The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-04-06
BY WILLIAM t. ELLIS.

One of the greatest days of any
mans life is that on which he seeks
the hand OF a woman In marriage. 1t
is a day which his most intimate
friends seldom know, one of his own
heart-anniversaries; but It is more i'm
portant than the. day when CONNER
cial success or public honor come to
him. The choosing of a wife is, by
some strange perversion of the sense
of humor, considered the favorite top
ic sof jest; yet it really belongs among
mankind's most sacred experiences.
The Importance of the right kind of
a.awife was as clearly recognized in
the time of the patriarchs as it is to-
day; that is why Jacob was sent on the
distant journey to his kindred's home
to, secure n helpmeet. On his wedding
day man was heard to remark, Il
know God has some important work
for me to do in the world, because of
the woman he has given me for
wife" Which Vas only another way
of saying that a good wife is from the
Lord, and a part of the divine equip
ment for serviee.s 4 wife is either
wings or weight; she helps a man up
or she holds him down. 1t is a. rare
man indeed who can attain a great life
with an unworthy wife, and the num-
Der of men whose greatness is prin-
arily due to their wives is beyond
inheritor of the divine promises to
Abraham except he had a wife fit to
share the blessing with him.
For marriage concerns far more
than the two contracting parties. The
peace and welfare of two families are
involved. as we'll as. far more directly,
the blessing of posterity. That is one
reason for the old-world custom of
arranged marriages. that Is why
one of a young mans trying expert
e1lces is when he goes to be inspected
by his wffe's relatives. 1t is a recog-
milton of the far-reaching Importance,
as well as of the sanctity of wedlock.
that causes even the thoughtless world
to believe that in this matter God has
part, as witness the .proverb, True
marriages are made in heaven"
A Mother-in-Law's Complaint.
Mothers-tE-law are of many sorts;
some are q comfort and delight, others
are a blessing in the form of a thorn,
Rebekah, Jacobs mother, was doubt
less as much of an aff1iction to the
heather wives Of his brother Esau as
they were to her. She, however, was
head OF the household, and not one to
suffer in silence. So she complained
that her daughters-in-law were a
plague her. crying to Isaac, II am
weary of my life because of the daugh-
tiers of Heth; IL Jacob take wife of
the daughters OF Heth, such as these. of
the daughters OF the land, what good
shall my life do met"
That was the ostensible reason for
sending Jacob away. It was as import
ant then as now that men should marry
within lines Of affinity, at least among
these who held the great fundamentals
in common. Rebekah thought only of
Suitable match" for her son; that
affection should enter into 1t was be-
yond her reckoning. Orientals do not
commonly care for their wives with the
sentimental love which Is the basis of
marriage in the western world; that is
why the Christian home has no paral-
lei in heather lands.
sRebekah's real reason for packing off
her favorite son to his uncle's home
was that she wanted to put him beyond
the reach of his Infatuated brother,
Esau. Jacob had cheated Esau out of
his inheritance, and that hairy man of
the open had sworn summary VEN
geance. Therefore the shrewd and
managing mother made this time oppor-
tune for the wife-hunting pilgrimage.
All the subsequent story is Illuminated
by the fact that Jacob was really flee
ing for his life, as well as seeking a
wife. He was an exile and a wanderer