The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-06-12

a great extent to Susan Talmage. who
was his wife and my mother. What most
OF US can say IN reference to our fathers
successes we can say IN reference to our
own It Is TO the good advice. the loving
intuition. the sound judgment OF the wife
whom we have taken as a partner, that
We owe IN great measure all that We have
gained IN life
Men, husbands. friends, how are We go
Ing to repay our wives for all the sacri-
fiees they have made for us7 oh.
some husbands say. Il do my full duty to
my wife. I provide for her good home
I give her all the money she needs You
do? Oh, that Is very kind. AS far as [
can make out you give your wife nothing
but her own property She earns her sup
port, Just as you do. and she has a right
to at least one-half of your income. If
from a mere oold-blooded standpoint you
had to hire a honsekeeper to do the work
she does you would have TO pay far
more for her wages than your wife ever
spends for clothes and entertainment.
Then If that be the case and 1t Is the
case" some man says how am I to pay
my wife unless | pay her In money!
Why, give her the same rewards the APP
ostle has commanded in the words of my
text. Did Paul ever speak of money in
reference to the husbands duty to his
wife? No, he takes that for granted He
says, Husbands love your wives" But
that is not all He gives his command
ment in the superlative sense, Husbands
love your wives even as Christ also loved
the church and gave himself for It, All,
could there be any sweeter or more de-
voted or more intense measure for a hus-
bands affections than that? 1T is love
tn true wife longs for, as it is love the
true husband in the home should long for.
On a.
voted. loyal, selfsacrficing love. Husbands
pay your wives for their sacrifices of
life in the golden coin of minted love.
Marriages Promissory Note.
But there is promissory note connect
ed with every marriage certificate which
should compel a husband to give his
love to his wife as well as his gratitude
for what she does. 1t was on account of
this loving promise which he made to her
that she, a young girl was persuaded to
leave her fathers home and turn her
back upon her school friends and like
Ruth. who followed Naomi. go with her
husband where he went and lodge with
him where he lived and make his people
her people and his God her God. There
fore il man who has won his bride
upon the promissory note of love does
not fulfill his contract he Is a swlndler
as we'll as an migrate: a deeever, a false |
fier, perjurer as well as one whose
ideas of gratitude are as monstrous and
distorted as that of the maynard son.
who would trample upon a mothers
bleeding heart and turn upon his fathers
love. You believe a merchant Is dishon-
est who through the bankruptcy court
would repudiate debt that he could pay.
Why would you not say tn I husband
Is dishonest and contemplate who would
repudiate the obligation of life time love
xuhi ha fnd xCba ha fa1p1 M
self to the young girl by his side on his
wedding day. when they stood amid en-
powered orange blossoms?
This swndle In reference to promised
affections which a husband sometimes
practices upon wife is the more con-
temptible because in one sense the wife
Is absolutely helpless after the perpetra
ton of the fraud Say what you will. ar
que as you may, talk glowingly and poet
ically and grandlloquently about woman's
opportunities a wife's opportunities have
always been and nearly always will be
circumscribed by the four walls of her
home The husband has his outside bus
mess relationships. lie has his mercan-
tile friends as we'll as his store friends. |
He meets men on the street on the cars, |
in the office, behind the counter. He |
can get away and does get away from the |
home But for the most part the wife Is |
anchored to the kitchen, the bedroom
and the nursery of home by the children. |
Therefore. If he fails her and defrauds |
her of his promised love she Is absolute |
ly helpless and must suffer more than |
he can realize. She has practically no re- |
Dress for she has given up her all for
him. II. however on account of her
husbands neglect a wife turns her back |
upon him and goes forth to meet the |
world as an independent woman, then the
world itself will turn its back upon her. |
Just before began my Chicago pastor
ate a very prominent Pittsburg lady who
was divorced said to me: ION account |
of the neglect and the inhumanlties of
brutal husband for the protection of my |
self and children. got legal separation
But II had 1t all to do over again I
would bear any injustice and suffer every
brutality rather than get divorce. The
outside world does not look into the |
causes of family disruption, but heart |
less people will always look upon d.
vorced wife as one who has black mark |
upon her brow" Oh. We faithless I'M
loving husbands. will you not be honest |
to Yourselves and honest to your wives |
and nav the promissory note of love which
Won made when the minister pronounced |
von and vour wife one until death do |
you part?'
Broken Hearted Wives.
can Won not hear the wailings and sobs |
of broken hearted wives in the words of
the poet of old:
Before I trust my fate to thee
Or place my hand in thine
Before ] let thy future give
Color and form to mine,
. Before peril all to thee,
Question thy soul tonight for me.
Does there within thy dimmest
dreams