The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-10-30
Perfect or Imperfect.
By SEMEN SMITH.

is engaged to Tim Tompkins. Tim is
a. good fellow, but not as smart as he
might be. Some Of James friends &c
not like the match. They think that
Tim is not good enough for her. One
of these well-m"alirg busybodles
went 10 herthe other day to tell her OF
a great blunder that Tim had made
She thought that Jane would be either
mortified or indignant. But to her
surprise, after listening patiently to
the story, she said with smile:
II am glad, Susie, that you told me
of this, and 1 am glad that it happen
ed, too"
$50 YOU are going to break off the
match, are you, and not marry man
so thick-headed?
"No, indeed; shall marry him just
>the same; but 1 shall be surer of being
! happy with him than if had not
y heard this"
Chow SOP"
Don't you see that when a woman
really loves man she is tempted to
think that he is perfect? Tim is so
fond of me, so kind to me, so thought
ful for me, that can not realize that
he has any faults. But know that l
have good many, and shall require a
husband to be very charitable, if we
are going to live IN harmony. But
how could ask or expect my husband
to be constantly overlooking my blum
ders, if he never made any! The idea
of being associated so intimately with
perfect being quite appalls me. Even
if he never chided me for my faults,
or seemed to notice them, the con-
sciousness of them, in contrast with
his faultlessness, would make me mis-
erable. No, no. The basis of domestic
harmony is not mutual admiration,
but mutual charity. We take each
other as we are, bear with each others
infirmities, and try to do each other all
the good we can. 1 want to be disen-
chanted before marriage. l want to
know that my husband, though the
best of men, is yet a man, and that l
will haye the opportunity of showing
how love him, by being patient with
his faults and helping him to correc
them."
Susie went away considerably crest
fallen, and she tried to get even by tel
ling all over that Jane was going to
marry Tim just because he was noto-
rious blunderer. But though Jane
may have been sharp enough to an
swer Susie as she did, in order to re-
buke her impertinence, yet there was
a good deal of truth in what she said.
A great many marriages turn out bad
ly because the parties enter into them
with eXtravagant ideas of each other.
During courtshlp they are on their best
behaviour. Their faults are carefully
concealed and love throws glamour
over both the wooer and the wooed.
When the honeymoon is over the
month of disenchantment comes.
And that is a trying time. If they can
then accept James idea, that domestic
happiness depends more upon mutua
charity than upon mutual admiration,
they will do we'll. But if each, though
conscious of imperfections, is irritated
because the other is not perfect, they
will live in misery, or seek relief in
the divorce mill.
And this demand for mutual charity
is universal. 1t is the great principle
upon which God would reconstruct
society. "Bear ye one another's bur-
dens, and so fulfill the law of Christ"
"If any man be overtaken in fault,
ye that are spiritual restore such one
in the spirit of meekness, considering
thyself lest thou also be tempted"
- fhe grace which we are to exercise is
the grace that we ourselves will need.
And the more charitable to others we
are, the more Watchful we will be over
ourselves. The way to approximate
perfection in this imperfect world is
y tebrow the mantle of love as far as
possible over the faults Of others. 1t is
both easier and better to reform man
by patient kindness. than by denunci-
alton and abuse. O.