The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1904-04-08
FARMvILLE, VA, FRIDAY, APRIL s, 1904

Is All Wen enough to talk about the
vaunted freedom Of the American boy
and girl; but for my own part espe.
cially In reference to the promiscuous
association OF young people and the
careless promises they are allowed to
make, l think they have altogether too
much freedom.
Another divorce preventive: Finan-
cial expenses in the great majority Of
homes should be curtailed and greatly
diminished. The income should not De
made TO meet the outgO The outgo
should be contracted until there is a
sufficient margin left for unexpected
expenses, such as sickness or loss Of
work or financial reverses. The prov
erb says, "When poverty comes in at
the door love flies out Of the window" 4"
That is not true when all members are
systematically trying TO do their best
But when husband and wife 10 upon
the suppOsltion that marriages are
made in heaven and then. with blinded
eyes, run needlessly into debt there is
nearly always marital friction. The
wife blames the husband, the husband
the wife. Perpetual friction. then. on
account Of the money question icntes
the divorce fires. Then the family altar
goes up in Satanic blaze.
Another divorce preventive: The pu-
rifcatlon Of the American press. both
in book form and in periodical and I'm
the morning newspaper. The pcstifer-
GUS trash which every day and every
week and every month, like q winter
blizzard. is flung into our faces by the
snowstorm Of the printing press is
enough TO destroy the healthy heart
throbs Of any young person who is al-
lowed 10 read il. | am. of course. not
speaking against good publications.
but bad publications. Go 10 almost
any bookstand that you see and open
some of the books at random and read
There we find the authors make their
heroes ont Of bad men and their hero
ines out Of bad women. with here and
there a redceming white spot 10 Offset
these black characters Broken mar
riage vows. "Childe Harold" indcccn-
cies. deceitful wives. decciving men
these move as an ever changing kalei-
doscope before the fascinated eyes Of
the young readers. There the boy and
the girl learn TO call crime respectable
and mans dishOnor a free lance Of
gold"
But some one asks me- i'm closing: |
Are divorces always wrong? Should
a husband and wife be compelled to |
live together under all conditionsT |
Oh, no The violation Of the marriage |
vow justifes divorce. Christs own |
words imply that. There are other
conditions which Justify separation /
even when there has been no violation /
of that vow. II would be q grieyOus /
Injustice 10 enforce constant compan- /
ionship when one Of the parties 10 a /
has contracted habits which .
render the continued relation an intOl- |
cradle misery 10 the other. ! have /
known such cases and have rcjoiced /
that the law permits the innocent party /
TO be relieved OF the burden and ar
fords protection from molestation. 1t
Is not for me to say when a stage has
been reached which demands the in-
tervention Of the law, but do contend
that # is a menace 10 the morals Of
the people when a contract 50 solemn
and sacred as that Of marriage can be
broken on pretexts so frivolous as those
now recognized IN many states. / pro-
test also against the diversity of the
divorce laws Of the different states,
which tends 10 confusion and uncer
tainty in the relation so vital as this
10 the morality and stability Of society.
MY belief I'm reference 10 divorce can
be summed mp in the words Of Sir
Walter Scott in the case Of Ecand yer
sus Evans. Though in particular cases
.he repugnance Of the law 70 dissolve
he obligations Of matrimonial cohabi-
.ation may operate with great severity
upon individuals, yet it must be care
'ully remembered that the general hap.
1iness Of the married life is secured
BY its indissolubility." My belief is
summed up in the thought that the
more people realize when they marry
hat they must marry for life the more
'uture generations will be careful how
hey marry and the more the sanctity
Il the home will be preserved. There
ore, my friends, suffer almost every
Injustice for your children's sake, for
he community's sake, for Gods sake,
ather than break the nuptial bonds.
In this discussion l have presented.
or the most part, only the temporal
ide Of the divorce question. If l had
poken from the spiritual side the re-
ult would have been self evident. Cos
,el love never gave birth TO legal hate.
lay the Christ who uttered the pro
est of the text against promiscuous
llvorce bless the earnest words Of one
whom God has greatly blessed with a
Iappy home.