The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-10-29
MARRIAGE A SUCCESS.
IA Defense Of Matrimony by an
Observing Woman.
tSho Considers Married Lifo tho Rock OF
Salvation for the World md Proves
Her Opinion to BE n Correct Ono
Tho First Courtship.

What does marriage mean? This
question is answ cred as follows by a
woman writer in tho Chicago Tribune:
1t means home, and homo means the
laughter Of children, the smiles OF wom-
on, the fragrance of flowers tho light on
the hearth-stone-a light that outshines
the stars of heaven.
Marriage is a nickel-plated, evcrlast-
ing success, and can prove it.
knew woman whose husband was
Fat, black and forty; had stubby hands,
and always wore paper collar too big
for him, and ''pants' too short, and yet
his wife told mo in burst OF confidence
one day that she thought he was real
stylish" And l knew Il young man who
married n girl who was red headed, slab
sided, as thin as rail, and who over
Swallowed him as u bean-polc does a
clothes-pin, and yet he actually de-
scribed her to me before 1 saw her as
''fair and most divinelY TALL
And was personally acquainted with
a woman who was just exactly as home
ly as they mako them, but her leading
abomination was her walk. She seemed
to be loose all over, and sort of unioint-
ed and then jointed up again as she me-
-andered around. Boys ridiculed her,
girls giggled as she passed by and men
stood oil and swore about her as she
went down the street, and yet positively
her husband had been heard to say that:
Sarah Jane wasn't much Of beauty,
but she did have a nice, easy, careless
gait"
20 a.
makes people happy and contented with
their possessions, that obliteratcs
defects and offenses, and reveals
charms, attractions and beauties
that under other circumstances YOU
couldn't see with a telescope? Not
muchl The world is chuck full and
running over with people like those de-
scribed above, and in consideration OF
that fact can but say: "O Lowell where
is thy sting? o! divorce! where is thy
victory?"
Human nature may be failure,
don't deny that, but marriage is howl
ing success, and has done more for hui
man nature, the bad material it had to
work with, than any condition or system
that was ever invented. Away back
when Adam was a young man-now
Know Adam is 4 rather ancient subject,
butyou need not elevate your eyebrows
In contempt, for you'll be ancient YOUR
self some day-he found himself in the
world ono day, he did not know how and
i don'tknow, doyou? And the world was
young and beautiful; the first flush and
oioom was on the mountains and tho
valleys, the flowers wondered at thcir
own fragrance, the birds we're thrilled
by the sweetness of their songs, tho
waves broke into little ripples of delight
at their own liquid beauty, and the stars
OF heaven and the unfadcd blue were
above his head, and yet he wasn't salts
he'd. One morning he was standing
idly in the blushing dawn while tho
sparkling dew of novelty, innocence and
variety lay thick around him, wonder
ing why the days were so long and whv
there were so many of them, when sud
denly out from under the SWINGING
vines and the swaying foliage Evo
came forth and passed lightlyby. Adam
saw that her checks were red and her
eyes were bright, and he too went on:
but he did not forget her, and he came
carly the next morning and fingered
near tho path shc had trod, and sho
came again. Adam saw that her arms
were white land rounded and her step was
light, and he whistlcd u soft, low whis-
Tie, with sort of O-won' t-you-stay-a-m mo-
ment cadence i'll the music, and Eyo
looked up; and | think right then he
pluckcd Il flower and offered il to hcr.
and, OF course. she did not know what il
all meant, but she glanced at tho rose
ana then at him. and saw he was tall
anu strong and Dcautiful-and she be-
gan to understand; reaching out her
hand shc took the little flower and then
Tor the first time in the world n woman
smiled and blushcd, and | suspect Il
was at that moment that the morning
stars first sang together"
After awhile, in some primitive way.
they wcro married, with love for high
priest and the stars for witnesses, and
made them home-somcthinp that
every man and woman strives, plans
and works for, because there is no place
on earth like it.
Marriage may be failure in a few in
dlvidual cases, where, for instance, q
man swears every thing black and blue
on account of piece of beefsteak or n
CUP OF coffee; or where a woman opens
her mouth and in the short space of ten
seconds makes a mans lifo a bowling
wilderness or sandy desert because sho
cant have every thing sho wants and
have 1T right away. But marriage as a
system is nickel-pla ted, anti-monop-
oily, everlasting success.