Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-08-21

snip, the closest possible association
known to humanity, and as such
necessarily implies community of in
terest between man and wife. In all
legendary myth woman is said to
nave been created as mate for man;
and In Genesis we are told that the
Lord God, saying: 'It is not good
Tor man to be alone" made Eve as
"a helmpate for him" "And they
twain shall be one flesh; the halves
of one harmonious whole For
which cause no marriage can be a
happy one in which there is not
complete and thorough sympathy be-
tween the two who are Joined In the
holy estate" Neither does this
statement imply that the two are to
be replicas merely each of the other;
on the contrary, even as variety is
the spice of life, little difference is
wholesome for the better union of
the two. Not too much, however,
the lust enough" is here, as else
where, that which is wanted.
1t has passed almost into a pro-
verb that like is unwise to seek like
in matrimony; "opposites attract" :"
which sweeping assertion has helped
no little in complicating the mystery
of the battling ways of love. In point
of fact, the marriages which result
most happily are those between men
and women possessed of the same
standards of life; whose Characters
tics agree, although they may not
be identical, and whose tastes are
similar. Yet the average man al
most instinctively looks for a differ
ent temperament than his own,
whenever he dreams of wife, or al
lows his thoughts to stray towards
love; while, as a rule, both men and
women frequently are most strong
ly attracted by those most dissimilar
to themselves.
1T is a popular theory that every
man and every woman has his or her
complement somewhere upon this
planet; that usually the two who are
intended to combine into the perfect
whole will have at least a chance OF
meeting. Sometimes, like ships that
pass in the night, they come within
measurable distance of each other
yet exchange no word nor sign Of
recognition; but as a rule they soon
er or later stand face to face, and are
given the choice whether or no t
fulfill their mutual destiny. Th'
theory is beautiful, no doubt; bu
like many another it will not holC
water, as the saying is. 1t is pos
sible that "every Jack has his Jill,
| but the rest of the proverb is unten
able, since statistics prove indisput
ably that the number of women II
the world is in excess of that of the
men, wherefore if the whole worlC
were to attempt mating there woulC
be left several millions of super
iuous women without husbands.
There also is much talk of affini
ties. But these, although they un
doubtedly exist, comparatively are
rare, and are in most cases not born
but made; that is to say, they arr
developed, rather than found al
ready and charming. For what ar
affinities? People who think ant
feel and act in perfect sympathy
perfect harmony; between whom at
traction reaches the maximum, ant
who. heart and soul, are in complet
unison. 1t is improbable that an
many and woman could meet for tn
first time and instantly discover sue
a bond of utter responsiveness
lSuch condition is too near L
heaven to be found in earth. In tn
first place, men and women have dill
ferent points of view, which ofte
are at cross lines; and in the second
it would be difficult to find ma
and woman who had the same condl
tiohs for the formation of characte
land inclination. People must max
their affinities. They must find tn
lproper material and mold 1t to thei
liking, which by no means is an cas-
task.
The contrariness of men an
women goes far to stultify the real
cation of perfect happiness In matrl
monial matters. Often and over
happens that bystanders and iooh
ers-on In the game of life see wome
who appear to have been created e'
pressly as wives for certain men
their acquaintance neglected scarc'
ly noticed, by those men, VINO pas