Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-03-08

the Hebrew and Moa bitish marriage
laws. When Ruth married she be-
Naomi became her mother. And, ac-
cording to the marriage laws OF her
time, she was in duty hound to care for
Naomi for better or for worse. Cannot
you and I learn mighty lesson for
fidelity to our marriage affairs Of the
west by Ruths faithfulncss 10 the
marriage laws Of the east? The simple
fact is too many people look upon the
marriage altar simple rs trystlng
place and not as sacred shrine. They
seem TO think that the marriage ties
are not unbreakablc bands of steel, but
mere gossamer threads, which can
glitter for little while in the sun and
he snapped at will. They are ready 10
plight their troth and say, 81 will wed
thee for better" but they arc not ready
to say. II will we'd thee for worse"
Why. so lightly do some people think
or their marriage vows that a popular
literary man Of England some time ago
advocated the idea that marriage
should not be for life, but for only a
term OF ten years. If at the end OF a
decade the husband got tired Of his
wife because she had lost the bloom Of
youth, or because her hair ~as streak
ed with gray, or because the burden
or supporting the household was too
great, or because. like Brigham Young,
lie might see the pretty face Of some
other woman whom he would like TO
make his favorite. then the mar
riage relationship could be terminated
while. on the other hand, If the wife
was frivolous. good for nothing CAD
about and she got tired OF her husband
because he liked TO sit at home and
play with the children, or work over
his books, or plan how they could de-
crease their expenses so they could
lift the mortgage of the home. then
mt the end of ten years she could pack
up her trunk and leave that home and
60 or with the first worthless charac.
ter toward whom she had been casting
her firtatous eyes during these ten
years OF her married life. Is that
right? All. no. that was not Ruth's
idea Of marriage When she married
Naomis son she realized the full re.
sponsiblity OF the relation. She was
ready to meet those responsibilities for
better or for worse.
The Old Fashioned Ideas.
Her Ideas of marriage were a great
deal like the old fashioned ideas with
which our grandfathers and grand
mothers were welded. They may have
started ont with little of worldly
goods, but they had a big balance in
the bank OF trust. When they started
housekeeping they were both ready
and willing TO put forth their hands to
lift the common burdens. The babies
! came. and the fathers hammer and
saw made the crib. and the mothers
foot rocked it, and the mothers needle
sewed the garments for the little
strangers When sickness came they
nursed one another through it. When
! financial trouble and want came they
| starved together and made the old
clothes do Side by side they met the
storms of trouble. Side by side they
smiled in the sunshine of prosperity.
They sobbed together. They sang to-
gether. They prayed together. Their
bodies. side by side. are now sleeping
in the little country graveyard. and
their spirits are now side by side in
heaven together. For better or worse
read their plighted troth. For better
or for worse" was Ruths marriage
pledge to Naomis son. May God help
us to be true to our marriage vows
! May we be true for our own sakcs and
true for the sakes Of those whose hap
piness is dependent upon our faithful
ness to that pllghted troth. But Ruth
measures up full to her religious stand
ard as we'll as to her love test and her
mental test. She stands before us the
! noble example OF a woman who has
surrendered her heart to the true God
as we'll as her life to the service of
those human beings who We're dear to
her. And unless you can have this
commingliug of the divine love with
the human love you cannot have either
man or woman meet the full require
ments which God or the world has de.
7
manded of theH Some time ago il
was my privilege to spend holiday
with three children who had an infdel
and skeptic for a father The mother
was dead. They were three beautiful
children. They were exquisitely dress
ed. Their manners were perfect. But
though they were only children, you
could see and feel something was lack
ing in their makeup. The spiritual
part Of their lives was stunted. They
had learned to love man. but they had
not learned to love Jesus Christ No,
thus was Ruth. She measures full to
the test of human love She also meas
urcs full to the divine test. Let me
draw fgurative picture OF what
mean.
! In the Land Of Moab.
1t was a sad, sad sight in one of the
| homes Of a city OF the great and rich
country in the land OF Moab You
ought to know a little Of the history OF
that land. Its cities were as rich as
the cities Of Sodom and Gomorrah, and
the Inhabitants Of these cities were Just
as vile as the Sodomites. They were
not only idol worshipers, but worse
Their worship was similar to that
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