The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-08-17
TO BE MANS GOOD ANGEL.
A Desire That Is Part OF The Fem
inine Makeup.
(From the Kansas City Star

The woman does not live who Is
not fiattered by the idea that she is a
good angel to some man. 1t Is a
part Of the feminine makeup to wish
to be guiding star. Men know this
instinctively, and when they need an
excuse they word it something like
this: II know / am not worth it,
but you are the one good thing in
my life." .. ....
Girls. especially young girls, with
a slight knowledge Of the world, are
strong in their own sense of power.
They think that their wanting to
make a man good will make him
good. Knowing nothing of the awful
grasp of evil habits, they believe
from the bottom of their little white
souls that they can bring him up to
the heights. And that Is how it hap
pens that women marry men to re-
form them.
A great problem faces the girl who
falls in love with a man who is weak
Generally her love for him makes
her underestimate his weaknesses.
She calls his liking for the things
that harm him by other names than
to convince herself that he can stop
IL he will do it. She is sure gambling
will have no attraction for him when
he can bask alwsys in the pleasure of
her society, and she contends that
his fiirtstious regard for other girls
will cease when married.
Sometimes her faith in him Is justi-
fed. Some men lead reckless, care
free lives until they meet the one
woman to whom they give a great
love and that love transforms them.
But such cases are exceedingly rare.
The average man, In the first flush
OF alteration, makes promises which
he cannot keep. Bad habits are not
easily replaced by good ones and the
girl who engages herself to a man
should insist upon long engage
ment Only In such an engagement
can her lover prove himself worthy.
1t Is easy enough for the incorporate
man to refrain for a few weeks or
months from tipping, but a year or
longer will test it's strength and prove
his love.
III all women were strong they
| might bear up weak men on the
wings Of their strength, but marriage
| after the honeymoon, is practical
proposition. The young wife faces
problems that have never before con
fronted her, and she needs a hus-
band who will help bear them and
not add to them. The wives of weak
husbands are always to be pitied
They never have their womanly heri-
tage of protection and tenderness
They go through the world with more
weight than their slender shoulders
really ought to carry.
No man who is the victim of his
own weaknesses should ask a girl To
marry him. If his love for her is
very great he may tell her of it, tell
her that he wishes her for his wife,
but that. as yet. he has no right to
bind her to any vows. If she loves
him she can wait for him. marry him
The brave-hearted girl will say at
this point, Let me help you" And
that is her mistake. She may help.
but not as his wife. If misery is to
| come he must bear the burden of his
| own weaknesses and not infict it on
a woman and perhaps on her child.
Love is a sacred thing, so sacred
that no two people should treat it as
trivial. 1t shouldd not demand of
its object perfection, but it must de-
mand striving toward good. The
young couple who wishes to marry
must have ideals If they are to have
happiness. They must have strength
If they are TO beneft their race. They
must be temperate If they wish to
hold the respect of the community.