Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1907-10-09
fBy Helen oldneld.l


A shrewd old lawyer, whose clev-
er and caustic speeches were remem-
bered long after his death by those
who heard them, used to quote the
saying: advice is the worst vice
there is; and he added: Few peo-
pie ask advice because they want
counsel" Generally they hope to
be confirmed in the course upon
which they have already decided;
when the contrary happens they
rarely take the advice, and In any
case they resent It, so It is wise to
be chary OF your opinion concern
ing other peoples affairs.
Especially is this true with regard
TO love affairs. In this land OF lib
erty and era OF personal freedom
most persons are at liberty to marry
as they choose. provided that both
Barhis and Peggotty are willing, and
excepting when parents and guar
dams efel themselves in duty bound
to Interfere, the best course is to let
them alone. Strangers above all
have no right to make or to meddl'.
As to second marriages, there Is
nothing TO differentiate them In this
respect from first marriages. In
deed. since the persons concerned
usually are older, and presumably
wiser, they have still greater claim
to be permitted to gang their own
gait" wltout hindrance. True, soms
men and women come TO years of
discretion at IT, and other fail 10
arrive at 10. but that has nothing
60 do with the case. The marriage
bond is "till death do ye part" and
the man or woman who has buried
one spouse is at full liberty to take
1.-THE law allows it, and the court
awards" The question is one which |
each individual must decide for one
SELF
Observation and experience |
abundantly prove that a large pro-
portion OF second marriages are
happy. Poets and novelists to the
contrary Notwithstanding. only the
few love once and forever. The love
OF romance which Is born In a mo-
ment to last eternally. which Is un-
impaired and unaffected by time,
circumstance. or condition, has no
counterpart In the experience of ev'
oryday life, Not that true love does
not exist, but that. like all other
best things, II requires favorable In
fiuences, and is perfected by growth
and culture, Whether II survives
after death depends entirely upon
the man and woman who have
shared that love. There are somc
who never forget, some who cannot
he forgotten, As says one among
the host OF homely philosophers who
appear In the fiction OF the hour:
There's men would marry once
a year II their wives would die fast
enough, and there's men that seems
20 want 10 live alone"
SO also with women. as some one
has said. there are those who like
dogs are faithful unto death and
aftor, others who like cats purr con-
tentedly under whatever hand
strokes them gently and provides
them with cushion and cream. II Is
a matter Of temperament rather
than OF anything else.
The laws OF ancient Sparta for
bade second marriages. but for rea
sons so cynical IA scarcely TO be
logical. They held that II man
or woman had had one good wife
pr husband Il was all he or she had
Ihe right to expect. wherefore Il was
heir duty To thank the gods nor
tempt them further. II. on the con-
irary, the first marriage had been
IN unhappy one, only a fool would
wish TO run the risk OF another, and
inder the Spartan laws fools were q
hot permitted TO marry.
Nowadays experience goes to I
prove that people who have been un,
'ortunate In their hrst choice are G
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