The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-16
PREACHERS AS LOVERS.

4 ~ Nv Enc
The touchingIy beautiful story OF the
late DR.. Parker's married life brings TO
| the memory many stories of clerical WOO
ings and weddings; some happy almost
beyond description. and others as III
starred as any in the history of love
/ John Wesley missed more than one
chance of matrimonial blessedness be-
! fore he united his life 10 the .-vixenish
| widow Vizelle." He was a man with a
great capacity for romantic attachment.
as witness his transports when pretty
Betty Kirkman enslaved his fancy Betty
| remained q sentimental memory TO his
| dying day. and years after she had pass
| ed out of his life he would linger over the
! spOte where, in their young day dream,
/ they had sat and walked together; and
there are few more beautiful love songs
in our language than that which begins:
| Where'er she trod the daisies grew.
His next attachment was of a different
| order; for so uncertain was he OF his af-
lection that he actually consulted GER
| tain elders as TO the advisability of
wedding fair Miss Sophia Causton, and
when they advised him TO proceed no
farther he said with mingled relief and
resignation, The Lord's VIII be done"
| For second time, however. ne missed
| happiness when the interference of his
/ brother Charles prevented his marriage
/
| ray who had nursed him so tenderly
through a dangerous illness. and a little
/ later he led TO the altar Mrs. NiZelle, one
/ of the greatest ShreWs who ever wrecked
a husbands happiness.
Few men have lived such tempestu-
Gus married life-nOne bore IL with such
exemplary resignation. She dogged his
steps like a detective, prompted by the
| iusanest jealousy. She listened at key
al
his letters, in fits of uncomfortable pas
sion dragged him along the floor by his
hair, and in a thousand ways made his
days a martyrdom. 1t is little wonder
that even so patient a man shoald, in bit
terness of soul, write to her, If you were
buried just now, what loss would ii be to
the cause of God?' or that when she de-
serted him he should sadly write in his
diary, Il have not sent her away; 1 viii
not call her back
How different is the picture when we
turn to the home life of c. II. Sturgeon,
1.-The abode of perfect peace and tender
affectionr" There is no fairer picture in
the gallery of conjugal love than this of
the great preacher and his wife. hourly
vying with each other in all those tender
courtesies and attentions those sweet
ministrations. which make of married life
such beautiful psalm
Rarely has there been a more ideal
union than that Of DIR. Alexander, arch
bishop OF Armagh, and his wife, "a life
of unclouded sunshine" 1t is said OF
this happy couple that 'the fair surface
of their days was never ruffled by single
dispute" and that their life together was
"a matchless poem"
When William Booth, an obscure trav-
eline. evangelist linked his life with that
Of Catherine Mumford, just forty-seven
years ago, he entered on one OF the most
ideal and far-reaching of married lives.
IT was in his own touching words ''one
life. one heart. one soul In many bit
ter hour of struggle and depression her
courage sustained me; her great heart
was my constant inspiration, her wise
brain my guide, and her hand my unfail-
ing and gentle minister and when she
died and left him to pursue alone the path
whose steps she had so long cheered she
linked him with the angels
There, Kate, you lucky girl; 1 give
you all my fortune, the Rev. SSeney
Smith exclaimed as he flung half ekzen
silver teaspoons into his young hancee
lap. 1t was slender capital, it is true,
to start married life on. but such talent
as Sydney Smith had. inspired by love as
great and loyal as Miss Pybus lowered
him with was all the young couple need
ed to make perfect their happiness in
their married life And alike, when he
was the social lion of London. and when
he was exiIed to a remote Yorkshire par
ish. with no educated neighbor within
seven miles," he and his wife were
equally sufficient to each other, COM
plete world in themselves.
The Rev. Rowland Hill was an eccen-
trio man full of wit and drollery. AS
a lover his method of wooinS was quaint,
for he presented himself TO his future
wife as a poor worm and "a despised
pilgrim
But the list of these happy unions might
be extended almost indefinitely. To bal
ance the picture we must turn for q mo-
ment to the wooing and wedding OF
George Whitefield. the great pulpit orator
of the eighteenth century. Whitehead
was. indeed. a lukewarm wocer and little
likely to inspire in any woman an ardor
he never felt himself.
Imagine a lover worthy of the name
writing in these terms 10 offer his hand
to the lady of his indifferent choice: Il
make no great profession TO you.
If YOU think marriage viii be in any way
preiudicial to your better part, be so KIND
as to send me denial;' and when ASKING
the parents permission to propose 10 their
daughter this cool-blooded gallant does II
in these words: You need not be afraid
of sending me a refusal; your denial will
fully convince me that your daughter is
not the person appointed by God for
me"
When. later. Whitefeld summoned UP
courage to wed Mrs. James. a mature
widow. he wrote on the eve of his we'd
ding day: God calls me to retirement
being to enter the marriage state tomor-
row" Although his wife proved 10 De
woman Of rare devotion. such as might
well have won a responsive aHection,
the union was by common consent an IN
happy one: so much o, in fact that when
Mrs Whitcfield gave up the hopeless
struggle and died. her husband was frank
enough TO confess that her death set his
mind much at liberty. Cleveland
Leader.
Spoiled His Case.