The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-06-15
tribution toward the ruin of civiliza-

tribution toward the ruin of civlliza-
| ton.
One admits, in the beginning, that
there are certain cases where divorce
is not only righteous and inevitable,
but where the opposite course would
be something not to be forgiven; as
where it is necessary for the saliva
ton of children to separate them from
| the authority or example of an injuri
Gus parent. But these instances are so
few that they hardly count in the null
titude of suits brought for wrong and
frivolous reasons, and for those which,
with sufficient self-control and a mod
crate degree of virtue, would never
exist.
In certain districts of Europe, when
trouble between a husband and wife
grows to such dimension that 1t is no
longer endurable, and although divorce
is to be had only through special dis
pensation, and therefore usually not
to be thought Of recourse is had to
the village priest for permission to live
apart. The cure comes then and takes
up his abode in the house; 1t may be
for six months, II may be for year, it
may be for a shorter period than either
OF course, it is the desire of both par
ties to appear in the right before the
reverend father, and Immediately cour-
| of kindness on both sides so abound
that neither husband nor wife can find
fresh complaint to prefer, while there
| appears to be no truth in the old COM
| plants. Presently these good people
| begin to doubt their memories, the past
| evidence of their senses; they wonder
| If they have not been mistaken; they
| begin to condemn themselves and
would do so still more If each did not
|
| Soon II occurs to each of them that
after all, the other is delightful per-
son; and If they do not end by falling
| in love over again, they at any rate
find life a pleasant thing thenceforth
to live together, and the cure is dis
missed as If he were, what he is a
messenger of the good God.
Is it not a pity that we have no such
helpful custom, that there is no third
party held in legitimate respect to
came in and umpire the business for
the malcontents of our places and
time? Yet If so much rancor and dis
gust, so much disposition to roam, so
much Gliding, so much angry resent
ment, so much blameworthy self-indul-
gense, so much selfishness, can be kept
in restraint by the presence of that or
| any revered third party, who is the
counsellor on both sides, why can it
not be equally well restrained by the
invisible third party of the conscious
ness of right?
If the husband remembered his vows,
If the wife remembered that sharp
words never won back love, If each
remembered the need that children
have of the good offices of both father
and mother, and that God made 1t so,
If both remembered all the misfortune
to families involved in changes of the
family relation, and the public msfor-
tune and degradation as well; If each
endeavored to take the others point Of
view, to enter the others individuality:
If each remembered the dear and sweet
things of the past; IL each forgot for
a little while self-love and wounded
pride; II each understood something of
| the beauty OF sacrifice and recognized
that marriage Is as truly a sacrament
| as II Is a civil contract, God and the
great mysteries OF creation entering
! into II; If each acknowledged that TO
legallze II does not change the char
acter Of what Is sin. even though II
| cease 10 be crime, then II would pres
! emily be found best 10 stand by ones
guns and Eight II out IN the union.
The miracle Of marriage, when all Is
said. is something too awful and too
sacred 20 be- tempered with. People go
( igtO u ignuy. as " going 10 a dance
and nowadays they go ont Of 81 more
! lightly sim. az II treadlng on air they
prOfane the holy 81 HOLES o. people
pas sln and out ~ tie circus tent. But
within fhlf great mystery and marvel
which b. part ~ the mystery Of Gods
primal creation. which continues the
mystery fhrOuEh which the fret profo-
] piarn escaped from formlsgsneas, who