The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-02-28
Peoples Forum
MARRYING A MAN TO MEND HIM

Z /. n
MARRYING A MAN TO MEND HIM.
Editor West VIreinIah: t@ift
tR5w orttimes you will see our pure.
minded girls giving their hands witt.
their ears In them to men who. per
hans. love them warmly In return. bu
whose habits and associations in lift
are we'll known to be such that pure.
minded woman ought to shrink from
them with horror. .ss'- So
A young woman In New York pc
lice court. standing before the Judge
tlisillnsioned. weary and worn b..
wretchedness and woe. In telling til.
story of her husbands brutality and
neglect, among other things said: 81
knew my husband drank before mar.
ried him. and I would like to tell any
girl II she thinks she can reform. Il
man by marrying him. shei is mistaken
and had better hang herself. All |
want in this great world is q place to
work"
Cases like this might be multiplied
indefinitely from thousands OF police
courts Throughout the land. pointing
out how fuolhardy Is the act to MARI,
man TO mend him or reform him.
1t Is all nosense To say that love is
blind to the faults OF the one loved
II the man were not .leformed he
would not need to be reformed.
If Il man will not reform to please
his sweetheart. he will never do so tc
please his wife. Court records show
that marriage as step to mans re
form has almost Invariably resulted in
failure.
Women hope that their influence
will be greater after marriage than be
fore, and too often find with breaking
hearts that 1t Is less. The martyr
spirit seldom brings the martyrs re.
ward. If the possession OF your love
and the hope that you may become his
own is not enough to reform him
there Is little probability tina mar
will turn from his dissipation after
you have surrendered your liberty IL
him. r r
| know silly young women who i'm.
asine that little wiskedness Is sort
of spice In young mans life. Mark
my words. you will find those habits
after the wedding day to be anything
but pleasant spice. Love Is not only
bfini. but deaf and dumb in the case
of the woman who marries a man to
reform him. II the man reforms be,
fore marriage put him on probation for
two yenrs to prove that the reforma
ton Is genuine.
or all the curses ever inflicted on
woman and child there lis none So I'm.
mitigatedly hellish as intc1nperance;
| 1t has nervcd the ,hand tina once gave
the welding ring to deal the deadly
blow: 1t has inspired the lips tlfnt
once spoke only OF love to pour forth
the funlest curses of the pit 1t has
made children fly from the fathers ar.
preach as they would from n tlevour
ing monster. N+7'ir ''",9 RI 'a}H
II could gather into my lips the
language of angels and consult rherii.
bin anu seraphim on forms OF force,
ful speech. T 't6dld not express the
deep wretche.lness of the drunkardls
wife. who probably has married he.
husband TO reform him.
The Most terrible punishment spo
ken OF In antiquity was that OWNED
by Mezentius. who sometimes put |,
person to death BY claiming to him q
corpse. face to face. the putrefactlon
OF which gradually killed the living
man" The drnnkard's wife is chained
In this way to d loathsome horror
chained with no hopes OF release save
that which the grave niny bring to one
or the other or both ~ 4
Tnmerlane asked for l5O.UOo skullt
with which to build The pyramid to mis-
own honor. He got the skulls tnal
bH'it the pramid. but ~ the bones oil
broken-hearte,l wives could be piled
up.' 1t would make Il pyramid -'hlushlnr
TO the skies. And when these inebr
ate husbands are fathers. as most oil
them are. 1t is impossible to frame d
stntementio consequences; that .wll
give an idea TO their enormity send
Ing out into the world children. hide
Gus: carlcatures OF the living God. twht
reel through life insane, lmbeci1e, dis
easel andgdeprared, when they shoull
be men and women born In the imast
~ the Father. ~ s5 Z e (;
J 4 NJ OTHER. n