The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-10-07
Rev. Wallace Nutting's Ad-
dress Of Sunday Evening.
Attitude OF Man Toward the Partner
Of His Life
On Man Depends Much Welded Bliss
or Marital Misery.

The fourth OF Sunday evening discours-
es by Rev. Wallace NuttiDg, at the Union
Congregational Church, In the "Relations
Of Society" series, was devoted to the
subject OF "The Husband"
The popularity OF these discourses has
grown rapidly since their beginning, be-
tween twelve and fifteen hundred persons
listening to last evenings address. The
text was Eph. v:25. FHusbands, love
your wives, even as Christ also loved the
church and gave Himself up for It," The
address in full follows;
Is 1T WELL TO BE HUSBAND?
"It is too late to ask this question for
the benefit of many, but a large class are
still interested. Old bachelors are numer-
GUS, and In the country at large more
numerous than the corresponding per-
for men-they are not gentlemen no
make remarks derogatory to maiden la
dies, TO remember this IL Is TO be sup
posed that these bachelors are capable
of rendering reason for their condition
of single misery, although 1t is sad that
q foolish man Is wiser In his own conceit
than seven men who can render a reason.
"The bachelor 10 such, sometimes, be-
cause he thinks he cannot afford to mar
ry. Ii appears, however, that the wealthy
and property y holding classes furnish the
largest relative crop OF bachelors. One
to-do man who cannot afford to marry.
Either he grows penurious, or he spends
more money in unnecessary and foolish
ways than would be required TO support
"The Lord did nots say that He would
woman was formed, according to our best
information, TO be help TO him. 1t Is a
marvellous contortion of Scripture and
sense to maintain that she is a hindrance
TO him. That is anything but compli-
mentary to the Creator and to the wo-
man. Ii will be found that three wives In
four set forward the fortunes and en-
hance the comforts of their husbands |;
and where this 10 not the case IL Is
OFTEN THE HUSBANDS FAULT.
"The wealthiest men in the nation were
married, and married before they made
their fortunes.
"But even were II true that marriage
hindered financial advancement, we could
not admit the OBJECTION. For tine chief
end of man is not to make money but to
glorify God. The bachelor Adam OF our
day says to God that he is very much
obliged, but-the new creation is super
fiuous; at least he, Adam, will take no
responsibilities In the matter. This Is
enough to cause astonishment In heaven.
In short ii is q very absurd proceeding in
the bachelors part. We convict him in
good character. To dodge responsibility
Is not q laudablc profession. We find our.
selves In a world with women and IL Is
too late to Danish them. Men like Gre
clan republics are ungrateful They
drove away their best citizens, because
passed beyond the point OF toleration,
and the sooner we recognize the fact the
more likely are We to be tolerated our
selves.
"Some are bachelors cause they overesti-
mate the demands made upon the hus-
band. They suppose that woman is un-
willing to marry unless she Is assured OF
luxuries In her home This supposition
shows q low est stimate of women. We
should not tolerate the suggestion that
our mothers married for money. We are
unjust In supposing that womankind in
general are selfish. We know they
ARE LESS SELFISH THAN MEN.
"The man will usually ind in himself
the faults that make him a bachelor. Sell
dom but they are wildly astray in sup
posing that they are free while they are
bachelors. They are free to live in a
boarding house, but they are debarred
from the home fireside. Their freedoms
are mostly without value or without re-
spectability. The Wild animals are free,
but let me not therefore become one.
Men easily lapse into barbarity without
the refining influences OF home life. One
OF our most prominent college pres idents
polished gentleman and notable au-
thor, invited me as a college student to
dine with him during the absence Of his
wife. i remember his saying in the
course Of the meal that when his wife
was away he had to guard constantly
against the tendency to live like wild
man. Civilization without women is i'm
possible, and Christianity would soon
A. n. -
vanish: Inc man whose household sane
tuary Is q club or boarding house be-
comes generally cold, barren, pelfis h
creature. Such q life loses nearly ell
that Is best, and Is hardly worth living
"There are some men who remain bach
elors for conscientious reasons / presume
all my auditors will hasten to range
themselves In this Glass;, and II would be
uncharitable to deny them admittance
Most people are poor and many men have
parents or sisters to support. They tell
themselves that they are doing God g
service by remaining single Should they,
however, find that other mems sisters
would be worthy wives and the other
sisters the discovery might prove after
all that there are about as many men as
women in the world.
"The short OF the matter is that there is
more than one woman in the land
WORTHY TO BE YOUR WIFE,
however immaculate you may be; you
couId probably find her. Should you
find her she would prove so great bless
ing that every other aim and ambition
would be Insignificant in comparison.
have little respect for the perceptions OF
those men who fear marriage. Its dan
gers are possibilities; the dangers OF
bachelorhood are real and pressing. The
proportion OF sanity bachelors IL not
great enough to encourage our faith In
singleness as means OF grace. i am
thankful that / know some devout
bachelors. / by no means believe that
their upright character Is a result OF their
being unmarried but rather In a victory
gained in spite OF their lonely struggle.
"And though cannot claim to speak by
commandment, still think II a fair in
ference from revelstion that pure and
unselflsh life is much more likely to result
from marriage than without marriage, and
that the bachelor encounters many un-
necessary woes and temptations.
"We are obliged to advance on the main
question: What a husband should be-.
A successful wedding from the celestial