The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-01-06
APPROACH 70 MARRIAGE



Therefore shall man leave hi
father ana his mother, AID shal
cleave unto his wife; and they shall
be one hesh'~Gen. 2;2i, matt. 1879
| Eph. 5:2i
| The suggestion q PROT Frances G
Blair, superintendent Of public in
lstnletien of the state OF Illinois, tia
lcourtship and marriage should b.
lmade the subject OF instruction in ouI
bubble schools, appears to contain az
Idea that is worthy Of our careful con
lsideraton. While the department OF
IEnglish. mentioned by the professor
lnay serve as beginning yet the
lsnbject belongs properly to psychol
logy and ethics, and special course
Iof instruction should first be arranged
for the better equipment or the teach
lars.
| But this subject should not be rele-
gated TO the public schools alone; fer
lit is, primarily the business OF the
church to unfold the teachings Of
Iscripture on the sacred subject oil
marriage 1t is Bible psychology and
Bible ethics which are required here.
In giving the four sermons on mar
rage. including its hu-ure, its enemy,
Tits friend, its mystery, u have been
performing the function OF the minis
ter, for the chief source of instrue-
tions and material on marriage are
found Iii the Bible
The subject is incomplete, however
unless there Is added a sermon on
THE Approach 70 Marriage, How
are the unmarried to properly ap-
proach marriage? HOW Is one to
wisely so about getting FAR oneself a
wife or d husband? This subject IN
stead OF being yelled and forbidden.
has an important place ~ scripture.
The nature of marriage, as defined in
my text. furnishes the principles
which enter into THE Approach to
Marriage"
There are three things to be con-
Psychology, the Method,
the Counterfeit
Psychology Of the First Marriage.
Our starting place must be the
of the first marriage,
God created a pair or human Beings
10 live together in the bonds OF mar
rage. Neither one contained all the
elements of humanity; for both to-
gether contained the complete image
Of Cod part OF that image being in
both, while ether parts were divided
between husband and wife.
This difference in the soul structure
II husband and wife Is ;ypified in the
human voice. which has an entirely
lifferent key in the woman. In the
oul of woman, tenderness and de-
,endence prevail; while in the man,
he dominating tendency is strength
nd liberty. There is a female soul
fe, and there is male soul life; and
ney supplement each other.
These. two natures were made for
ach other: and the one feels its in ,
until it is united in mar
Iage to the other. A single soul is
,nely and unsatisfied, for God has ;
aid. 1T is not good for man to i've 4
lone'-good neither for the man nor
,r the the woman The iwo soul ma ,
lres are like the attracting poles of Z
ne magnet. IN
II Is not only the nature Of the I
ale soul and the female soul 10 long I
IT the compromising or each other; Y
at ii Is the constant will Of God that q
should be so even In the bonds of
ply matrimony Gods providences q
al influences are constantly tending III
that direction. n
This psychology Of the sexes con. g
flutes the highway that is always n
zen and that leads to marriage II
the natural Approach to I
arriage." r
If this were all Of the psychology @
at is to be considered. then there
Duld be no difficulties involved. and
e first unmarried couple that me,
uld easily and quickly come to mat
nonial terms. ?
Diversity Of Dispositions.
But there are diversities Of DISPOSE
ms.
As there is infinite variety IN the
pearance Of the human face. no two tf
rsOns ever looking perfectly alike. NJ
there is equal diversity in the dis y
sitions Of the soui The pendulum | y
ings all the way from the practical J.
the theoretical; ffom the prosaic ~
the poetic; from the pblegmatie 10 "
2 mercurial: and these combiua-
ms IN temperament are as diversi.
i as the currents OF the air. This y
counts for the manifold varieties =
dispositions. involving likes and
likes which touch every detail Of -
This explains some Of those pec'i.
2 experiences which We have hal
meeting strangers for the first time =.
en either instant disgust drove the
0 apart. or instant sympathy drew p,
together into friendship. At other n.
les these af1inities deveiope grad. -,
ly. resulting finally ia the closest u,
i r14sn4 1aarlaT