The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-04-03


move for a change of the National Const1tu-
ton and to appoint a committee-not made
| up OF single gentlemen, but of men OF 1aml-
| lies, and their families in Washington-.who
shall prepare a 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 decent business. That will set
people agitated for many 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 great extent upon marriage as Imam
cial speculation. There are men VINO go IN.
to the relation just as they go into Wall street
| to purchase shares. Tho femaleto be invited
| into the partnership Of wedlock is utterly
| unattractive and in disposition suppressed
Vesuvius. Everybody knows 1t 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, "lf
cannot stand it, then through the divorce
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 aHec-
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 a man understood, as he
ought to understand, that II 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 in the yoke. He would say
to himself, 'Rather than Caribbean whirl-
wind with whole fleet of shipping IN lts
arms give me zephyr of fields OF sunsnlne
and gardens of peace"
Rigorous divorce law will also hinder wo-
men from the fatal mistake Of marrying men
to reform them. II young man by twenty
five wears of age or thirty years of age have
the habit of strong drink fixed on him, he ls
as certainly bound for drunkard's grave as
| that train starting out from Grand Central
Depot at o'clock tomorrow morning ls
bound for Albany. The train may not reach
Albany for it may be thrown of the track.
The young man may not reach drunkards
grave, for something may throw him OIL the
iron track of evil habit, but the probability Is
that the train that starts tomorrow morning
at 8 o'clock for Albany will get there, and
the probability is that the young man VINO
has the habit of strong drink fixed on him
before twenty-five or thirty years OF age will
arrive at drunkard's grave. She knows he
drinks, although he tries to hide 1t by chew
ing cloves. Everybody knows he drinks.
Parents warn; neighbors and friends warn.
She will marry him; she will reform hlm.
Ifshe Is sunsuccessfulin in the experiment., why,
then the divorce law will emancipate her be-
cause habitual drunkenness is cause for di-
vorce In Indiana, Kentucky, Florida, Con-
necticut and nearly all the States. 50 the
poor thing goes to the altar Of sacrifice. Ii
you will show mo the poverty struck streets
| in any city, I will show you the homes OF the
women who married men to reform them. In
one case out Of 10, 900 it may be successful
experiment. never saw the successful ex-
pertinent. But have rigorous divorce law,
and that woman will say. "If am sflanced
| to that man. 1t is for life
A rigorous divorce law will also do much
| to hinder hasty 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 for life. A woman that could not make
| q 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 wretchedness. for if q man does not
| believe there Is God he is neither to be
| trusted with dollar nor with your lifelong
| happiness. Having read much about love
in cottage. people brought up in ease will
60 and starve in hove!.
By the wreck of 10, coo homes, by the holo-
| caust OF 1O.O 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, I 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 rs to habits,
| explore the disposition scrutiniZe the taste,
question the ancestry and find out the am-
bitiuns. Do not take the heroes and the
| heroines OF cheap novels for a model. Do
not put your lifetime happiness In the keep
| ing Of a man who has reputation for being
little loose in morals or in the keeping OF
woman who dresses FAST Remember that,
while good looks are kindly gift Of God.
wrinkles or accident may despoil them. Re-
member that Byron was no more celebrated
| for his beauty than for his depravty. 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 over been or ever
will be il good character.
Ask God whom you shall marry if you
marry at all. A union formed in prayer will
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 that gate where Isaac and Rebecca,
Abraham and Sarah. Adam and Eve parted.
In the Farm Ballads" our American poet
puts into the lips Of a repentant husband
after life Of married perturbation these sug.
gestive words:
And when she dies wish that she would be
laid by me,
And lying together in silence perhaps we
will agree.
And if ever'we meet in heaven I would not
think it queer
If 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
a moment Of bad temper do not rush out and
tell the neighbors; do not let any of those
gad-abouts Of society unload in your house
their baggage Of CAB and little tattle; do not
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