Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-23
1 PLIGHqED TRORH.
m.ry Are the Cells and Graves
Filled With Victims Of Broken
Promises of Marriage.
. = GEways Best 10 FEEL the 6raat
ResponsibiIity IN Matters OF Vows
aud Batr8Ihslss
Laoera.iOn' of : Fl etiop' are More apt to
M Fatal IN the Female Than
ia The NJ ale,
auoKgE PROMISES OF MARIA GE.

RpooKLYS, n. Y, Jan. 22.-The Rev. !
# D.Wttr TaImage, d D., preached this
ming he third Of his series Of "Ser-
-oors to the Women Ct America. with
Tr,,ortent Hints 10 Men" His subject
-. "Broken Promises Of Marriage"
nd mis- tex! from judges x, s.: 81 have
o,aned my N Ju!h unto the Lord, and l
cannot 90 back" He said:
General Jephthsh, the cOmmander-in-
chief Of the Israelitish forces, is buckling
y, The sword for the determination Of
.ba rest;felous Ammonites, and looking
-, 10 the sky he promises that if God
Nil q,ge him the victory he will put TO
1ss.5 sId sacrifice as burnt Offering
t1a frst tning that comes out from the
5oor Of his homestead when be goes
Isck The hurrEhing OF triumph soon
rms along the line of ST the companies,
rerfmeuis and divisions Of Jephthah's
army 4 TCrSe beaten enemy than those
AmmO1i,es3 never strewed any plain
Vim their ChrcAsseS. General Jephthan,
fresh from his victory, is now on his way
home. as he comes over the hills and
through the valleys the whole march
h0meWard for Eis men is cheer, but for
rjYn 3 great anxiety, for he remembers
fis VOW TO stay aud burn the first thing
inst Games forth from his house to greet
MIN alter his victory.
Perhaps it may be the old watch dog
that shaIl first come out, and who could
Get heart to beat out the life Of faithful
creature like that as he comes fawning
and barking and frlsking and putting up
mis- paw against his master in merry well
come after long absence? No; it was
not that whic1 came forth to meet
J.pb,hsh. Perhaps it may he young
dove let out from its cage in the Gen
ersl's home which, g:inipg its
liberty, may seem to rejoice
in the public gladness aad hatter on the
shoulder of the familiar head of the
household. But who could have the
heart TO STAY such d winged innocent?
No; It was not that which came forth to
meet Jgphthah. Or it may be some good
neighbor thGt will rush out to greet him
after having first been in to tell the fam
Hv ct the near approach Of the General.
But who could STAY neighb0r who had
come on the scene to rejoice over
THE REUNITED HOUSEHOLD?
No; it was not that which came forth to
meet Jephthah.
"A
opens and out Of ii comes one whose ap-
pesrsnce under, other circumstances
would have been an inGescribable Joy,
but usder the pledge of sacriIice be-
comes @ horror which blSnCbes his che eB
snd paral Zas MS form and almost huTls
MIN lat TO the earth. His child, his only
child, his daughter comes skipping out &c
greet him, her step keeping time to tim
Orel which she shakes and smites. Die
ever cotquerOr's cheer end in such
bitter grOGn? Nd wonder DOre, in two
Of his masterpieces, presents the scene
And Handel made it the last and climnc
terc work Of his life to put this pathetic
and Overpowering circumstance in al
oratorio, seven months toiling amid 1T
mejestic 'harmopies until his eyesigh
gave out, and, IS though the sad seem
of -Jephthah's daughters sacrifice Wer
TOO much for mortal vision, the grand oil
musician was led blind into the orchestr
for the Arst rem deTing of Jephthah. A
the glories of victorious war are blotte'
out from JephthSh's memory, and nj
banner is folded in grief, and his swor
goes back into the sCabbard with dolo
rous clang, and the muttl drum take
tae3olace of the cYmbals, and the "trem
olor the place of the trumpet, and he erie
GU: "Alss, my daugh' er, thou hast brougf
me very low and thou art one ofthem the
trouble me; for l have opened my mout
10 the Lord, and l cannot go back.
During two months amid the mountain
without shelter the maidons who woul
have been at her wedding ranged wit
Jephthsh's daughter up and down be
wsiling her coming sacrifice.
Commentators aud theolo2ians are
dispute as 10 whether the girl was slai
or not, and Gs to whether il she wei
slain it WAS right or wrong in Jephtna
to be the 6Xecutioner; discussion I'M
which l shall not be diverted from II
overmsstering consideration that We ia
better look out what we promise, bett'
be cautious Whist engagement we max
better that in regard TO au matters
betrothal and plighted VOW we feel u
responsibility, lest we have either
sacrifice the ruth or sacrifice an immort
being, and we be led TO cry out with t
paroxysm OF q Jephtaah: al have open
my month unto the Lord, and cam
go bsck."
There is one ward in almost all
TIE INSANE AsOLUMs,
sud large region in almost every Gem
etery, that you need 10 visit. They a
occupied oy the men and women who q
the victims Of broken promises of ms
rage. The women in those warcs and
those moftuary reCeptscles are in I
majority becsuse woman lives more
Ter affections thsn does man, ard LAGER
ton of them in her case is more apt TO
dementia and fatality. In some I
4 gions of this land the promise OF maria
is considered 70 have no solemnlty
binding force. It was only made IN II
They may chsnge their mind. The
gsgement may stand until some one me-
attractive in person or opulent
estate appears on the scene; tn
the rings are returned and
smatory letters and all relstionsi
ce.ses. And so there are 10000 Jep
thah's daughters sacrificed SIS burnt
ferings. The whole subject needs to
taken out OF the realm of comedy IN
tragedy, and men and women need to
derstand that, while there are exceptio
20 the rule, once having solemnly pleds
to each other, hesrs enl hsnd, the forfe
IT. snd abandonment Of that pied
makes the transgressor in the sight
God peIiurer, aud SO the dsy OF lut
ment will reveal il. The one has lied
the other; aud al lisrs shall have tn
place In the lske inst ourneth with
and birthstone.