River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1906-12-13

MRS. Parsons recently suggested
marriages on probation" suggested
the reporter. 'Is such SYSTEM pos
sible?"
when we come right down to it,
Mr.. Mitchell replied, "do not some
marriages amount to precisely that?
'The real trouble and the blame"
continued Mr.. Mitchell, "lies deeper
than the foolish husbands and wives
I have sought to typify in Mr.. and
Ms. Karslake. The people l really
aim at are the fathers and mothers
of such husbands and wives. Why
do they not teach their children that
marriage is q solemn thing, not to be
entered into lightly and carelessly
cast aside? These parents are the
guilty ones. Careless, Indifferent,
apathetic, or worse, they allow their
children to marry without telling them
what married life means, much less
teaching them that husband and
wife must be steadfast and are not to
rush off to the divorce court at a
whim or after every quarrel. Is it
amazing to think that the girls of such
parents look on marriage merely as
matter of clothes, church, parson
and orange blossoms, and know moth
ing of the obligations that come after?
Blame the Parents.
"The parents of such girls should
be punished. | read the other day
| that a state in the west had passed a
law directing that girls under IA years
of age should not be allowed on the
streets at night. Does the law punish
the girl? No. II directs that the par
ents pay a fine of five dollars every
time the girl is found ON the streets
after dark. We should have such
law here. It places the blame where
1t belongs-on the parents"
TN the third act of The New York
Idea,'" remarked the reporter, 'sthe
Englishman criticises the American
! girl and says that American girls who
have married foreigners of title are
in rather bad odor in Europe. Was
that comment prompted by recent
events in England and France?"
NO." Mr.. Mitchell replied. ut was
suggested months ago, while I was
| writing the play. / read an article in
the Fortnightly Review in which some
one had prepared a table showing 100
marriages of American girls and 100
marriages of young women from Aus
tria-Hungary to Englishmen of title
The American girls, according to the
article, were mothers of so children
and the wives from Austria Hungary
of 800 children. That means an aver
age of two American wives to one
child and three children for every
wife from Austria-Hungary"
The reporter mentioned the charac-
ter of Rev. Mathew Phillamore in the
play and his remarks which seemed to
excuse divorce.
The Insincere Minister.
81 meant that to hit hard" replied
Mr. Mitchell, II aimed the blow at
the insinceSe minister, the man who
twists his words to suit the likes and
dislikes of the people in his congrega-
ton"
'You mean the clergyman who COM
promises at every point?"
That's what mean, precisely
the compromising clergyman. No one
has more sincere admiration than
for the true lergyman-Phillips
Brooks, for example, man I knew
we'll; or Bishop Doane. who has just
said exactly what he thinks about
divorce, no matter who is hurt; or a
man like my old master at st. Paul's
Academy in Concord, N. H., DR.. Colt.
have known him to walk into sa-
loon and up to the bar, take an ex-
st. Paul's boy by the arm and lead
him away as though he We're little
child.