The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1908-05-06


arose chant. sweet echo of deter.
mined past. the music history OF
AnglO-Saxon fortitude.. The preach
/ er had not yet arrived. Beneath the
trees sat the wise men of the cOmmu-
rity; and when old Linn Jucklin got
out Of his wagon. conducted his wife
to the door and came walking back
with his hands behind him, a young
fellow we'll trained in manners arose
to give the chicken-fightins oracle a
seat. He sat down, with his back
against tree. put his hat on the
ground beside him. uttered the neces-
sary commonplace incident upon
meeting his friends. saw a needed rain
coming within two days. and then
after a short silence remarked: Il
see that jedse over at Raleigh in
| grantin' divorce says there don't ap-
pear to be any doubt of the fact that
marriage is failure. From time to
time within the past few years | have
| hearn sOmethin' about this here fail
ure on the part of marriage. but never
put my mind down on it till one of
| our own jedges rendered his decision
In the natter
Then Squire BriZintine spoke up.
And does it seem to you, Limuel.
that he has got anywhere close down
to the TRUTH"
Out of his hat the old man took his
red bandanna handkerchief. wiped his
brow, and, spreading the handker-
chief across his knees, replied that it
was a matter that needed some little
investigation. Take the case OF
little Sammy Peel said he. Mar
| ried the wilder Buntin. that weighs
go. Don't appear TO have been a
failure in his case" The boys laughed
and Squire BriZintine blew his nose
with a loud snort. for ii was known
that not long after the death OF his
wife he had paid court to the widow
1t is a question: old Lin cOntin-
ued, that is aggitatin' of society, and
has been ] peckOn since the Lord first
flung open the front door of time
And it is a subject that so many folks
are related to one way or another
that it sOrter makes Teller feel sad
to think about the opinion of the
jedge over at Raleigh. But the only
way to find out whether or not thing
is true is to start an aggitatiOn and
keep 1t a goin'. There are thousands
OF men that stand ready to come for
ward and swear that human life il.
self is a failure. and has been ever
since old Noah drank too much of his
own wine. There is a way to lOok
The Gospel itself is only a success in
spots And | reckon it's putty much
that way with marriage If the right
spots amt found it amt the fault
of the institution of marriage. but is
error in the Judgment of man.
But how about the Judgment of
woman?" Squire BriZintine put i'm,
and the boys smiled. for in the neigh
borhood it was well known that the
Squire and his wife had with their
dissensions awakened the echoes of
many a dark night.
Old Lin sat smoothing his hand
kerchief across his knees. WE'LL"
said he, with woman the question of
marriage comes up before she has
Judgment enough to make good de-
cision. We know that at 20 boy
is nothin' but a boy. but we expect
Il girl at that age to be ripe enough
to take charge of a household. At
take a rabbit out of a trap. Didn't
have enough to keep out of a trap
myself. We talk about many virtues.
but. after all. looks, eyes. smiles and
hair are the main points to be consid-
cred in the question of marriage. and
as these things appeal more to woman
than to man, she is in the way to
make more mistakes. Common sense
ought to tell women that good-lookiI'
men don't make the best husbands:
but that's where the trouble lies-the
lack of common sense. A curl hangin'
low over a forehead and a sort of tune
to laugh counts more with the aver
age girl than the multiplication table.
And there may be more of snowy love
in the curl, but it won't build as many
fires in the kitchen stove Any Teller
smiles when he goes a courtin', but
the Teller that is most useful to = |
community and at home is the one
that smiles some when he's at work
The happiest time of girls life
is when she is engaged. for then she
has the dazzlin' promise of somethin'
that amt likely to be fulfilled. The
hero that she is Soin' to marry gig
gies and filters like June water
a babblin' down over moss ivered |
rocks. but if weighed and put up for |
sale in the market of common sense. |
he wouldn't fetch as much as side |
of bacon. The trouble is she takes |
him on looks. and he takes her the |
same way. and after they have been |
married awhile they find that their |
minds are total strangers"
But how would you remedy it,"
some one inquired.
Il can't remedy it-and l wouldn't |
1t would be an Interference with |
natur'. In the days of old it was
thought. and it is still alive in the |
minds of smart men. that good big
part Of the human family was born
to be damned, and l reckon il was in
tended that a certain number OF mar
riages' were intended to be failures.
And marriage is more of failure
now than ever before, because there
are more people to get married. The
more folks the more misery II a
man and a woman do the best they
can and their marriage turns out bai