Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1902-10-01
FALSE STANDARDS.
CIVILIZATION IS NOT M HARMONY
VITA DIVINE PLANS.
Normal Family Groups Are Neces-
narS Co Henithy Communities--Im-
pcdimcnts Placed In the Path OF
'tEtrimoay.
iSpcclal Correspondence.l


Especial Correspondence
liarper's Weekly gives very interest
- data about the difficulties that
modern civilization places i'm the way
al matrimony. IL seems that the gen
e.. / advice 60 young men in the United
states is not TO marry on less than $40
pr week and 20 abstain If his earn
LIS are up TO about So. III above $15.
Z, s. must not think of matrimOny I'M
O.. their incomes have mounted 10 the
q ere Of about $4,000. when they may
mtrry. provided they are not inclined
L. live eNtravagant lives. when they
must have not less than $4,000. From
Germany We have also good data
on the subject The emperor there
forhlds the officers of the army 10 mar
- CulCsS their salaries are over $3.50
and advises them not to 10 il unless
shcir salaries are SLIPS ami they can
count. besides. on a private income OF
$50. To that IIarper's Weekly adds
that i'm the United States amy and
navy the licutenantS need all their sal
AIRY for their personal expenses and
can only afford To- marry rich women.
Almost every thinking man and wo-
man has FOR years noticed that the
matrimonial problem is getting more
c..aplCX than ever for all classes cX-
cot FOR the very poor and the very
ri.h Just The two social standards that
a natural civilization would MOI dcvel-
Oh But who thinks of anything nat
ural applied 10 the general relations Of
men: And 10y the natural We mean
the divine. the God ordained facts i'm
creation. I'm that visible universe OF
which man is simply the complement
tary element AMI without whom il
would only be conglomcratiOn OF
forces and forms beautiful enough in
themselves. hut lacking the Spontane-
cvS touch OF created consciousness.
shat created cDuSciousns -. man. comes
gro To finish I'm accordance with q Ger
tain divine plan That must ncccsSa-
rly mean close cooperation he
tween the created consciousness OF
mon GIN SroupSl and the uncrcatVd one
or God. So that we may stand perfect
and complete in all the will OF God"
as 81. Paul said. Perhaps not even
81. Paul caught the transcondent
meaning Of that sublime sentence in
the chapter which commences 10y say
ing, Masters. give unto your servants
that which is just and equal. knowing
that ye also have Master in heaven
Ii IS but we ourselves. the powerful
classes of powerful nations. that can
fully understand the elements Of social
truth if we want TO- but we don't seem
10 care about it. Social truth. social
Righteousness. social duties. social jus
tice. social equality. social common
senSe-do we hear anything of these
preached anywhcreF Yes. occasionally
IN the reform and labor press. where
the eyes of the powerful never see tit
10 descend and where not even the
weak and oppressed go very frequent
~. ON the other hand the organs that
have the eye and the ear of all classes
all sing yet the old song OF each one
looking out FOR his own salvation or
FOR some trying TO save somebody else
before they have saved themselves.
Ii is yc. the plural, the class the
community, the party. the church. the
nation; ye. the organization, that has
TO be perfect and complete in ali the
Will OF God. in all the functions of hu
man life, in all the political and indus.
Trial qualifications OF our own natural
existence. The spiritual is o., where
outside OF the natural and the physical
and the tangible outside OF forces and
forms working out certain results. cf-
Iects Springins up from causes. and
all the latter radiating from duties full
hlled OF duties neglected.
The very word duty implies organiza-
ton among men, certain social princi-
pies with them. Shall they Ice prin-
ciples OF justice or OF injustice, OF
brotherhood OF OF banditismt There Is
nothing between the two sets and
hence any mixture Of the two is es-
sentially wrong. satanic. No set OF
men, no nation, has ever been able To
do anything worse than mix the TWO
sets and produce 4 wretched combina-
ton. Why then preach and exhOrt
men 10 continue the same miserable,
idiotic old job, by which we simply
perpetuatc our own mean incomplete
ness, personal and collective, the for
mer because of the latter? Why should
the wise and the good, the oppreSsors,
try 10 save the ignorant, the wicked,
the oppressed, before the wise and the
good have learned how 10 save them
selves from the sins, wrongs and di-
abOlisms of their own dear and cruel
civilization, OF our own heather and
rotten progress: Is there any sense in
that any logic, any Christianity, any
godlike conceptions?
The least that any advancing civ
iliZation ought 10 do, if we can prove
that our advance is not toward some
abysmal cataclysn, is TO show that We
make il possible and easy for men in
ali classes 10 evolve healthy family
groups Nth as few complications as
possible. We are doing just the re
verse, particularly with those classes
less tempted by the abnormalities of
great poverty or great wealth. AnG
where shall we get sound citizens Il
not obtained from normal family
groups? Even the great autocrat OF
the German empire sees the fatal dan
ger OF modern prOgress-the fact that
we only give TO most men much less
than what is needed for healthy do
nestle development And If even re
publics 90 what empires do, and do il
with vengeance, as seems to be III,
ease with Us. then. what does tha'
proveT That even republics discard
the righteousness of the Heavenly
Father. Woe to them If they Go no
turn new leaf before it is too late.
Keep Out of the Past.
Whatever you do in this wonderful world
In business. in church at play
Whatever OF gain or OF loss you have met