Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-06-10

selves and honest 20 your wives and
pay the promissory note OF love which
you made when the minister pro
nounced you and your wife one until
death do you part?'
Broken Hearted wives.
Can you not hear the wallngs aud
sobS OF broken hearted wives i'm the
words OF the poet OF old:
Before trust my fate 10 thee
r place my hand I'm thine
Before let thy future give
Color and form 70 mine
Before 1 peril all to thee.
Question thy soul tonight for me.
Does there within thy dlmmest
dreams
possible future shine.
Wherein thy life could henceforth
breathe.
Untouched. unshared by mine?
II SO. at any pain or cost.
oh. tell me before all is lost
In the death knell of husbands
love l also hear the sobs of the broken
heart of mother as well as of wife.
The great dramntist wrote, "Oh, sharp.
or than a serpent's tooth it Is to have n
thankless child" Many a mother has
learned this by bitter experience.
through her husbands conduct. The
love that the child naturally feels foi
the mother withers and dies under the
poison that comes from witnessing the
fathers contempt for the mother Lit.
tie likely is Il child TO reverence the
mother after hearing the Lame and
vituperatiOn hurled at her by her bus.
band. In the Venetian museum is n
fatal instrument. invented by Tibaldo.
called "the key OF death" 1t was n
key having in Its handle a small hid
den spring, which inclosed n needle
filled with deadly poison. When this
key was pressed by the hand the nee.
die would spring forth. inject the poi.
son into the hand OF the holder. and
death would always follow the touch.
So I'm many n home there is n key of
death" Ii is nearly always fatal to q
child's love. 1t is the key which opens
the chamber of horrors" I'm which
rattles the grinning. hideous skeleton
OF husbands dead love II brutal
father systematically continues to find
fault with his WIFE if lie neglccts her
and ridicules her and sneers at her.
he sets an example which his children
are only too prone TO follow. His esti-
mate OF their mother. often coarsely
and blpntly expressed, is likely TO be-
come theirs, and their natural affection
for her turns TO Indifference and in
gratitude. oh. my friends, who are
husbands and fathers. you know how
sanctifying and purifying is the iniu-
ence that has come 10 you from your
mothers graves. Your love and reyer.
ence for your mother have kept you I'm
many an hour OF temptation. Let your
children have the same beneficent infIu-
ence. Never by look or thought or
word weaken the influence your wife
may have over your children. When
you are untrue to your wives, you are
untrue TO your children.
Glove Your wives"
But there is still another and n more
far reaching reason why American
men should love their wives, even as
Christ also loved the church and gave
for IT," Not only Is the home.
but the community and the nation.
builded upon the cornerstone of the
love which n husband should bear TO
his wife. ! am not stating this fact
too emphatically. | will go further and
say the salvation of the world itself is
dependent upon that purified love.
What does the Bible say, God setteth
The solitary i'm families" The unit of
society is not the man who casts as n
vote. the white slip OF paper into the
ballot box. IL is the man and the wo-
man joined together nj the marriage
altar as one. Ii that union Is not main.
aimed In the spiritual sense. then there
s no union, and there Is no stable COM
nunity.
Why was the first settlement nt
jamestown. Va, n failure and the first
settlement Mt Plymouth rock n sue
cess! Were the old pilgrim fathers
my Drawer men than the Virginia
planters? Was not John Smith of rs
heroic mold as Miles Standish? The
'eason for the failure OF the James-
own colony was due To the fact that
hose southern colonizers did not bring
heir wives along with them, while the
plymouth fathers stuck 10 Plymouth
ock because they were anchored there |
~ the Plymouth mothers. Why do
men herding together as class degen- |
rate morally. mentally and physical |
W Because they lack the moral and |
spiritual leaven which comes from n |
loble wife's love. Therefore, brethren.
as men you would be true 10 your
'ountry. true TO your city. true to your
children. true TO yourself and true TO |
our Christ you will he true 10 your
wives. Husbands, hear We not the far
eaching commandment. Love your
vives?'
Respect and DIFFERENCE
How shall we love our wiyesp nv
irving them n few silly compliments?
)h' no! Not that. A wife is quick TO
letect insincerity in such inanities.
sui you can show her your respect and
Ieference. You can prove TO her by
our pleasure in her society. by the lit
lie attentions that when you were a
over came naturally 10 you and by
our preference for her over younger
women that your heart Is still In her
'eeping. The little presents. the con-
.~~'"'i"h Va iSI tdSttS ana the desire |
o give her pleasure which used TO
haraeterize your treatment OF her
you'd delight her better now than ever
'efore and would bring to her weary
ace the glad smile OF tender affection
husbands, love your wives. We should
oye them IN making them one with us
all our thoughts and hopes and lows.
We should love them no that the bright.
ST hope OF eur love would be TO tighten
heir burdens and to always have them
Y our sides. We should love and con.
niue to love them even as Christ loves
ne church. when. in the canticles. we
cad his beautiful blessing upon II:
AS the lily among the thorns. so is NV
I'VE among the daughters. AS the nm.
lie tree among the trees OF the woods
Is my beloved" o husband. do you
1ve your wife as Christ loves his
hurch bride?
The pure. the bright the beautiful
That stirred our hearts In youth
The impulse of q wordless praver
The dream of love and truth.
The longings after something lost
ne spirit yearning cry