Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1895-03-29

| tnere are Otner States, like our own New YORK
State, that had for a long time the pre-emi-
nent id1ocy of making marriage lawful at
| twelve and fourteen years of age.
| The Congress of the United States needs to
| move for change of the National Constitu-
ton and to appoint committeeman made
| up OF single gentlemen, but of men of fant
| lies, and their families in Weshington-who
| shall prepare good honest, righteous. COM
| prehensive. uniform law that will control
everything from Sandy Hook to the Golden
| Horn. That will put an end to broken ties
| in marriages. That will send divorce law
yers into a decent business. That will set
| people agitated for Giany years on the ques-
| ton OF how shall they get away from each
| other to planning how they can adjust them
| selves to the more or less unfavorable circum-
| stances.
More difficult divorce will put an estoppel
| to a great extent upon marriage as a fnan-
| cial speculation. There are men who go in
to the relation just as they go into Wall street
| to purchase shares. Tho femaeto be invited
| into the partnership OF wediock is utterly
! unattractive and in disposition suppressed
| VesuVius. Everybody knows it but this mas
| culine candidate for matrimonial orders,
through the commercial agency or through
| the county records, finds out how much
| estate is to be inherited and he calculates it.
| He thinks out how long it will be before the
| old man will die, and VIII ether he can stand
| the refractory temper until he does die, and
| then he enters the relation. for he says, "If
|
| Law I'll back out" That process is going on
| all the time, and men enter the relation with
out any moral principle, without any affec-
| ton, and it is as much matter of stock spec
ulation as anything that transpired yesterday
| in Union Pacific, Illinois Central or Della
| ware and Lackawanna.
| Now, suppose q man underStOOd as he
| ought to understand, that if he goes into that
relation there is no possibility of his getting
| out, or no probability, he would be more slow
to put his neck il the yoke. He would say
| to himself, ''Rather thar a Caribbean whirl-
wind with q whole fleet Of shipping in its
arms give me zephyr off fields of sunshine
| and gardens Of peace"
| Rigorous divorce law will also hinder wo-
men from the fatal mistake of marrying men
| to reform them. If a young man by twenty
five years of age or thirty years Of age have
the habit of strong drink fixed on him, he is
as certainly bound for drunkaTds grave as
| that q train starting out from Grand Central
! Depot at o'clock tomorrow morning is
| bound for Albany. The train may not reach
Albany, for it may be thrown off the track.
| The young man may not reach drunkard 8
| grave, for something may throw him off the
iron track of evil habit, but the probability is
that the train that starts Tomorrow morning
at s o'clock for Albany will get there, and
the probability is that the young man who
has the habit Of strong drink fixed on him
| before tWent y-five or thirty years Of age will
arrive at drunkard's grave. she knows he
drinks, although he tries to hide it by chew
ing cloves. Everybody knows he drinks.
| Parents warn; neighbors and friends warn
She will marry him; she will reform him.
| Ifshe is unsuccessful in the experiment, why,
then the divorce law will emancipate her be-
| cause habitual drunkenness is a cause for di-
| vOrce in Indiana, kentucky, Florida, Con-
| necticut and nearly all the States. SO the
| poor thing goes to the altar OF sacrifice. Ii
| you will show me the poverty struck streets
in any city, Twill show you the homes of the
women who married men to reform them. In
| one case out of 10 600 it may be a successful
| experiment. [ never saw the successful eX-
pertinent. But have rigorous divorce law,
! and that woman will say, "lf am at1anced
to that man. it is for life
| A rigorous divorce law will also do much
| to hinder ha5ty and incOnsiderate mar
| riages. Under the impression that one can
be easily released people enter the relation
| without inquiry and without reflection.
| Romance and impulse rule the day. Per-
| haps the only ground for the marriage COM
pact is that she likes his looks, and he ad-
mireS the graceful way she passes around
the ice cream at the picnic! 1t IS all they
know about each other. 1t is all the prepara-
ton rifle. woman that could not make
a loaf Of bread to save her life will swear to
cherish and obey. A Christian will marry
an atheist, and that always makes con-
| Joined wrctchedness, for if a man does not
believe there is a God he is neither to be
| trusted with a dollar nor with your lifelong
| happiness. Having read much about love
| in a cottage. people brought up i'll ease Will
| go and starve in a hOve!.
| By the wreck Of 10 coo homes, by the hOlO-
! caust Of 10 900 sacrificed men and women,
by the hearthstOne of the family, which is
| the cornerstone Of the State, and in the
| name Of that God who hath set upthe family
institution, and who hath made the break
| ing of the martial oath the most appalling
| of all perjuries, l implore the Congress OF
the United States to make some righteous,
! uniform law for all the States, and from
| ocean to ocean, on this subject Of marriage
and divorce.
Let me say to the hundreds of young peo-
pie in this house this afternoon. before you
give your heart and hand in holy alliance use
all cautions. Inquire outside as to habits,
| explore the disposition. scrutlnlze the taste,
| question the ancestry and find out the am
billions. Do not take the heroes and the
| herOineS Of cheap novels for q model. Do
not put your lifetime happiness in the keep
ing of a man who has q reputation for being
a little loose in morals or in the keeping OF a
| woman who dresses fast. Remember that,
while good looks are q kindly gift OF God,
wrinkles or accident may despOil them. Re-
member that Byron was no more celebrated
for his beauty than for his depravity. Re-
member that Absalom's hair was not more
splendid than his habits were despicable
| Hear it, hear it! The only foundation for
happy marriage that has ever been or ever
will be is good character.
| Ask God whom you sh,sil marry II you
|
be happy union. though sickness pale the
| cheek. and poverty empty the bread tray,
| and death open the small graves, and all the
path of life be strewn with thorns from the
| marriage altar with its wedding march and
| orange blossoms clear on down to the last
| farewell at thai gate where Isaac and Rebecca,
| Abraham and Sarah. Adam and Eve parted.
In the EARN Ballads" our American poet
puts into the lirs of repentant husband
| after a life of married perturbation these sug-
| GeStive words:
And when she dies wish that she would be
laid by me,
And living together in silence perhaps we
| will agree.
And if ever we meet in heaven 1 would not
think it queer
II we love each other better because we quar-
relied here.
And let me say to those of you who are in
| happy married union avoid first quarrels;
have no unexplained correspondence with
| former admirers; cultivate no suspicious; in
| q moment of bad temper do not rush out and
| tell the neiShbOrs; do lot let any of those
| cad-abouts of society unload in your house
their baggage of CAB and little tattle: do not
| stand on your rights; learn how to apollo
gize; do not be so proud, or so stubborn, or
| 50 devilish that you will not make up. Re-
| member that the worst domestic misfortunes
| and most ScandalOuS divorce cases started
| from little infelicities. The whole piled up
| train of ten rail cars teleScOped and smashed
at the foot of an embankment 100 feet down
came to that catastrophe by getting two or
| three inches off the track. Some of the great
| est7 domestic misfortunes aud the wide re-
| sounding divorce cases have started from
little misunderstanding that were allowed to
20 on and go on until homo and respectable
ity and religion aad immortal soul Wen
down in the crash, crash.
And. fellow citizens as we'll as fellow Chris
tians. let Us have a divine rage against any
| thing that wars on the marriage state.
| Blessed institution. Instead Of two arms to
fight the battle of life, four; instead OF two
Ii ffn1ln.