost hurls him flat to the earth. HIS child,
out TO greet him, her step keeping time to a
timbrel which she shakes and smites.
Pa d, ever es,, eon1peroI's cheer end md
two Of his masterpieces presents the scene;
and Handel made 1t the last aud climacteric
work Of his life to put this pathetic aud over
months toiling amid its majestic harmonies
until his eyesight gave out, and, as though
the sad scene of Jephthah's daughters
vision, the grand old musician was led
blind into the orchestra for the first rendering
of Jephthah. All the glories Of victorious
and his banner is folded IN grief, and his sword
goes back into the scabbard with dolorous
clang, and the muilled drums takes the place
Of the cymbals, and the "tremolo" the place
Alas, my daughter, thou hast brought
me very low and thou art one of them that
trouble me; for have opened my mouth to
the Lord, and cannot go back" During two
months amid the mountains without shelter
the maidens who would have been at her we'd
ding ranged with Jephthah's daughter up and
down, bewailing her coming sacrifice.
Commentators and theologians are In dis
pute as to whether that girl was slain or not,
and as to whether II she were slain 1t was right
or wrong in Jephthah TO be the executioner.
discussion into which shall not be diverted
trom the overmastering consideration that we
had better look out what we promise, better be
cautious what enngagement we make, better that
pliRhted vow we feel the responsibility, lest
we have either to sacrifice the truth or sacri.
flee an immortal being, and we be led TO cry
out witt the paroXysm OF a Jephthah: ~ have
20 back"
There is one ward in almost all the insane
cemetery that you need. to visit, They are
occupied by the men and women who are the
victims OF broken promises OF marriage. The
women in those wards and in those mortuary
receptacles are in the maj jority, because woman
lives more in her affections than does man, and
laceration OF them in her case Is more apt to
be dementia and fatality. In some re.
gions Of this land the promise of marriage Is
considered to have no so!emnity or binding
force. 1T was only made, In fun. They may
person or opulcnt in estate appears on
the scene, then the rings are, returned and
the amatory letters and all relationship
daughters sacrificed rs burnt offerings. The
whole subject needs to be taken out OF the
realm of comedy INTO tragedy, and men and
women need to understand that, while there
are exceptions TO the rule, once having SOL
emDly pledged to each other, heart and hand
the forfeiture and abandonment of that pledge
makes the transgressor in the sight of God n
perlurer, and so the day of Judgment will re-
veal 1t. The one has lied to the other, and all
liars shall have their place in the lake that
burneth with fire and birthstone.
woman Il
business world, is there any obligation to fll'-
ill 1t? If a man sign note for $500, ought he
to pay it2 liza contract be signed involving
the building OF honse or the furnishing OF a
bill of goods, ought they by stand that contract?
'Oh, yes" always answered. Then ask the
further question: Is the heart, the happiness,
the welfare, the temporal and eternal destiny
of IL man or woman worth as much as the
house, worth 5000; worth anything? The
iealm OF prohigacy is filed with men and
women as a result of the wrong answer to
that, question, The most ,aggravating, stu
pendouss, and God.dcfying lie is Il lie in the
shape OF a broken espousal
he not back out? Not once in ten thousand
times, What II l change, my mind about a
promissory note and decline to pay it, and
suddenly put my property in such shape that
you could not collect your note? How would
you like that? That, you say, would be a fraud
So is the other fraud, and punish it God will
certainly as you live, and Just as certainly II
you do not live. have known men betrothed
to loving and good womanhood resigning their
engagement and the victim went down in
hasty consumption, while suddenly the recre-
brilliant bridal party, and the two promised
u VIII with solemity that seemed insurance
OF lifetime happiness. But the simple fact
play entitled, Tanning the Shrew" He etound
out when too late that he had not married into
the family of the "Graces' but into the family
of the 'Nuries" To the day of his death the
murder of his first betrothal followed him.
The Bible eXtols one who "sWeareth to his
own hurt and changeth not That is, when
There may be cases where deception has been
used at the time OF engagement, and extraor-
binary circumstances where, the promise Is
nine cases out of thousand engagement is as
binding as marriage. Robert Burns with all
his faults well knew the force of marital en-.
he, standing on one side the brook Ayr, and
Mary Campbell ON the other, they baIhed their
hands in the water and then put them ON the
boards OF a Bible, making their pledge Of
of that book to this day in Robert Burns's
GandTTi'in5 nl may S 6e found md the words Levitt,
the New Testament in his own handwriting /:
Matthew V, 30 Thou shalt not forswear thy
sell but shalt perform unto the Lord thine
suppose n ship captain offers his servl ,es to
take ship out to sea. After he gets little
way he comes alonsldc OF a vessel with more
beautiful flag, and which perhaps has richer
cargo, and Is bound for more attractive port.
Suppose he rings bell for the engineer TO
SLOW M and the wheel stops Now, ] see the
captain being lowered over the side of the yes
sci into a. small boat, and he crosses TO the
gayer and Weather craft and climbs up the
sides, and is seen walking the bridge Of the
other ship. ! pick mp his resigned speaking
what does this mean? Did you not promise to
take this ship to Southampton, England?r
"Hes," says the captain "but have changed
m m M In hnt
aud am going to take charge here. | shall
send back to You all tie letters got while
managing that ship and everything ] got from
me that the worst fate for such a captain as
that Is too good for him. But II is lust what a
man or woman does who promises 10 take
one through the voyage. of life,
then breaks the promise. The sending back
of all the letters and rings and necklaces ana
keepsHkes cannot make That right which is in