The Monmouth inquirer., 1898-03-10
MARRIAGE DIFFICULTIES
Many Young Men Tell That They Can
not AFFORD to Marry

MANY Young Men Tell That They Can
not ford to Marry
one of the charges often brought
against the spirit of the age is tnat
marriage in the middle or wealthler
circles of society is more beset with
conventional obstacles than ever pc
fore. Young men with what was form-
erly considered a reasonable income
say they can no longer afford to marry
or to engage in courtship, and SO tney
settle down from necessity to Dacnei-
or's life. But human nature IS pow
erful thing, and occasionally young
man and young woman break through
the artificial barriers and get married
without regard to them. II both are
of good character and suited 70 eacn
other in age, culture and lntelllgence
and are not acting from mere Impulse,
the question of social caste IS not one
appealing strongly to the general Judg-
ment The natural order of things IS
that young men and young women
should mate. TO a certain extent sare-
guards must be thrown about them put
when the marriage problem becomes
merely a matter of family ambition
nature will protest and so will the vast
majority of mankind. A false view OF
marriage and the family can destroy
nation and even a race. Marriage is
not intended to be piece of machinery
for family ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
Elopements as a rule are not to be
commended 1t is grave step to act
counter to parental wishes or advice.
Parents should be wise through expert
ence, and affectiOnate consideration is
their due But the parent who desires
his daughter to make a grand match as
the first object to be gained by mar
riage is not we'll grounded in wisdom,
The literature of every age cries out
against such view of marriage. Hun
dreds of the most powerful books and
dramas tear it to pieces. If the course
of true love seldom runs smooth yet
it usually reaches its destination, and
the world applauds the happy ending
Marrying exclusively for wealth or
position is a reproach and is generally
mentioned with prediction that 1t will
not turn out we'll The. list of the
social shipwrecks foundering on that
rock is long one in the recollection of
every one of mature years.
The granddaughter of Abraham
Lincoln has chosen a husband for her
self after due deliberation and per-
severing effort to gain full parental
consent. 1t is not what the French call
enesalliance," word by the way,
not turned into American The young
husband is well educated, respectable,
and moves in what is considered good
American society. He is wealthy COM
pared with Abraham Lincoln in his
earlier days. There is no reason why
he may not rise in the world or even
play laudable part in it without ris-
ing very far. 1t is true that the brides
grandfather reached rne of the highest
places in the history If the country, but
it was not through social ambitions or
alliances. He was always man of the
people, even homespun in his ways.
and it is not conceivable that he would
have withheld his blessing from the
granddaughter who has asserted the
right to choose a life partner whom she,
loves and respects. ! If any aspirations
for grand marriage and establish
ment have been destroyed the two per-
sons concerned are heartily glad of it,
and wisely so. AS for other sufferers
from the event they have only to look
back one generation to find better So
cial ethics and better example.-St.
Louis Globe-Democrat