The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-05-27
ENTERING MATRIMoNy.


tous Step.
It behooves woman to ponder we'll
before taking the momentous step
which, Of q necessity. must mean for
her supreme happiness or ab5ect mis-
cry.
Marriage should be the most seri-
Gus affair OF life. Yet how many We
see rushing thoughtlessly to the hyme-
neal altar laughing, joking and indulg-
ing mock persiflage over this, the
most solemn Of contracts, which binds
soul to soul everlastingly, despite the
fact that man-made laws may tempo
rarily sunder them.
Indeed, marriage is often made the
occasion for reckless and riotous feast.
| ing and unseemly merriment, which de-
socrates it's sacredness and disgraces
that union of hands and hearts which
should be looked upon as the best con.
summation Of all that earth can be-
stow.
It Is not to be wondered at that we
have SO many unhappy homes in our
land and that the divorce court is kept
busy, when we take into consideration
the hundreds Of thousands who actual
ly rush into matrimony, giving no
thought whatever to the consequence,
or indeed to the present situation.
They know, in fact, nothing of their
adaptation to such state in life, and
are above all ignorant of the qualities
OF the partners they are choosing
The truth is many marry for the
novelty Of the thing, many for con-
venience, and many more for baser
| and Interior motives, which, however,
never can be realized, for such unions
can not possibly turn out well.
1t is no uncommon thing among US
Tor man and woman to marry on a
few hours acquaintance, absolutely
knowing nothing whatever of each
Others antecedents.
/ We have matrimonial bureaus and
\ matrimonial papers conducted merely
as money-making games. These intro
duce prospective suitors to unthins
ing young women who are cajoled into
i giving up their freedom, too often to
1 vultures OF prey, who, whenever they
fleece their poor dupes and victims of
their all, cast them by the wayside
and desert them at the first milestone.
There are many, very many silly
girls who thus give up their freedom,
only to realize the fatal mistake in a
few short weeks, often hours, but too
late in every case to retrace.
Before thinking of matrimony, q
woman should thoroughly know the
man, and. even then, she should weigh
! well all the circumstances surrounding
his and her own situation.
i Let her emphasize to herself that
the step will be irrevocable.
Let her not marry for a home. a
refuge from the worlds cares or as an
escape from spinsterhood. Far better
be without home and remain a spin.
ster than enter into state which will
be one OF wretchedness and misery.
There is one thing Indispensable to
happy and successful marriage. and
that is love.
Where there is no love there can be
no happiness, there is no home. and
I where home is not heaven can not be.
An ancient philosopher said. II had a
good wife. Where. she was there was
home and to me home was heaven"
good woman can make home a
heaven for any man.
If they truly love each other the
woman can teach and lead the man
far more than she supposes. She Yields
an indefinable influence over him
which is ever present and ever felt by
him.
There Is an intangible something
about woman that can unconsciously
control the actions of man. She has
! q perspicacity and forethought, and
intuitive perceptiveness, denied to
man, which enables her to see far
ahead and advise him as to what is
right in all exigencies and circumstan-
ces.
Crises come in most mems lives,
when. without the guiding Influence,
or, rather, instinct of their wives, they
would go down to ruin. This is why SO
many men will tell you that they owe
all their success to their wives.
Lord Bolingbroke once said: IF I
were making UP plan of conse-
quences, / should first like to consult
with sensible woman
/ History is full of instances where
the worlds greatest men when in
doubt had recourse to womans counsel
and guidance. Many are inclined to
bslieve that all Napoleon's mighty
successes were due to ths wise advices
Oh Josephine; that his i'll fortunes be.
gan when he cast her off.