The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-12-01


the happiness and elevation of the
race, and make it a mere commercial
enterprise; an exchange of houses and
lands and equipage; u business part
nership of two stuffed up with the
stories of romance and night-erranty,
and unfaithfulness and feminine an
gelhood. The two after awhile have
reused up to find that, instead of the
paradise they dreamed of, they have
got nothing but Van Amberg me-
nageric, filled with tigers and wild
cats. Eighty thousand divorces in
Paris in one year preceded the worst
revolution that France ever saw. And
| tell you what you know as we'll as l
do, that wrong notions on the subject
of Christian marriage are the cause at
this day of more moral outrage before
God and man than any other cause.
There are some things that | want
to bring before you. l know there are
those of you who have had homes set
up for great many years; and then
there are those here who have just es-
tablished their home. They have only
been in that home few months or a
few years. Then. there are those who
will, after awhile, set up for them
selves home, and it is right that l
should speak out upon these themes.
My first counsel to you is, have God
in your new home, if it be new home;
and let Him who was a guest at
bethany be in your households; let
the Divine blessing drop upon your
every hope and plan of expectation.
Those young people who begin with
God end with Heaven. Have on your
right hand the engagement ling of the
Divine affection. If one of you be a
Christian, let that one take the Bible
and read few verses in the evening
time, and then kneel down and COM
mend yourselves to Him who setteth
the solitary in families. l want to tell
you that the destroying angel passes
by without touching or entering the
door-post sprinkled with blood of the
everlasting covenant. Why is it that
in some families they never get along,
and in others they always get along
well? | have watched such cases, and
have come to conclusion. In the
first instance, nothing seemed to go
pleasantly, and after awhile there
came a devastation, domestic disaster,
or estrangement. Why? They start
ed wrong. In the other case, although
there were hardships and trials and
some things that had to be explained.
still things went on pleasantly until
the very last. Why? They started
right.
My second advice to you in your
home is. to exercise to the very last
possibility of your nature the law of
forbearance. Prayers in the house
hold will make up for everything. Some
of the best people in the world are the
hardest to get along with. There are
people who stand up in prayer-meet-
ings and pray like angels. who at
home are uncomprornising and
cranky. You may not have every
thing just as you want it. Sometimes
it will be the duty of the husband and
sometimes of the wife to yield; but
both stand punctiliously on yca-
rights. and YOU will have a Waterloo
with no Hluchcr coming up at night
fall to decide the conflict.
Never be ashamed to apologize when
you have done wrong in domestic af-
fairs. Let that be the law of your
household. The best thing | ever
heard of my grandfather. whom |
never saw, was this: That once, hav
ing unrighteousIy rebullcd one of his
children, he himself having lost his
| patience. and, perhaps, having been
misinformed of the chIds doings,
| found out his mistake, and in the
evening of the same day gathered all
| his family together and said: Nov
| have one explanation to make, and
one thing to say. Thomas, this morn
ing rebuked you very unfairly. l am
very sorry for it. l rebuked you in
| the presence of the whole family, and
now l ask your forgiveness in theil
| presence 1t must have taken some
courage to do that. 1t was right, was
| it not? Never be ashamed to apollo
! gize for domestic inaccuracy. Find
| out the points, what are the weak
points, if | may call them so of youl
companion, and then stand aloCf from
them. Do not carry the fire OF youl
temper too near the gunpowdcr. i
the wife be easily fretted by disorder
in the household. let the husband b
careful where he throws his slippers
If the husband come home from th'
store with his patience exhausted, dc
not let the wife unnecessarily eros
his temper; but both stand up TO
your rights, and l will promise til
everlasting sound of the war-whooI
Your life will be spent in r.akiEg VI
and marriage will be to you an un
mitigated curse. Covper said:
The kindest and tie hao3iest pair
VIII find occasion to forDear;
And something. every day they live,
To pity, and perhaps forgive.
| have seen the sorrow Of (; gOdlcs
mother on the death Of child she he
neglected. 1t was not so much grit
that she felt from the fact that Il
: child was dead as the fact that she ha
neglected it. She said: IF | had on