The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-04
WOMAN'S
WORLD.


great deal of comment. The lecture was
published in the New York World was & 5
follows.
Marriage defined broadly. is the relation
of the sexes. But that is 100 vague def
milton. A definition of the state, also
broadly given. is any political institution.
Hence there is a difficulty in defining the
terms. If marriage were defined in the
strict sense il would not apply TO five
hundred years. Marriage is an IDEAL thing
that has never been realized. Vicissitudes
act on the couple and change them, and
not more than ten per cent realize their
ideal. That is TO say. not more tnan ten
per cent of married people at the end of
their lives looking back, can honestly say
that they have realized all of the happi-
ness and all Of the ideals they started out
in the married life with.
What does the Christian form Of mar
riage consist of? Simply Of the prom Sc
or vow of the two people that they will
live in an exclusive relation 10 each other.
Thus is it primarily a vow or a promise.
The civil law steps in and says that If
they have made the promise they
are married to each other. But the es-
sence of the relation is the promise-that
Is. the promise of exclusiveness. And the
man and the woman stand in an equal re-
lation. The religious ceremony has moth
ing 10 do with it. The Mormons DO not
promise exclusive relations. Thus, the
highest ideal marriage dates from the
Council of Trent.
Most young men marry because they
~ rioh+ 10
do So They fail to find their ideal many
times, and most often they fail to realize
their ideal married life. The marriage
ceremony nowadays is very much OF a
show. 1t could be improved by having the
couple give reasonable notice Of their ip-
tention, in advance, and then acknowledge
their vow in the presence of witnesses.
All the way UP marriage has been the
subject of idealizaton. 1t has been the
great field of poetry and romance.
novel to be popular must in these days
be optimistic. Therefore. most novels
stop with the marriage ceremony; beyond
that it would be difficult TO maintain the
optimism.
The primitive forms of marriage lack
the basis of equality, lack the exclusive
relationship The marriage relation was
primitiveIy entered into because of necess-
sity. The relation between men and wo-
men has no consequences for the man.
For the woman the consequences is IN Il
ternity, heavy burden. Woms are sub
jected to great disabilities in connection
with this. Hence the basis of the mar
riage relation is a gross inequality, the
woman having the struggle for existence
TO contend with and also maternity. Mar
riage was based ON the struggle for eX-
istence. An antagnostic cooperation be-
tween man and woman as against the ne
cessitieS of sustaining life resulted. 1t
was cooperation between man
and woman to make living
on the plan Of working together in CO.
operation against a common anita sonist
The man takes a woman as a natural
state--i e., as natural thing for him 10
do. The taking Is not based on choice or
selection. Hence, he has no idea of what
we call a wife
Marriage is above all matter of Gus
tom and always has been The marriage
relation has been subjected TO idealiza-
ton. 1t was at first gross but has be-
come idealiZed, and has entered the great
field OF poetry and romance. The man
and woman now stand upon an absolute
basis of equality. The Christian idea of
marriage is the highest form of this re-
lation that civilization has developed.
AUSTIN q
The Rev. Minot j. Savage d. d of New
York replied to the lecture of Prof. Sum
ner, as reported in the New York World,
as follows:
1 have been married thirty-five ye5rs,
and am glad of it, That is my per
sonal testimony The value of Prof Sum
ner's statement 10 his class is below
rious consideration. No one cares for such
testimony. Any man is foolish to put him
self on record in that manner. How does
he know that ninety per cent of marriages
are unhappy? Has he taken statistics?
Can he prove his figures? l believe that
at least nine-tenths of all marriages are
happy.
As for ideal marriages.. that is an en-
tirely different thing. Many marriages, If
not entirely happy, are AZ least bearable.
Well, then, they are moi unhappy. High
ideals are never realized. The ideal per-
son does not exist. The world progresses
because men are not satisfied and never
attain their ideal. The average married
couple gets along in very comfortable
fashion. Men so on working like dogs
to support their wives and children. Won
en- bear children and make homes for the
men. The lot of such as these Is not un-
happy. Why should it be?
! remember the story of young wife
who had ideals. After she ana her hus-
band had settled down and the glamour
of the honeymoon had worn off the hus-
ba nd began 10 realize ais respons blities
and was working very hard. one morn
ing at the breakfast table his wife wept
and told him that he no longer loved her
because he read the stock quotations in
the paper instead of Caressing her. He
took her 10 the window and pointed 20 a
man who was rushing franticaily for
car The man caught the car took his
seat and began to read mis- paper in a very
calm and placid manner. The fever and
anxiety of persuit had passed.
"Now i" said the man to his wife that
man has caught his car. He is not dssat-
isfied with che car He Is glad he has got
it. and he win go on to the end in It in a
contented and happy frame OF mind. If
he had moi caught il he would have been
very unhappy for a moment, but he would
t9ht Faot I 1Hrla nv
suing you it was because / wanted you
for my wife. Now that | have got you the
fever of the pursuit is done. I am salts
fed / am at rest. l am CAD that the
pursuit is over and that may enjoy your
society and work for you and our home
undisturbed and unhamperei by the fever
and anxiety attendant on pursuit. Wheu
wooed you / worked in another way