The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-17
WOMAN 8 v 0RLD.

tate Of matrimony- We ali are present
ly prospecuvely OF reminiscenuy-must
have read with keen satisfaction o. the
recent decision OF Kentucky judge IN
divorce case A gentleman. Of that state.
It seems, sued for divorce from his wife
on the grounds that she was an habituai
and incurable drunkard. bat the judge re-
fused 10 grant the decree, arguing taat
the husband had only been a whoever four
months when he married the defendant,
and that "such preciWtsncy n marriage
implied want Of ordinary care in making
a selection Of a wife"
To every thoughtful person, SAYS Der
otny Dix in the New Orleans P.cayune, it
will seem that a second Dauicl has come to
judgmen, and ihat ne has put his lnger
on one of the corroding caukers OF life
II is not Indebtedness. nor drink, nor
cruelty. nor clubs, nor any Of The usually
ass gned causes that account for - much
domestic unhappiness. 1t is simply and
eolel, the want Ct ord nary care in max
Ing a selection" Of a husband or wife. Wo-
men marry on the grab bag system OF
taking the first thing they get their hands
on. and men-havlng originated The theory
that marriage is a lottery-act upon the
principal that il is all luck, and there Is no
use IN using any judgment in picking out
a wife. ANY one who ever takes the trou-
bic TO observe anybody eise's courtsnip can
but have This impressed upon them. There
IS a lack OF common sense about il. a kind
Of halucination a persistent substitution
OF fancy Tor fact, and a gynersf Oh usenes5
anu blindness and determination 10 rush
on their tate hat is q forcIble and sorrow
ful Illustration Of how lightly people de-
eide the NEST important question OF ne.
one Of the wonders OF the world. that
no amount OF repetition ever makes one
whit less remarkable, is the fact tnat
people give less real thought to marry
ing than they do TO any other binding
trade. ii John Brown. for instance, is
thinking Of making a limited liability part
DeTship for five years with Tom smith, 70
carry on the grocery business, he makes
an exhaustive investigation into smith g
character and habits. He finds out u ne
is honest if he is e1travagant. and IS
liable to swamp the firm by reckless and
senseless expenditures, and whether he IS
Industrious and capable. ana VIII DO ms
part towards making the venture sue
cess. With Sally Smith, with whom he
is going 20 sign a life contract and OF
=
or 1--WE and twenty years. without scan
dal and disgrace, no matter how unhappy
he is, ne takes no such precaution She
may have the temper Of "a termgant, she
may be idle and lazy and shiflless and
extravagant, but he does not even take
the trouble 10 inquire into The matter at
all. He marries her, and IL turns out
badly ne shoulders the blame off on Prov
idence il he IS pious and lays il on gem
eral bad luck II he isn't. and il positively
never occurs TO him 20 attribute il 20 his
own lack of taking the proper ordinary
care in selecting a wife as the Kentucky
judge puts IL.
Judging by the standards of common
eenSe and reasonable prudence that OBJ
tain in everyday lite, we should say that
a man was crazy If, when he wanted a
horse 10 pull a heavy cotton float he
went into the market and bought a
thoroughbred race horse. We should say
he was imbecile IT, being poor, he took
all of his money and invested it in
piece Of costly bric-a-brac that would be
out OF place in his dingy three-story back
room. We think him silly who pins a
fine diamond in a faded and shabby shirt
front. Yet that Is just as much reason
rs the average man shows in picking out
a wife. lie takes something that pleases
his eye. and never stops to consider
whether she Is going to SUIT him in any
love with the petted daughter of fashion.
and msrries her IL she is willing, and
then h. feels himself cruelty Infused be-
cause she doesn't know a thing on earth
about economy or work and pines for the
Injuries 10 which she has been accus-
toned all her life 1T IS this kind Of
thing" ne cries, that makes marriage a
failure" Ny dear sir, not at ALI She
knows now all she ever did. It was sim
Ply your lack OF the ordinary proper care
in making suitable selection. There We're
plenty, scores and scores of Industrious
capable girls. any one OF whom would
have made the helpmeet you needed, bat
you passed them ALA regular kitchen
garden fuh Of substautials-to pick the
orc rose that Haunted on the garden wan.
and now that you have got her Won have
10 right 10 y hine and cry because she isn't
cabbage
II man Is going 70 do as simple q
thing a. buy a book, he gives some serious
thought 10 trying 10 IND the class Of IL
erature ia which he is most interested IL
his taste Is cultivated ne passes By with a
shudder the sensational story. with It's
cheap and hashy sentiment and blatant
Yuigarity. He knows there wouldn't lie
single page IN the whole volume that
wouldn't offend his susceptibl,itles If he
has a romantic nature fUl OF the deeps
Of sentiment and passion. he would never
10 while away the long hours OF a tedious
journey. II he ia intensely practical he
doesn't choose a volume Of poetry that al
ways seems 10 him silly and hysterical
Yet we are daily treated to the syectacle
of men picking out a wife with less regard
10 conzeniality OF sentiment and taste and
opinions than IL she was a hook that they
could toss aside when she begun to bore
them. Gracious heavens. look about you!
Don't you see stately scholars married TO
stupid little woman. whose narrowness ana
pit,iness Of vision must be continual irr-
tation: don't you see men whose great
hearts cry out for love and comprehension.
married to women whose shallow nature
contents Itself ia the ordinary rounds OF
domestic duties, and cannot even under
stand any deeper need Of the soul? Don't
we see common place men married to wo-
men who are Ike tinely-iuned Instruments.
capable Of producing the most eXqu site
melody yet VINO become, la buugiing and
ignorant hands only sources or terrible
discord2 II is ain such a lot OF terrible
biunderng. Of the wrong people getting
hold Of tho wrong books. IT only the
man who liked yehow-back novels had