The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-10-04

q
off on q pleasure excursion to Newport OF
business excursion to Chicago. Married
at the brides house: no cards. There are
State: )f the Union which practically put
a premium upoa the dIsintegration OF the
marriage relation, while there are other
States, like the State Ct New York, which
has the pre.emlnent idiocy Of making mar.
rage lawful at twelve ard fourteen years
of age.
The Congress- OF the United States needs
to move fer change Of the national con.
stitution and then to appoint a committee
not made up OF single gentlemen, but OF
men OF families, and their families in Wash.
ington-who shall prepare good, honest,
righteous, com mprehensive uniform law that
will control everything from Sandy Hook
to the Golden Cato. That will put an end
to brokerages in marriages. That will send
divorce lawyers into decent business.
That will set people agitated for many
years on the question Of how they shall get
away from each other to planning how they
can adjust themselves to the more or less
untavorable circumstances.
More difficult divorce will put an estop.
pal to great extent upon marriage as
financial speculation. There are men who
go into the relation just as they so into
Wall street to purchase shares. The fe.
male to be invited into tue partnership OF
wedlock Is utterly unattracttve and In dis
position suppressed Fesuvlus. Everybody
knows it, but this masculine candidate for
matrim onial orders, through the CONNER
cial agency or through the county records,
finds out low much estate Is 10 be In
herlted, and ne calculates 1t. He thinks
out how long It will be before the old man
will die and whether he can stand the re-.
fractory temper until he does die, and then
he enters the relation, for he says, "It
cannot stand 1t, then through the divorce
law will back out" That process Is 60
inS on all tie time, and men enter into the
relation without any N oral principle, with
olt auy affection. and 1t Is as much mat
ter OF stock speculation rs anything that
was transacted yesterday in Union Pacific,
Wabash and Delaware and Lackawanna.
Now, suppose a man understood, ns he
ought to understand, that II he goes into
that relation there Is no possibility Of his
getting cut or no probability. He would
be more slow to put his neck In the yoke,
He should say to himself, "Rather than
Caribbean whirlwlnd with whole neet OF
shipping in Its arms, give me Zephyr on
fields OF su uushlne and gardens OF peace."
Rigorous divorce law will also hin.ter
women from the fatal mistake OF marrying
men to reform them. II 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
drunkard's grave as that train starting
out from the Grand Central depot at s
o'clock tomorrow morning Is bounI for
Albany. The train may not reach Albany,
for It may be thrown from the track. The
young man may not reach n drunkard's
grave, for something may throw him OF
the iron track OF evil habit. But the proba-
billty Is that the train that starts to-mor-
row morning at s o'clock for Albany will
get there, and the probability is that the
young man who has tho habit OF strong
drink fixed on him before twenty-five
or thirty years OF age will arrive
at q drunknrd's grave. She knows
he drinks, although he tries to hide 1t
he drinks. Parents warn; neighbors
and friends warn. She will marry him,
she will reform him. II sLe is unsuccess-
full IN the experiment, why, then, the d.
vorce law will emancipate her, because
habltual drunkenness Is cause for di.
vorco In Indiana, Kentucky, Florida, Con-
necticut and nearly all the States. SO the
poor thing goes to tho altar OF sacrifice. II
you will show me the poverty struck
streets IN any city, I will show you the
homes OF the women who n'iEried men to
reform them. In one case oCt OF ten thou.
sund 1t may be successful experiment. 1
never saw the successful experiment. But
have q rigorous divorce law, and that
woman will say, "Ii am aff1anced to that
man, 1t is for lie, and II now, in the ardor
OF his young love and the prize to be
won, he will not give up his cups, when he
has won the prize surely he will not give
up his cups" And go that woman will say
to the man: "No, sir; you are already mar
riei to the club, and you are married to
that evil habit, and 80 you are married
nd ivp mi
Let me say to all young people, before
you give your heart and hand In holy al
lance use all caution. Inquire outside as
to habits, explore the disposition, scrutln.
ize the taste, question the ancestry and
find out the ambitions. Do not take the
heroes and heroines OF cheap novels fora
model. Do not put your lifetime happi-
ness In the keeping Of q man " ho has a
reputation OF being little loose In morals
immo modestly. Remember that, while good
looks are kindly gift Of God, wrinkles or
accident may dest oil them. Remember
that Byron was no more celebrated for his
beauty than for his depravlty. Remember
that Absalom's hair was not more splendid
than his habils were despicable. Hear 1t!
Hear it, The only foundation for happy
marriage that ever has been or ever Will
be Is good character. Ask the counsel OF
step OF your life. They are good advisers.
They are the. best friends you ever had.
They made more sacrifices for you than
any one else ever did.
Anil let me say to those Of you who are
in happy married union, avoid first quar-
rels; have no unexplained correspondence
with former admirers; cultivate no sus-
picions; IN n moment OF bad temper do not
rush out and tell the nelghbors: d not let
any OF those Sadaaouts OF society unload
In your house their baggage OF CAB and
little tattle: do not make 1t an invariable
rule to stand on your rights; learn how to
arologize; do not be so p.oud or so stub
born or so devllsh that you will not make
up. Rememb-r that the worst domestic
misfortunes and most scandalous divorce
cases started from little infeicites. The
whole piled up train Of ten rail cars tele-
sceped and smashed Mt the foot OF IN enl-
bankment 100 feet down came to that ca
tastro yhe by getting two or three inches
of tue track. Some OF the greaeest domes-
tie misfortuncs and the widest resoundlnS
divorce cases have started from little mis-
understandings that were allowed to 20 on
and 60 on until homs anil respectabiilty
and religion and immortal soul went down
In the crash.
Fellow citizens as we'll as fellow Chris |
tians, let Us bavo divine rage against !
anything that wars on the marriage STATE. |
Blessed institution! Instead OF two arms
t. iigpt the battle OF life, four; instead OF
two eyes to scrutipize the path OF life, four;
instead OF two shoulders to lift the burden |
OF life, iour; twice the energy, twice the |
courage, twice tho holy ambitioc, twice |
the probability "t worldly success, twice |
the pros poets of heaven. into that matrl- |
monial bower God fetches two souls. Out
side the bower, room for all contentious,
and all chickering's, ard oil controversies,
but inside that bower there Is room foi
only one guest-the angel ot love. Let |
that angel stand Mt the floral doorway OF |
this EGenic bower with drawn sworI 10 !
hew down the worst foe Of that hover