The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-03-13
A SCHOOL OF MATRIMONY.

Y is cheering news 70 learn thst The
rtzte u I0wz Is graphing sl-h the
divorce e.1 Al the right end q me
problem. in that enlightened common
realrh & is proposed ID establish q
school vhers young men and women,
oo-teupl entering INTO the holy
estate o. wedlock. may take z course
Of Instruction ara receive a diploma
for prosciency II knowing, how 70 keep
the domestic peace. and 70 this end
z b.M has beer introduced into the
Legislature. asking that the Governor
b empowered 70 appoint state
Director q Marriage Reform II
s-r1ction-'
Tbs is the first practical plan that
has yet been suggested for dealing
with one q the great moral issues o.
Cur day. IN married life IN ouDcs q
prevention IS worth z pound u ali
r3cEy. and the Only way 70 keep peo-
lie from getting divorces = 70 keep
them from wanting them Preachers
may preach and nlOrsliEIs may moral
lze but IS long as the bond that holds
z couple together iE Z calling yoke
<.44 A+l+ = E--A--At e4Er Aa-A ~ @astfS va
they break IL The real cause 81 TOO
much divorce IL zoo much and too IL
Discriminating marrying
ANY observer can tell you that most
% the domestic misery IN the world
s. the result Of ignorance. and r0t q
preueGlta-eG malice. When we tread
up01 the sens b4llt4ez Of our husbands
and wives. when we rsEp their nerves,
and shock their tastes, we DO lot 10
8; with SGT purpose Of aggTavsting
them. We Go Il because We don't know
any better We haven't prepared our
selves for the role we are trying 70
play. and the chief reason that mar
rage Is 80 often a failure Is because
il is universally thought that the ablli-
y u BE = good husband OF wife =
the result q Inspiration and not Of
fIteiIlgence-a sort u craft that any
soTr u a laundering amateur can pick
Up and dash on without study OF sp-
prenticesnlp.
II r. tals nlscOnceprion that the
School Of Matr1mOnF proposes 70 com
bat u VIII raise marriage 70 the
Jewel u one Of the learned professions,
instead u 4 5sck-ieg trade that any
idiot can practice, ard thus VIII The
frEt step y taken towards the aboli-
tiDn n divorce. and the ushering ga u
the domestic millennium II you start
two ships out to sail the seas. one
q which Is pii0tsd b. q skilled 1av1-
gator and the other By an ignorant
land lubber who has never seen salt
water before. the dUlieEt person alive
can tell which vessel VIII 70 70 pieces
on the rocks.
Just what the curriculum ia the
School Of &atrimony viii embrance
has not yet been made public. bu; the
girls course win undoubtedly begin
with detailed instruction 81 how TO
cook and keep house. The first disil-
fusion mSny-nay most-husbandE get
- from the bad hOuEezee ping Of thSir
wives. Il - unronantic. but Il ls a
truth. that you can drown love en-
muddy coffee. and choke Il 10 death
on tough steak. and stay II beyond
The power OF resurrection On soggy
biscuit. BE sure that Il IL at a bsq
breakfast u bic that the young hus-
band first begins TO suspect that he
has made mistake IN his choice Of a
wife and has missed his affinity. 'Ex-
niDit ~ many divorce case is a
lesdan roll
There's no use in saying this is put
ting things on low level It's taking
human nature as II is. Plain living and
high thinking may be enough for a
philosopher. Heroes IN novels can live
On sentiment alone. but IN real life
most u as don't get much above our
surroundings. We are never critical Of
those who make as comfortable. but
there's precious little love that can sur
yige an lli-keDt home. The woman
VINO understa nds the fine art Of feeding
"a and making Us comfortable doesn't
have 70 sue for our love. She can com
r1snd H.
This isn't all, however. good table
and z clean hearth are much. but they
are not all and ina9much as all women
are fairly intelligent, II does seem like
The School Of Matrtmouy might do mis-
stonary work ~ teaching them
branch Of character study that would
enable them 20 deal with acunnen with
the peculiarfties Of the man they mar
~. Undoubtedly. II women gave as
much tine 30 studying their husbands
a. they do 10 trying 20 understand
Ibsen the world would be a cheerier
place IN which TO live.
Then somebody ought TO endow
chair ~ Perpetual Fascination" Gu
pid II always painted with wings
That - 10 show how easily love can
fy away from US. Women never grasp
the Significance Of this. They think be-
cause man lOves them once he viii
continue to DO 80. II IS a cheering
thought, and they work IL for all IL IL
worth. Many "a man who rnarries a
girl because Of her daintiness and
chAfJns ana amlaDility never sees that
side Of her character again. She wears
her dOwdy clothes for him, she saves
her amiability for others, and her wit
for strangers. I humbiy maintain that
the man who pays woman's bills has
g right 10 the best she can give. and I
have never yet known a wife who per-
sisted in regarding her husband az
company who was worth fixing up for
and entertaining, who had 10 complain
OF HIS detection from his own hearth
stone.
A thorough and exhaustive course in
the science OF tact should also he in
cluded in the curriculum. Why can't
wives be taught not TO bump up
against the angles in their husbands
disposition Why can't they learn TO
avoid bringing up subjects on which
they know beforehand they are going
70 disagree? Why can't wives be
Instructed how TO rub the fur the right
way instead OF the wrong way? OF
course men are often plg-headed and
unreasonable, but the art of the thing
r. not 20 treat a crank as II he were
sane, and when you find you have
stirred up an ugly temper to give away
Tor the time being without a fight. The
secret Of great generalship Is knowing
when 20 attack and when 20 retreat.
The most important thing. though.
that women can be taught is a respect
for personal liberty even for the liber-
~ Of husbands. The rock on which
more domestic happiness is wrecked
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